“Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for YHVH your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, YHVH made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why YHVH blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.”
Like father, like son.
Ever heard that expression? It means the child resembles the parent.
A son mimics his father. That can obviously be both good and bad. Depends on the father.
In our world today, we tend to detect the inherited negatives in children much easier than we detect the good. I’m assuming it’s because we don’t have many good fathers. Don’t get me wrong, there are some. But the majority likely carry a few negative traits that become evident in their children.
But this command is not to put the fathers on trial, but the children.
Are you a child of God?
Your Father did not make you a slave. You are not required to work 7 days a week. He said so. He said this in the very beginning, and He does not change His character.
If he said it, He means it.
Therefore, you should have the same characteristics as your Father. People should look to you and say, “Like Father, like son.”
Do they?
Think about that for a moment. Do people look to you and see Him? Or do they see the world? No excuses here. It’s one or the other. Do not give a false testimony to others of His character. Or worse, give a false testimony to yourself.
Remember the 9th command, “Do not give false testimony”?
There we looked at how your words can harm other people’s reputation, but here we are looking at how your actions can harm the reputation of God.
Have you thought about this at all?
You…you can harm His reputation by enslaving not only yourself but the things around you. That’s what the world loves: slavery. Keeping people in bondage ensures no one will step towards their birthright. Bondage to your job, your time wasting, your lifestyle.
Are you truly free? Can you put down the phone? Can you walk away from your lifestyle? Can you give up your addictions? What kind of bondage are you under? Look closely into the mirror and ask that person staring back, “Am I free?”
Slavery will destroy your spirit.
We’re all good at playing the part in our church community but it’s the world that is ready to judge Him. If you claim to be living on His behalf and you look like the world, what does that say as a testimony?
Do you have the courage to stand in support of who He is? No, really, do you?
It’s not easy. It’s not supposed to be. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But you’re not “everyone” are you? You are a child of God. So act like it.
How does that look?
Like Father, like son.
Create, then rest. And make absolute certain everyone in your household does the same. Get your lifestyle in check. Put it in slavery. Do everything you can to free yourself from the self-imposed oppression you’ve placed your life under. This does not come easily. Nor should it.
You work 6 days for the Sabbath, not our lifestyles. It’s the rest that is a blessing, not the stuff.
The model of my Father is the best role model for me as a son. A good son should treat everyone in his own household the exact same way. Teach everyone else to model the Father because that is THE best model to follow.
Am I teaching my household HOW to follow Him? After all, they will follow after what I do, not what I say.
The best way is by example.
“Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God.”