Exodus 31 is the first time that the name of God, Jehovah Mekoddishkem, meaning the Lord who sanctifies or makes holy, is recorded. It is no coincidence that this name is embedded in a passage where God is commanding the people of Israel to keep His Sabbath. The Sabbath was meant to be a sanctifying act, one that set apart Israel from the nations around them. It was a time of slower pace and reflection that reoriented minds to dwell on God’s character and works, as well as to celebrate that He alone is able to do it all.
It’s also no secret that the act of taking Sabbath is grating to the flesh. There is an unholy belief from an unholy source that humans are in control, and an act of rest therefore means a cessation of productivity and is an act of laziness. The enemy of our souls has devised this way of thinking so that we may live distracted, burned out, and believing we are responsible for all the outcomes of life.
This is why the God who has declared that He makes things holy has commanded a period of rest, to remember that He brings the worthwhile fruit of our efforts. As we participate in life-giving tasks of reconnecting our hearts and minds with the Lord by practicing things like community, silence & solitude, prayer, fasting, and refreshment in nature, we shall surely find that God has kept the world spinning.
Our God sanctifies us so that we may become more like our Creator and experience more of Himself. This is a gift – to rest in our God, to be made holy in such a gentle and counter-cultural act. We can trust that as God rested on the seventh day of Creation we can be refreshed too with Him.
Thank you so much for processing your heart through words onto this post. It brought clarity of the connection of sanctification and sabbath rest. I appreciate you, whoever you are 🙂