When
writer Bruce Feiler was diagnosed with bone cancer in his thigh, he couldn’t
walk without some help for over a year. Learning to get around on crutches
caused him to appreciate a slower pace of life. Feiler said, “The idea of
slowing down became the number one lesson I learned from my experience.”
After
God’s people were liberated from Egypt, He gave them a commandment that would
cause them to slow down and view Him and the world “in pause.” The fourth
commandment introduced a dramatic contrast to the Israelites’ slavery under
Pharaoh when they had no break in their daily work routine.
The
commandment insisted that God’s people set aside one day a week to remember
several important things: God’s work in creation (Gen. 2:2), their liberation
from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:12-15), their relationship with God (6:4-6), and
their need for personal refreshment (Exod. 31:12-18). This was not to be a day
of laziness, but one where God’s people acknowledged, worshiped, and rested in
Him.
We too are called to slow down, to be refreshed physically, mentally, and emotionally, and to behold God in His good creation.
