"Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it." (Exodus 20:8-11, NRSV)
Keep the Sabbath--literally a day of stoppage. It is day that we are to separate out from the rest of the days so we can strengthen our focus on God. Every day should be focused on God--but the Sabbath should be a particularly heighten focused on God (and not us). We are to stop the normal things that we do every other day of the week. It is meant as a day of rest from our normal labors, but that doesn't mean it was meant to be lstrict and legalistic stoppage of all work. The Hebrews knew they still had to feed their flocks and such. It is not meant to be a lazy day to hang around and watch football or even be with the family (although those activities could be okay). It is meant to focus even moreso our activities on God.
We are to rest for the normal stresses of the world and relax in the glory of God. The keeping of the sabbath is also the sign that the Lord has made a covenant with us. When we observed the Sabbath, we show the world that we are set-apart (holy) and that the Lord is working in us and has made a covenant with us to bless his world.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
And God Spoke These Words: Third Commandment
"You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:7, NRSV)
What does it mean to misuse the name of the Lord? Most people today, would say that we don't use the name when we swear--meaning we shouldn't use language that refers to Lord, God, Jesus, irrevelantly. While I think this is true--it trivializes this commandment. The direct reference would be using the name of God by swearing an oath in court or to someone. Such as, "Believe in my words, I swear to God, that I tell the truth, and if I am not--may he kill me or punish me." So the basic prohibition in the third commandment is against perjury. Jesus emphasizings this point when he says don't take oaths in God's name, but let your words be the bond (Matt 5:33-37; 23:16-22). Think about the consequences of prophet invoking God's name in his own words. That prophet better be right. Think of the importance and signficance of a preacher proclaiming the word of God. They better be right. It is serious business when you invoke the name of the Lord.
Why is the name of God (Yahweh) so important? God name's signified his essence, and God should not be mocked. We should not use the name of God lightly but respectfully, and fearfully. Yahweh name means "he is" and everything else is not.
Lord, may I approach your name and presence with respect, fear, and awe. I think you that you are present whether I bid you to be or not. Guide my thoughts and words and may the be focused on glorifing you.
What does it mean to misuse the name of the Lord? Most people today, would say that we don't use the name when we swear--meaning we shouldn't use language that refers to Lord, God, Jesus, irrevelantly. While I think this is true--it trivializes this commandment. The direct reference would be using the name of God by swearing an oath in court or to someone. Such as, "Believe in my words, I swear to God, that I tell the truth, and if I am not--may he kill me or punish me." So the basic prohibition in the third commandment is against perjury. Jesus emphasizings this point when he says don't take oaths in God's name, but let your words be the bond (Matt 5:33-37; 23:16-22). Think about the consequences of prophet invoking God's name in his own words. That prophet better be right. Think of the importance and signficance of a preacher proclaiming the word of God. They better be right. It is serious business when you invoke the name of the Lord.
Why is the name of God (Yahweh) so important? God name's signified his essence, and God should not be mocked. We should not use the name of God lightly but respectfully, and fearfully. Yahweh name means "he is" and everything else is not.
Lord, may I approach your name and presence with respect, fear, and awe. I think you that you are present whether I bid you to be or not. Guide my thoughts and words and may the be focused on glorifing you.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
And God Spoke These Words: Second Commandment
"You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them;" (Exodus 20:4-5a, NRSV)
In the first commandment, Yahweh makes it very clear, that he alone is the only God and Lord. He alone is the object and focus of worship. So what is an idol? It is anything that is the focus of our worship. We are natural-born worshippers. Humans have this genetic compulsion and need to worship something. The question becomes what are we worshipping?
Modern people don't really understand the Ancient Near Eastern Idol worship. We believe that this commandment means we cannot have any image or pictures that depict God or heaven realms. That is not the literally or intended meaning of this commandment. Because God even requests that we create an ark and a tabernacle to localise his presence for the people. However, it was never to be understood that we worship the ark or the Tabernacle, but we worship Yahweh alone, who cannot be contained.
ANE Idol worship was the norm for the Israelites and their surrounding cultures, it was easy for them to revert back to this mode of thinking. However, Yahweh radically imposes a covenant and a will upon than that is quite different than the norm of their surrounding society. Yahweh shows them that he wants them to be set apart from the world--Holy.
It is easy to lose focus that God is the provider and the sustainer of all life. It is easy to lose focus and forget that God is presence. It is easy to worship at the alter of normalcy, money, and the desires of my self. Lord help me to remember that you are Emmanuel (God with Us), and that you have a will for us and a desire for me to be set apart. Help me not to be normal, but radically different for you.
Monday, October 09, 2006
And God Spoke these Words: The First Commandment
" Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:1-3, NRSV)
No other gods. Idiomatically the Hebrew is saying, “you shall have no other gods against me/or in distinction to me.” The point being is that the commandment is not saying there are other gods but presupposes a radical, exclusive monotheism. Yahweh is the only divine God. Even the term gods doesn’t exclusively refer to the God, but supernatural beings including angels.
Yahweh is the only God. He alone is creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all creation. He alone is life and everything else is nothing. His very name defines who he is and implies that everything else is not.
In this first commandment Yahweh is reminding us of his character and the proper order of all creation.
It is so easy for me to lose sight of the magnitude and greatness of Yahweh. He is so overwhelming that it becomes impossible to comprehend, yet he reminds us of the little things He does that we can relate to such as rescuing the Israelites out of Egypt. Yes, that was a little thing for this mighty and awesome God. Big thing for us, little for Him.
No other gods. Idiomatically the Hebrew is saying, “you shall have no other gods against me/or in distinction to me.” The point being is that the commandment is not saying there are other gods but presupposes a radical, exclusive monotheism. Yahweh is the only divine God. Even the term gods doesn’t exclusively refer to the God, but supernatural beings including angels.
Yahweh is the only God. He alone is creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all creation. He alone is life and everything else is nothing. His very name defines who he is and implies that everything else is not.
In this first commandment Yahweh is reminding us of his character and the proper order of all creation.
It is so easy for me to lose sight of the magnitude and greatness of Yahweh. He is so overwhelming that it becomes impossible to comprehend, yet he reminds us of the little things He does that we can relate to such as rescuing the Israelites out of Egypt. Yes, that was a little thing for this mighty and awesome God. Big thing for us, little for Him.
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