The Most Neglected Commandment In The Bible
It is probably the most neglected commandment in the Bible. It used to be one that was seen as central to any healthy church. It has often been an indicator as to the vitality of Christian culture. Although very important, it is not the 7th Commandment which deals with sexual immorality. It is also not the 8th Commandment which deals with stealing. It is not even the 6th Commandment which is about hatred and murder. It is the 4th Commandment: "Keep the Sabbath and make it holy" (Ex. 20:8-11).
The 4th Commandment is convicting—as it should be. No matter what legitimate reformed expression one has of the Sabbath Day it is often the barometer of whether people have a growing desire for God. Consider this story from the 18th Century of Welsh preacher Daniel Rowland.
"There were still those who persisted in assembling for godless purposes on the Lord's day. On one occasion [Daniel Rowland] resolved to take his message to them, as they showed no intention of attending church. 'He proclaimed the truth to them with great faithfulness and with great power,' says his biographer, 'and such was the effect, that there was no more assembling there.'"
One man was so rebellious and despised the Sabbath that after hunting in the morning he decided to come to church and be a distraction for Rowland. Appearing bold and unafraid, he stood up in his pew in defiance of Rowland. But, when Rowland went up undeterred by this man, he preached the gospel of grace in the demonstration of the Spirit and power. As a result, not only did this man sit down in humility, he also came to Rowland after the sermon was over to confess his great sins and invite Rowland over for more spiritual conversation. This man ended up converted by God and his heart ended up changing which resulted in dedicated church attendance.
I know this is convicting but often it is true that our disregard for the Sabbath—in at least the bare minimum of it being an entire day of worship and ministry—can be an indicator of the priority of God in our lives. If it won’t happen on the Sabbath, what other day will it happen on?
It's another conversation when we talk about necessary work, TV, eating at restaurants or other topics. The first measure of the Sabbath is corporate worship and spending time with God's people.
By God's grace, He has not only given us a Sabbath but commands it for our good and His glory. By observing it we mature in our faith, obtain physical and spiritual rest, along with quality time with fellow believers. The Sabbath is a day of assurance of God's infinite grace for wretched sinners. We don't observe it because of religious strictness—we observe it because it is preeminently a day of resting in Christ and experiencing gospel freedom (Gal. 5:1).