As we have been preaching through the practice of honoring the Sabbath, I have been thinking about why it is that so many believers treat this commandment as "optional." Why do we say to ourselves, "Remember the Sabbath... sounds nice, God. Maybe I'll work it into my schedule next week"? We don't do that with the other commandments. Can you imagine? "Do not murder... that's a pretty good idea, God. Maybe I'll try not to murder anybody sometime soon."
I can't speak for others, but I think I tend towards this attitude because I see the 4th commandment as a blessing, while I see all the others as restrictions. God made the Sabbath as a blessing to me, so I feel like I can take it or leave it. But that just isn't true - He commands me to rest on the Sabbath, and so I must rest. It's a blessing, yes. But it's a blessing He commands. What a great God we serve, who commands blessings for His people.
As I have pondered this over the last two weeks, I've realized that the 4th commandment isn't unique in being a blessing for those who obey it. Every command from the mouth of the LORD is intended as a blessing for His people.
It's just like a father with his children. Dad may say, "I don't want you going outside in the front yard after dark without me." To his children, that rule may seem like a restriction. And in a way, it is. Once the sun goes down, the kids have to stop throwing the football and come inside. But it's much more than a restriction - it's a blessing. Dad knows that it's dangerous for them to be outside after dark alone. Someone could come along and kidnap or hurt them, and so he made a rule in order to protect and bless them.
God, our heavenly Father, gives us commandments for the same reason. As ruler and creator of all, God knows more than any other being how to live a life of richness, joy, and blessing. So no matter what the commandment is that He gives us - whether it's honoring the Sabbath, loving your enemies, staying physically and emotionally pure, or not stealing -following that commandment will bring blessing and joy into your life.
That's why God longs for His people to obey Him. He is more a Father than a dictator. In His own words,
"Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!" -Deuteronomy 5:29
