Matthew 12:9-14 Devotional

Matthew 12:9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"- so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

The Law was given by the Lord to benefit people, not harm them.  In Romans 7:12 Paul instructs us that the Law is good.  Deuteronomy 4:5-8 informs us that the Law is the best way to run any nation.  Jesus tells us in Mark 2:27 that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. He also tells us in our text today that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

Why did God make the Sabbath?  God made the Sabbath as a sign between Him and His people that in six days He made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.  He gave us an example to follow that is necessary for our well-being.  Deuteronomy 5:14 teaches us that we need to physically rest one day out of seven.

In Exodus 16:29 we see God will provide enough for us in six days so we don't need to work the seventh day in order to sustain ourselves physically. 

Exodus 31:15 assigns the death penalty to all who violate the Sabbath.  God is very serious about people getting a day of rest.  However, Jesus makes it very clear that that the Sabbath is not to punish man but rather to benefit man.  It is okay to do good on the Sabbath.  We can give medical aid on our day of rest; we can help an animal in trouble on our day of rest; we can shovel our neighbor out if he needs to get somewhere on our day of rest; we can pick grain to eat it if we need food on our day of rest.

Are you taking a day of rest each week?  This is a benefit that God has given to His people, to all people.  We need a day of rest.  We will be more productive by working only six days a week.  Take a rest day each week.