A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 31.
In his book Recapturing the Wonder, Mike Cosper shares this experience:
“Once, I attended a Sabbath dinner with an Orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem. they welcomed about twenty of us into their home, packing tables and chairs around their small living room. The sheer quantity of food they served that night was astounding. Every time you thought you thought you were done eating, another course came: the bread, the salad, the matzoh soup, the eggplant and hummus, the fish , then the chicken, then the beef, then more cheese and snacks, then dessert, and then more dessert. The host sang and read scripture and told stories and prayed, and the night is forever marked in my mind. The Sabbath is a celebration that the week is over, that the work is done, and that God has provided. The feast made that reality tangible.”1
When I was growing up, our “Sabbath” was Sunday, and everything was closed. But there was still plenty to do. Sometimes we went to Granny’s (my dad’s mom) apartment for dinner. Reading the Sunday newspaper (especially the color comics) took up a chunk of time in the afternoon. I usually had homework to complete for school on Monday. Sunday night was a big night for television watching, especially the Ed Sullivan Show, The Wonderful World of Disney, and movies.
We found plenty of things to fill up our weekend that had nothing to do with the original observance of a Sabbath, or day of rest. I like the idea of not working in order to enjoy the fruits of your work just like God did. What a great weekly reminder of God’s presence and provision in our lives.
“The sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:16,17).
1Mike Cosper, Recapturing the Wonder (InterVarsity Press, 2017), p. 134
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