Appointed Times: Give Me a Break

According to a July 2024 article by the New York Post, "the average American spends 1,460 hours a year feeling tired."

A 2022 Centers for Disease Control study indicated that 20% of women aged 18 to 44 report feeling "very tired" or "exhausted" most days.

Marketing research company OnePoll surveyed 2,000 American adults in 2022, and found that 3 out of 5 report being "more tired now than they have ever been."  

I bet these statistics come as no surprise.  You may even find yourself among those feeling exhausted.  Is there a solution?

Let's head over to Leviticus 23:3 to learn about God's first "season" or appointed time...

"Six days shall work be done, but on the _______ day is a _______ of solemn _______, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a _______ to the LORD in all your dwelling places."

Let's see how that verse reads now...

"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places."

While the Sabbath is listed as the first appointed time in Leviticus 23, it is not the first time the Bible speaks of it.  

Commands for keeping the Sabbath are found in Exodus 16:23+ and Exodus 20:8+. 

We even find God Himself resting from His own work in Genesis 2:2-3.  

Recall that when God gave the command to rest, Israel had been enslaved in Egypt.  

Slaves are not allowed to rest.

Additionally, rest was unheard of in the ancient world.  People worked perpetually in order to eat...to survive.

God's command to put aside all work for one day each week was both a gift and a test of faith.

It 

Still 

Is

If we were to celebrate the appointed time of Sabbath rest each week for one year, we would have 52 additional opportunities to catch up on our rest, equalling 1,248 hours.

If we were only to be able to do it twice each month, that would still afford us 24 opportunities to rest, equalling 576 hours.

Even just once per month would give us 12 opportunities, equalling 288 hours.

Do you recall the statistics of just how exhausted the average American is?  Our first stat:

"the average American spends 1,460 hours a year feeling tired."

By keeping the Sabbath each week, we can reclaim 1,248 of those hours.  

That's an 85% improvement rate!

What would you be willing to rearrange in your life to create new opportunities to find rest?

Is the Biblical command to rest still relevant in our new testament lives today?  

Let's explore more in our next session:

Give Me a Break ~ Part 2

Hope you will be back soon to...