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KEY TEXT: Isaiah 58:13-14 (KJ21) – “¹³ If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. ¹⁴ Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

Let us break down the following words and phrases in Isaiah 58:13:

If thou turn away thy foot

This is addressing those who are tempted to defile the Sabbath and those who are already defiling it.

From doing thy pleasure

This symbolizes seeking happiness. Many people who knowingly defile the Sabbath are seeking happiness. They are seeking their own happiness.

Call the Sabbath a delight

This is when you find pleasure in the very same things that God finds pleasure in. What you feel like doing should align with what God feels like doing. Your mind should align with God’s mind. You should not obey the Sabbath as a mere restriction, but you should obey it out of love.

On My holy day

It is God’s holy day, not yours. The people who say that the Sabbath can be any day that they choose are wrong. It is only God who can choose the day that the Sabbath should be. Men have no power to choose it or change it.

And…

And is a conjunction word. Not only is it a conjunction word but a coordinating conjunction, used to join similar ideas together. But is also a conjunction, but not a coordinating conjunction. Or is used to represent two choices. For example, one can choose to answer this question or the next question. In this verse, God uses ” and. “ It shows that both actions (turning away from pleasure and calling the Sabbath a delight) are required together. To add emphasis, at the same time that this person is refraining from defiling the Sabbath, he or she should also call the Sabbath a delight.

How to refrain from defiling the Sabbath and calling the Sabbath a delight

“The power of self-restraint is strengthened by exercise; that which at first seems difficult, through constant repetition grows easy until right thoughts and habits become habitual.” – Mind Character and Personality, Volume 2, Page 666.3, Ellen G. White.

At first, it may feel difficult to turn away from your own pleasure on the Sabbath. Habits of thought and action do not change overnight. But by practicing self-restraint day by day, you can train the mind and heart to find joy in God’s will with God’s assistance. What once seemed like a burden becomes a delight.

Each time you choose God’s way instead of your own, you are exercising spiritual muscles. Just as physical strength grows through repeated use, so the ability to delight in God is strengthened through repeated acts of obedience and love.

Calling the Sabbath a delight, then, is not only about refraining from defilement, but about replacing selfish pleasure with God-centered joy. Through prayer, Scripture, fellowship, and worship, the mind and heart are lifted above earthly desires and into harmony with God’s thoughts.

Over time, right choices become natural, holy habits take root, and the Sabbath truly becomes a day of delight—from the heart, not just from the lips.

And shall call the Sabbath a delight

Not just from his lips, but from his heart. You can say Saturday (the Sabbath) is your favorite day but you don’t mean it. It needs to come from the heart.

Focus on God

The Sabbath calls us to focus on God in everything we do. The secret to success is focusing on God.

Delight thyself in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 (KJ21) – “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Delight yourself in God and He will give you your innermost desires. There are certain desires you have in your heart that you cannot tell people. Maybe you are afraid of telling them to others. God will make those desires come to pass in your life at the right time when you have His will in your heart and you live in accordance to His will.

God’s Promise

Isaiah 58:14 (KJ21) – “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

When we call the Sabbath a delight, God Himself promises to lift us up, satisfy us, and give us an inheritance in Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to turn away my foot from doing my own pleasure on Your holy day. Teach me to call the Sabbath a delight, not from my lips only, but from my heart. May I learn to love what You love and to delight in You always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

This Sabbath, take one activity you normally do for your own pleasure and set it aside. Replace it with something that draws your focus to God — such as prayer, reading Scripture, or quietly meditating on His creation. Repeat this until finding delight in God becomes engraved in you.

Author: Mark Alex   

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