The Fourth Commandment

The Fourth Commandment “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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 manservant or maidservant, not your animals, nor the alien within your gates. Exodus 20:8 God has commanded us to set aside one day each week to rest and in respect for Him. This is the time we need to worship God, and refresh our minds and our bodies. The business of week days so often makes us forgetful of God and our souls; but the Sabbath brings God back to our lives and our remembrance. We should do no work on the Sabbath, as this is to be a day set aside for God, as the Lord’s Day is a day of holy rest. In Exodus 31:14 God is specific as to how important it is to obey the Sabbath when He said “Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death: whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people.” God does give us the opportunity to do works of necessity and charity on the Sabbath, but very little else. Our Sabbath day must be reserved for the worship of God, and should be a time to purify our souls; it is a time for us to have communion with God, and draw closer to Him. We need to honor God on the Sabbath day and show Him we love Him. Today I am afraid that many do not respect the Sabbath, as their life continues as it did the rest of the week. I realize that many people work on the Sabbath, however there should be another day of the week that they set aside to honor God. The cares and busyness of daily life must be relegated to the six days of work, but one day must be set aside for God. This is the day of rest and the time to devote to God and Him alone. This is one of God's commandments and must be obeyed. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven​ April 4