Daily Devotions

Exodus 19:8, The people all responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.

God has offered a pretty good deal to these Israelites. They are to fully obey the Lord and keep his covenants and the Lord will make them his own treasured possession, and they will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This is the report, the offer that God was to take to Moses. And what else can the people say, other than of course we will do all the Lord commands?

There can be no doubt in the people’s minds that God can do what he has promised. They have already seen what he has done in releasing them from their slavery in Egypt and taking them this far in the wilderness. Where else are they going to turn? I’m reminded of the words of Peter when Jesus asked if the apostles wanted to leave him, like so many other disciples were doing. Peter said in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Honestly, what other choice do these Israelites have? And in the same way, what choice do we have today? Where are we going to turn for wisdom, peace, strength contentment, and so forth in our daily lives? Sure, the world offers us plenty of options, but they all fall short. All of the great plans mankind has come up with have failed. And you can be sure, the philosophies of today’s world are headed on the same track. Nothing this world can offer is permanent.

But then, the Israelites have no real idea what they are committing themselves to. God will continue to give them the law, and regardless of their intentions, they will fail miserably. And we would have to, had we been there, and we do fail miserably today, with the plan God has for our lives. But God’s plan was not dependent on us and our goodness and righteousness. God’s mercy and grace had another plan, one where we simply accept the gift God offers through his Son. That is not a reason for us to ignore God’s law, thinking God will just forgive us. It is a reason to live a life that honors and pleases God. Not because we have to, but because we get to. That changes the perspective, doesn’t it?

Father, help me do everything you have said. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:9, The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said.

I wonder if this dense cloud was different than the pillar of cloud that lead them on their journey? And I wonder what the people heard when God spoke to Moses. Did they hear a voice? Could they understand what was being said? Or was it more like a noise; maybe thunder, a violent wind, a gentle whisper they could not understand? We’re not told.

But the purpose of the cloud and God speaking is made plain for us. It is so the people will know the Lord speaks to Moses and they will put their trust in him. It is imperative that we have, and that we be, good leaders. I heard a powerful saying about what makes a leader, but I don’t remember who said it. A leader has followers. That might seem silly at first glance, but the truth is, you have to inspire people to follow you. Just because you have a title or a position, that does not really make you a leader. And people might obey you, because they have too. But that does not mean they are following you. The best leaders are those who people are willing to serve, to go beyond what is expected, to do the jobs no one else wants to or is willing to do. And leaders like that will attract people, followers.

God knew Moses was a man like that. Maybe he started out arrogant and trying to do things himself, remember he murdered the Egyptian and the Israelites didn’t want to follow him then. But God worked on Moses, and to his credit, Moses was not the same man standing at the burning bush who fled from Egypt. And we need to allow God to work on us as well. We need to work with God to become the leader he wants us to be. It is not that we think we can do this on our own, it is that we know with God’s direction and strength we cannot fail. And it is about allowing God to shine forth through us.

Father, help me be a Moses today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:10-11, And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

Moses is to tell the people to get ready, because the Lord is coming! That is pretty exciting news. But what do they need to do to get ready for the Lord’s coming? Moses is told to consecrate them, OK, but what does that mean? The Hebrew word means to set apart, to sanctify. In English, the word means to set something apart for the Lord, or for the Lord’s purpose, to make something holy. And that is what Moses is to do to these people, to set them apart for a special purpose, to get them ready for the Lord’s coming. We are not told, but certainly there were sacrifices and rituals involved.

And the people had a part in this as well. They were to wash their clothes and be ready on the third day. Maybe they washed their bodies as well. And they would have to go through the rituals and sacrifices Moses and the priests no doubt offered. Later, when the Law is given, we will read about some of these purification rites. But for now, the people had to do their part as well.

But what do we need to do to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord? On the one hand, God has already made all the preparations for us. He knew a blood sacrifice was required, and he sent Jesus to be that sacrifice on our behalf. God has already done the hard part. But we need to accept that gift, we need to accept the payment offered on our behalf. And we need to live lives that reflect the fact that now we are set apart, consecrated to the Lord. There are some things about ourselves we need to change. And our lives need to reflect the goodness and the cleansing God has given to us.

Father, help me be prepared for Jesus’ coming. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:12-13, Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.' Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

Not only are Moses and the people to prepare themselves, but they are to set limits as to how close to God they can actually get. Where, exactly does the foot of a mountain start? Or how close are you when you are approaching the mountain? Those are tough questions to answer, so God tells Moses to set limits. Maybe some kind of fence is set up, maybe a simple rope is strung along to tell the people to stay back. Maybe it is just landmarks that are given, don’t go past this tree. But however it is done, the limits are set.

And the consequences are pretty severe, trespassers are to be shot with arrows or stoned to death. I suppose to lay a hand on them, you would have to cross the boundary yourself, and that would put you in danger. And this was the rule for men and animals as well. No one was allowed to get too close to the Lord.

This is a reminder to us that the Lord is holy and we are not. Just as those Israelites were not allowed into God’s presence, our sin prevents us from being allowed into God’s presence. Maybe we have forgotten that in our permissive world, where we far too often don’t consider ourselves sinners, or we downplay the wrong we do. And yet God takes it pretty seriously. We have no business in God’s presence. But that is not the end of the story.

God sent his son Jesus to die for our sins and to be the sacrifice that pays our unpayable debt. And it is only because of his death and resurrection that we can be forgiven and that now we can come into God’s presence. Remember, the moment Jesus died, the veil in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, Matthew 17:51. This veil was to separate the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple, it was to separate the people from the place God dwelt (not that he really lived in the temple).

The picture is clear, the dividing wall between man and God has been broken down because of the death of Jesus. And now, we can come into God’s presence. However, we would do well to remember the holiness and power of God. And that we are unworthy, except for the blood of Jesus.

Father, thank you for inviting us into your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:14-15, After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

When Moses went down the mountain, he and the people did what the Lord had commanded them to do. They realized the seriousness of what was ahead of them, they were going to meet with the Lord! We’ve already talked about the need for the people to be set apart, to prepare themselves for this meeting. That probably included sacrifices and certain rituals. Remember, when the complete law comes from God through Moses, these cleansing rituals are spelled out for them, but maybe they already knew some of them.

Here we read they are to abstain from sexual relations. What is that all about? In the beginning God created Adam and Eve and told them to reproduce. There is never an indication that the sexual act is wrong or sinful, as long as it is in the marriage relationship that God ordained. So, why does Moses mention this here? God will later give some instructions about cleanliness related to sexual relations; the need to wash, and so forth. Some commentators take that position. Others make a point that it is in regard to the woman and her uncleanliness affecting the man. Some point out the customs of the Egyptian priests and their preparation for some of their duties, but I can’t see God imposing Egyptian rules on his freed people. Honestly, those ideas seem like a stretch to me.

Paul would later write 1 Corinthians 7:5 about and to married couples. “Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” Perhaps God wants the people to focus on the seriousness of the occasion. He wants the people to realize the importance of this meeting, and he doesn’t want them distracted by any thoughts of any other thing. There are times when we deny ourselves in order to get ready for something big. We might fast, abstain from food, when we have a big decision to make. Or we might spend extra time in prayer. Possibly God just wants them to see the importance of what they are about to do.

You know, there are times in our lives when we need to be extra serious, to pay much closer attention, to focus more intently on certain things. And in cases like there, we often do things differently. We might not do things like we usually do or maybe we do extra things or maybe we do things with extra attention. But no doubt, meeting with the Lord is serious business. And we need to make sure we are preparing ourselves to meet him every day.

Father, help me be ready. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:16, On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.

The third day comes, as they have a way of always doing. It occurred to me there are other third day events in the Bible as well, in fact that phrase, three days, is used almost 60 times and the phrase third day is used almost 40. To be sure, many of them just refer to the normal passing of days, but there are some that are significant: Jonah was in the fish’s belly three days, Lazarus and Jesus were both in the tomb three days.

But on this third day there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud covered the mountain. This sounds like it might just be a bad thunderstorm, right? The people had no doubt experienced those before. But something was different this time. God had told them this was going to happen. This is the beginning of the event they have been preparing themselves for. God is about to appear to them! And there is a very loud trumpet blast. I wonder where this blast came from? Did the Levites blow this trumpet? Or did an angel blow this trumpet? We’re not told. But either are possibilities. God would want the people warned not to get too close and so endanger themselves. Those Israelites knew this was no ordinary day, no ordinary storm, this was the appearing of God, just as he promised!

And everyone in the camp trembled. That is the usual reaction when people find themselves in the presence of God. People are undone, they realize they are where they do not belong, they realize all that God is and all that they are not. And fear, trembling, falling face down, are all common and proper responses. We need to realize that ourselves. God is holy and we are sinful. And we need to give the proper respect to God. This is not just a once a week response, it should be an every single day response to the Lord. But the good news is that God himself has made a way for us to enter his presence, through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus on our behalf. It does not make us worthy, it makes us invited. We cannot get there on our own, it is a free gift. And we need to recognize it and live it every day.

Father, thank you for inviting me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:17, Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.



Moses lead the people out to meet with God. Leaders have a very serious responsibility, and sometimes I think both leaders and followers forget this, especially when it comes to worship. The leader is to do just that, help, guide, and lead the people to the Lord; the songs that are sung, the prayers that are prayed, the sermon that is preached, the sharing of the Lord’s Supper, the giving, everything should be done to lead the people closer to God. We often forget in the church today that the congregation is not the audience. God is the audience, we, every single one of us, are there to honor and worship him. I’m thankful for good leaders who can do that very thing.



But the people had to do their part as well. They came and stood at the foot of the mountain. It might be easy to read that and keep on going. But these people did more than just come and stand around. Remember, they had been preparing themselves for this very moment. They had consecrated themselves, washed their clothes, gotten rid of anything that might be a distraction to them. And we would do well to remember that; we need to be preparing ourselves to meet the Lord as well. I’ve said it before; but if you wait until Sunday morning to decide if you’re going to church, you probably aren’t going. There will be too many other options, you will get busy doing something else, or something else will come up. But if you go to bed knowing that you are going in the morning, you will most likely make it.



One more thing; When was the last time you met with the Lord? Was it Sunday? Or did something come up? And why was it not yesterday? Or even this morning? We need to make the Lord part of each and every one of our days. I know there are a million things going on. But what is the most important thing? Who is the most important person?



Father, help me meet with you more often. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:18-19, Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

These Israelites were expecting God to show up, he had promised it, told them to prepare for it, and were waiting for it. But I still wonder about their reaction to all of this. Moses has gone up the mountain and the people are at the bottom. And then all of these powerful and maybe even frightening things began to happen; thunder, lightening, smoke, earthquakes, and fire.

You know amazing things always happen when God shows up! It might not be these kind of things in our world, or then again it might be. But think about the lives that are changed, the relationships restored, the diseases that are healed, and the list goes on and on. Now we know that God is not just a genie, to grant our every wish. And honestly sometimes things don’t work out like we plan them, like we want them to happen. But if we are faithful, if we trust the Lord to do the right thing, and if we look for his power and wisdom, we can eventually see how he handled things for the best.

But maybe we don’t see God because we are not looking for him. Maybe we are trying to do everything ourselves. Or maybe we want to find some natural explanation for whatever is happening. And maybe we just need to realize God works in ways we don’t always recognize or understand. Maybe we just need to look a little harder for God.

Father, thank you for showing up. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:20-22, The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them.”

The Lord descended on the mountain, just as he said he would. God always shows up. Just like he promised, God appeared. And the first thing God did was send Moses back down the mountain to warn the people not to come up. God’s first concern was about his people. God knew if those unholy, ungrateful, sinful, grumbling and complaining people came into his presence, it would be bad for them. Even the priests who would minister before the Lord, had to be careful about coming into the presence of God.

And aren’t we just like those Israelites? Aren’t we unholy, ungrateful, sinful, grumbling and complaining people? Of course we are. and just like them, we must be very careful about coming into God’s presence. We are unworthy and undeserving. But just as God made a way, through Moses, to speak to those folks there, he also makes a way to speak to us now. Hebrews 1:1-2, In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. And it is not just that God speaks to us through Jesus, he redeemed us, bought us back through Jesus. He made us worthy to come into his presence. Not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus did for us.

And even though we can come into God’s presence, we still need to come with respect and honor. We still need to realize we are coming into the presence of the creator and sustainer of all life. We still need to realize we are sinners (forgiven sinners, but sinners nevertheless) and God is holy and pure. We need to thank God for his invitation. And we need to be very mindful about not turning that invitation down.

Father, thank you for inviting me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:23, Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.' ”

Moses tells the Lord no one is coming up, because we set limits around the mountain, like you told us to do. This was all part of the preparation the people were to take for God’s visit. The people were to consecrate themselves, set themselves apart, get themselves ready to be closer to God. That is something we need to think about for ourselves as well. What do we need to do to be closer to God?

On one hand, God himself has already done all of the work. He sent his son to be the sacrifice for our sin, God himself paid the price that we could not pay. All we have to do is accept his free gift. And yet, we are not without responsibility in this case. We must realize we are sinners, we must realize we are lost, and we must accept the gift. And then we need to live like we appreciate the gift, live a life to honor God. There are a million lists and a million things on those lists of the things a Christian should and should not do. But Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It seems if we take that seriously, if we really love the Lord and put him above everything else, lists would be unimportant and unnecessary. Our lives would be what God intends.

And yet, we often need to be reminded of this. Maybe that’s why God commanded them to set up limits around the mountain, and why God told Moses to make sure no one got too close. We need some limits in our lives as well. And we often need to be reminded about them.

Father, thank you for the limits. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 19:24-25, The LORD replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them.

One thing we should notice, when the Lord told Moses to do something, he went and did it. That might sound like an unnecessary point that does not need to be made, he was Moses, after all. But we all need to learn the lesson to simply do what God has told us to do.

They have already made many preparations for this day. The people were to consecrate themselves, go through cleansing rituals, wash their clothes, set up boundaries around the mountain, and make sure they stayed clear. And everything has been done as God told them. God has told Moses to go back and remind them not to come up the mountain. And now God is telling Moses to bring Aaron up with him. And Moses did what the Lord told him.

We need to be the same way; we need to do what the Lord has told us to do. That sounds like a simple thing, and on one hand it is. We need to constantly be learning more about what God expects from us. And we need to be actually doing those things, putting them into practice.

Father, help me obey. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:1-2, And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.



What God is about to say to the people is of the utmost importance. The Ten Commandments have been held as the standard for the behavior of “good” people for thousands of years. People who really make no claims to either Judaism or profess to be Christians, still look to these as the gold standard. For many years these were posted on courtrooms all cross our country. And we can see that many of the basic laws of this nation are based on them.



God begins with the reason he is giving them these laws and the basis he has for giving them to the people. It is very easy for people to rattle off orders, to give rules and regulations. But the question has to be asked, by what authority are you telling me these things? What reason do I have to obey you? And God answers that right here in this verse: I am the Lord your God. And quite honestly, that ought to be enough. God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, nothing exists that he did not bring into existence. That ought to settle the matter. But God goes on and reminds the people he is the one who brough them out of Egypt and their slavery. They have seen the miracles that God performed in bringing this about. That ought to convince them as well of God’s love and care for them. And that ought to cause them to want to please God, not out of a sense of fear but out of a sense of gratitude.



And what about these commands for us today? God is still the creator and sustained of the universe. And God has rescued us from a far worse slavery than the Egyptians, God has rescued us from the power of Satan, from our sin, and the eternal death that we deserve. And so, we ought to want to live a life that is pleasing to God. Not to earn his favor, but to show our appreciation for what he has done.



Father, help me live each day in appreciation of you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me.

The first of the Ten Commandments lays the groundwork for all of the rest. God says they are to have no other gods besides him. This was a huge commandment in those days. People worshiped a multitude of gods. Literally, they had a god for everything; the sun, moon, stars, fields, crops, flocks, rivers, mountains, hills, there were gods for the seasons, for each trade, for fertility, life, death, the list was truly endless. And the attitude of the people was also different; they were not trying to please the gods, but to appease them, to get the gods to not do bad things to them.

And yet God says, I am the only one. You are to worship me and me only. The Hebrew word translated before can mean over or above; you shall have no god over me. But it can also be translated as besides, God is demanding that he is the only God these folks are to worship. If you know anything at all about the Old Testament, you know these Jews will have trouble with this one over and over. When they reach the promised land (and even before), they will be constantly drawn to the worship of other gods. And it will prove to be a huge snare for them. God settles this right from the beginning, have no other God than me.

But this verse is still important for us today. We might not think we worship other gods, but what are the things we allow to come before God in our lives? It might be good things, like our family and our friends. It might be our pleasures and our hobbies we allow to take us away from God and his people. It might be some sin we simply refuse to give up that keeps us away from God. But anything that we think more of than the Lord is a god to us. Anything we allow to come between us and God is an idol. And God says there are to be none of those in our lives.

Father, help me always keep you first. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:4-6, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

God’s second command is about images or we might think of them more as idols or statues today. But they do not have to be in the image of a person, God says they can be the form of anything. Why is God so concerned about this? God says he is a jealous God, and he will put up with nothing that might divert the people’s attention. And he tells us these idols will carry a tremendous penalty, the third and fourth generations will be punished for the sin of the parents. There are so many sins that are easily passed for one generation to the next; children with alcoholic or addicted parents, children from abused homes, from broken homes, and so forth often follow the paths of their parents.

And if you think about it, what would an image of God look like? We tend to think about God in human terms, but Genesis tells us we were created in God’s image. But God existed before anything else, God is spirit not flesh and blood. God is not like us, we are like him. But what does that look like? Any image we tired to make of the one true God would fall short. And that is what God is warning the people about, making forms of other things that represent a god to them.

This command and the first one are closely related. We are to worship nothing but the one true God. We cannot allow anything to come before God and we cannot substitute anything for God. And instead focusing on things to remind us of God, we need to focus on God himself. This is not to say reminders are bad, I certainly need all the memory pegs I can get. But we need to focus on the real thing. We need to keep God first and foremost in our minds.

Father, help me accept no substitutes. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:7, “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

What does it mean to misuse the name of the Lord? Simply put, it is any irreverent or careless use in reference to God. We might think we would never do that, but this is far more common than we think. At the most basic level, it is a reference to God without the respect and honor due to him. Think how many people, or how often we, say God or Lord or Jesus when we are surprised or startled. We think, I didn’t mean anything by it. But that is exactly the point. It is a careless, thoughtless use of God’s name.

The Jews were so serious about this they would not say or write the name of God. I certainly don’t think we need to go to that extreme. In fact, God loves to hear us call his name. Think how happy it makes you when your child or spouse calls your name in a loving manner. God wants us to call on him, he wants to hear from us. But not in a disrespectful or unthinking manner.

And the misuse of God’s name has become rampant in our world today. It is accepted, even expected that a reference to the Lord is little more than a figure of speech, something to fill in the space in a conversation. And while we are on speech, how about the use of vulgarity and crude words. As Christians, Paul tells us our conversations should be full of grace and seasoned with salt, Colossians 4:5. Our words ought to be gracious, comforting, encouraging. And even when we have to tell someone bad things, we need to do so in as pleasant a way as we can. James tells us our tongues are a restless evil, full of deadly poison, and that no man can tame the tongue. But we sure ought to be trying!

Father, help my words be pleasant and pleasing to you and others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:8-11, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

There is a lot of information here in these verses about the Sabbath. From the very beginning of creation, God rested on the seventh day. God sanctified that day, set it apart. God didn’t rest because he was tired, but he knew that the people he created would be. So God set apart one day a week for rest, relaxation, and most importantly for worship. And as the Law that God gives through Moses becomes more complete, it is not just man that is to rest, but also the animals, and even the land every seven years.

As much as we might like to think differently, we are not designed to go full speed all the time. We must slow down, take a break, rest, recharge, refresh, reset, and enjoy ourselves once in a while. It does not mean you are lazy or soft, it means you are human and more importantly, that you are in tune with yourself and with the Lord. He made you this way. And this is not just about taking time off, it is about worship, honoring the God who made you.

We will talk more about this over the next few mornings, but for now get this. We are to honor one day a week as a day of rest and worship. God has given us the ability to move and work and get things done, but we are prone to over doing it. We need to slow down, to even stop on occasion. Our physical bodies are not designed like that. If we run a car engine wide open, it is not going to last long. So it is with our bodies. But we are also spiritual beings, and we need to reconnect and recharge there as well. There is to be one day out of the seven that we stop and focus on the Lord. There is to be one day we worship and honor him, sacrifice our every day routine to recognize him.

Father, help me keep the Sabbath holy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:8-11, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Are Christians required to keep the Sabbath day? Remember, the sabbath day was the seventh day, our Saturday. This is the first time the word sabbath is is used in the Bible. But this command does not just come about during the law God gave Moses, remember the principle of the sabbath began in creation. God rested to set an example for his creation to follow. For most of us, that is anything but a day of rest. It is the day we are trying to catch up on all the things we didn’t get done during the week!

In the New Testament, Jesus did honor the Sabbath as a special holy day. We are told many times he was in the synagogue on the sabbath. He went to teach on occasions, but no doubt he was there to worship on many more. And the times he is accused of not holding the Sabbath seem to be the exception rather than the rule. The religious leaders pointed out specific examples instead of making a blanket statement that he ignored the day. And in those instances, Jesus was doing some good thing when he was accused of breaking the Sabbath. But he replied in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” That day of rest and worship, of renewal both physical and spiritual, was for our benefit. It was not intended as a just another rule for us to follow.

And in the New Testament, among the Christians, the day of worship changed from the seventh, the Sabbath to the first day of the week, our Sunday. That was the day Jesus arose from the dead, and those early Christians gathered on that day to offer their worship to the Lord. Of course the Romans didn’t give them that day off, and they didn’t give the Saturday off when they were Jews. The Jews did honor the Sabbath, as best they could. But for the Christians, they often gathered to worship before sun up, remember they were expected to be at their jobs early. And yet, they still came together. And following their example we worship on Sunday mornings. That is another reminder we are no longer under law but under grace, the Sabbath was about the Law (and the religious leaders made it difficult to keep, with all the additional rules and regulations). Our worship is to celebrate the day the Lord freed us from our condemnation from sin, about the mercy and grace he offers.

And this attitude should be reflected in our gathering to worship. It is not that we HAVE to come to satisfy some rule or requirement. It is that we GET to come, to honor and worship our Lord. We GET to learn more about him, renew our commitment to him, grow stronger by being with him and his people. Remember, it is not about Law, it is about grace.

Father, thank you for mercy and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

So, here’s the question. Do you honor the Lord by taking time off to rest, reset, and worship? I suppose some might think, of course! My grandpa (or whoever) taught me that Sunday was the Sabbath day (which is not accurate) and that I better not do any work on that day. I eat a big meal and watch sports on TV the rest of the day. No sir, no work for me. And there are going to be others who say, I’d love to take a break, but you don’t know my life. I have too much going on to take a day off. I’ve got bills to pay, kids in college, two mortgages, car payments, and so on. I simply can’t afford to take any time off. And there will be others who say, no work for me on Sunday, no time. I’ve got to take my kids to ballgames or dance recitals. We are running all over the state for those tournaments and competitions.

So, let’s ask again, are you honoring the Lord and resting on those days? Sadly, the answer that too many of us would have to give is no. I understand some folks have to work on Sunday; health care, law enforcement, and so forth. But no one is to work seven days a week. We need to take some time off somewhere during the week to keep our sanity and not wear our bodies out. We talk about burnout in our society today, this is how you burnout, you keep going and never take a break. God made you. God knows this. And God told us to slow down.

But remember, this is not just about physical rest. It is also about reconnecting with God, about resting in him, about keeping our spiritual batteries charged. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to give up meeting together, as the habit of some is. It is absolutely important that we gather with the church body on a regular basis, and one day out of seven is regular. I’ve heard all sorts of excuses for folks not going to church, but they all seem to boil down to, I just don’t want to, it’s not important for me. They might not be that bold as to say that out loud, but that is the bottom line. We need to get up and go to church. And we also need to be connected to God each and every day, in some sort of devotion time. That is how we stay healthy, both spiritually and physically.

Father, help me rest in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

What does it mean to honor your parents? It can be different things at different stages in your life. Maybe we think about a young child who simply needs to obey mom and dad. Certainly our parents know more than we do. And most parents simply want the best for their children, and so the things a parent tells a child to do is usually for their own good. The child does not need to understand or even agree, they simply need to trust and obey.

But as the child gets older, the relationship with mom and dad can change. The child can begin to learn some of the why behind the rules. We all know as children get older, they have a tendency to want to rebel and to think they know more than, well anyone else in the world. And that honor and respect for parents is often tested and many times even broken. This can be a difficult time for both parent and child. But as we mature, we ought to learn and realize our parents were not as off base or as crazy as we thought they were.

And as we get still older, that relationship can again change. Sometimes the roles are reversed and you have the opportunity and the privilege of caring for your parents. Their bodies get older, weaker, and less capable. Their thinking might not be as sharp, they might not be as confident as they used to be, or maybe they are but they are not as able to carry out their plans. It is then we get the blessing of being able to care for them. And we need to remember how they cared for us when we were unable to care for ourselves.

Sure, there are things we need to do. But the heart of this matter is more of an attitude. It is one of loving and caring for our parents. It is doing things that will please them, put a smile on their face, allow them to sleep securely at night. It is making them proud of us. And this really begins with our mindset. It is about making a commitment to show them you appreciate them, with no strings attached. It is not to earn their love or your share of the inheritance. It is to simply show them you care for them. And that is the way our relationship with God ought to be.

Father, help me be a good child. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
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