Call the Sabbath a delight

I’d been praying that the Lord would help me understand the Sabbath better and then in His loving kindness He brought a book right in front of my eyes called “Call the Sabbath a delight”. I was sorting through books in the charity shop I work in when I came across it, and at 50p it was hard to refuse!

I found it to be a really positive book, in his opening chapter Walter Chantry writes:

“It is impossible to conceive of any measure more perfectly designed than is the Sabbath to bring everlasting blessings to individuals, families, churches and communities.”

In his second chapter, entitled “the commandment is spiritual” he encourages us to come to worship expectantly rather than reluctantly. In his third chapter he has some helpful advice on balancing things so that we don’t add extra rules and remember that the “Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Chapter 4 begins to deal with whether the New Testament teaches the Sabbath, and chapter 5 helpfully addresses the continuing nature of the moral law from the Old Testament.

Next he addresses the motives for Sabbath-keeping, and I think this was perhaps the most helpful chapter. He warns “saddest of all God’s creatures in the world is the religious person who has disciplined himself to outward obedience but who has no inward love to God.” He draws helpful parallels to the younger and older brothers in Luke 15 and warns against the older brother attitude, encouraging instead that we observe the Sabbath in joy rather than grudgingly.

Chapter 7 answers the question of why the Christian Sabbath is a Sunday with some really helpful teaching from the book of Hebrews. The book concludes with answering some difficult cases, including addressing the texts that appear to undermine ongoing Sabbath observance. He concludes by talking about what is appropriate Sabbath behaviour and gives freedom to each person to discern what is the best way to seek the Lord on His day. What a joy the Sabbath is – “a day each week to commune with God! A day to become acquainted with the true and living God, to hear of his truth and grace.” We’d be mad to ignore it, I’d recommend Walter’s book, especially if you can get it for just 50p!