The Sabbath

What does your Sabbath look like? What do you think the Sabbath is? Is it any day we choose to be our day of rest? Is it the one day set aside by God at the beginning that He rested on? Interestingly enough, the Sabbath, was the only day that was actually named. The other names came later-check out who/what they are named after for some interesting reading.

But back in the "day", the days were different. A day started at sundown and ended at the next sundown. So. . .the Sabbath starts on Friday at sundown and ends on Saturday at sundown. But what, exactly, do we do with that whole day? What is a day of rest? Is it a day to do what I deem restful? Is it a day that is devoted to spending time with God? Is it both? There are hundreds of rules that tell us what not to do. But let's get back to the basics again-isn't it about our hearts? God wants our hearts. The practices mean nothing if our hearts are not right. And. . .as stated in "The Law and Grace" by Todd Bennett, "The Torah was never considered to be a burden by the Yisra'elites; rather it was thought to be a special gift, a treasure, to a people who were chosen to live set apart lives."

When did we deem all rules bad? We forget that sometimes they are put in place to protect us, to help us focus on what's important, and to prevent us from making mistakes. Is that how we feel about the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible)? I think we've all thought that at one time or another. But this week I've wondered. . .what would it look like if I looked at the Torah as a treasure? I think my outlook and attitude might begin to change.