RPG Adults
THE SEVENTH YEAR – A SABBATH OF REST!
LORD’S DAY, JUNE 23
Leviticus 25
Hebrews 11:1-3
“Six years thou shalt sow thy field,
and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard,
and gather in the fruit thereof.”
THE SEVENTH YEAR – A SABBATH OF REST!
Some may feel that the weekly Sabbath is almost impossible to keep, perhaps because of greed. Others find it very challenging when they struggle against living a carnal life. To keep the seventh year as a year of Sabbath rest where the Land was to be left untouched would definitely be an impossibility then! If we cannot be faithful in the least, there is no way we can be faithful in the much. The rest commanded by the LORD was more than just renewing the land of its nutrients for future growth and harvest. It was a spiritual exercise.
The weekly Sabbath is a matter of faith. The yearly Sabbath was a matter of greater faith! Anything that is not done in faith is sin. Romans 14:23: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” The same faith that we received from God to believe in Christ for salvation needs to be exercised daily in order to live a life of faith, pleasing to God. A life of faith is a life lived in accordance with God’s Word. The more we study God’s Word, the more we can live a life of faith. A life of faith is a life of trust in God. One of the hardest things to trust God in is in the physical realm. We do not trust God to provide for our needs to keep us alive because we think that it is our labour that keeps us alive and not God. This was the purpose of the Sabbath year rest. Israel, and all believers today as well, needed to know that it had always been the LORD alone who had provided for them. Our hard work may appear to be the means through which God provides the food. But we know that, very often, hard work is not enough! The farmer knows this best. His hard work is useless if the LORD does not provide the rain to water the earth!
MEMORISATION: Leviticus 25:4-5
PRAYER: May I live in faith all the days of my life till Christ returns in glory. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.