The Beauty of Sabbath (Book Review of Sabbath, by Dan B. Allender)
In Mark 2:27, Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (ESV). Jesus is teaching that the Sabbath was given as a gift for man to rest, refresh and reflect in sublime joy in God. However, man has a history of abusing the good gifts God has given us and in the practice of the Sabbath it either becomes an anvil to weigh people down or a forgotten relic of the past. It is time that believers took hold of the gift God has given in order to enjoy Him.
In Sabbath, Dan B. Allender offers a much needed rethinking of the ancient practice of Sabbath. This is the third book I have reviewed from The Ancient Practices Series and I am happy to say that I found this book to be a good read.
Allender is wise to connect joy and Sabbath and the reality that counterfeits often rob us of the joy of Sabbath. If Sabbath is viewed as a day of somber, sulking, and solitude then you have missed the point of Sabbath. I also found it insightful that Dan connected Sabbath with getting outdoors.
Allender is frank in the opening pages about his failure with Sabbath and how it took more than a few tries to begin to experience the benefits of the gift. This was refreshing for me as my family and I have recently started to practice Sabbath and found it to be much harder than it seemed. I mean how hard could it be to unplug from distractions, enjoy God, and get much needed rest? Apparently, practicing Sabbath as Allender notes is counter-intuitive to the organization of life today.
Sabbath is about creating space in the otherwise space-less minutia of life in order to hear from God, connect with God, and enjoy God. Allender points out that we must be willing to risk failing at Sabbath in order to learn to Sabbath well. Sabbath is about restoration of relationships, peace, gratitude, hope and joy. I think Dan has done an excellent job of tapping into the gift of Sabbath and offers a much needed voice to the conversation.
Sabbath, by Dan B. Allender is a book I would recommend to friends or family. It is well written, and balanced. This is not a stuffy theological treatise. No this short work was a much needed reminder that I need to slow down, breathe deep and rest so that I can enjoy God. In a season of life where reading time is precious and dear, I was well pleased with this book.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Booksneeze program for the purpose of reviewing.
