Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. The fourth commandment is a command to remember.
But the Bible teaches us that we are embodied creatures and therefore the act of remembering must be embodied and embedded in our lives. In the fourth commandment, God commands us to remember in time. We are to mark our days and weeks in certain way in order to remember. Time is what tempts us to forget, but time is meant by God as an aid to remember. This is why God created the sun, moon, and stars: to divide the day from the night and to be for signs, seasons, days, and years – to rule over day and night – to be reminders.
What do we need to remember? In Exodus 20, Moses says that Israel must remember the Sabbath in order to remember that God created all things in six days and rested on the seventh day. In Dt. 5, Moses says that Israel must remember that they were slaves in Egypt and the Lord brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. In the New Testament, Jesus gave us the Lord’s Supper, and He commanded us to give thanks and share bread and wine in order to remember His death and resurrection until He comes again.
So what are you doing here? Why are you here today? You are here to remember. You are here to remember that God created you and all things. You are here to remember that God is not only your creator but also your redeemer, your savior, your Lord and your King – that He delivered Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and now He has also delivered you from the guilt of sin and the power of Satan and death, by the blood of His Son. You are here to remember that Jesus is risen from the dead. You are here to remember that your sins are forgiven. You are here to remember that all things are being made new. You are here to renew covenant, to remember the Sabbath, to gather with your people, to worship with the saints of God, to rest in His grace and rejoice in His love.
You are here to remember.
Photo by Laurentiu Iordache on Unsplash
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