"The resulting year was fascinating, entertaining and informative. It was equal parts irreverent and reverent. It was filled with surprising insights almost every day. (I know it’s not biblical to boast, so apologies for that)."
Through his experience, in conjunction with friend conversation & other reading, I have become more aware of spiritual disciplines and getting back in the flow with spiritual living. One place I felt would be good to start was reclaiming Sabbath in my family. Yeah, 'cause I didn't want it to be too easy apparently. Lots to unpack here, so I will separate this into a few postings for a)ease of reading and b) I might actually publish something.So, the Sabbath is God's law, like one of the Big 10 before you even get to not killing off your neighbor and stuff. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. You have 6 days each week for your ordinary work, but the 7th day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. Exodus 20:8-10
Right. Anyone else notice the possibility for wide open interpretation? What does holy mean these days? Is that a Saturday, or is Tuesday ok? What if running a 5K or watching football is restful to me? Doesn't using electricity mean I'm making someone work & robbing them of the Sabbath experience? Does it count if I spend 1/7 of each day all week long resting & reconnecting with God?
My limited, legalistic human mind needs some boundaries. Not because I'm trying to tick off a checklist or earn my way to holiness, but because I want to be intentional. And I want to notice a difference in my real life. Now what?
2 comments:
Amazing how our minds follow similar paths even at this stage in our lives. The last four years for me have been a journey in trying to understand what the Sabbath really is for me today. Because I don't want to fill ten pages I will just summarize my conclusions so far.
God established a covenant Abraham (circumcision) and again with Moses at Mt. Sinai. This covenant includes the ten commandments. Jeremiah 31 speaks of the Lord making a new covenant with the house of Israel which is not like the one made with their fathers.
Colossians 2:13-15 speaks of God canceling the written code, with its regulations, and nailing it to the cross. Hebrews 8 speaks of the new covenant the Lord has made and vs. 13 says "by calling this covenant new, he has made the first one obsolete." Galatians 3:16 tells us that no one is justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. My new understanding has led me to believe that the Sabbath of the 10 commandments was a shadow of the rest in Christ that is now available to us all the time. Hebrews 4 speaks of this rest in Christ. So now everyday we have a Sabbath rest with the knowledge that Jesus died for us, granting us eternal life.
As I grow in my faith and spend time reading the Bible trying to be open to the Spirit's guiding, I find new meaning almost daily.
I think the Sabbath is a concept that many of us have struggled and wondered about in regards to its importance to our current lives.
I also believe that the written code was "cancelled" and that we have a new covenant, but it seems that refers to the levitical code as opposed to the 10 Commandments.
I think when we try to decide which Commandments still apply we have to consider which of the other nine are no longer applicable. The other nine are certainly relevant to 2010 (especially when read in something other than the King James--other translations do a much better job of interpreting Hebrew) which has brought me to my personal conclusion that the Sabbath is just as important as worshipping God only, not coveting, etc.
I think a benefit of the Sabbath is that it makes the keeping of the other nine that much easier. When we spend the Sabbath "resting" and contemplating God (through church, nature, spending time with family, etc) it's a weekly reminder of His power, His work in our lives, and how we can serve Him better.
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