And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Exodus 20:1-2 ESV)
Some people believe this applies to them because they are Christians. It’s interesting. What we can agree, though, is that this was said to a people who were in a position of slavery and were oppressed by it to the point they cried out for deliverance. They could make that cry because of a covenant they had going back to their forefathers – Abraham, Isaac and the man who gave them their name – Israel. That is to say, the deliverance they sought and received was from a familial connection. They belonged to God, and God belonged to them. By delivering them from the hands of slave owners, God re-established that they did not belong to Egypt or Pharaoh; they belonged to God because of the covenant.
The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges those who hear it to consider who they belong to. In His ministry, Jesus pointed out that material possessions claim mastery over us. Jesus will also go on to claim that the devil has a claim of mastery over us. Jesus even goes on to say that to acknowledge His mastery, we will have to ditch the mastery the self has over us. Those are several claims about mastery that we must come to terms with. Until we address that, the idea of being delivered and being in a covenant is surface feel-good vibes without substance.
Among the things that distinguished the people of God as belonging to Him was acknowledging the seventh day as the day of rest. The day those who belonged to the Creator recognised that they rest as He rested. They rest knowing that for all the labours and efforts, it is God who provides; it is God at work in and through the people to produce. God creates, God sustains, and God judges. Resting in that changes our perspective on work and reinforces a truth about who we belong to.
The noise around us talks about needing to work to live. The noise puts pressure on what we do at work. The noise puts pressure on us to give the impression it all depends on us. As that noise gets louder, we miss the invitation to rest and remember who provides us with the ability to breathe, let alone to work. It’s not just recognising the Creator; it’s the acknowledgement of belonging.
From that basis emerges so much about who we are and what God does through us.
For His Name's Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
