Sabbath Meditation #23 – The Eternal Rhythm

by Kelly McDonald, Jr.

“If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, and the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words, 14 then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 58:13-14).

As discussed in the last meditation, the Sabbath guards us from self-slavery. Humans have constructed a kosmos that can easily control us if we allow it to. The Sabbath demarcates human dominion from God’s dominion.

One aspect of our world that is often overlooked is that it is ever-changing. The inventions, events, and entertainment we enjoy will change over time. One often overlooked unit of time in the Bible is a generation (see Gen 5, Matthew 1:17, Col. 1:26). Fads come and go. What was vogue for one generation can become obsolete in the next.

Take into account the progression from Cassette tapes to CDs to MP3s. Within 30-40 years we have seen this transition take place. Sometimes fads of the past even make a brief comeback!

If allowed to continue unchecked, the fads of each generation and time can also control us. We can be swept away with every new movement or cultural trend.

There are also societal constructs of how time should be defined. Multiple times in history, humans have tried to change the seven-day cycle to one of their own reckoning. Humans have tried to redefine the meaning of every day of the week or add meaning to the days of the week not ascribed by God (such as designating certain days of the week for specific activities or deities).

The Sabbath connects us to the rhythm of God – an Eternal being. He exists outside of our understanding of time, but chooses to work within it for our sake. Because an Eternal Being rested on this day, blessed it, made it holy, and established it then this day will satisfy us in a way that the material world cannot. There was no material creation on this day; it was about resting and refreshing.

Material beings cannot affect the purpose and existence of the Sabbath because it was established by the Eternal One. This means all arguments invented by humans against it are null and void. It also has implications to help us combat trends in this world.

No matter how this kosmos changes – with the things, events, and pursuits created by man – the human need for the Sabbath remains. Its eternal principles cannot be moved by the changeable world. The Sabbath connects us to the Eternal source who directs us towards the most meaningful practice and outlook of this life possible.

Moreover, God’s day keeps us in rhythm with God’s eternal purpose. This allows the Sabbath refreshing to loosen the connections in our minds, heart, and emotions to the world around us that might try to chain us to it.

The weekly demarcation between holy and common every week keeps us from the self-slavery discussed in the last Sabbath Meditation (CLICK HERE to read it). It keeps us in the Rhythm of the Eternal God and out of the rhythm of the man-made world.

While this world and its times changes, the word of the Lord endures forever.

Selah.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President – www.biblesabbath.org