Nearly 2 years ago I preached on God as the Creator of time, and Lord over work and rest. He made us to work AND rest. There are limits to each.
It is more difficult when the location of your ordinary labor is where you live (working moms are a different matter, obviously). But even if you would outside the home, at home there are always things that need attention whether they are urgent or not.
Take the day off from cleaning the house. In most families, moms do most of that. I remember a time we were eating with my siblings and their spouses at my parents. After dinner, Mom got up and started clearing dishes. CavWife was shocked that no one stood up to help. Mom always did it (though one chore of mine for awhile was cleaning the dishes). Husbands or older children can step up on Sundays to give moms a break when it comes to the dishes. But lay aside the laundry, floors, dusting etc. The home will not fall apart prior to Monday. And if you find that you will go crazy if you won’t- then there is a deeper issue to address.
Go out for lunch, maybe. Some people are not comfortable with this due to their convictions about others working on Sunday. They are working whether you go out to eat or not. They are suffering the consequences of the worship of money and comfort. If your conscience won’t let you, don’t do it. But the restaurant workers won’t condemn you, and could use the tip money.
Eat leftovers. The big Sunday meal may be a great tradition to build memories and a special time to be together, but it puts an unfair burden on moms (unless you grab take out). But Sunday can be a great time to clear out the leftovers from the fridge, or at least eat something simple. Most dads or older kids can operate a microwave.
Take a nap. One of the benefits of having younger kids is nap time. It is often a great time to get stuff done. Most Sundays CavWife and I use that to enjoy some time together. Sometimes, it is a great time to catch a few winks after not sleeping well all week.
Enjoy some sex (with your spouse). You didn’t expect that, did you? In doing research for a sermon years ago on the Sabbath, I ran across the mention of the Jewish practice of Sabbath sex. The slower pace of the day should help you to enjoy some time together enjoying the marriage bed. We have some friends who really appreciated this suggestion.
Pursuing Christ through the means of grace. God mercifully gave us a whole day to pursue Him. It is about more than public worship, however. There should be family and even personal worship. Moms often have a hard time finding time to read their Bibles or other books, pray, sing, etc. I put this near the end because this is all some people think the Sabbath rest should be about. But the phrase is redundant- Sabbath means rest. As Christians we rest in Christ from our works. But Sunday is a great day to read things that will point you to Jesus and the sufficiency of His work for you. It is a great grow in grace kind of day.
Works of mercy. It could be as simple as inviting a lonely person over to help you with the leftovers. Or someone who is struggling financially. Simple works of mercy, like hospitality (you don’t need to do anything fancy) restore their souls, and yours.
Anyone have any other ideas for moms to enjoy some rest in accordance with God’s merciful law.
Update: Here is a good article by Dr. Bill Evans on the Sabbath principle.
Hey Steve,
Seeing you are talking “Sabbath” for moms, does this mean you are referencing ideas for a Saturday?
Is the Mosaic / Israel Sabbath on Saturdays still active today?
Josh,
Stick to baseball!
You could call it “the Lord’s Day” as D.A. Carson does, but the Sabbath, rest, Day has shifted with the resurrection. Since this “work 6, rest 1” principle is found in the creation ordinances, as well as the Top 10, the rest principle still applies. The sabbaths of the ceremonial law are no longer binding, being connected with feasts.
Ah, thanks Steve!
So help me here, we are not really talking “Sabbaths” anymore?
We are actually talking “Lord’s Day”?
You say “the Sabbath rest day has shifted” because of Jesus’ Resurrection.
That certainly makes sense to me, but then you revert back to Creation ordinances, and the Ten Commandments.
I am confused, not arguing with you, just confused.
May I ask you, “did Jesus in accomplishing his mission to save his people from their sins, bring an end to Sabbath Days rest which was Saturday?
I ask because in reading the NT, I notice that Paul says not to permit others to enforce the Sabbath on the Colossian believers.
And in the same chapter was Paul saying Jesus’ cross brought an end to the Sabbaths, sacrifices, feasts etc?
working through this, thanks Steve.
Josh,
Get that arm slot where it belongs!
We are not talking the Jewish Sabbath, or sabbaths. Christ saves us from our sins, and fulfilled all of the Law. The ceremonial law is now obsolete because it was intended to deal with our sin and uncleanness.
But the moral law is still valid in revealing our sin and revealing what pleases God. Since the “Sabbath” precedes the Mosaic Covenant, the principle is not tied to the ceremonial law but the moral law.
Colossians, I believe, lacks an article and is in the context of the ceremonial law.
Put down the chicken!
Hey Steve,
Thanks again for your reply as you are helping me think through this.
Over the years [very gradually] I should say the last five years I’ve begun to have some confusion over this issue when reading through the Bible, but have not done a major study on it. I was first struck when reading Colossians a couple of years ago, and it has “troubled” me or at least perplexed me since. What I noticed was that because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross Col. 2, that those in Christ were commanded to not permit others to judge them who did not see food laws now fulfilled, festivals fulfilled and then there it was Sabbath as well. I really struggled with it and then put it out of my mind, not wanting to think about it. But since when reading other places in the NT I’ve noticed a couple of other things.
Can I share them with you, and you tell me what you think?
The Sabbath was included in the Colossian letter as something fulfilled and then each of those was even referred to as a shadow but Jesus the substance.
Secondly, i’ve noticed there is no NT command to regard the Sabbath Day after the cross / resurrection.
The Apostles then declare and observed the First Day of the Week and there are a couple of references to that day as now becoming “The Lord’s Day”.
I’ve been in a Reformed Denomination and we talk about Sabbath as being part of the Moral Law and I’ve determined that was enough, but reading the NT, in particular the Colossians context keeps seeming to be saying even the Sabbath was a shadow of Jesus and he alone the substance.
Again, thank you.
Yes, we do see a shift to the first day of the week, in Acts and 1 Corinthians. Just as we see a shift from circumcision to baptism.
If the Sabbath principle (rest 1 day in 7) is part of the created order, and moral law (it is in the 10 Commandments which is moral law not ceremonial law), the it would still be important for us.
One way of viewing Scripture thinks that only that which is repeated is binding- drawing a big contrast between OT & NT.
The way the Reformed Church as viewed Scripture is to recognize it is all God’s Word and useful to rebuke, admonish, train in righteousness etc. (2 Tim. 3). viewed this way, we look to see what is now obsolete. We assume continuity instead of discontinuity.
In the NT we actually see Jesus, Paul and Hebrews instructing us about what is now obsolete (food laws, and the ceremonial law). Hebrews says there is a rest that remains, of which the Sabbath is a foretaste.
That’s how I view it.
Thanks Steve for continuing dialog as we view the various passages.
I’ve yet to sit down and try to cross reference or do a “Sabbath” study.
Seeing my not having a solid grasp of this, what has happened in the past two years of Bible reading is that some various questions pop up when I read of the Sabbath.
In my OT reading this year, something I don’t believe I ever noticed prior to this year was, in Genesis, it is God who rested, and there is no mention of humanity being told then to rest on the Sabbath. I do find humanity being told to be fruitful and multiply for example. And then when I got to Exodus I found God said seeing I brought you out of Egypt, I give you these ten commandments. I knew this of course, but always never questioned the idea of this is God’s moral law. I think reading Exodus as historical narrative, Thus, for the first time, I am considering those two together:
a. was there no creation mandate for Humanity to rest on the Sabbath?
b. Was the command to Israel accompanied with an analogy to Creation of God resting, but not a Creation mandate of humanity to rest?
First time seemed to be reading as covenantal history, that the Sabbath for Israel really seemed to be instituted after the Exodus [not creation] and was actually called a sign to Israel of God’s covenant love to them.
Am still wondering, but I think our Reformed Theology has always taught us Jesus fulfilled all types, shadows and signs of the Mosaic era, that Jesus is the substance. And it would seem [at least to me these days] that Hebrews is really teaching that as well. Jesus was better than Moses, Angels, the Old Covenant, the sacrifices, the Tabernacle/ Temple, Priests and then even the rest that God provided via Joshua leading them into the land, and certainly in Mt 11 and 12 Jesus is saying he provides a better rest than the OT Sabbath as well.
I’ve been thinking I see more unity in the position of Jesus brings a greater rest than the OT sign of one day of physical rest. He brings a rest that is for our souls, brings the eternal rest into this age in the already and not yet, guaranteeing the great eternal rest in its fulness in the New Jerusalem.
Thanks for your exchange. It’s nice to listen to the other guy and know he is listening too and we are not arguing.
I think its very healthy.
So can you share how you would respond to Sabbath Keeping being Moral Law when it is not commanded in the NT, was a sign in the OT, and Jesus says he came to fulfill the Law of which Paul says don’t let anyone force you into keeping Sabbaths and festivals due to Christ’s finished work on the cross?
God rests as an example to us. We work because He works. We rest one in 7 because He rested one in 7. This will be put in the moral law in Exodus 20, which shows it is not a transitory law that is particular to Israel any more than murder, theft, adultery etc. How are we to view the moral law? Temporary and set in their circumstances? Or reflecting the character of God?
Jesus fulfilled all the Law for us- moral and ceremonial. The ceremonial is therefore obsolete, it doesn’t do anything since our sin has been fully dealt with in Christ.
But the moral law still stands, not for justification, but that we know what pleases God. I believe that the Sabbath, as expressed in the moral law founded on creation, is still God’s will for us though we see the shift in places like 1 Cor. 16. But the sabbaths, additional sabbaths tied to the now obsolete religious festivals are obsolete. We are therefore not to celebrate them, not demand that others do so (as Paul taught in Colossians).
The Lord’s Day is an intrusion of the eschaton. Made in the image of God, we need rest and He provides for it and the pursuit of God in the “sabbath”.
Thanks Steve, I’ve enjoyed your helping me think through this a bit more.
Vast agreement with you.
And where I still find dissatisfaction, I will let you have the last word, and keep in mind what you offered as I still try to put the pieces together.
Thanks again!
And Go BoSox