A SONG FOR THE SABBATH

PSALM 92

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High

(Ps. 92:1).

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates” (Ex. 20:8–10). When God gave Moses His commandments, He included the creation ordinance of honoring the Sabbath. In celebration of God on this day, the Israelites sang Psalm 92, praising God for His goodness, power, and faithfulness. No greater rest, no greater enjoyment can man have than to worship his Creator, sing praises to His name, and meditate on His Word throughout the day.

“That day is not to be holy, in the sense of being devoted to idleness, as if this could be an acceptable worship to God, but in the sense of our separating ourselves from all other occupations, to engage in meditating upon the Divine works,” Calvin wrote. “As our minds are inconstant, we are apt, when exposed to various distractions, to wander from God. We need to be disentangled from all cares if we would seriously apply ourselves to the praises of God. The psalmist then would teach us that the right observance of the Sabbath does not consist in idleness, as some absurdly imagine, but in the celebration of the Divine name.”

The psalmist exalts God’s goodness and faithfulness. He is not separating the two by designating their celebration to morning and evening, but he is indicating that God has sufficient glory to captivate our attention throughout the day. The Sabbath is given to man that he might focus all his energy on the meditation of God and His mighty works of creation, providence, and salvation. “As the universe proclaims throughout that God is faithful and good, it becomes us to be diligently observant of these tokens, and to be excited by a holy joy to the celebration of His praise,” Calvin said. Do you set aside your Christian Sabbath for communion with God Himself? Strive to honor God’s command to keep the Sabbath day holy, which anticipates our heavenly abode where we will cry “Holy, holy, holy” at the throne of God.

CORAM DEO

Psalms 50–52

Acts 27:1–26

Read Isaiah 58:13–14 and Jeremiah 17:19–24. Because the Sabbath is part of the moral law of the Ten Commandments, Christians are also to keep this day holy. From these passages what do you learn about keeping it holy? Examine how you spend your Lord’s Day. Make changes where appropriate.

For further study: Ex. 34:21 • Isa. 56:1–2 • Mark 2:23–28 • Acts 16:13–15; 17:1–4

thursday

july