The Fourth Commandment was the subject for our Bible Study at Open
Door Church.
Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your
work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the
Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you,
nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals,
nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For
in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is
in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
In Genesis 1:1-5 God divided the time, evening, night, morning,
day and set in motion the shifting of each 24 hour day. Each of 6 days, God created something new with his Word, and He said it was good. The
7th day God rested.
The day of rest is important.
Most of sitting there in class, were feeling pretty smug, because
here we were in Church on a Sunday. The
thing is – none of us were saying how we planned to spend the rest of the day.
Society is changing and many stores, restaurants, service stations
and even banks are now open on Sunday.
Sunday is a big day for recreation and sports.
God’s law stands; One day in seven is a time of rest, avoiding the
work that can wait until another day. Spending
time in the Word and bending our knees to worship will bring us time to take a breath and
rest.
We realize there are some things that must be done, such as caring
for your family, and your animals. Let
us be honest, some jobs require someone to be on duty on a Sunday, such as
hospitals, and emergency rooms. Usually
schedules are arranged so there is at least one day out of 7 given to Sunday
workers. Use that rest day to spend time
with God.
The children of Israel Egypt
They needed to learn new habits.
God said that He would provide food for them 6 days, and to rest on the
7th day. They were told to only take enough for each day or it would spoil. On the 6th day, they were to gather twice as much to carry over to the 7th day.
Slaves’ work 7 days a week, and we were meant to be free and not a
slave. Animals that work also need a day
of rest. Why is that important? Even a slave and animals have rights and dignity says they need a day of rest.
In comparison, Salvation makes us free. We are no longer slaves to Sin. No matter where you are or where you have
been in life, you must define your new identity in Christ. Remember whose you are.
For us, fresh manna each day is time spent in God’s word. Pay attention to instruction and detail.
After 40 years of supply and provision, now it came time to trust
God to take care of them.
He is a Holy God and it is a huge shift from slavery to freedom.
You can depend on God to lead and guide you as you obey His word.
Labor for 6 days to provide for your living. Keep the Sabbath Day Holy and you shall be blessed.
2 comments:
Such a beautiful reminder, Hazel. So many are falling away from Biblical truths, and it is hard to watch it happen. Sometimes, I wonder if things will ever be back the way they should be, but we are only responsible for our own actions, thank the Lord. All we can do is to do what is right in our own, individual lives, and as you said, we will be blessed. :)
This is truthful. In fact, about a few months after I came to the Lord, our nation changed. Before that, no shops or bars or groceries were open. Yes, restaurants were open usually. But my church group was even frustrated b/c some of them were playing baseball in a park. Much changed then. Now, with jobs and so many other things having a day off, such as once a week on Sunday. Life has truly changed. Focusing on the Lord every day, around and about, is all I can do. Thanks for sharing.
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