Being "Set Apart"...

"Set apart" is an idiom that means to reserve something for a specific purpose or to show that someone or something is distinct and better than others. In the Bible, being set apart means being holy or chosen by God for a specific, distinct purpose rather than following worldly ways.

As I have stated before, we are studying Genesis in our Sunday morning Bible study group.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Genesis 2:1-3

God rested on the 7th day. Not because He was tired of creating and needed a break. He was setting us an example that we need a day of rest. He "set apart" the 7th day and made it holy for our sake.

Here is a short devotion about being set apart...

In modern language, "holy" often means something religious or spiritual. But in the Bible, “holy” simply means “set apart.” It means something (or someone) different and distinct from everything else. 

God is unlike any other gods the nations knew. The Lord is holy, and called His people to be distinct—or holy—too.

Some of the distinctions that set the Israelite practices apart were religious and spiritual. They offered sacrifices in a certain way and had specific instructions for how priests, worship, and the temple operated. Other practices that set Israel apart involved everyday things like food, clothing, and their weekly calendars. These habits and customs were meant to reflect and reinforce that they were truly different—or holy—because they belonged to God.

The fourth commandment given to Israel is to "remember the Sabbath day" and keep it holy—a reminder to Israel of the blessed pattern God laid out in Creation. Just as our Holy Creator worked for six days and rested on a seventh, He calls His holy people to do the same.

What's holy about the Sabbath? It's a day set apart to be different from all the other days of the week. God intends for one day a week to look and feel different. As people who belong to Him, we can delight in His designation of some days as productive days for work and then other days set apart for reflection and refreshment.

Remember, God created special times for rest—keep those times set apart. 

I remember that my grandmother has a set of fine china dishware that was kept in a hutch in the dining room. It was only brought out and used for special occasions: Thanksgiving, Christmas, or special celebrations. She had other dishes that were for everyday use that were cheaper, sturdier, and easier to replace.

In Biblical Hebrew terms, that china was "kadosh". It was holy - set apart for our family's special purposes. Not used for everyday life. What my grandmother's fine china was to every day dishes is like the Sabbath is to the rest of the week. But the question is: for what? Or better said, for who?

The Sabbath is an entire day that is set aside, not just for stopping, or resting, or delighting, but for God Himself. Put another way: it is a day for worship. In the biblical sense, to worship at its most primal level is to orient and reorient your entire life around God, our Creator, and our Center. It's to lay your entire life before Him in love, and to deepen your surrender to His love. 

There are so many ways to do this: through worship, through singing, giving our time, our resources, our attention, and our affection to God in prayer, yielding our will over to God in decision-making. Anything we do to center our life on God, and to intentionally direct and redirect our heart in love toward His glory in the language of Scripture, just meaning His goodness and His beauty. Anything we do like that is a form of worship. Yes, the Sabbath is a day to stop, and rest, and refill our tank.

But what does it really mean to rest?

Here is an interesting podcast about the Sabbath and rest. 9941 Podcast talks about what it means to honor the Lord’s Day in a culture that never seems to slow down. From Sunday youth sports and missing church to the biblical command not to neglect gathering with other believers, the guys ask a difficult question: Have Christians become too casual about Sundays?

But the conversation goes deeper than simply asking whether Christians should work on Sunday. What is true rest? Is scrolling Instagram, watching Netflix, taking a vacation, or doing nothing actually giving us the rest we’re looking for? Or have we confused entertainment and escape with genuine rest? Jesus says, “Come to me,” and the guys explore what it looks like to find rest in Christ through Scripture, prayer, worship, and time with the Lord.

They also turn the conversation toward the biblical value of work and Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Rather than living for the weekend, the next vacation, or retirement, what would change if Christians viewed both their work and their rest as opportunities to glorify God?

This is an honest conversation about the Sabbath, Sunday worship, Christian work ethic, burnout, entertainment, spiritual disciplines, youth sports, church attendance, and ultimately finding the kind of rest that can only be found in Jesus Christ.