Wednesday: Sabbath and the Environment
“Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Prov. 27:20, NKJV). How does the truth of this text directly impact the whole question of creation care and the danger our exploits pose to the environment? 1
As the creation statement said, part of the reason for the issue with our environment today has to do with “human selfishness and the egocentric pursuit of getting more and more through ever increasing production, unlimited consumption and depletion of nonrenewable resources.” In other words, people just want more and more, and the only place they can get it is, ultimately, from the earth. Using natural resources, though, isn’t the problem; instead, the problem is that no matter how much a person gets, it’s never enough. When was the last time you ever heard someone, no matter how wealthy, say that they had enough money?
In the midst of all this, God has given humanity the gift of the Sabbath.
Look up these Sabbath texts. Though we tend to think about them in other contexts, try thinking about them in the context of how Sabbath keeping, by commanding us to rest from our work, to rest from seeking to make money and do business, could in a very real way impact the environment for good.
Sure, the Sabbath is about remembering that God created the world (which itself should make us conscious about how we treat it), but it is also about resting from the pursuit of making money. By keeping the Sabbath, by purposely taking one seventh of our lives every week and without exception, and not pursuing wealth and money and goods, we not only have a powerful weekly reminder that life isn’t all about making money, but we are also often refraining from the kind of pursuits that, when overdone, do damage to the earth.
How has Sabbath keeping been a means of helping restrain your own greed and desire for more? How often has the lure of money tempted you to violate the Sabbath?
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Wow' wonderful text this morning; Prov 27:20;
The contrast between hell, destruction never full and so the eyes of man are never satisfied. This picture is a reality of sinful and how selfish man is after the fall of man.
But Pual has shown us how to be content.And this could only attain through Jesus as He is the satisfier of every needs 2 Corinthians 3:5
May we depend on God and to be an example to others around us. God bless.
Very insightful lesson! We really do have a duty to the environment! The keeping of the Sabbath took on new meaning to me all over again ... who knew that was possible? It really is all-encompassing. Oh that men would worship the Lord the way they ought to! So many things would be different!
This lesson really spoke to me cuz I once only worked and never observed the Sabbath till I found Jesus..amen
God is Love, so if you need to Love Him, we must keep the Sabbath and at the sametime keep our environment clean.
The author's concern for the environment is obvious, but the correlation between the sabbath and the environment is a stretch, not aided by quoting from the ADCOM 1995 statement which MANY SDA members do NOT agree with. The Sabbath was made for man, it is a gift from God to his creature, Man. It is not a gift from God to all his creatures. The author might want to realize that this is not really about the environment, it is about God's relationship to Man.
God is always keeping the Sabbath pure so we must also observe the Sabbath with all of our hearts ,soul and mind in purity and in truth.