the roadmap to national restoration 2014 apr 04
learning righteousness and wickedness from the ten commandments 2012 nov 19
1st commandment: have no other gods before God 2012 nov 20
2nd commandment: you shall not make idols 2012 dec 09
3rd commandment: do not profane YHVH’s name 2012 dec 18
God will do three things — hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land — after His people do three things — humble themselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways (2 Chr 7:14). The cooperation of atheists and the ungodly is not required. We are examining the summary of Torah, God’s definition of righteousness and wickedness, in the Ten Commandments, in order to understand what He considers wicked about our ways, from which He is waiting for us to turn.
The Ten Commandments are given in Deu 5. The 4th commandment, Honor the Sabbath day, is explained in Deu 15:1-16:17. Following is the summary of what Deu 15:1-16:17 teaches ‘honor the Sabbath day’ means. Please visit the links for the fascinating in-depth analysis. But the real reason for the in-depth analysis, is so that we can recognize any wicked way among us, in falling short, and repent of it! As His people do so, He will hear us from heaven, will forgive us these sins, and will heal our land!
The Hebrew paragraph divisions are:
Deu 15:1-6 {s} Seventh (Sabbath) year release of debts
Deu 15:7-11 {s} Lend generously to the poor even when the Sabbath year approaches
Deu 15:12-18 {p} Seventh (Sabbath) year release of servants
Deu 15:19-23 {p} Firstborn are holy to YHVH
Deu 16:1-8 {s} Passover is holy to YHVH
Deu 16:9-12 {p} Weeks is holy to YHVH
Deu 16:13-17 {s} Tabernacles is holy to YHVH
In the giving of the Ten Commandments, the command to honor the Sabbath day has more instruction associated with it than any of the other commandments.
“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” Deu 5:12-15
The Sabbath day of rest is a picture of the gospel of grace. Painful labor in order to provide for needs was the result of the fall of man (Gen 3:16-19). But God set aside a day of rest from labor even before the fall, as a gift of grace. On that day we do not labor, but we simply rest and place our trust in Him. When God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt, He taught them to observe the Sabbath day in the giving of the manna, the bread from heaven (Exo 16). Every day they gathered enough manna for the day. On the sixth day, God gave enough for two days, and they gathered enough for two days, because no manna was provided on the seventh day. On the seventh day, they were to rest and trust in Him.
When they were slaves in Egypt, they did not observe a day of rest. But as soon as they were free men of His kingdom, He taught them to rest. When we do not honor the Sabbath day, we are living as if we were yet slaves and not free. But when we do honor the Sabbath day, we proclaim the gospel of grace by the actions of our lives, not only by the words of our mouths, for we cease from our own work(s) and place our trust in Him.
Rest on the Sabbath is the occupation of the free men of His kingdom and not slaves. Likewise, in the seventh year, His people who have become enslaved again, either by service or by debt, are to be released from their slavery and set free. As well, the firstborn are not to be worked, but set apart, for they are sanctified to YHVH, just as the seventh day is set apart and sanctified to YHVH. Just as we are to honor the Sabbath of the seventh day, we are to honor the feast days of the LORD, which also proclaims the gospel of grace. Not only is this section in Deuteronomy teaching us about resting, but it also explains how to ensure the blessing of the Lord on all our work.
The explanation for the 4th commandment forms an amazing chiastic structure, which emphasizes anew the importance of respecting God’s gift of grace.
The studies on ‘honor the Sabbath day’ linked in this explanation:
release from debt and bondage (deu 15:1-18) 2012 dec 24
the firstborn and sabbath rest (deu 15:19-23) 2012 dec 31
feast days holy to the Lord (deu 16:1-12) 2013 jan 02
blessing in all your work (deu 16:13-17) 2013 jan 03
4th commandment chiastic structure (deu 15:-16:17) 2013 jan 06
This series is continued:
5th commandment: honor your father and mother (deu 16:18-18:22) 2013 jan 07
6th commandment: do not murder (deu 19:1-21:9) 2012 jan 16
7th commandment: do not commit adultery (deu 21:10-23:14) 2013 jan 24
8th commandment: do not steal (deu 23:15-24:7) 2013 feb 13
9th commandment: do not bear false witness (deu 24:8-9) 2013 feb 25
10th commandment: do not covet (deu 24:10-26:15) 2013 feb 28
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