Defiling the Sabbath
Remnant Revelation #2 (Devotional) - Written by: H.C. Daniels
Read - Isaiah 58
Key Verses - Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Overview: Defiling the Sabbath -Biblical Sabbath we know God created for man which means rest from the Hebrew word Shabbat meaning to cease [work]. What is real rest in God and how do we defile it?
How do we defile the Sabbath according to scripture?
Revelation #1. Taking control - when God in the garden gave the curse between man and woman as a result of sin this ultimately shifted being partners in dominion over the earth to now man and woman trying to have dominion over each other. Coming to a place of peace and rest in God produces self-control as a fruit of the Spirit. We rest in the Lord by submitting to His will and getting instruction from the rest. You are His as a part of His bride and are in a blood covenant with Him. Keep your vows to Him and submit to His Lordship in response to His beautiful love for You. Always remember His love sacrifice for you along with His continued display of love in moments of encountering Him in gentleness and meekness. Get out the driver seat and enjoy the scenery when Jesus takes the wheel.
Zechariah 9:9 - “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” A King riding on a donkey signified the King coming in gentleness and meekness. Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb. He will comfort and heal you and is also depicted in the Bible as one who is angry and brings judgement on those who hurt His sheep.
Revelation #2. Going your own way and doing as you please/speaking idle words - Jesus must be Lord over your life to experience true Biblical Sabbath or rest. As the text states, the opposite of this is doing things your own way (lust of the flesh), finding your own pleasure (lust of the eyes), or speaking idle words (pride of life or also can be described, in one way, as being boastful about yourself)! As 1 John 2:16 tells us, these types of behaviors are not of the Father but of the world and is partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in your own life. Delighting in the Sabbath is resting in God’s instruction and following/obeying Him.
Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus Gives True Rest and brings us back to the garden through partaking of Jesus as the fruit of the tree of life as opposed to partaking the tree of knowledge of good and evil which results in sin and death. These choices are before us everyday.
Revelation #3. Forgetting your first love and returning to the scraps of “Egypt”(adultery) or idolatry. It will never satisfy and that is the truth. “Egypt” is a lie and a place full of ungodly covenants, relationships, and thought-patterns made deceptively (figuratively). It is a bait and switch and the illusion will fool you every time. The truth is the Lord is satisfying and fulfilling all by Himself. O taste and see how good my God is. He is a full feast. You can’t help but pour out beautiful fragrance on Him or wipe His feet with your tears when you encounter His full feast. Do not be tricked by the lies of “Egypt”. They will never satisfy.
Revelation 2:4-5 - “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” Honor your covenant with Yeshua by delighting yourself in Him and seeking His instruction through daily fellowship!
What are ways to enter Godʼs sabbath or rest in terms of our relationship and covenant with Him?
Revelation #4. Enter into His rest with thanksgiving, a genuine heart and humility. Entering into the rest of God is something you don’t want to miss. It can be a time of healing, cleansing, and actual physical rest. It’s a place of putting everything on the altar and sitting at His feet, being poured into and pouring out all you have because He is just that beautiful and the source of all your needs (Mat 26: 6-13). It is a place of rest because you are abiding, dwelling and just being not doing. It is the posture for experiencing true worship and intimacy with Him.
Revelation #5. Enter His rest by seeking instruction and waiting on Him. We donʼt tend to hear much about waiting on the Lord. Usually people say to jump out on faith but make sure that is the instruction that Jesus gives you. Waiting on the Lord is an invitation to let God step in and do only what He can do. Itʼs like waiting for a Christmas present to be available for unwrapping in His timing. Waiting are times to dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness, savoring how good our Father is and how He only wants the best for us! It is remembering Him and all Heʼs done for you and continues to do. Rest in the fullness of joy that comes from His presence in your life, and while you are resting, work on the known assignments He has given you. Seek and inquire of Him with a heart to do the will of the Father. Following Jesus’ instructions for your life is the key to rest.
Revelation #6. Enter His rest by offering yourself however you can in full reverence to Him as make Him your chosen portion. By sacrificing everything and everyone else to be with Him, you will be blown away by how He shows up for you when you prioritize His presence in your life and moments of fellowship with Him. In exchange He fills your cup and gives you what you need overflowing. The true worshippers of Jesus worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. During rest you can truly experience the fact He comes to restore, to heal, and to love. He is a full feast and the only one who can satisfy. Bring everything to Him and you will never want again.
written by: H.C. Daniels
