Back to the Basics: The Forgotten Command

Exodus 20:8–11

When many Christians think about the 10 Commandments, they immediately think about commandments like murder, stealing, and lying. However, there’s one commandment that is often ignored or misunderstood: the commandment to remember the Sabbath. This commandment is unique. First, it’s the longest commandment in the 10 commandments and the only one that begins with the word remember.

Why did God begin this commandment with that word? God gave this commandment with the word " remember” because he knew his people, and even we would forget. We live in a culture that glorifies busyness. People brag or complain about how busy they are. Our phones constantly buzz. Our work follows us home, and even our rest has become noisy and distracted. Right in the middle of the 10 commandments, God gives us that sound almost radical today. He tells us to stop, rest, worship, and remember. 

Look at how this passage starts off, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The word remember here means more than just recalling information. Remembering in Scripture means actively honoring and observing something God established. God knew something about human nature: that when life gets busy, the first things people sacrifice are worship and rest. How many times have we heard people say, “I’m too busy to go to church.”  Perhaps they might say, “I’ll spend time with God later.”  Maybe they say, “Work has to come first.”

However, God says, “Remember.” He does not say, “Not if you have the time.” He also does not say, “When it is convenient for you.” I cannot emphasize this enough, he tells his people to remember.

God does not stop there; He commands that the Sabbath be kept holy. The word holy means to be set apart for God. This means the Sabbath is not just sleeping in or doing nothing. It is about setting apart a specific time for God. The Sabbath encourages us to both Personal holiness and social holiness. We need personal devotion, corporate worship, and fellowship with believers that renew our souls.

Imagine a married couple that never takes the time to be together. They still live in the same house, but their relationship will slowly grow cold and eventually die. The Sabbath is God's appointed time to nurture our relationship with him. Let us not forget that.

This commandment continues in verse 9, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”   This part of the command surprises and baffles many people. God is not condemning work; in fact, God commands us to work. If we get into a true biblical rhythm, we would work faithfully and rest intentionally. God did not create humans to be lazy, but he also did not create them to be machines that never stop. God created a balanced life for us. We work 6 days a week and rest on the 7th. We need to remember that we are not just slaves for productivity, and that Rest can be just as productive as work.

Look at what God says about the Sabbath in verse 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.” Did you notice the very important detail that God does not say the Sabbath belongs to us; rather, it belongs to him? This means the Sabbath is not merely a self-care day but a God-centered rest.

This verse tells us who must rest. This commandment is for you, your sons, your daughters, your servants, your animals, and even foreigners among you. This commandment was a very revolutionary Idea in the ancient world. In other nations, neither servants nor slaves ever rested. God says everyone deserves rest. This reveals the very heart of God and that he cares about workers, families, servants, and even animals.

A farmer once said, "If you never let your fields rest, eventually they will produce nothing." We saw this happen here in America during the Great Dust Bowl. The same is true for human souls. When we never stop working, we will become exhausted, emotionally drained, and spiritually dry. God ordained the Sabbath to protect us against burnout and spiritual emptiness.

Verse 11 shows that the Sabbath goes back to the beginning of creation. It reads, “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.” Before Moses, before Israel, and even before sin entered the world, God established a rhythm of rest. God rested not because he was tired, but he was setting a pattern for us as humans.

You may ask, “Pastor Ken, what does God’s rest teach us?” It teaches us that life is more important than work. It also shows us that creation itself has a rhythm. Finally, it teaches us that rest is part of God’s design for us. The Sabbath becomes a means of grace for us, a practice that helps us experience God’s presence and transformation. When we stop working and worship God, we remember that our identity comes from God and from our productivity.

By the time Jesus came, the religious leaders had made the Sabbath so burdened with hundreds of man-made rules. They turned it from a blessing into a burden. They even criticized Jesus for healing people on the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 gives Jesus’ response to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Jesus restored the original purpose of the Sabbath as a gift, not as legalism or restriction. It is life-giving rest and worship.

Christians began gathering on Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Sunday became known as the Lord’s Day. It was to celebrate creation, redemption, and Resurrection. Every Sunday reminds us that Christ has defeated sin and death.

In today’s world, the Sabbath is more and more important than ever. We live in an age of constant work, endless notifications, digital distractions, and mental exhaustion. People are busier than ever, but more spiritually empty. The Sabbath invites us to step off the treadmill of modern life. The Sabbath reminds us that God is in control, the world keeps spinning without us, and our worth is not measured by productivity.

 I once heard a pastor say, “If the devil can't make you sin, he'll make you busy.” Busyness can slowly suffocate our spiritual life. The Sabbath interrupts that pattern. It tells us to stop, worship, and rest in God.

So, begs to ask the question, “What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy today?” It does not mean a rigid, legalistic way that you must follow every letter to its end. However, it does mean we need to have attentional practices. The Sabbath means worshiping together. It begins with all God’s people gathered in corporate worship, encouraging each other, strengthening the Church, and centering our lives on God.

The Sabbath shows us that we should rest from normal work. It invites us to lay down our daily laborers. It does this not because work is bad but because rest is holy.

The Sabbath also reminds us to spend time with God. It is a wonderful time for prayer. It is a wonderful time to be in the Word of God. It is a wonderful time to reflect on what God has done for you and show gratitude for it.

The Sabbath is also about enjoying God’s gifts. You can spend time with your family at a meal. You could enjoy God’s world by taking a hike in nature. You can spend time with brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is also to be joyful. One thing I like about Wesley Grove Chapel is that they take time during Sunday morning worship to ask us what we are thankful for.

All these things are good to do. We have to remember that God blessed the Sabbath for what. Ultimately, the Sabbath shows us a deeper meaning. It points to something even greater.

Throughout scripture, it teaches that one day God’s people will enter eternal rest. Through Jesus Christ, we find that rest. We find rest from sin, striving, and spiritual exhaustion. Matthew 11:28 records Jesus’s words, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The Sabbath reminds us that true rest is found in Christ alone.

This commandment is simple: remember the Sabbath. It is not burdened or empty of tradition but filled with a gift of grace. It is a weekly reminder that God is Creator, God is a provider, and God is Savior. When we keep the Sabbath holy, we declare, “My life belongs to God.”

Let me give you one last illustration. Imagine there’s a woodworker who works tirelessly every day. Another woodcutter worked fewer hours but cut more wood. The first man asked what his secret was. The second, “Every hour I stop to sharpen my axe.” The Sabbath was given for God to sharpen our souls. Without taking rest, I’m afraid we will grow dull, tireless, and ineffective, but with rest we find renewal.

Let me close with a question: Do you feel Exhausted, spiritually tired, emotionally drained, overworked, and overwhelmed? Jesus offers rest to you, and it’s not just physical rest but rest for the soul. Let me encourage you to return to God’s rhythm, to God’s presence, and ultimately to Christ. Come to Him, and you’ll find rest for your soul’s need.