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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, April 27, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:The Fourth Directive (Commandment) Bible Verse:Exodus 20:8-11 "Eternal One:“You and your family are to remember the Sabbath Day; set it apart, and keep it holy. You have six days to do all your work, but the seventh day is to be different; it is the Sabbath of the Eternal your God. Keep it holy by not doing any work — not you, your sons, your daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, or any outsiders living among you. For the Eternal made the heavens above, the earth below, the seas, and all the creatures in them in six days. Then, on the seventh day, He rested. That is why He blessed the Sabbath Day and made it sacred.”" Message:
The Voice
The Voice, published in 2011-2012, is one of the more successful new translations meant to present the Bible in modern vernacular, to make it more accessible to the 21st century reader. It emphasizes the storytelling aspect of the Bible. Perhaps its oddest formatting choice is that dialogue is punctuated as if it is a screenplay. Thus, today’s passage has the name of the character (God, whom The Voice calls “Eternal One” in this passage) followed by a colon, and then the passage the actor (God) has spoken.
It also calls the commandments “directives”; this provides us with a new way of looking at what are usually termed “commandments.” It emphasizes the nature of the law as something that will allow us to succeed if we follow it, something that shows us the right direction, as opposed to something that we do simply because we are ordered to do it.
The Sabbath
Since we have had a number of discussions about keeping the Sabbath; we don’t need to cover the same ground here. Suffice it to say, few of us make even a really good-faith effort to follow the spirit of this “directive”. We allow secular society undermine our obedience to God; it is the path of least resistance. Are we out of milk? I’ll just run to the store real quick. Whether or not buying a quart of milk violates the commandment, we commit the modern-day equivalent of allowing our servant to work: We employ, vicariously, the grocery-store clerks who work in the store.
We have a very different attitude about, say, committing murder. And yet, the commandment to keep the Sabbath came before the commandment not to kill or steal or commit adultery; and not just higher up in the Ten Commandments. God imposed the obligation on the Israelites by force, long before they reached Mount Sinai (Exodus 16:22-30.)
We might well conclude that God’s priorities are different than those of the secular society we live in; who knows God’s mind? He might take as much umbrage at a person going into the office on Sunday as He does at a person committing murder. The idea sounds as shocking and unlikely to me as it does to you; but at the very least, we must realize that the commandment is written in clear and unambiguous language, repeatedly, throughout the Bible. God means us to take it seriously.
The Hebrews certainly followed the commandment with extreme particularity (and some still do). It is our chance to show God that we sincerely love Him “with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind.” Do we love God more than our lawn? Then why do we mow the grass on Sunday? Do we love God more than our car? Then why do we wash our car on Sunday?
And just to re-emphasize an important point: God tells us, directly, that we cannot cause (or perhaps even allow) others to work. We cannot let the gardener or the boy down the street mow our lawn. We cannot contribute to the employment of others.
Right now, while the subject is fresh in our mind, is a good chance to make a resolution on this subject. Am I going to live in faith, or am I going to live in convenience? For when we begin to refuse to do things on Sunday (or the Sabbath, either one will do) that conflict with this very central commandment from God, we cannot help but increase our life in the Spirit.
Meditation : Prayer : Oh God, hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray that you will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role you have given to me and feel your peace deep in my soul, today and always,...Amen |
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