Read: Lev 23.1-24.9 / Psalm 70
Verse chosen for meditation:
Leviticus 23:3 "Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places.
Reflect
Leviticus 23 focus on the Sabbath and feast days. One important aspect about the Sabbath, is that like the feast days, they are “appointed” days of the year.
Who sets the appointment? The Lord Himself. He set the appointment with the people of Israel within the framework of His covenant.
Why did the Lord set the appointments? The Lord set the appointment because He wanted them to gather as a people to remember His covenant. The covenant which included obedience as the foundation for Israel to grow as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
The Sabbath commanded the people to stop their ordinary work and focus their eyes on God. Their worship of God on Sabbath included a time of solemn rest. Where rest was not just about the stoppage of work; but the followership of God in appreciation of the fruit of their labor, the beauty of God’s creation and celebration in gratefulness of the very provisions of God.
The Sabbath also reminded Israel that God is worthy of their worship. God is worthy of their stoppage of work in trust. God is the priority throughout the year and their worship of Him should permeate everything that they do.
Relate
What have we done with the Sabbath? While it is understood that New Testament Christians no longer follow many of the laws found in the covenant that God had with Israel; the principle of the Sabbath remains relevant.
This is especially so when Jesus Himself said in the Gospels that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. In this way, the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath. This means to say as Christians, it is still good (and I will go all the way to say that is it essential) for us to follow the principle behind the Sabbath.
The principle behind the Sabbath is that God remains the center of our lives. Therefore, we need at least one day in seven, to stop whatever that we are doing to rest and focus our eyes on God. This is because we are such a forgetful people. We are also very susceptible to sin.
Therefore, the Sabbath serves to help us put things into the right perspective. It helps us to remember that in all that we had done in the six days, and all that we are going to do in the next six days, is only by the grace and sovereignty of God. Hence, the Sabbath was made for man.
The Sabbath also help us to remember that God desires His people to gather at His appointed time. Not only on a Sunday, but any day where we can gather to worship and talk about His faithfulness. There is value in that kind of community life. It is the kind of life that can help us stay anchored in the faith.
I must confess that there are days when I do not cherish the essence of the Sabbath rest. All I could think of during those day offs was to have enough sleep, run some errands and doing the things I did not get to do during a work day; like going for my favorite char kway teow and soon kuehs.
While these activities are not wrong by themselves, they do not help me readjust myself toward God. I can still do those things. However, what I really needed, on those rest days, is an extended time to get myself readjusted in remembrance that my life in the hands of God. Only by doing so, can I do any good for the rest of the week. For the Sabbath is made for man. And I am thankful.
Rest
Lord, thank you for the gift of the Sabbath. You know that I need it so badly. Hence, help me as your child, to be faithful to the principle of the Sabbath. Help me not to squander such a gift away; so much so that I lean more towards the world during my day offs. Help me to have an extended time to worship You; in recognition that I need to get readjusted and grow in having You as the center of all areas of my life. This I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Jason
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