Every “Thing” Must Rest
We’ve just established what resting means for people, but what implications does it have for every “thing” else? Not everything, but every “THING”; birds, animals, plants, land, cattle, horses…etc.
In Leviticus 25:2-7, God further instructs Moses to tell the people to rest the land and the animals.
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to Yahweh.
“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 Yahweh; 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. All of you shall have the sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you.
“Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat.”
The devil hates this plan of work and rest. Satan does not want you resting, because you will wear yourself out, and likely lose some aspects of your physical and mental abilities sooner than what was planned for you. Seven and any combination of seven, is a God-plan number. Here, it is every seven years to rest land and beast, for an entire year. Already we read that we are to rest our beasts, and by default, our land, one day in seven. Again, here in Exodus chapter 20:10,
“The seventh day is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle…”
This might seem a bit antiquated, but what would happen if everything that is a tool for you rested one day in seven? What if your grass could wait to get mowed till mid-week? What if you did not golf on Sunday? What if you did your shopping and got your gas on the other six days of the week? Notice above, it says “servant”. Anyone that you are interacting with on a Sunday that serves you is your servant.
If you buy gas, someone must be running the station. If you buy groceries, the girl at the checkout, the meat department person, and the store manager, are all working for you. You by default, of being a customer, they all become your servants. 50 years ago, you could not break this rule, and if you did, we would all whisper about you saying, “What’s wrong with him?”.
By violating this Rule #4 of God’s plan, you put others to work, who then miss their families, and they now do not get to rest. Realize it or not, this has changed the moral code of our country in a very short time period. Our Sabbath observance was to be a sign to our neighbors and the world. Notice this in Ezekiel 20:20,
“Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I AM Yahweh your God.”
I realize that we cannot put the cover back on this bottle that has been opened, until the coming of Jesus during the Millennium Reign. But we do not have to be party to all the changes that a fallen church and a fallen world have let us slip into. Also, this is not a hard and fast rule. God’s grace still applies. You still need to travel, you need to eat, the police have to work, and the hospitals have to stay open. But I think we can privately honor God, and like Jesus said in Matthew 6:4,
“And your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Our prayer for today,
Father, make me sensitive to Your good rules and laws for me, and our country. Help me to restore the honor for You and Your holy day, in the best way that I can, in Jesus’ name, amen!
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