SHABBAT IS THE CROWN of creation and the first thing God made holy: “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it” (Gen 2:3). As we noted in last month’s column, the Sabbath was made for man. It establishes a redemptive rhythm of blessing and rest in which time itself becomes hallowed and human existence enters God’s intended shalom.
The exalted place of Shabbat is verbalized in the Jewish Prayer Book: “Last in creation, first in intention.” In fact, Jewish tradition can teach Christians much about the benefits and blessings of honoring the Seventh Day, thereby enriching our relationship with the Holy One of Israel. Here are some principles to consider.
1. Shabbat reminds us of the goodness of the creation and the greatness of the Creator. Nature is not worshipped in the biblical worldview, but neither should it be ignored nor denigrated. Setting apart the Seventh Day unto the Lord honors our Creator and acknowledges the moral implications of His sovereignty. Ethical monotheism, central both to Judaism and to Christianity, hangs on the essential truth of the Genesis account of creation, concluding with the Sabbath.
2. Shabbat is the end of creation both as its completion and as its goal. The world is created good but only God in partnership with man can make it holy. Shabbat hallows the creation. On the Sabbath, man and his Maker dwell in unity (yachad) in a special way; mutually they create a “Shabbat kodesh”—a Sabbath of holiness. This union of intimate covenantal partnership is the goal and the passion of the Holy One who created man. Every Sabbath kept, every seventh day hallowed, points to the eventual destiny of the creation itself. The finite world shall become the dwelling of the infinite God, the abode of His glory. In that Day, the whole earth shall experience perpetual “Shabbat shalom”.
3. Shabbat is not a natural occurrence but a supra-natural opportunity. A seven-day cycle is not self-evident in the cosmic order. Neither the monthly lunar cycle nor the annual solar cycle is divisible by seven. Indeed the seven-day week that we take for granted was alien to the ancient pagan world. Shabbat is holy only by God’s decree and divine imprint. Those who honor it are sanctified in turn. They enter into a God-ordained pattern of covenantal existence that sets them apart as a “treasured people” that bear His name in the world.
4. Shabbat encourages us to honor the Creator by giving up our creations. For six days a week we labor in the world for our own ends. For one day we are asked to remember the Creator and return our creations and ourselves back to His dominion. Shabbat reminds us that “the Earth is the Lord’s” (Exo 9.29). It is only on loan to us. On Shabbat we acknowledge the Creator as King, and we set apart the day unto Him and His sovereignty. Only under His reign do we experience the fullness of peace. In Shabbat we find shalom.
5. Shabbat facilitates entering God’s “rest”. Just taking a day off from work neither sanctifies the Sabbath nor satisfies the soul. Shabbat is not a self-indulgent vacation so much as it is a spiritual invocation. We invite God by His Spirit to lead us beside the “waters of rest” (Ps 23.2) and restore our souls. We build a sanctuary in time and the Holy Spirit comes and fills it with the shalom of God. In this sacred time we find harmony between man and nature and between one another. We celebrate God’s creation and study His written revelation. We come into His presence and He gives us rest (Exo 33:14).
6. Shabbat is made for man —but unto the Lord. The spiritual discipline of Sabbath observance brings harmony into our homes and holiness into our world. It blesses man and it hon¬ors God. Shabbat counters our natural tendencies toward idolatry and self-centeredness. It redeems time and turns our hearts back to the Father and His priorities. Shabbat is a day set apart for family and friends, study and prayer, scripture and nature — but ultimately it is the Lord’s day. May His name be honored in all the earth
