Scripture Passage for Today
Scripture Focus
“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the LORD’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.” (Leviticus 23:3 NLT)
Observation
I can’t get past “Commandment One” in today’s reading. I know that the whole passage matters. I understand that each of the feasts listed here—feasts for Israel to observe—point to and find their fulfillment in Christ. They are in some sense “prophecy by party”—“Have a feast day,” the Lord says, “and even in your celebration, you’ll be saying more than you know, and anticipating all I’ll accomplish in Christ!”
But all the appointed festivals stand “in addition to the Sabbath” (v. 4). The Sabbath Day is the “foundational festival”—the one day a week devoted to “complete rest, an official day for holy assembly” (v. 3). It is holy unto the Lord (“the Lord’s Sabbath day”) and it is trans-geographical, i.e., not merely a local or cultural custom but one to be “observed wherever you live.”
The Sabbath is as old as creation itself. It is what God created on the seventh day—rest. And yet perhaps no principle for God-honoring living—the principle of Sabbath rest—is more routinely ignored by contemporary believers. No New Testament believer would hold himself or herself to the letter of the law of the Mosaic covenant (remember that commandment about not trimming the edges of your beard?). But for almost every command, we understand—and adhere to—the principle involved.
Every command, that is, except this one. Here, we run ourselves ragged, embrace the fully unbiblical notion that “busyness is next to Godliness”, and go, go, go until we crash, crash, crash.
That’s stupid.
There is no virtue in exhausted worshippers stumbling into the house of God the one day a month (or maybe two) when some other obligation doesn’t keep them away, throwing a line or two of some unfamiliar song towards God, and wondering why church is such a drag these days.
The Biblical principle is one day a week. And not just for “rest”, but for “assembly”. And not just “when convenient”, but “wherever you live.” Bigger than the commands of the Mosaic covenant—indeed, as old as creation itself—the God of Sabbath rest calls His people to reflect who He is—starting with one day a week for “R and A”—“rest and assembly”.
1 comment:
I will share a little wisdom I have learned the hard way over the years. I used to be the guy who had to keep up with the Jones's and to have the best of everything. I used to work myself into the ground driving a truck for a living 80+ hours per week. I realized that all this work was'nt bringing me happiness even with all the material things I had. My quality of life was awful I looked like a walking zombie.
Today, I go at a much slower pace and I realized that having God in my life IS the most important thing. Yes, I am sometimes ridiculed or looked down at because I am not the typical workaholic man. My quality of life now is blessed I get to see my beautiful wife and children every day instead of 1 time a week. I also get to do God's work by helping with Royal Ranger's at our church. I feel like I am at home with my family when I am at Jag and no amount of money could replace that. God has blessed me in many ways because I put my faith in HIM and not myself. Praise God for his graciousness...glen H
Post a Comment