Teaching on the Sabbath and an apology

So, I am sitting here wondering to myself... what does it mean that no one responded to my "rant" about giving? Did I offend someone? Was I right? Was I wrong? Well, I have many thoughts on the matter, but I think that I owe my "digital audience" an apology. I need your forgiveness if my thoughts on the previous post seemed judgmental or self-centered. Honestly a lot of it springs from doubt and anxiety in my own heart. I am very sorry.

On another front, today is my Sabbath. This means no fundraising except for the report I had to submit this morning. This is so good and it is SO good to have the freedom to rest. And do absolutely NO work on the "seventh day." In my case, it is probably more like the "22nd day." Interesting.

Anyway, I am absolutely convinced that it is disobedient to do work on the Sabbath. I want to establish my line of thinking from the Word for ya'll. (That was a really fun word to use online. I will have to use it more often). First off, we have to think about what is a scriptural command. And what does a "scriptural command" from the Old Testament look like. Well, Rob P helped me with this idea. So, as believers in Jesus we are under the Law as in the capital letter law the first five books of the old testament, but we are not necessarily under all the little laws (the lower case laws like don't mix fabrics. etc.). So, what does this mean when we think of Old testament laws. What are we as believers in Jesus supposed to do with these? Well, since we are still under the Law then we need to obey the Spirit of these laws (notice lowercase) and remain faithful to what we know about who God reveals himself to be and who God wants us to be.

Lets take an example: Look with me at Deuteronomy 22:8. It says:"When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof. (NIV)"

Alright Jen, what in the world is a parapet? A parapet is not a bird you have as a pet (hee hee) in fact it is a fence like thing that goes around a roof to keep people who walk on the roof (generally servants in OT times) from falling off. Do we build our houses with parapets today? No. Do we need to? I would say not necessarily. So track with me: If we needed to, we would be obeying the law (lowercase). But since we are not under the law but we are still under the Law we need to be asking: So what does this passage tell us about God? What does this passage tell us about what God wants from His people? I would say that it tells us that God is concerned with His people looking out for the welfare of those he has entrusted to them. Also, that he values His people making their properties a safe place. So how do we obey the Law in this case while not having to obey the law? An idea would be to make sure to shovel your walk when it snows so that no one falls and breaks their leg on your property. That would be being obedient to what God has revealed about himself in this part of the Law.

Alright that aside, what does all this have to do with the Sabbath. Well, lets start in Genesis 2:1-3. This says: "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [1] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIV- www.biblegateway.com)"

So look at what God is doing? Resting. Hmmm.
Alright, flip with me to Exodus 20:8-11:
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 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.(NIV)"

I made some ideas I want to bring out bold on purpose. Alright, what is the law here? Do not do any work on the seventh day. Work six days and nothing on the seventh. Why? Because the day is to be to the Lord your God (v 10) and because God rested on the seventh day. It is an imaging God issue. Notice also that it is not just God's people that are to take a Sabbath- even the "aliens (probably those not from Israel)" among them were not to do any work on the sabbath and the responsibility was on God's people to not let them work for them.

What would the Law be in this case? Honestly, the take away is to be like God and to set apart a day to the Lord. I think they are one in the same in this case. Keeping a Sabbath is an issue of imaging God. It is a way that I am like God on this Earth. Thus, it is disobedient to willfully do something that is not like God.

Well, what do you think? I know there is a lot more to be said about the Sabbath. I didn't even go through the NT verses on the subject or the other OT verses. Some other facts: Did you ever notice that the sabbath commandment is the longest? God is intentional about the things he gives space in the Word. If you want to check out what else God has to say on the Sabbath go to these spots:

Matthew 11:28-30
Isaiah 30:15
Mark 2:27
Hebrews 4:1-12

Also, the word sabbath occurs in the NIV version of the Bible 151 times. If you are interested in looking it up go to www.biblegateway.com and type Sabbath in the keyword search.

Anways, I am convinced that I need to keep a Sabbath but you need to form convictions on your own on the matter. If you made it this far, thanks for reading about what I have been thinking about lately. I also feel the need to say that if we do disobey the Lord there is forgiveness and grace to be had. Jesus did die for all our sins past, present, and future.