Imagine that you are self-employed with very tight financial margins. Miss a day's work and your competitors get the upper hand. Miss a day's pay and you wonder if you'll be able to buy groceries. Time is money.
Now consider an agrarian economy. Here time might mean survival. Delay planting and you might miss the rain. Take a day off in the midst of harvest and your produce might over-ripen or even rot. With these risks in mind, the Sabbath was a big deal. It was a test, a weekly tutorial for anxious people. God was saying through it, "I am the Creator God who will care for your needs. Embedded in the rhythm of your week will be an opportunity to rest. You will do this because I rested on the Sabbath, and you will do it because I continue to be at work on your behalf on the Sabbath."
Just when your think you are getting the knack of the manna and are not worrying about tomorrow, you are told to trust your heavenly Father for today and tomorrow. Once again, we can't help but be astonished at God's strategy. Worry and fear are about danger, perceived needs, and being out of control. By incorporating the Sabbath into the normal rhythms of life he gives us weekly opportunities to say, "You, God, are in control, and I will practice trusting you by honoring your Sabbath and resting today."
- Ed Welch,
Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest
, p. 78
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