Sabbath Meditation #17 – A Living Witness

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy’” (Ex. 31:12-13).

In the verses above, the Hebrew word translated as sign is oth and it means a sign, signal, banner, or beacon. An oth is something God does or establishes to draw our attention to specific events and remind us of Him.

Every week, the Sabbath stands as a beacon or banner that beckons the weary, worn out world to His rest. While we enjoy the wonderful rest of our Savior on this day, we often forget one powerful point. As we travel every week towards His Sabbath banner, we will show the way to everyone else.

In other words, your Sabbath observance makes you a living witness to others. From Friday sunset to Saturday sunset other people will know that you are keeping His holy day. No matter what they are doing throughout the week, the memory of your obedience guides them to the Sabbath.

I’ve had people who are non-Sabbatarians comment to me over the years that “I meant to call you about a business item on Friday night, but I didn’t because I know it is the Sabbath and you were not available.”

I am very thankful when people show that kind of respect. My stand for truth reminded them of it. But these precious occasions also serve as a witness to me as well. Because I have chosen to obey God, then others know how to obey Him as well.

This revelation helps us to understand that our Sabbath observance is not just something to help our personal relationship with God. It is also about directing others to His banner; we show them the way. This understanding requires that we pay close attention to our obedience as we do not want to misrepresent Him.

As we honor the Sabbath over time, our weekly obedience will be an established memory to friends, family and other associates. We become a living witness of when the Sabbath is and how it should be observed.

For those of you who have raised children in the Sabbath truth – no matter where they go on the earth, they will know what you are doing from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. They will know the way home.

Our ultimate hope is that others will follow us to the banner which says “Rest.”

We are the living witness of the Way.

Selah.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President www.biblesabbath.org