You have heard me say this before, and I apologize for forcing you to hear it again.
I am a firm believer that the Sabbath (Friday evening to Saturday evening) was intended to be a day of everlasting observance to those who belong to the LORD (not just Israelites, not just Jews) and that those who belong to the LORD were to "keep" the Sabbath "holy." I find few who agree with me on the observance of the Sabbath (the seventh day), yet the same commandments that tell me not to lie, steal, kill contain that "unobserved" commandment to "observe" the Sabbath. Modern-day Christians, for the most part, have modified "Sabbath" to mean Sunday which is actually the first day and not the seventh; and they will tell me that this is now the new "Sabbath" day because it is the day Jesus rose from the grave and that we are to keep it holy by attending church services.
I find no such "modifier" in the word of God. Yes, I believe Jesus rose on a Sunday. Yes, I believe His resurrection is something to be remembered and be grateful for not just one day a week but on every single day that we live and have breath on this earth. But Sunday (the first day) is not and never will be the Sabbath (the seventh day). I think the LORD had an excellent purpose in providing us with that "lost" commandment; "lost" in that we Christians have relegated it to the orthodox Jews alone for reasons that I will never understand.
Jesus brings the full meaning of the commandments to light when he says "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.." (Matthew 5: 21-22) Without a doubt, He makes the commandments not just that which is to be observed physically, but also to be observed spiritually, or at the heart of our being, as well. So, we know from the Old Testament that we cannot murder; but from the New Testament we learn that our hearts must not even contain the anger towards another that could bring about the act of murder. We don't now say then, that it's ok to murder, as long as it isn't in our hearts. We say that both are necessary...that the heart is tied into the act and that our hearts must change so that we remain in obedience to the commandment (thus the need for our Savior!) In other words, because of Jesus, we always take the commandments to mean more than what they did in the Old Testament, but we never take them to mean less.
Except, it seems, when it comes to the third commandment. There we spiritualize the commandment only rather than keep it physically as well, opting to modify it to Sunday instead of the seventh or Sabbath Day, and thus we no longer keep it at all physically. I know the scriptures that are used in defense of changing the Sabbath observance to Sunday, but I do not read them in the same light that years of church tradition read them. And so I choose to both physically (and with all of my heart) observe the Sabbath (beginning on Friday evening) and I consider Sunday to be a working day for me, during which I do all "as unto the LORD," just as I do every other day in order to honor the Lord, which on Sunday includes attending church services and visiting the jail and such. I am actually quite happy about this as I get to actually "rest" on Friday evenings and Saturday days, spending uninterrupted valuable time with the Lord and often with family.
On the seventh day, the LORD rested. And the Word says He "created the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath." So what are we missing in our lives when we neglect the true Sabbath? What is it that we are missing, that the LORD intended for us to have, since He created the Sabbath "for man" (odd that the scripture doesn't say that He created the Sabbath "for Jews")? How many years did it take for the LORD to teach His rebellious children to truly "observe" the Sabbath? What is it He wants to teach US, His children, about Sabbath rest? If only we would stop and hear Him; but we just cannot do that which goes so contrary to our "working" natures.
We seldom rest, or if we do "rest" it is done in front of a television set or a computer screen. I don't think that was what the LORD intended for us by Sabbath rest. But it is what we have made "rest" to be because we find it most difficult to just BE.
It is difficult for us to BE still. It is difficult for us to BE quiet. It is difficult for us to BE very "in the moment." And thus it is difficult for us to spend time in BEING with God, being actually in His felt presence. We spend time "asking" Him for what we need, but not in "waiting to hear" His small quiet replies; not waiting for His love, found in His presence, to overcome us and heal us from all that ails us. We have never learned Sabbath rest, because we have never been taught how to observe the Sabbath.
We are creatures of "work" - created, we believe, to achieve and acquire. We are to be incessantly busy "redeeming the time," or otherwise put, spending every available moment (especially those moments "seen" by others around us) keeping busy, preferably in something that is directly related to the LORD's work.
And so our lives continue until something drastic happens that chases all thoughts of "work" and "achievements" and "acquisition" out of our thoughts.
Perhaps it is a severe illness (it would have to be severe enough for us not to still be able to watch television in our hospital room, of course). Perhaps it is a death in the family. Perhaps it is the loss of everything that is dear and familiar, due to hurricane, or flood, or earthquake....
....or divorce.
It is when we are stopped dead in our very busy tracks through the the loss of health, or loved ones, or possessions, or dreams...when we find that there is no comfort available to us through any other source, no matter how hard we work even at finding that comfort...that we finally come to the end of ourselves and we sit, quietly, alone, in early mornings, or very late evening hours when all whom we know are asleep, and we experience just BEING. And we do it ONLY because we are too tired or too ill or too mournful to do anything else.
It is then that we take time to look at all that has passed by us, those past moments that we didn't take the time to observe (because we were just so busy!) and we wonder what brought us here...to this place...to this moment of aloneness.
I recently read* that it is believed that only 10% of what happens in our life, happens because of outside circumstances. The remaining 90% of our lives is determined by our own thoughts and thus our own choices and actions. Thus, when we suffer (anything other than natural forces - that would be the 10%) it is mostly of our own doing.
When we are sitting in the ash heap of our lives, with no one left to blame, it is neither easy nor pleasant to reflect on how we arrived there. But if we allow ourselves time to be honest, we will see that it is mostly of our own doing: our own choices; our own desires to acquire and achieve that which we are certain will make us happy; our own lack of waiting to hear from the LORD.
And it is here, at the end of ourselves, when there is nothing left to lose, that we can finally experience "rest." Real Sabbath "rest." They are but moments...Sabbath rest moments...or better yet: "still water" Sabbath rest moments.
Still water as described in the 23rd Psalm: "HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures, HE leadeth me beside the still waters; HE restoreth my soul." HE does that, MY LORD, MY JESUS, right now, right here, right in this moment, if I will allow it.
It is when I am done with MY own thoughts, when there can't possibly be any more tears to shed, that HE comes and HE leads me to the still waters. And I lie down there, in a place of complete safety, and I rest for a bit...even though my heart is still heavy with grief and pain...and I am comforted...for a moment, or for two, or for just a few more...
And in those moments, I rest as completely, I believe, as GOD rested on that seventh day. And I find that this moment, this moment right here, is actually GOOD. I experience the "tidings of great joy" that run deep, just under the pain, but not quite visible on the surface...not yet. But I won't hurry the process. I have been in too much of a hurry for all of my 62 years. I have time now...all the time that aloneness brings...and it is the first absolute aloneness I have ever experienced.
But when I am by the still waters, I don't "feel" alone. And though I sometimes find it difficult to swim up-stream regarding Sabbath Day observance, I fully cherish these Sabbath rest moments, observing them as often as I can now, allowing the holiness of His presence to restore my soul with comfort and deep joy.
I learn from HIM in these times of Sabbath rest, how to just BE in all the moments of my future, facing them all with HIM, whatever may come.
* The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood, 2009.
I am a firm believer that the Sabbath (Friday evening to Saturday evening) was intended to be a day of everlasting observance to those who belong to the LORD (not just Israelites, not just Jews) and that those who belong to the LORD were to "keep" the Sabbath "holy." I find few who agree with me on the observance of the Sabbath (the seventh day), yet the same commandments that tell me not to lie, steal, kill contain that "unobserved" commandment to "observe" the Sabbath. Modern-day Christians, for the most part, have modified "Sabbath" to mean Sunday which is actually the first day and not the seventh; and they will tell me that this is now the new "Sabbath" day because it is the day Jesus rose from the grave and that we are to keep it holy by attending church services.
I find no such "modifier" in the word of God. Yes, I believe Jesus rose on a Sunday. Yes, I believe His resurrection is something to be remembered and be grateful for not just one day a week but on every single day that we live and have breath on this earth. But Sunday (the first day) is not and never will be the Sabbath (the seventh day). I think the LORD had an excellent purpose in providing us with that "lost" commandment; "lost" in that we Christians have relegated it to the orthodox Jews alone for reasons that I will never understand.
Jesus brings the full meaning of the commandments to light when he says "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.." (Matthew 5: 21-22) Without a doubt, He makes the commandments not just that which is to be observed physically, but also to be observed spiritually, or at the heart of our being, as well. So, we know from the Old Testament that we cannot murder; but from the New Testament we learn that our hearts must not even contain the anger towards another that could bring about the act of murder. We don't now say then, that it's ok to murder, as long as it isn't in our hearts. We say that both are necessary...that the heart is tied into the act and that our hearts must change so that we remain in obedience to the commandment (thus the need for our Savior!) In other words, because of Jesus, we always take the commandments to mean more than what they did in the Old Testament, but we never take them to mean less.
Except, it seems, when it comes to the third commandment. There we spiritualize the commandment only rather than keep it physically as well, opting to modify it to Sunday instead of the seventh or Sabbath Day, and thus we no longer keep it at all physically. I know the scriptures that are used in defense of changing the Sabbath observance to Sunday, but I do not read them in the same light that years of church tradition read them. And so I choose to both physically (and with all of my heart) observe the Sabbath (beginning on Friday evening) and I consider Sunday to be a working day for me, during which I do all "as unto the LORD," just as I do every other day in order to honor the Lord, which on Sunday includes attending church services and visiting the jail and such. I am actually quite happy about this as I get to actually "rest" on Friday evenings and Saturday days, spending uninterrupted valuable time with the Lord and often with family.
On the seventh day, the LORD rested. And the Word says He "created the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath." So what are we missing in our lives when we neglect the true Sabbath? What is it that we are missing, that the LORD intended for us to have, since He created the Sabbath "for man" (odd that the scripture doesn't say that He created the Sabbath "for Jews")? How many years did it take for the LORD to teach His rebellious children to truly "observe" the Sabbath? What is it He wants to teach US, His children, about Sabbath rest? If only we would stop and hear Him; but we just cannot do that which goes so contrary to our "working" natures.
We seldom rest, or if we do "rest" it is done in front of a television set or a computer screen. I don't think that was what the LORD intended for us by Sabbath rest. But it is what we have made "rest" to be because we find it most difficult to just BE.
It is difficult for us to BE still. It is difficult for us to BE quiet. It is difficult for us to BE very "in the moment." And thus it is difficult for us to spend time in BEING with God, being actually in His felt presence. We spend time "asking" Him for what we need, but not in "waiting to hear" His small quiet replies; not waiting for His love, found in His presence, to overcome us and heal us from all that ails us. We have never learned Sabbath rest, because we have never been taught how to observe the Sabbath.
We are creatures of "work" - created, we believe, to achieve and acquire. We are to be incessantly busy "redeeming the time," or otherwise put, spending every available moment (especially those moments "seen" by others around us) keeping busy, preferably in something that is directly related to the LORD's work.
And so our lives continue until something drastic happens that chases all thoughts of "work" and "achievements" and "acquisition" out of our thoughts.
Perhaps it is a severe illness (it would have to be severe enough for us not to still be able to watch television in our hospital room, of course). Perhaps it is a death in the family. Perhaps it is the loss of everything that is dear and familiar, due to hurricane, or flood, or earthquake....
....or divorce.
It is when we are stopped dead in our very busy tracks through the the loss of health, or loved ones, or possessions, or dreams...when we find that there is no comfort available to us through any other source, no matter how hard we work even at finding that comfort...that we finally come to the end of ourselves and we sit, quietly, alone, in early mornings, or very late evening hours when all whom we know are asleep, and we experience just BEING. And we do it ONLY because we are too tired or too ill or too mournful to do anything else.
It is then that we take time to look at all that has passed by us, those past moments that we didn't take the time to observe (because we were just so busy!) and we wonder what brought us here...to this place...to this moment of aloneness.
I recently read* that it is believed that only 10% of what happens in our life, happens because of outside circumstances. The remaining 90% of our lives is determined by our own thoughts and thus our own choices and actions. Thus, when we suffer (anything other than natural forces - that would be the 10%) it is mostly of our own doing.
When we are sitting in the ash heap of our lives, with no one left to blame, it is neither easy nor pleasant to reflect on how we arrived there. But if we allow ourselves time to be honest, we will see that it is mostly of our own doing: our own choices; our own desires to acquire and achieve that which we are certain will make us happy; our own lack of waiting to hear from the LORD.
And it is here, at the end of ourselves, when there is nothing left to lose, that we can finally experience "rest." Real Sabbath "rest." They are but moments...Sabbath rest moments...or better yet: "still water" Sabbath rest moments.
Still water as described in the 23rd Psalm: "HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures, HE leadeth me beside the still waters; HE restoreth my soul." HE does that, MY LORD, MY JESUS, right now, right here, right in this moment, if I will allow it.
It is when I am done with MY own thoughts, when there can't possibly be any more tears to shed, that HE comes and HE leads me to the still waters. And I lie down there, in a place of complete safety, and I rest for a bit...even though my heart is still heavy with grief and pain...and I am comforted...for a moment, or for two, or for just a few more...
And in those moments, I rest as completely, I believe, as GOD rested on that seventh day. And I find that this moment, this moment right here, is actually GOOD. I experience the "tidings of great joy" that run deep, just under the pain, but not quite visible on the surface...not yet. But I won't hurry the process. I have been in too much of a hurry for all of my 62 years. I have time now...all the time that aloneness brings...and it is the first absolute aloneness I have ever experienced.
But when I am by the still waters, I don't "feel" alone. And though I sometimes find it difficult to swim up-stream regarding Sabbath Day observance, I fully cherish these Sabbath rest moments, observing them as often as I can now, allowing the holiness of His presence to restore my soul with comfort and deep joy.
I learn from HIM in these times of Sabbath rest, how to just BE in all the moments of my future, facing them all with HIM, whatever may come.
* The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood, 2009.
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