From Duty to Delight
Dan Allender’s very practical book on the application of the Sabbath to today’s thesis is that practicing the Sabbath results in “delight that delivers us to joy.” He reminds us that the Sabbath is “not merely a good idea; it is one of the Ten Commandments.” Therefore the Sabbath is not optional but a biblical command or absolute that needs to be practiced. However, instead of this merely being an oppressive duty consisting of do’s and don’t’s, the adherence of the practitioner of the Sabbath is led into peace, abundance, and joy.
In other words, the Sabbath was modeled by God Himself after creation not so much as an act of rest, but to actively enjoy and participate in His creation. God has designed the Sabbath for us to proactively enjoy Him, and His creation (not just vegetate and check out on the Sabbath) – because we have been made to find our satisfaction and delight in Him above all else. In the midst of the busyness of our lives God knew that we would need time set apart to celebrate and delight in Him and what He has made for our pleasure.
The book was very helpful in providing many applications of how to delight in God. He did an adequate job with the Scriptures that relate to the Sabbath, and a good biblical theological overview of the reasoning behind God’s establishing this day of delight.
I highly recommend this book – especially as an introduction to keeping the Sabbath and for those who want to spend more time delighting in God and His creation in creative and satisfying ways that result in living the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I am under no compulsion to write a positive or negative review of this book. The opinions expressed are exclusively my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
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