“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8
In Luther’s Small Catechism, under the third commandment, we read: “Thou shalt sanctify the holy day. What does this mean? Answer: We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.”
The Lord God required His people (under the old covenant) to set aside the seventh day as a day of rest from their labors and as a day to consider Him and His ways. Since God Himself created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested upon the seventh, so also His people were to refrain from their labors on the Sabbath, hear His life-giving Word and honor Him (cf. Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15; Isa. 58:13-14).
We are no longer required to rest from all our labors on the seventh day, or on any particular day of the week (cf. Col. 2:16-17; Rom. 14:5-6). But, as God required the children of Israel to rest on the Sabbath Day that they might have time to hear His Word and worship Him, so He requires that we set aside time from our earthly labors that we also might hear and consider His Word and glorify His holy name (cf. Isa. 58:13-14; Heb. 10:24-25; Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; Lk. 11:28; Acts 2:42; Ps. 95:1; Ps. 111:1; etc.). For this reason, we have set aside Sunday as a time for worship and meditation upon God’s Word and ought to take time each day for Bible reading and prayer.
To despise preaching and His Word does not necessarily mean to hate it, but it is to count it as unnecessary or of such little importance that we neglect it and put it off. Instead of it being first and foremost in our lives, other interests and things always seem to get in the way and crowd it out.
To neglect the services of God’s house, and not to take the time for Bible reading and prayer in our homes, is a sin against God’s commandment. When we neglect to hear and carefully consider the teaching of God’s Word and partake of the Sacraments, we endanger our own souls; for it is through the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper that the Holy Spirit makes known to us our Savior and what He has done for us and assures us of forgiveness for all our sins and eternal life through faith in Jesus’ name.
Hearing God’s will and commandment regarding the Sabbath should move us to repent of our erring ways and turn back to Him for mercy and forgiveness in Messiah Jesus, God’s Son. It ought, then, also guide us as we then seek to amend our ways and live for Him, so that we regularly attend the services of God’s house and set aside a portion of the time God has given us to meditate upon His Word and to offer Him our worship and praise.
Dear LORD God, forgive us for neglecting to set aside time to hear Your saving Word, to partake of Your Sacraments, and to worship You. Give us true love for You and Your Word, that we may continue to learn of the salvation You have provided for us in Christ Jesus, our Savior, and receive Your mercy and forgiveness which are offered and given to us through Word and Sacrament. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
[Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.]