Reflections on Sabbath

"Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever." Exodus 31:16

What is the Sabbath? God went to great lengths to teach His people to keep it. He gave it to them, for them. God commanded them to not do any work, carry any burden, or seek their own pleasure on the Sabbath. I started thinking last night that perhaps I don't understand the depths and the riches of this Sabbath idea. It is all about Jesus, after all. Right?

"For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." Matthew 12:8

So, I began thinking about Jesus as our Sabbath. Our rest. Our rest from what? From working to attain a righteousness of our own. When we seek to make ourselves right before God by good deeds and following the law, we are not resting in Christ's righteousness alone. We are working for ourselves and carrying our own burden. That is profaning the Sabbath.

"...all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." Isaiah 64:6

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christand be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--" Philippians 3:7-9

I love this promise from Ezekiel that Jesus, as the real and final Sabbath, would open the gate...forever.

"Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened." Ezekiel 46:1

I think Hebrews 4 sums it all up. Let us strive (work) to enter that rest (Jesus) and abide forever in that rest. (That strange dichotomy is also in Philippians 2:12)

"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." Hebrews 4:9-11

God, please teach me more about the Sabbath...more about your Son, Jesus, who is my rest from a vain striving of my own. Help me to constantly rest in His righteousness alone.