For the next couple of weeks I want us to think about the concept of Sabbath. We’ll begin with some very specific, maybe even startling, passages from the Old Covenant.
Exodus 31:12-17
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. "‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.’"
Why are the Israelites to observe the Sabbath?
What is the connection between Sabbath keeping and holiness?
Desecration of the Sabbath required a death penalty. Why?
Why was Sabbath keeping so important to God?
What is Sabbath keeping rooted in?
Does this apply to us today? Why or why not?
How does passage fit with this statement? We are baptized believers participating in the life of God for the sake of others.
What else is on your mind this week?
Sunday, December 02, 2007
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Well, Ryan, Tony, and I all completed the Tecumseh Trail Marathon yesterday. I ran on a bad knee that I cracked on a hard concrete floor last Tuesday; this was pretty frustrating, to be perfectly honest. I fell twice on the course; gizzard-jarring falls. Ryan twisted his ankle. Tony just ran. We all had an enjoyable time!
The weather was pretty good. It stayed in the 30s for the whole run and only sprinkled a little bit. I am sore today and can hardly walk due to my knee, so I need a little more time to reflect on the experience.
I found our baby dedication touching/moving. Gary did a great job of putting it all together.
Evel is dead; Evel Knievel that is. I was a teenager back in his glory years of jumping his motorcycles over all kinds of things.
Do you remember his attempted jump over Snake River canyon with his rocket-powered motorcycle? I do! For a little story about that, you can click here.
Here is another (I think very good) opinion about the Golden Compass.
Fear Not the Compass
I had at least a couple of people tell me that my portion of baby dedication day was not long enough. They wanted me to speak longer.
Why?
There wasn’t quite enough time for the usual soporific qualities of my sermon to be realized.
Soporific. It’s the word of the day.
a bit of triva here, evil and i shared the same birthday!!
the marathon experience was that, an experience! ha!! for someone not into running or hiking for that matter, trying to explain that event would or is impossible.
allen do you mean some people were upset that their nap time yesterday morning was not long enough? :)
RR
While you guys were out running through the woods on Saturday, Marty and I got up at 3:30am, drove to Woodburn, KY (south of Bowling Green) and picked up our upcoming father-son project truck. (It would be funny to get a poll together and which group of us is weirder..."runners in the wet woods" or "traveling junk collectors" For those interested, it's a 1946 Chevy truck. Actually it's only the cab and a few parts, we already had some parts from a '41 model at the house. We'll take 2and make one. It was really an enjoyable trip. I think I'm hitting a point with Marty that we're starting to relate on a different level. I think I'll probably look back on Saturday with really fond memories. Probably never forget it. I'll keep those who are interested in the progress of this old truck posted over the next couple of years.
On another great note. Last night's Pathfinder's Fellowship was great in many ways.
1. Troy came. He's has become a great asset to the Pathfinders. I told the Elders in the last leadership meeting that the Lord has presented me with a project for the next few years. that project is: Jonathon who lives "on the parking lot" Troy is developing a real bond with Jonathan and I think I am too. Troy, Gary and myself have been working with him a lot and I'm starting to see changes. The kid is sharp as a tack, he just has some serious hyperactivity issues. Keep praying for this situation.
2. Jonathon's mom came to church last night. I haven't gotten to speak to her directly, but Troy has. She's really a very nice lady who has had some tough breaks. If you get see her, at church make sure to stop and say hi to her. THIS IS WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO! God's presting the opportunity and we need to act.
Yesterday morning I attended the first Sunday morning adult class that I have attended in over 3 years. It was kind of weird. I enjoyed it, but I kind of missed the kids too.
Well, Gotta go!
(Allen, I'm going to load up that Mustang for another show.)
Brent
Here’s a wild prediction for you: Mike Huckabee will be the Republican presidential nominee and will win the White House.
Here is some interesting polling data.
Why would I say such a thing? I don’t know; just a hunch. Actually I base it on the fact that none of the other candidates on either side are appealing to the evangelical-type voter.
Here’s another prediction: The Colts will win the Super Bowl.
OK, I have a few months until I am proven as a good predictive prophet.
Now let’s try one in the near future: I think we will see a few snow flakes Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
Brent, you have inspired me.
How ‘bout some new slogans along the lines of the Jeep sticker, “It’s a Jeep Thing; you wouldn’t understand”
It’s a running through the woods up and down steep hills that represent a 3500 foot elevation change over 26 miles thing; you wouldn’t understand.
It’s getting up in the middle of the night to drive 100s of miles to pay money for rusty junk that will take hours to transform into a vehicle thing; you wouldn’t understand.
Brent, you think it was weird being in class? You should be me, your beloved teacher, and look up and see you. Talk about weird. (Intentionally vague statement that could have many meanings.)
Troy is a true servant with an unmatched heart of compassion.
It was great having J’s mom with us last night. Nice lady.
This is really facinating stuff. I hope all the questions Allen has asked get answered this time around. If not maybe I will have to drive down and go to class on wed. so I can listen and ask questions. Good subject Allen.
I wonder what their work days were like in that time period? How much rest did they get and how many times they meet for services and/or fellowship?
I don't know the answers to your questions Allen. I would really like to know them.
I do wish I didn't have to work weekends. I do know tho that when I worked m-f and could participate everytime the doors were open my life felt much more spiritually stable. This hit and miss stuff is for the birds (no pun intended). I really encourage anyone who works m-f and are free go to church, classes, prayer meeting (great idea by the way)to try it out for a couple months and see the difference it will make in your life and how you feel. You'll be glad you did.
Jesus said it was okay to heal on the Sabbath. They thought nothing about taking care of their animals on the sabbath and (since I'm in the medical field) took care of their sick on the Sabbath, which were taken care of at home I'd guess.
I have been reorganizing all the kids papers from preschool on up ( I saved them all) and I have tons of sunday school papers, directory pictures, camp pictures, notes from a lot of you, and a great many
wonderful memories, what a wonderful life to live.
Sorry this is so scambled, but I'm getting tired and I figure you'll forgive me!
Annette
If there weren’t enough reasons to not divorce, then add this one:
Divorce Squanders Earth’s Resources
Now, back to Sabbath stuff.
[Great to hear from you, AB! We really miss you down this way, but our loss is Indiana Ave’s gain. While I would love to see you, my class is no longer meeting. We’ll resume next year some time.]
Look at these:
Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
The above is from the 10 Commandments.
Here is reiteration with a little more specificity:
Exodus 35:1-3
Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death. Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.
What do you think about this?
And what were the Israelites supposed to do on the Sabbath?
Leviticus 23:3
There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Assemble?
Remember?
Well, can you tell it's not as busy around here as it has been. I've got a little more time to Blog.
Allen, in the book I loaned you, "6Rules Every Man Must Break". One section spoke about resisting man-made rules of church and learning the real freedom of following the true meaning of Jesus message and it's all about others and not about you.
He wrote about the fact that the Pharasee's were so wrapped up in keeping rules and trying to find fault in Jesus that they missed the point of his actions.
I think God does want us to rest on Sunday. I don't think some of us do a very good job of it sometimes. It's no different than many of the rules that he gave the Isrealites. They weren't all for God, some were for them to have the best life possible living in the desert. But, I think if something came up where we needed to help somebody on Sunday, God would find a way to get us rest.
Sometimes I wonder how much Jesus rested. We seem to get the impression that he was surrounded at all times with the exception of his private prayer times. Think about it, he had around 150 Sabbath days during his ministry, but we don't hear much about it.
Brent
Brent, have you made the “jump” from Saturday to Sunday in regard to the Sabbath concept? It’s tempting but Scriptural support is weak. The best passage is Hebrews 4:9,10.
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
Some scholars think that of all of the days Jesus lived we only have about 42 or 43 recorded. IF that’s true, then we only have a very small sample of what Jesus did. We know Jesus healed people on the Sabbath a few times, always causing trouble. I am guessing that he rested on a lot of them, however.
What does he mean when he says, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath”?
Should we cease from work on Sunday? Or should we keep the Sabbath (Saturday)? Or can we keep another day?
Is this just a principle, or is it specific to a day?
I don't know if it matters as much about which day the sabbath is on but the principle I feel is this, that there is to be a day set aside for worship and rest. I know from experience that when this old body doesn't get some rest then it cannot rest and that is not healthy. When Jesus went off alone to pray I think He came back ready to go forward with the work He had to do. Time alone with God to commune, have fellowship with and to reflect upon I think keeps us grounded and refreshed. Time of worship with our fellow believers keeps us united. When we never stop, the focus gets fuzzy and distant and it is easy to get discouraged and irritable. Our bodies were created by God in His image and if He took a day to rest from His labors, He knows what is best for us. That does not mean that we refuse to do anything like the the Pharisees did, making extra laws concerning the matter, but rest is very important. Too much is harmful also. The balance has to be struck it seems. I'm not always wise in this area. I do know that after a good period of rest I am ready to go again with a more positive attitude and renewed vigor. Have a great week everyone. Loved reading the blog this week and hearing from Annette too. PS: When did Evel die??? The news has been silent or did I miss something while resting. Sherron
Doing a little work this morning in comparing the Exodus and the Deuteronomy versions of the 4th Commandment – Sabbath Keeping.
In Exodus Moses ties Sabbath keeping with Creation. In Deuteronomy he ties it to The Exodus out of Egypt.
Interesting, don’t you think?
Here are some thoughts from Peter Craigie in the NICOT commentary on Deuteronomy p. 157-8:
To rest on the sabbath day was to remember that man, as a part of God’s creative order, was totally dependent on the Creator; man’s divinely appointed task to have dominion over the created order carried with it also the privilege of sharing in God’s rest. The Exodus, too, was a type of creation and thus forms an analogy to the creation account in Genesis. The Exodus from Egypt marks in effect the creation of God’s people as a nation, and the memory of that event was also a reminder to the Israelites of their total dependence on God. Whereas at one time the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt, with no appointed day of rest from their continual and monotonous labor, God’s deliverance made them potentially a nation, and the sabbath was to function as a day of rest in which the deliverance of from the former bondage could be remembered with thanksgiving.
Well, I guess that's just one of those things that I had probably been taught at some time or another and just carried it with me through my life.
I guess logically if you're going to have a day dedicated to rest and focus on God, Sunday seemed like the logical day. It is for me anyway.
If I need to start resting on Saturdays, that would be a big change from my current lifestyle. I have a hard time resting on Sundays too, but if I am doing something it's usually something I enjoy which actually calms and rests my mind, maybe not as much my body (wash cars, little projects in the garage, etc...).
If I take a nap, I usually feel worse when I wake up, so I don't take many.
Thanks for the correction. I probably need to clarify tonight to my Pathfinders kids. Hopefully, I haven't led any of them in the wrong direction.
Brent
From what I've researched, the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the 4th century. Several reasons for this, some pagan, but the main concern seemed to be distancing themselves from the Jews. (Ironic - Jesus was a Jew). I think we do need to rethink a lot of what we do - The EARLIEST Christians were all Jews, and they met in various places, including the temple until it was destroyed, if I understand correctly. I think we need to read the Gospels and Acts, keeping in mind that most of the people involved were Jewish, following Jewish law and tradition. Of course we do NOT need to become Jews to be saved, but it would be helpful for our UNDERSTANDING to keep in mind that the early Christians did not meet in a church building somewhere with the exact format that we use today!!!!
Here’s more from Craigie (p.158). He makes the jump from the Jewish Sabbath to the Lord’s Day for Christians.
The relationship expressed between the sabbath and the Exodus in this commandment is directly analogous to the relationship between the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10; the first day of the week) and the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith. The Exodus, marking the liberation and “creation” of a new people, was linked to the sabbath; the Exodus had been the redemption of Israel by their God from slavery (Exod. 15). Likewise the resurrection of Jesus Christ marked liberation from an old life and entry into a new life, which was the gift of God in love. Thus, for the Christian, the principle of the fourth commandment remains in force, though the day has been changed. The principle thus provides us with three themes to remember on the day of rest, all of which indicate our dependence upon God. We are creatures of our Creator God, and therefore dependent on him for our life. We are participants in that tradition which goes back in history to the Exodus, when God revealed to his people his activity in human history by liberating his chosen people. We are reborn through our identification with the risen Christ, who may work in us a new creation, recalling the first creation (Exod. 20:11) and the creation of the people of Israel (Duet. 5:15).
What do you think of that?
IF he is right, then what are the implications for you and me?
Did you see this interview with Adam Roberts?
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