Ten Words · Stop 2
How do we use God's name well, and why does God give us rest?
People say God's name all day long, often without thinking. And most weeks feel too busy to stop. Today you'll look at two commandments about something God gives us: a name to call on, and a day to rest.
Start this stopName and rest
The second commandment is about God's name. Luther said it's about more than swearing. It's using God's name to lie, to trick people, or to curse them. The better use is simple: call on God in trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
The third commandment is about the Sabbath, the seventh day. God rested after creating, and God gave that rest to everyone, even servants and animals. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.
Luther said keeping the day holy means more than taking a day off. It means hearing God's word gladly. For many Lutherans that happens in Sunday worship, but any day can be a day to rest and listen.
Rest is a gift, not a reward you earn by being busy enough. You don't have to prove anything to stop for a while.
Read it in your Bible
- Exodus 20:8–11. God tells the people to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Work six days. On the seventh, everyone rests, including children, servants, animals, and foreigners living among them, because God rested on the seventh day of creation.
- Mark 2:27. When religious leaders complain that Jesus' friends picked grain on the Sabbath, Jesus says the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.
The Second and Third Commandments, from Luther's Small Catechism
You shall not misuse God's name.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
Remember the Sabbath day.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.
Words to know
- Swear. To make a promise using God's name, or to curse. Luther said not to do it falsely. God's name isn't a tool for getting our way.
- Praise. One of the good ways Luther said to use God's name, along with pray and give thanks. The best way to keep a name holy is to use it with love.
- Sabbath. The seventh day, set apart for rest. God built rest into creation. It's a gift, not a chore.
- Worship. Gathering to hear God's word, pray, and sing together. Luther said keeping the day holy means gladly hearing God's word.
- Rest. What God did on the seventh day, and gives to everyone. You don't have to earn a break. God gives it.