Can you imagine having a year-long vacation every seventh year? Believe it or not, this was God's original plan for His people:
"Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 'Your harvest's aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year." (Leviticus 25:3-5)
It seems that God's sabbath plan (every 7th day, every 7th year, and every 49th year) was for rest, reconnection, redirection and re-creation. The cycle of work was to be broken in order to reassess and rearrange priorities.
The sabbath plan seems far removed from our existence today. Hopefully we are able to regularly break our cycle of work with a seventh day of rest but a year-long sabbath is likely not even a remote possibility for any of us. But, truth be told, we have an ever greater sabbath rest at our disposal:
"For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8)
"So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His." (Hebrews 4:9-10)
Jesus didn't come to abolish God's sabbath plan, or any other law of God for that matter (Matthew 5:17), but rather to bring it to its fullest meaning and expression. Our "sabbath" is not found in a day or year, but it a Person. Thus He could say,
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
It is in Jesus that we find rest, redirection, reconnection with Him, God our Father, and with one other. In Him we are led to reassess and redirect priorities.
The discipline of a day of rest is beneficial, but even more beneficial is the ultimate rest found in Jesus our Lord. Regardless of your schedule and appointments today, may you find the rest that is truly possible through Him.
Steve
"Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 'Your harvest's aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year." (Leviticus 25:3-5)
It seems that God's sabbath plan (every 7th day, every 7th year, and every 49th year) was for rest, reconnection, redirection and re-creation. The cycle of work was to be broken in order to reassess and rearrange priorities.
The sabbath plan seems far removed from our existence today. Hopefully we are able to regularly break our cycle of work with a seventh day of rest but a year-long sabbath is likely not even a remote possibility for any of us. But, truth be told, we have an ever greater sabbath rest at our disposal:
"For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8)
"So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His." (Hebrews 4:9-10)
Jesus didn't come to abolish God's sabbath plan, or any other law of God for that matter (Matthew 5:17), but rather to bring it to its fullest meaning and expression. Our "sabbath" is not found in a day or year, but it a Person. Thus He could say,
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
It is in Jesus that we find rest, redirection, reconnection with Him, God our Father, and with one other. In Him we are led to reassess and redirect priorities.
The discipline of a day of rest is beneficial, but even more beneficial is the ultimate rest found in Jesus our Lord. Regardless of your schedule and appointments today, may you find the rest that is truly possible through Him.
Steve
posted by steve @ 4:22 PM
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