SCRIPTURE:
Leviticus 23:3
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.
and
Psalm 24
The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. Selah
OBSERVATION:
Today's bible reading invites us to spend time with God. It invites us to Sabbath. Some have taken Sabbath to mean a "day off" a time to not do anything - and while it is important to refresh and recharge it is more important to spend time with them Lord. A day off is not a Sabbath - it is a day off. A Sabbath is a day of rest - but also time for sacred assembly (church time or prayer time) but always implies time with God. Why does the Lord say the Sabbath is so important? It is because we need more of Him. Not just time off - but more of Him. The Sabbath is time to be still and let things go. Do you find this hard? I certainly do and there are weeks where I am engaged in ministry and service and planning and care and work for seven days straight and sometimes with very long days. As demands increase for me and for you we need more of His peace, His joy and His love in us. We need to receive from God. The more we give away the more we must be filled by the presence and power of God. His resurrection life being lived out in us. Sometimes I have been able to grab pieces of God on the run, how about you? We move from one thing to the next and grab a quick blessing and prayer or moment of his touch. What I have found is that God can meet us in those moments and is quick to respond to us in those "on the run" times. But, God is still calling us to a place of being with Him. An extended time of rest and reflection in His presence. That is why He made Sabbath. In Mark 2:27 Jesus declares it best, Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. It is if as God is saying, " I know you are busy with your life - but would it be possible for you to rest one day a week and during that day think about me.?" Sabbath is all about a connection with God in order to be refreshed deep in our hearts and souls. Also in this reading is the call from Psalm 24 that reminds us that WE ARE THE LORD'S and everything that we come across on this Earth belongs to God. The Psalmist asks who can come into God's presence and then goes on and answers (verse four) the one who has clean hands and a pure heart - he will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication (forgiveness and covering - mercy and grace) for all his sins. Those who spend time with God and honor the Sabbath are those who can move forward to God's presence. They can "ascend His holy hill." It is as verse six tells us: "Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face..." Are we seeking God and allowing Him to fill us? Are we lifting our heads and opening up our "gates" and "doors" the the King of glory - so that He might come to us. It starts with:
- Reading the bible each day
- Journaling - writing down what God prompts you with as you read (just like I am doing here)
- Prayer - asking (praying for yourself) and interceding (praying for others) and listening (waiting on God to guide and direct you)
- Making time for the Lord on the Sabbath - Your day of rest.
The Sabbath is not just a day off - it is time with God.
The Sabbath is a matter of the heart.
APPLICATION:
May we all spend time with God and allow Him to fill us up. Fight the tendency to go and go and fill life with busyness. Also fight the tendency to just rest and just be off work but make your Sabbath about time with God - you and Him.
PRAYER:
God, help us to spend time disengaged from our work load and open to you. Help us to rest, to reflect, the refresh. Lord, we need this instruction for our lives so thank you for providing it for us. May we seek your face and live and be filled. May we climb your holy hill and ascend into your presence. May we find you as we seek you with open hearts. Help us to make you the priority of our Sabbath. In Jesus' Name, Amen
3 comments:
Amazingly, we just talked about this last week at a Bible study I attend and now God is using you to bring it up again. This is something I have struggled with for a long time and would like some clarification on. I grew up on a ranch raising cattle and horses. That was how we made a living. An agrarian society existed back when the bible was written, so most folks farmed/ranched for their livelihood and survival. People have said that I was "in sin" because I fed my horses and cattle on the Sabbath. Honestly, how can this be so? I have never in my life met a farmer/rancher who would neglect his/her livestock because it was considered work to feed them. I also find it hard to believe that back then folks neglected their herds and did not feed them for an entire day. I understand that most were put out to pasture, but not all were. I'm on board with not making hay, tilling the soil, etc., but animals must eat. To 99% of people who read this, it will seem silly, but they probably have never relied exclusively on livestock to determine their livelihood. Any perspective you may have would be greatly appreciated.
This is very good input, Pastor Bernie. thanks for your blog and the time you take to write so that others can be encouraged.
Thank you both for your responses. Todd you have a great heart. Even Jesus healed on the Sabbath, because that was what His Father - God was doing. But He still made time to rest, reflect and be with the Lord.
Keep Jesus strong in your heart.
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