Genesis
2:2-3 "By the seventh day
God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested
from all his work. And God blessed the
seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had
done."
A week ago
on Day 7, the topic centered on how the Sabbath can touch your family. Although many people, even Christians, think
the "Sabbath" is mentioned only during the account of Creation and a description
of the Ten Commandments, it is actually emphasized repeatedly throughout the
Old Testament. It is no wonder the
Pharisees created more and more strict rules to demand obedience on the
Sabbath.
However, the
excessive regulations changed the perception of the Sabbath by the common Jew
from being a gift of rest and time for prayer and meditation to being a suffocating
choke collar. Causing protest from the Pharisees, Jesus corrected the error. Look at the following passages for examples
of how Jesus freed people from the burden of man's laws relating to the Sabbath
and showed them the true meaning of this special day.
Mark 2:23-28—"One Sabbath
Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along,
they began to pick some walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are
they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?'
"He
answered, 'Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were
hungry and in need? In the days of
Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated
bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.
And he also gave some to his companions.
"The he
said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the
Sabbath.'"
Note:
these men were not harvesting the field. They were simply gathering enough grain as
they walked by to satisfy their hunger.
Man's law regarding the Sabbath was forbidding this, but God's gift of
the Sabbath allows it.
Luke 14:1-6--"One Sabbath,
when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being
carefully watched. There in front of him
was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus
asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, 'Is it lawful to heal on the
Sabbath or not?' But they remained
silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed
him and sent him away.
"Then
he asked them, 'If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the
Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?' And they had nothing to say."
The
Pharisees did not answer the first question because healing the man violated their
rules, yet how could they argue against healing the man with so many people
watching? Again the Pharisees did not
answer the next question because they would have rescued the ox from the pit,
yet how could they admit to doing any type of work on the Sabbath when that was
one of their complaints against Jesus? Jesus
did not worry about giving answers that pleased men; instead He wanted to
re-establish a proper respect for God's law, including the Sabbath.
So, are all
the restrictions regarding the Sabbath out the window?
Matthew 5:17—"Do not think
that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish
them but to fulfill them."
I think
this passage answers my question with a "No."
Your turn: How important is the Sabbath to you? Have you thought about it more since last
week? You can't really teach your
children about the Sabbath if you do not know your perspective on it. As a reminder, do not trivialize the Sabbath. It is important to God's plan both literally and
figuratively. Also, do not emphasize it to the point you become legalistic. God was not happy with the Pharisees' adding
abundant restrictions to His simple command; therefore, he will probably not be
happy if you do the same thing. Even so,
your family will be touched in a positive way if you take the time to honor the
Sabbath.
If you would like
more ideas on helping your children (and yourself) develop a Biblical worldview
or to find out how to win a Wal-Mart gift card, go to the 31
Days Giveaway (Intro. Part II) post for more Touching Families blog
links. If you want to check out other 31 Days' topics, see The Nester.
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