“Surely
My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your
generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You
shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you.” Exodus 31:12-14a
The
Sabbath is mentioned in many more places than just among the Ten Commandments,
and the reason for its prominence is simple: our observance of Sabbath serves
as “a sign between me and you” by which we not only acknowledge this remarkable
and extraordinary gift, but receive it as well. Sabbath is much more than
just a day off from work; it is a day given “throughout your
generations” to be devoted to the Lord, far beyond a meager hour
for worship.
I
often wonder if the decline of the American church and American society cannot
somehow be connected to our refusal to devote any real time to Sabbath rest and
reflection and worship. This cannot be said of those who do not
acknowledge the Lord at all; I am referring strictly to the Lord’s people who
claim the Lord but also defy the Lord (ironically in the name of Jesus!) in
refusing to acknowledge and accept this gift in its entirety, for instance, by
refraining from work ourselves but placing our work’s burden on others.
There
are those who try to suggest that one’s Sabbath may be on a different day than
another’s Sabbath, but this makes no sense within the context of “My
Sabbaths”, the Lord making this claim on the “seventh day” – and we
refusing this day by establishing our own terms according to our own schedules
according to what we desire for ourselves. In other words, spitting in
the hand of the One who made this gift possible in the first place.
Receive
this gift in its fullness and in its entirety and in the spirit in which it is
given. Devote this day entirely to the Lord in worship and in Scripture
study and in rest for in doing so, we may truly discover the difference between
human will and Divine will – and find Divine will the best way to go.
Blessings,
Michael
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