Tuesday: New Circumstances
After 40 years of wandering in the desert, a new generation with vague, if any, memories of Egypt had grown up. They had a very different life experience from that of their parents. This new generation had witnessed their parents’ repeated lack of faith, and as a consequence, they, too, had to wander in the wilderness as their parents’ generation died off.
They were privileged to have the sanctuary in the center of their camp and could see the cloud indicating God’s presence hovering over the tabernacle. When it moved, they knew that it was time to pack and follow. This cloud that provided shade during the day and light and heat at night was a constant reminder of God’s love and care for them.
What personalized reminder of the Sabbath rest did they have? Read Exodus 16:14-31.
Image © Darrel Tank at Goodsalt.com
Contrary to popular theology, these verses prove that the seventh-day Sabbath predated the giving of the law at Sinai.
What happened here?
The special food that God supplied was a daily reminder of the fact that the Creator sustained His Creation. In a very tangible way, God was supplying their needs. Every day was a miracle with the food appearing and disappearing with the sun. Any time that anyone tried to hoard for the next day, it would rot and stink; and yet, every Friday there was enough for a double portion, and the leftover to be eaten on Sabbath remained miraculously fresh.
Israel now had the sanctuary service and all the laws and regulations recorded in Leviticus and Numbers. Still, the aged Moses summons everyone and repeats their history and revisits the laws that God has given (see Deuteronomy 5:6-22).
This new generation finally was poised to enter the Promised Land. Israel was about to undergo a change of leadership, and an aged Moses wanted to ensure that this generation would remember who they were and what their mission was. He did not want them repeating the mistakes of their parents. And so he repeats God’s laws. The Ten Commandments are repeated so that this generation, poised on the brink of conquering Canaan, would not forget.
| In our personal experience, the second coming of Jesus is never more than a few moments after we die. Hence, His return is always near, perhaps even nearer than we might imagine. How does keeping the Sabbath remind us not only of what God has done for us but what He will do for us when He returns? |
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When I first started to learn physics I learned classical Newtonian physics. It was all about forces and energy, vectors, electric currents, lenses and light, and so on. Then somewhere in the middle of our studies, we were hit with the twin ideas of relativity and quantum mechanics; the New Physcis. This meant that we had to learn a whole new dimension to physics. Space was warped and particles could disappear and reappear in a different place. It was as though we had to relearn physics to all over again.
The Israelites during the Exodus had a similar experience. Coming out of Egypt, they had to learn what religion meant all over again. Some of that learning was hard going. And one of the things they needed to be reminded of was the value of the Sabbath.
As a little thought provoke this morning, I pose the question; Do we need to learn about the Sabbath?
I remind myself at times that much of what we do in our liturgy and practice had its origins in the middle ages. Apart from changing the day back to the seventh day, What we do on Sabbath, including church services is not dissimilar to what other Christian religions have been doing for centuries. I am not saying that this is wrong, but perhaps it is time for a fresh creative look at what we do and how we "observe" Sabbath.
The sabbath theme should be oftenly repeated everytime when the word of God is shared. Moses read thr commandments of God over and over to the camp of Israel again and again as a reminder and emphasis on how serious God's relationship is reviewed in obedience.
Psalm 119:11
No, we don't need to learn about the Sabbath, we need to learn of its Creator. It is a knowledge of God that saves, not a knowledge of Sabbath/Law apart from God. The law defines God: His will, His love. The law must also define those who become "perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect"(Matt 5:48). The law should define will and motive, not mere "behavior", which too often can be nothing more than sullen submission.
Blessings Brother Maurice. From the bible verse , I have understand that to observe the Sabbath as Holy, we shouldn't do any work. Then, how do we define work? What is this work? Worldly work? If so, if we do Godly work, like ministering , visiting, helping without pay, then, it can be considered observing Sabbath as Holy.
Is merely keeping/observing the Sabbath day what is needed? Or is there something much deeper than this that, when understood and entered into, naturally results in the Sabbath day being 'kept'?
Earlier in the week I mentioned Ezekiel 20:20. Two key words - concepts - are "sign" and "know".
Prior uses of the same Hebrew word for sign (leowt) are Genesis 9:13; 17:11 and Exodus 12:13; 13:9. If you look at these verses and their context, you will see the notion of "sign" is a marker that represents a certain condition/outcome that is dependant upon maintaining a certain position. For example, being part of a covenant relationship as long as what is needed to be and stay part of that covenant relationship is maintained. And the 'what is needed' is most fundamentally a heart-orientation that then subsequently expresses itself in certain ways of being and consequently doing.
The Hebrew word for "know"(ladaat) is first used in Genesis 3:22. It refers to having first-hand experience of.
Sabbath is therefore a 'sign' - a perpetual extra-special weekly point in time where we particularly re-focus and re-flect (in a way we are not necessarily able to do on the other six days due to need to also attend to the activities of life) in order to preserve entering progressively deeper into covenant relationship with God.
The more we desire to enter more deeply into this abundant life (John 10:10) covenant relationship, the more our 'eyes' will be opened to seeing who God truly is and what He is truly about toward us as His deeply-desired creation/'children'/people/'bride'. And it is desire that will be awakened within us and consequently draw us into deeper and deeper first-hand knowing (experiencing) that He "your God" - and all the dimensions that this entails.
I believe the Bible is a guide but it has no detailed account on how to keep the Sabbath. Its left for our discretion on how to keep the Sabbath holy following examples from the Bible.
I for one believe we cannot get it 100% right on Sabbath keeping but we should try our possible best, and then pass it on to our wards. Catch them young and teach them so they in-turn can teach their wards e.g Sabbath sunrise and sunset worship etc. YOU CANNOT GIVE WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE.
What other things can you do to make the Sabbath a delight? (considering the time we are in now(covid-19 pandemic); Insecurity everywhere; geographical location; cultural background; etc).
Sarah, I have discovered that the Bible is a true "lamp for our feet and light for our path". Yes, our understanding and observance of Sabbath will "grow in grace", but God promises: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye"(Ps 32:8) if we ask Him. True, there is no official "list" for the Sabbath, since every circumstance is not the same, but we may each know how to identify and properly observe the principles given in God's word if that is our honest desire(Ps 37:4,5; 40:8). If we believe that "He leads me in the path of righteousness...", then our works will be perfect before Him, as promised(2 Tim 3:17, Jude 1:24).
When you link
the instructions are all there and it covers the whole spectrum of our lives.
Solemn to realize that God needed to purge out of Israel all those who were incurable of their unbelief before He could fulfill His promise to Abraham in giving the promised land to his seed. He must do the same before the final message of warning to the world can be given by His professed people today. Students of prophecy see this coming very soon.
The daily miracle of the manna kept the Sabbath command prominent in the camp of Israel.
The Sabbath is a sign of God as Creator and Redeemer through His power to sanctify(make holy) those who live by faith. Concerning the return of Jesus and the eternal Rest to come, this cannot be fully explained, but will be understood by all who understand and follow the will of the Lord and find that Rest that comes through faith. Only by personal experience can this be understood.
I have a question I am part of the seventh day Adventist church in Perth Australia and I was wondering is going door to door on the sabbath Considered as working? I am only 19.
Yes, if you are going door to door to sell a product to make money, that would certainly be considered "working."
The Sabbath is a symbol of our resting in Christ. It is a symbol of resting from our own efforts to save ourselves and turning our lives over to Jesus as Lord. As we look to Him for all our needs, He changes our hearts to be loving like His. Thus we can't keep the Sabbath by going to church on Saturday unless Jesus lives in our hearts all week.
What we do on the Sabbath should reflect the reality of resting in Him and not focusing on our own needs. That's why we are not supposed to work to promote our own advantage or pleasure in any way on Sabbath. (That would include working for money, painting the house, cleaning the house or watching entertainment TV and more.) We are to spend time with the Lord in a special way on Sabbath.
If you go door to door on Sabbath to tell people about your Friend Jesus, do you think Jesus would want to go with you? Would that be spending time with Jesus?
I don’t sell anything I just go door to door and tell them all about Jesus. But thank you very much for clearing it up God bless you
Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath? (Mark 3:4)
Absolutely!
God bless you James in your own faith-walk in Christ and your sharing the Jesus you know and experience with those who may be open to it. That is a very admirable thing for a 19 year old to be doing. Keep going with your walk with God no matter what happens. There is no other viable alternative.
I think when God revealed Himself to Israel and instructed them regarding their relationship with Him, He re-instituted the Cycle of Trust between the Creator and mankind. He made it official, observable by all earthly powers and all peoples that He has a special relationship with His people.
Ever since man was formed, trusting the heavenly authority first and applying by faith that which he/she heard, this principle governing the relationship between man and God has not changed.
I see Sabbath as the Creator’s ‘hallmark’ which identifies the source of all things; it is He who directs man and the world we live in. Now, having received and accepted the new Covenant, our eyes are opened to grasp/understand who it is that we trust, believe, have faith in and remember on Sabbath.