Read the following passages:
Genesis 2:2
“On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. “
Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.”
Exodus 31:14-16
"You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among the people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the Israelites shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant."
Journal your answers to the following:
• When was the last time you observed a true day of rest consecrated to God?
• What do these passages tell you about God? About people? About the relationship between God and people?
• How important is keeping the Sabbath to God? To you?
• How would you explain “a perpetual covenant” to a non-believer?
Go deeper: If you were to commit to observing this perpetual covenant, what aspects of your life would need to change? Journal your response.
