DAY 231 Read Ezekiel 20 and 21.
Today's reading: In chapter 20 the Lord reviews His dealings with Israel through the centuries, showing the efforts He had made to keep the people from evil.
Memory gem: "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them" (Ezekiel 20:12).
Thought for today:
Not only is the Sabbath a memorial of Creation, but it is also a sign between God and His people (see Exodus 31:13).
Sanctifying power is in God and not in us. We have it only as a gift from Him. Unfortunately, the ancient church drifted into error on this point. It made the mistake of trusting to power possessed by man for sanctification, and righteousness provided by human works; and this is a common modern error too.
We often hear or read the doctrine that everyone has a power within him with which he can in some way work out his own salvation, that our evolving, inherent abilities are leading us from a lower to a higher state.
These perverted notions lead to the natural conclusion that man does not need a personal Saviour and are just as definitely idolatry and unbelief as any that has ever appeared in the world. In fact, they make man his own savior, his own god.
But the Sabbath was given to deliver from such false philosophy. It is a recurring sign that God possesses sanctifying, redeeming power.
We look to the Maker of man, the Creator of man, as our Redeemer. We can trust in Him who has creative power, possessed by God and God alone, to save us by creating us anew.
Knowing these facts, it seems difficult to imagine any other reasons for a weekly rest day. The Sabbath stands upon an unchanging foundation. It is part of an eternal law, and it is a memorial for all generations. It is an everlasting sign of sanctifying, redeeming power; power that makes man righteous, which comes only from God, and not from man's works at all. It is a perpetual defense against apostasy and atheism. It will be a blessing to every child of God who comes to know its place in the great plan of salvation.
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Difficult or obscure words:
Ezekiel 21:21. "Make his arrows bright"--rather: shook arrows together, a common method of divination.
Ezekiel 21:27. "Overturn"--the threefold repetition of the word (literally "a ruin, a ruin, a ruin") is a Hebrew device to indicate intensity.
Today's reading: In chapter 20 the Lord reviews His dealings with Israel through the centuries, showing the efforts He had made to keep the people from evil.
Memory gem: "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them" (Ezekiel 20:12).
Thought for today:
Not only is the Sabbath a memorial of Creation, but it is also a sign between God and His people (see Exodus 31:13).
Sanctifying power is in God and not in us. We have it only as a gift from Him. Unfortunately, the ancient church drifted into error on this point. It made the mistake of trusting to power possessed by man for sanctification, and righteousness provided by human works; and this is a common modern error too.
We often hear or read the doctrine that everyone has a power within him with which he can in some way work out his own salvation, that our evolving, inherent abilities are leading us from a lower to a higher state.
These perverted notions lead to the natural conclusion that man does not need a personal Saviour and are just as definitely idolatry and unbelief as any that has ever appeared in the world. In fact, they make man his own savior, his own god.
But the Sabbath was given to deliver from such false philosophy. It is a recurring sign that God possesses sanctifying, redeeming power.
We look to the Maker of man, the Creator of man, as our Redeemer. We can trust in Him who has creative power, possessed by God and God alone, to save us by creating us anew.
Knowing these facts, it seems difficult to imagine any other reasons for a weekly rest day. The Sabbath stands upon an unchanging foundation. It is part of an eternal law, and it is a memorial for all generations. It is an everlasting sign of sanctifying, redeeming power; power that makes man righteous, which comes only from God, and not from man's works at all. It is a perpetual defense against apostasy and atheism. It will be a blessing to every child of God who comes to know its place in the great plan of salvation.
----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Ezekiel 21:21. "Make his arrows bright"--rather: shook arrows together, a common method of divination.
Ezekiel 21:27. "Overturn"--the threefold repetition of the word (literally "a ruin, a ruin, a ruin") is a Hebrew device to indicate intensity.
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