Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV);
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (NIV)
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Luke 6:8-10 (NIV)
8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
Reflection:
“Beep…beep…beep.” Most of us wake up every morning with the sound of an alarm clock beeping in our ears. It reminds us to get up and get ready for the day. In a similar way, the Sabbath was a reminder of all that God had done for the Israelites. With each Sabbath, they remembered how God created the world and rested on the seventh day, and how with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, how He rescued them from slavery and sustained them in the wilderness. But when Jesus came on the scene, it was no longer just a remembrance, but it became an experience. He healed. He restored. He rescued. And when He healed, it was a sign that God was still rescuing and saving with His mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Although it appeared like Jesus was breaking the Sabbath, He was actually observing it but in a deeper way and perfectly fulfilling its original intent to bring the ultimate rest for His people.
Response:
How do we remember all the things God has done in our lives? We remember as we experience, we experience as we remember, and we do this over and over. We believe that the same arm that stretched out to save us in the past reaches out to us to heal and restore us now. Let’s bring to God all of the areas of our lives that need healing whether physical, emotional or spiritual. Let’s believe in His power that heals us and trust that God’s hand is mighty for us.
