Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
When God set apart the Seventh Day it was after He Himself had worked for six, and then rested. Shabbat is therefore, “primordial” in a real sense, something established from the beginning of time. This makes the pattern of working six days and resting on the seventh something fundamental to human existence, and something exceedingly blessed.
Resting on Shabbat serves multiple purposes. First, it acknowledges and honors the rhythm of creation itself. By mirroring God’s pattern of work and rest, we align ourselves with the order He established. Second, it’s a weekly reminder that we do not have endless sources of energy in our mortal frame, but need time to recharge physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Some have wondered why we don’t send out a Worthy Brief on Saturday or Sunday. We decided this because we all need a break from the cares of this world, and from the bad or sad news our briefs inevitably report week after week. The weekend pulls our focus out of worldly affairs and allows for a different emphasis, one of relationship, refreshment and renewal of body, soul and spirit, for us and our families.
We also believe and have experienced that resting one day a week enables us to actually accomplish more in six days of work than if we go nonstop for seven days. This pattern not only boosts productivity but also enhances the quality of our work and life.
When we observe the principle of a Shabbat rest, we demonstrate our trust in God’s provision, tangibly expressing faith that God will take care of our needs even when we are not working. Our faith and reliance on Him are built up reinforcing the truth that our primary source of strength and sustenance is not our own effort but God’s goodness.
In a world that often glorifies constant busyness and productivity, Shabbat stands as a counter-cultural practice that emphasizes the importance of rest and reliance on God. It’s a sacred time that refreshes our bodies, renews our spirits, and realigns our focus on what truly matters — so enjoy God’s stress management program instituted from the beginning .. until Monday, Shabbat Shalom!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]It never ceases to amaze me, the way the devil uses our offenses and our “offendedness” to divide and conquer marriages, relationships, churches — even entire nations!
There’s an old adage, “Have the heart of a lion!” Hearing it, we think, “courage”. This recalls a quote I once heard; “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened”. I doubt there’s a single hero story in which the fearless leader fails to inspire the righteous determination of his army or people. The voice of the captain resounds through the ranks evoking the fierce cry of every warrior ready to face death or worse, for the cause. Courage truly is contagious.
The Hebrew word for “face” is “panim”, (the Hebrew letters, peh-nun-yud-mem), literally “faces”, a plural word. Normally, when we think about God, we focus only upon one of His “faces” at a time. God is “love” – or He is “holy”– or He is “just”— or He’s a God of “wrath”. Yet, of course, ALL these “faces” are His at once; and so the word “panim” accurately reflects the truth of God’s multifaceted being. As we get to know Him better we begin to appreciate the complexity of His nature and the fact that our focus on one “face” is a very limited view, since there’s so much more going on in His amazing “Personality”.
Patience is one of those things… so hard to learn it… so hard to practice it faithfully in our daily walk. It’s one of of those things I truly wish we didn’t have to learn — but God requires it of us! As I was reading through this passage again in Exodus, it dawned on me that Moses sat on the mountain for six entire days before the Lord spoke to him. He had to patiently wait for the Lord for six days!
The book of Isaiah, often called the Old Testament Gospel, reveals that a child was to be born and his name called “The Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father”. We know that this Child was Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, that He is the unique Son of God, the express image of the invisible God. The throne of David was to be given to Him and He now holds its “key”, a symbol of the right and authority of His reign, which will be consummated when He returns to this world and restores the Kingdom to Israel [Acts 1:6-7].
When I studied Isaiah 53 earnestly in the ancient Hebrew, I was taken back by the Hebrew word for “afflicted” (me-u-neh). In modern Hebrew this word means “tortured”. When I was young, and first learned what torture actually involved, my soul was shocked that this could happen to people; in fact that it was happening to people. That a person could be kept alive for the purpose of intentionally causing him intense agonizing pain was an astounding enigma for my young soul. It really frightened me; and I think that fear of torture is probably the greatest fear that humans can experience. We read about people who have been tortured, with a kind of horrified awe. And quietly we wonder inside, “How can this be?” And, “Could this ever happen to me?”
I love this story! Peter was sitting between two guards and suddenly an angel of the Lord comes to him and frees him — and he thinks it’s a vision! He’s not sure if he truly believes it.