Today's readings are Psalm 92.1-9, Exodus 31.1-18, and Luke 6.1-19.
God has given his Sabbath, a day of rest, when his people are to rejoice in his presence and provision for them. This is a difficult topic in today's society. There are some who insist the Sabbath should be observed and needs to be preserved from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. There are some who insist the Sabbath has been changed to Sunday and must be observed. Some of those consider it to be sundown to sundown while others take time on the clock with the day starting at midnight. Some say we should observe a Sabbath but that we may choose not to observe it rigorously. Some say the Sabbath is on Sunday but act as though it does not exist. And some say it has passed away entirely. Others feel free to move it to another day of the week.
What can we make of it Scripturally? We see that it is a day of rest and an opportunity for God's people to look to him in hope. So it's entirely consistent with the idea of a time for corporate worship and gatherings of fellowship. Jesus used the Sabbath very purposefully to bring healing and to feed people. So we may well see it as a day particularly appropriate for showing mercy. Above all, we see that Jesus is the fulfiller of the Law, so he has also fulfilled the Sabbath. By giving rest from sin and shame to his people, he has brought those who believe on him into a permanent day of rest, a permanent Sabbath. Whether we have a day rigorously set aside or not, let us always remember that Jesus is our Sabbath. We who believe have entered into our rest and will enter into our rest permamently in the day of resurrection yet to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment