I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. (Ezekiel 20:11-12 ESV)
Fear Not… Then Sabbath
Things certainly seem like they are going downhill. When watching the news, or reading headlines, it is easy to slide down the slippery slope from observation and concern, to worry and fear.
But rather than blame those folks on the other side of the aisle, perhaps it is our own fault.
In Ezekiel 20, God describes how He has dealt with His people. It describes how God observes (and hates) the disobedience and stubbornness of the Israelites. And then, came repeated mercy. Even though the slope continued downward, God chose mercy. Even though He sent descriptions and warnings, God chose mercy. Even though they proved they were not caring or listening, God chose mercy.
And in the midst of (and after) the mercy, God yearned for His people to Sabbath. Three times in the rest of that chapter, God particularly grieves their ignorance regarding the Sabbath.
But put your thinking caps on for a moment. Remember this phrase from verse 11? God declares that those who follow God’s laws, including the Sabbath, will live. That word, live, does not simply mean be alive. It means to have abundant life, full life, grand life, good life.
If our society and civilization is not so abundant, not so full, not so grand, not so good, perhaps a glance at God’s words in Ezekiel 20 can give us a nudge. Perhaps, even though we cringe today at the idea, God is yearning for His people to honor the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day.
This is not a legalistic concept. But honoring the Lord’s Day might actually have something to do with whether our lives are good.
Maybe we need a focus on corporate worship, a day of rest from our labors, and the idea that that this particular day is not really just another day to fit in what our schedule has been too busy to include.
Maybe when we realize God’s mercy towards us, we can answer His yearning.
Fear not, then Sabbath.