To Remember Is To Act

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The Day of Rest
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Biblical Teaching About Time

—An online book about rest and worship—
By Dr. Al Franzmeier
Chapter 5
The Jubilee Year

(part 2)
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As stated, our entire life is tied into what the Sabbath symbolizes. We'll explore that in chapter 6, but  before doing that we must consider what it means to remember the Sabbath. 

Remember the Sabbath
Israel was commanded by the LORD to remember the Sabbath. The act of remembering is much more than recalling the command and observing the day. To remember is to follow the example set by the LORD Himself.

In a similar manner we Americans recall certain things about our history when we celebrate the 4th of July or Memorial Day. On those days we go on picnics, listen to speeches, watch fireworks, but that is only a little of what the Hebrew word ‘remember’ means.

Turn to the story of the Flood in Genesis 7-8. Every living land creature was wiped out during the 150-day flood. Only Noah and those with him in the Ark remained. Then we read that “God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” In this case to remember meant that God acted to rescue the inhabitants of the earth and to fulfill the promises He had made. He remembered His covenant and did not destroy all life on the earth. Now He promises to continue remembering the covenant and as a sign He has placed a rainbow in the sky after every rainfall (Genesis 9:8-17).

The same kind of thing happened when Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was living in the doomed city of Sodom. The LORD sent angels to lead Lot and his family to safety. “So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived” Genesis 19:29). God’s remembering was the cause of His gracious action and the fulfilling of His promise to bless Abraham.

During the time of the Exodus we read that God heard the groaning of His people in Egypt and “remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:24). His remembering led Him to the great acts of delivering the Children of Israel (Jacob) from their bondage and leading them to the promised land of rest.

From these examples, we can conclude that when the LORD commands us to remember the Sabbath, He is commanding us not only to recall what the Sabbath means, but also to act upon it. This refers in our own case to putting our entire trust and faith in the One to whom the Sabbath pointed, namely Jesus Christ. It refers to setting aside time each week to stop working in order worship Him in the presence of His people. It emphasizes the importance of both hearing and teaching His Word to our children. We can to on and on. We’ll have more to say about this later. 

Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy 

One final point before we leave this topic. The Children of Israel were to remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy (Hebrew: Kadosh). The LORD alone is holy, of course. Hosea recorded the LORD’s words: “For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you” (Hosea 11:9). God’s holiness is a paradox. It is both fearful (He will allow no other gods before Him) and attractive. Even sinful men are fascinated by this God who is totally and completely the Other, the Creator, Himself uncreated and eternal. God shows Himself holy by His righteousness and His justice (Isaiah 5:16). He did this at Meribah (Hebrew for “quarreling”). At Meribah Israel grumbled about not having sufficient water. Moses, in turn, struck the rock twice with his staff instead of speaking to the rock as the LORD had instructed him. Water came out and both the people and their livestock drank from it, but Moses was henceforth forbidden to enter the Promised Land. He had disobeyed. It was there that the LORD “showed himself holy among them” (Numbers 20:13).

The people were to be holy, even as the LORD was holy. They were to submit to Him, obey His commands, fear to disobey Him, confess their sins before Him, seek His mercy and forgiveness and daily and weekly renew their commitment to Him. These same lessons apply to us who follow the LORD, now come among us in the person of Jesus Christ.