Isaiah 58:13-14

I mentioned to you that instruction in regard to the Sabbath is not given in specific details but rather in broad principles. There are broad principles right here that cover virtually anything that might occur on the Sabbath, and if we are being led by God's Spirit we should be able to determine what is right. This does not mean that we are going to do things perfectly, and it doesn't mean that there aren't going to be times when we bounce around in our understanding of what is right. It also doesn't mean that there aren't going to be times when we won't be in doubt—because [at times] we will be in doubt.

It is very evident that, the way that the Jews were keeping the Sabbath at the time of Christ, one would have an awfully hard time calling the Sabbath "a delight." They had made a tremendous burden out of it. They did it in their zeal. I would have to say that they did it in a good attitude. They wanted to ensure that people did not break it. But they ended up making the day a burden to people—where they were practically afraid to turn around or do anything that might require a little bit of labor (a little bit of thinking, or whatever) for fear that they were going to break the Sabbath.

You can only delight in things that you hold to be good, things that you hold to be valuable, and things that you do well. In the Old Testament, there's a great deal of emphasis about "not working." I think that we've begun to see some of this cleared up in that God is not concerned about the energy that is expended as much as He is about why it's being expended. What's the motivation behind what's being done?

If you are called upon to put out your neighbor's fire because it's burning down his house on the Sabbath, you would actually be breaking the laws of God not to help that person, even though it might take you all day long to help him to save his house, or his furniture, or save his possessions. The motivation is what God is concerned about. Why are we doing what we are doing? And that's what these four principles that were given here [in Isaiah 58:13-14] kind of cover.

That doesn't mean that one is free to work to earn a living. That's what God is concerned about. If you are working at earning a living, then your mind is definitely on the wrong kind of thing. It is something that is not in harmony with His intent for our using the Sabbath. So just remember and keep that clear.

Now, he tells us here to "turn your foot away." It has to do with one's overall approach to the day—one's attitude towards the day. It has to do with respect. I told you that we can pick up the principle there in Exodus 3:5, where God told Moses, "Take off your sandals, because the ground you are standing on is holy ground." Looking at it physically, the ground was no different where Moses was standing than it was 150 feet away. But the thing that made it holy was the fact that God was there. And, because God was there, the ground was sanctified by the holiness of God.

The same principle is at work in regard to the Sabbath, because God has put Himself into it. Don't ask me how He does it, but God puts Himself into the day. It's like He occupies the day. Therefore, what we have is the sanctification—the making holy—of time! So, even as Moses took off his sandals, here God is saying, "Don't step all over My holy time." It has to do with our general attitude towards the day.

We are to look at it as time that is different from other time, even though physically it may appear the same as all other time. That is, just the same as Sunday through Friday—every day being the same. The sun always comes up in the east and sets in the west. We have smog. We have clear. We have rain. We have snow. It's no different that way. But it is holy time. So, the attitude is what He is concerned with. That is, respect for that time.

He goes on to speak about "our ways." A way indicates a path that is leading from one place … . . .

Isaiah 58:13-14

Asserting His authority as Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus declared that the Sabbath must remain a day of freedom rather than oppression, rejecting man-made laws which turn the Sabbath into a burden rather than the blessing it was intended to be.

The Amplified Edition adds a few more clarifying details, If you turn back your foot from [unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable, and honor it, not going your own way or engaging in your own pleasure or speaking your own [idle] words, then you will take pleasure in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the [promised] heritage of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Consequently, this passage describes the Sabbath as a delight rather than a burden, promising joy and blessings to all those who honor it by setting aside competing personal pursuits, thereby reframing this day as a bountiful source of spiritual enrichment. When we focus on Almighty God and our Savior Jesus Christ, we are liberated from the horrible stress of personal agendas, enabling us to find true fulfillment in divine connection, providing a pleasant break from working concerns. One of my former professors back at Minnesota State University at Mankato, instead of posting office hours on his door, placed a poster with the words: It'll wait.

The promise from Almighty God of delight simplifies our life when we align our focus with God's will, ensuring that the Sabbath will bring reward rather than restriction, thereby enhancing our spiritual and emotional well-being. My third favorite verse in the Bible, in Psalm 37, highlights this principle.

Isaiah 58:13-14

How can one call the Sabbath a delight? Like everything else in life, we delight in what we recognize as being valuable and in that which we do well. Doing something well is fun. Doing something poorly is a burden, and we wish nobody were around to see us do this poor thing. On the other hand, if we are doing something well, we want to make sure that everybody watches us. In a way, that's not a wrong principle, because if we are doing something right we are going to be a good witness for God.

There are four broad concerns that God has here. Number one is "to turn your foot away." This primarily has to do with one's overall approach. It has to do with one's attitude towards the day. It has to do with respect. In Exodus 3:5 God told Moses to take off his shoes, his sandals, because the ground he was standing on was holy ground. God was saying, "Get your dirty feet off where I am." That's the principle that is involved here. There has to be respect for what is of God. The Sabbath is of God. So, don't trample all over His holy Sabbath day.

The Sabbath, first of all, has to be looked upon—regarded—as holy. It is different. It is NOT common. We are to hold it in deep respect. That is, the same kind of respect that we might call the fear of God. The same kind of fear that would keep one from falling on his knees before a statue—because, "Hey, that's idolatry. I don't want to do that!" We have to have the same kind of respect towards the Sabbath. So, this attitude has to dominate this period of time.

Isaiah 58:13-14

If—perhaps the largest word in the entire English language. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My holy day. Remember, I said Isaiah 58 contains the one word that describes the world in which we live. There it is, brethren, "pleasure." Also remember that when something is repeated three times we should listen up. Take notice: turn away your foot from doing your own pleasure, nor finding your own pleasure, nor doing your own ways, and He actually just adds a fourth one here, nor speaking your own words.

What was their sin? Can we conclude that they were seeking their own pleasure on the Sabbath, and forgot the God who created it? They were deciding how to worship God.

Isaiah 58:13-14

The way a man acts reflects his thinking, reflects his heart. Our thinking, then, is reflected in what we do. What is our life absorbed in? It is absorbed in business. It is absorbed in entertainment, in education, in homemaking. We are so absorbed in our own business, that many times we are prevented from seeing God more as He really is, as well as His vast purpose. You might connect this to Isaiah 58:13-14 where he tells us on the Sabbath day not to think or talk about our pleasure, better translated, busyness, what is keeping us busy. He is not talking about earning our living here necessarily, although that is part of it, but He means all of those things that keep us busy. We are to think His Words and to speak His Words.

Isaiah 58:13-14

God is telling us, Take your foot off of My Sabbath. Keep it sacred. Quit trampling that which is holy and sacred to Me. Take off your shoes because you are on holy ground.

God commanded Moses to take off his shoes because he was on holy ground. And likewise for us today, the same command is for us. We must be careful not to trample God's holy time—God's holy ground—but instead treat it with respect and honor. And also remember that the Sabbath is a sign between Him and His people.