AUG 7

Leviticus 25:1-23
Memorise Exodus 16:29
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him”

Faith means we believe that God will certainly fulfil the promises that He has made. Faith means that we will obey God and His Word, no matter what our own logic or experience tells us, for we know that His plan is the best for us. Faith means that we trust God will always bless and provide for us, just as He feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies. Simply put, faith is just believing what God says He will do.

So then you ask, what has the Sabbath got to do with faith? You see, observing the Sabbath promoted a life of faith. Right from the time when manna was showered down upon the Israel, it was a test of their faith. On the sixth day, they would have to collect double the manna, believing by faith that it would not rot but be sufficient to provide for them on the seventh day. When they entered the Promised Land, they were not to open their shops or work their lands on the Sabbath, even though all the nations around them did. They were to trust that even though they did not work that day, God would still bless them and sustain them. A further exercise of faith would be required every 7 years when they would observe the seventh year Sabbath (Leviticus 25:1-7), not work for a whole year and allow the land to lay fallow. That meant that they would have to trust that the harvest collected in the 6th year would last them through to the 9th year when they would collect the harvest planted in the 8th year (Leviticus 25:20-22). Then there was the law of the fiftieth year of jubilee, where they would rest the land on the 49th and 50th year, thus requiring the harvest of the 48th year to tide them through till the 52nd year! All these required faith, to trust that God would provide so long as they obeyed Him. Realize that such acts of faith would only be possible if they obeyed the weekly Sabbath, and experienced how God provided in the small ways first.

Likewise for us, the same principles apply. God tells us to rest on the Sabbath, and we must have faith to believe that even though we seemingly ‘lose out’ on that extra day of study as compared to our classmates, or if we run a business, we close our stores on the best day in the week for retail, God will still provide. If we are faithful to God and work hard the other 6 days, He will certainly bless us. If we honour Him, He will honour us.

Thought: Keeping the Sabbath is an act of faith!
Prayer: Lord, may You grant me the faith and courage to be different on the Lord’s day, and keep it holy unto You.