Lord’s Day, Vol. 9 No. 5

Remember the Sabbath – An Exhortation of Psalm 92

The Bible says in Genesis 2:2 , God rested after He has created this universe, in particular planet earth, populating it with life – all manner of fish, birds, beast, cattle, and all manner of herb bearing seed and fruit yielding trees, and finally man created in God’s image to have dominion over all His creation, “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”

The word “rest” is the word “shabath” in Hebrew or “sabbath” where we saw God rested on the 7th day from all His work which He had done. The Bible also says, in Genesis 2:3 , “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified (set apart, consecrate, sanctify, make it holy, set as sacred) it: (what was the reason?) Because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” 

When God created the nation of Israel, He gave them the Ten Commandments. In the 4th commandment, He reminded them to keep this 7th day, a day of rest, consecrated for Him – “8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy (sacred). 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath (rest) of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed (set apart as holy) it.” (Exodus 20:8-10)

Christ resurrected on the first day of the week, on Sunday, therefore Sunday became the “Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10 ). It became the Christian Sabbath and replaced the Jewish Sabbath as a “holy” day, a day of rest and worship. Christians regarded the first day of the week as the appropriate day for Christian assembly is clear from the New Testament (1 Corinthians 16:1-2 ). 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, the most succinct expression of our faith in the English language, says, “From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.” 

And on the Sabbath, we remember the LORD. That He is our God and that He has saved us for all eternity and we will be with Him one day in heaven. 

Psalm 92 is the only psalm written for the Christian to delight in the Sabbath.

(1) Come in Thanksgiving (v1-3)

1 A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD – Remember on the 6th day, God saw His creation and pronounced it is very good! Why did the psalmist say it is good? I believe it is to because God has created His representative in His own image to have dominion over His creation, to enjoy His creation. Man is the only creature with a body and has breath that is capable of praising and give thanks to God. And thus the psalmist says we are “to sing praises unto the name of the most High God.” And this is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead. 

Why do we come in thanksgiving? To show forth His loving-kindness (to remember Jesus’ love for us) in the morning, and His faithfulness (to remember His unfailing care upon us) every night, and how do we praise Him? Not “any how” but reverently, “3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon

the harp with a solemn sound.” The psalmist begins with the call to come in thanksgiving, in grateful acknowledgement of all the good that we have received from the most High God, and therefore it is good to give thanks to Him by setting the Sabbath aside as a day of worship. 

“A believer shares about the daily struggle of human life when he asked this question, “What comes from humans because it is impossible for the Lord to experience it? The answer is, ‘Worry’.” And by faith, he asked another question, “What comes from God for it is impossible for humans to manufacture it? ‘Wisdom’” Finally, he asked, “And what is it that brings wisdom and dispels worry? ‘Worship’” There he concludes his assessment of the blessed Christian life when he said, ‘Let nothing frighten you…nothing from yesterday’s past, today’s present, or tomorrow’s future.” Our heavenly Father will take care, are we looking to Him?” [Encyclopaedia of 7700 Illustrations]

(2) Come Personally (v4-6)

4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. 5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. 6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. 

Come personally with your testimony of the LORD’S goodness in your life. The “LORD” speaks of a vibrant personal relationship that the psalmist has with his God. And He has made him glad, happy by what He has done for him.  Therefore, the psalmist is coming personally to remember all that God has done for him. A foolish man, described as “a brute beast” (v6), not better than an animal. One who does not know God will not understand the worth, delight and meaning of worship. We are made for God’s glory and our purpose is to enjoy Him. When we missed out the purpose for our creation, we are of all men most miserable, groping in darkness. Even in a COVID world, believers ought not to worship from home, when the church is opened. It displeases the Lord.

(3) Come Despite Opposition (v 7-11 ) 

7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: 8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. 9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn (wild ox or bull): I shall be anointed with fresh oil. 11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.

The hymn writer Isaac Watts gave a good summary of this portion when he wrote: 

“When as the grass the wicked grow,

When sinners flourish here below,

Then is there endless ruin nigh,

But Thou, O Lord, art throned on high;

Thy foes shall fall before Thy might,

The wicked shall be put to flight.”

The believer who trusts in God will be cared for by the Almighty God Himself. This is contrasted with the self-sufficient man who will not flourish but a fearful awaiting of judgment! The word “iniquity” is from the root word “crooked”, a sin-laden life. His presence and dominion is but short-lived. A time of reckoning will surely come. The “exalting of the horn” speaks of God’s favour in the believer’s life. The horn is a symbol of power, strength, we will yet triumph through Christ while the wicked are cut off. The unicorn or ox is prized for its great strength. Not our way, but God’s way, as Jesus did in His first coming as a suffering servant.  The anointing of oil is spiritual refreshing that God gives to us to continue on this pilgrim journey to our eternal rest. 

(4) Come and be richly blessed of God (v 12-15 ) 

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 

When we faithfully worship Jesus and remember Him on the Sabbath, He blesses us in ways we cannot imagine. Here we are speaking of spiritual blessings though it does not preclude physical blessings. Verse 14 is in particular for members and friends of the church, and you shall bring forth spiritual fruit speeding toward spiritual maturity – love, joy, peace…(Galatians 5:22-23), you shall be spiritually healthy and prospering.  The LORD is a rock signifying stability and safety in the midst of turmoil, shelter and protection in times of danger. The LORD is upright, the word is “straight”. No twisting and turning, but totally truthful and honest, most reliable and trustworthy companion. Let us testify of the faithfulness of Jesus in our lives so that others who see will ask, who is this God that we worship, can you introduce Him to me, I would like to follow Him too! 

CONCLUSION 

The blessings of God’s children who honour Him by setting aside the Lord’s Day for spiritual and physical rest and worship must be experienced. Let us experience the delight of the Sabbath, as we look for the eternal Sabbath where we will ever be with the LORD enjoying eternal rest in heaven. Amen.

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee