In the Old Testament, violating the Sabbath day was a capital offense. Evidently, God took honoring His day very seriously. Aren’t we glad to be under grace and to know that Law has been satisfied by the offering of Christ’s righteousness for us sinners? I know I am. But, we also recognize that the “Big Ten” still apply to us. The Ten Commandments reflect God’s unchanging moral character and still shape the heart and intention of those under grace in the new covenant. It means God still takes his “Day” seriously. The reason is because the people he bought at a price have been given a great gift. The Lord’s Day is a gift and a respite in a crazy world and insane schedule. Missing it and neglecting it is in effect killing us. Consider the following quote from a retired Presbyterian missionary in his book, The Day God Made (new in our library).
“No nation has been permanently blessed and prospered that has disregarded the Fourth Commandment. In 1944 Prof. John Murray of Westminster Seminary preached a sermon, later judged one of the best preached that year, entitled ‘God and the War’. His text was: ‘When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness’ (Isa. 26:9b[KJV]). Murray said that, evil as the Hitler regime was, the war was also a judgment on the Allied powers, America included. He cited some of the sins for which America was being judged, among them the neglect of the Sabbath Day. Then the preacher made the amazing statement, ‘One well-kept Sabbath would end this war.’
“What can one person, one family, one church do? We can begin with the law of love and spare the Sabbath to other people so that they may have the freedom to enjoy this gift of God. If they do not make use of the Day as God intended, that is upon their own consciences, but if you or I take from them the precious privilege of meditating upon God and resting in His good providence on that Day, we shall answer for that to Him who is the Lord of the Sabbath.” (The Day God Made, by Glen Knecht, pg. 57-58).
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