Sabbath Thoughts 14

Sabbath Resources

The Spirit of the Law. You've heard that expression, haven't you? Or, usually, used in the context of "The Spirit of the Law vs. the Letter of the Law." Oddly enough, when people use this phrase, they usually mean: we don't have to keep the letter of the law, because we are keeping the spirit of the law.

Think about it.

The "Spirit" of the law, literally means "the meaning behind the rule." If I make a law that says "You cannot eat one cookie within one hour of supper," what is the first thing you do? Obviously, you snatch up and gobble down TWO cookies, and when I glare at you, you tell me: "Hey, you said ONE cookie, well I ate TWO!"

Essentially, you have found a loophole in my "law," so you have kept the letter of the law, but you have smashed to pieces the spirit of the law, or my intention by making such a law. I didn't want you to ruin your supper, you naughty child, THAT was the purpose of me saying: "You cannot eat one cookie."

Most people would say, the problem was with my law, I should have said: "You may not eat ANY cookies after 2:00 p.m." That's a better stated law, isn't it?

Then, of course, immediately you gobble down two delicious Danish pastries, and when I glare at you, you wide-eyed innocently answer: "But I obeyed you! I didn't eat ANY cookies!"

The human condition is, no matter WHAT kind of rule I make, no matter how ingeniously stated, YOU, my dear, will find a way around it, won't you? It's like the old story of a guy finding a genie in a bottle, and no matter how he makes his wish, that rascal genie finds a way to mess up the wish, and give you the exact opposite of what you asked for.

When a man walks into a bank leading his poofy poodle on a leash, and the security guard irritatedly points at the sign that says: "No dogs allowed except seeing eye dogs!" The man, with complete innocence, replies: "Obviously, officer, he's not a seeing eye dog, but the thing is, even though my dog has perfect eyesight, the poor dear can't read!"

We bend over backwards to keep the letter of the law, all the while with great glee smashing the smithereens out of the spirit of the law!

All this makes easy sense, doesn't it? It's simple, pretty clear cut.

Why would I tell my children not to eat snacks before supper? Because I'm an awfully big meanie, or because I love them, I want them to be healthy, and live long, healthy lives? Obviously, it's the love, that's the only reason I would tell them not to eat a cookie before dinnertime (not because I want to snatch it myself, scarf it down, and then tell the wee kiddies all the cookies are gone!).

Love is the Spirit of the Law.

Think about it, LOVE is why God wrote the Ten Commandments with His very Own Finger! It was not because He's a spoilsport that doesn't want you having fun out there when your spouse ain't looking. God knows that you will be happier if you never cheat on your spouse, your children will be happier, your spouse will be happier -- one of the great satisfactions is to look back and say, wow, we've had 11 great years of marriage, and then later to say we've had 20 great years of marriage (I imagine this to be the case, on this greater number).

This isn't hard to understand. We love God, so why would we worship false gods? Why would we take His Name in vain?

We take care of our parents, because we love them, right? They took care of us, and now we have a chance to take care of them. And perhaps you had terrible parents, they abandonded you, it's increasingly common these days -- well, God will bless you even more if you offer these horrible parents what love you may, respect for all older people, respect for all parents universally, respect for all people.

Isn't this the Spirit of the Law?

But this is not the way people view "the Spirit of the Law." They view the Spirit of the Law as something DIFFERENT than the Letter of the Law, while in actuality one is a deeper understanding of the other. The "spirit" is just the REASON for the "letter."

So when people say: "We don't need to keep that ole letter, cuz we got the new and improved spirit!" Red lights should flash. Your BS detectors should klaxon, all the doors should immediately close and lock, and you should take cover.

Obviously, they don't understand what the spirit is, or what the letter is. They are merely following the tradition handed to them, something established a long time ago, and usually for the explicit purpose of getting around that "ole law." The human condition of trying to get a cookie before supper.

Isn't it obvious, that you cannot keep the spirit, when you are blatantly breaking the letter. The false teaching is that Jesus came and wiped away the Law with "the Spirit," whereas He made it amply clear that He was not changing a single jot or tittle of the Law, He was living it perfectly, clearly, and He stated, very clearly: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments, as well."

Jesus WAS pretty tough on the Pharisees, who had become masters of loopholes, ways of eloquently keeping the letter of God's Laws, but with man-made traditions galore breaking the very Spirit of God's Laws, the meaning and reasons that made Laws necessary. But Jesus NEVER took umbrage with the Pharisees for loving God's Laws, but only their lack of love for God's Laws in establishing man-made traditions that skedaddled right around God's protective Laws, negating them, making them of none effect.

Remember, God is LOVE, and His Laws were given in love, for love, for good, good gifts -- they were not given to make you unhappy or spoil your fun. Our human hearts are desperately wicked, even though we think our intentions are good, but Jesus knows our heart, and in His love for us He established fairly clear boundries, to keep us safe, to keep us happy, to keep us within His way and will.

We are agreed, aren't we, that it is very possible to keep the letter of the law, perfectly, all the while ignoring the spirit behind that law, correct? People do it all the time in traffic, with their children, at their jobs. They do the right thing, for the wrong reason.

So the secret is, keep the law for the right reason. Then you don't have to worry about the letter of the law, because you are operating in a way that does not break the letter. The SPIRIT is this, to love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and spirit, and strength -- and to love our neighbor in the way we love ME ME ME.

That is the secret. The whole law boils down to that essence.

Love for God, and Love for peeps.

That ain't really all that tricky to dig.

That's why it is easy to understand the Ten Commandments in this way, you have the First Tablet, with four laws on it:

TABLET ONE

1. There is One God, Yahweh.

2. No False worship.

3. Respect God's very Name.

4. The 7th Day is God's Day.

This is the Great Commandment, or the first tablet. The Second Tablet is understood this way:

TABLET TWO

5. Love your parents.

6. Do not kill.

7. No adultery.

8. No stealing.

9. Only the Truth.

10. Be happy with what you have.

So the Spirit behind the Commandments is the Holy Spirit, because of love, the Commandents are Gifts from God, good, and holy, just and true. They are for all people, the Commandments, all 10 of them, just like the Two Great Laws are for all people, love God, and love others.

The Spirit behind the Fourth Commandment is one of love, for us, from God. He gave us the Sabbath for our well-being, the Sabbath is a gift, a glorious gift, permission to NOT work, to set aside petty everyday things, and spend a whole 24-hour period with the Creator of the Universe. Think about it. It is AWESOME, an awesome day, for an Awesome God.

When people are telling you that they are keeping the Spirit of the Sabbath, however or whatever, through endless forms of tapdancing, realize that they do not understand what they are talking about. They do not understand that with God, the letter and the spirit are one and the same, the letter is because of the spirit!

Think about that, the letter is because of the spirit. The spirit is behind the letter. The letter is because of the spirit. The spirit is the deeper meaning.

The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.

I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.

Psalms 119:110-119

Don't let anyone trick you out of the gift that God has given to you (don't step into the snare set by Sabbath Refuters, those that hate the Law of God -- don't entertain their "vain thoughts." God says: "Depart from me, ye evildoers." Instead, love His laws, for they are beautiful. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and the honeycomb.

Sabbath Thought #15

Will the Sabbath become

an Issue at the End of Days?

If ye then,

being evil,

know how

to give

good gifts

unto your

children,

how much

more shall

your Father

which is in

heaven give

good things

to them that

ask him?

Matthew 7:11

God gives us good gifts, He gave us the Sabbath, do you believe Him? Or is the Sabbath a day of dread, instead?

The Sabbath is our gift from God, the first gift in the Garden of Eden!

Do not err,

my beloved

brethren.

Every good

gift and

every

perfect gift

is from above,

and cometh

down from

the Father

of lights, with

whom is no

variableness,

neither shadow

of turning. Of

His own will

begat he us

with the Word

of Truth, that

we should be

a kind of

firstfruits

of His

creatures.

James 1:16-18

Make no mistake about it, God's Sabbath day, a gift to us, is a perfect gift, from the Father of lights, Who does not change, doesn't even hint at turning or changing!

The New Covenant:

For this is the

covenant that I

will make with

the house of

Israel after

those days,

saith the Lord;

I will put my

Laws into their

mind, and write

them in their

hearts:

and I will be to

them a God,

and they shall be

to me a people:

Hebrews 8:10

Are you a part of

the New Covenant?

Has God written

His laws, including

the Fourth Commandment,

in your heart? DId

He put His Sabbath

in your mind?

For the

Son of

man is

Lord

even

of the

Sabbath

day.

Matthew 12:8

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Do you believe it? It is His own holy day, it is the Lord's day, the Seventh Day, blessed by God at the creation of the world!

And He said

unto them,

"The Sabbath

was made

for man, and

not man for

the Sabbath:

Therefore the

Son of man

is Lord also

of the Sabbath."

Mark 2:27-28

This is Jesus speaking about Himself. Do you believe Him? Did He really make His own holy day a gift for all mankind? Or do you prefer the "traditions of the elders?"