28/08/2026
Title: Remember
Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:12–15
In the Book of Deuteronomy, there is a specific expression that Moses uses repeatedly: "Remember."
When we look back at the era of the Exodus and the wilderness, God miraculously rescued the people of Israel from captivity. Yet, time after time, the people forgot God’s grace and reverted to complaining and grumbling. Because of this lack of faith, a journey to the Promised Land that could have been completed quickly turned into more than 40 years of wandering in the desert.
In Deuteronomy, Moses is delivering what stands as his final, moving testament to the next generation of Israelites. His core message is urgent and clear: do not repeat the mistakes and failures of the first generation.
Today, we will share a lesson about keeping the Sabbath based on the fourth of the Ten Commandments. First, we must keep the Sabbath holy according to God's command.
(Exodus 20:8) We can see two verbs here: "Remember the Sabbath day" and "keep it holy." Let us consider these two separately. First is the word "remember." This means to think about and recall. As saints of the church, we must be able to remember the Sabbath. This Sabbath is a day that God created. We often mark important anniversaries on our calendars. Since the Sabbath repeats every week, our awareness of its importance can become blurred. However, this weekly Sabbath is an extremely important day. Therefore, we must remember that the Sabbath is an important day. Furthermore, "keep" is a very practical command. Also, it is not just to keep it, but to "keep it holy." We can see that Deuteronomy 5:12 also repeatedly emphasizes keeping the Sabbath holy. "Keep holy" is actually a single word (in the original language), meaning to be sanctified or holy. It means we must spend this day set apart from other days. The Sabbath must be a day that is different from the other six days. By keeping it holy, this day must be special and distinct.
How can we set this day apart as holy? 1) We must strive to do all our work during the six days. Deuteronomy 5:13 states to work hard for six days. 2) On the Sabbath, we must refrain from labor and entertainment, and gather at church to worship God. (Refer to Deuteronomy 5:14) 3) The entire family must keep the Sabbath in this manner. (Refer to the latter part of Deuteronomy 5:14) (Isaiah 58:13~14)
The original meaning of entertainment is "pleasure, joy." This means that on the Sabbath, you must not pursue things for your own pleasure. It refers to chasing after personal amusement. This includes everything such as games, sports, and hobbies. It means that we must set all these things aside and find our joy within the LORD God. These two types of joy are distinctly different.
Then, when exactly is the Sabbath? It is from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. This means that Saturday is not the only part of the Sabbath. In other words, we must not forget that Saturday afternoon is also the Sabbath.
Second, the Sabbath is a day that everyone, without exception, must keep together. This means that anyone who belongs to God’s people must observe it without fail. Of course, this Sabbath is not the Sabbath of the law, but the Sabbath within grace. If we happen to be hospitalized, it may be difficult to attend and keep the Sabbath. However, even when it is not an unavoidable situation, people still make excuses for not coming to church to keep the Sabbath.
In particular, the issue of the Sabbath among children causes us many difficulties. When children say they need to study, conflict arises if we tell them to keep the Sabbath. In those moments, there is a phrase we must not say: "It's your life, so I won't force you. Do as you please." While the world might view this as wise advice, it is an extremely dangerous statement within faith. This is because the ultimate outcome of these words is that, in most cases, children stop directing their steps toward the church.
Third, on the Sabbath, we must remember the grace of redemption. Deuteronomy 5:15, Exodus 20:11. As we keep the Sabbath, we must remember the grace of creation. Furthermore, it means we must also remember the grace of redemption that God has bestowed upon us. Just as He rescued the people of Israel who were slaving away in the land of Egypt, we must absolutely remember that we, who were slaving away to sin, have been delivered from sin and have become children of God.
![Isaiah 58:13-14 [13] “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call th...](https://img3.prayers1.com/662/838/1488688576628386.jpg)
