Man-made Laws versus God-made Laws

I found an interesting story in I Kings 12:26-33.  Jeroboam had been made king over all Israel, even though Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and was the true heir to David's throne.

King Jeroboam was afraid that if the people went to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, they would leave him and go back to Rehoboam.  In verse 28, King Jeroboam had two golden calves made.  Here we read that King Jeroboam told the people WHAT to worship. In verse 29 it says, "Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan."  This verse says that Jeroboam told the people WHERE they were to worship.  What I want to share with you today, though, is in verses 32 and 33 where King Jeroboam tells the people WHEN to worship.

Not only did Jeroboam dictate to the people WHAT they were to worship, and WHERE they were to worship, but he also dictated WHEN they were to worship!  This was really fascinating to me.  In verse 32 it says, "Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah..."  Verse 33 says, "So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart."

The feast that Jeroboam was trying to copy was the Feast of Tabernacles, mentioned in Leviticus 23:34.  The problem, though, is that God's Feast was to be celebrated on the 14th day of the 7th month - not the 15th day of the 8th month!!  For some reason this made me think of the many ministers today that tell their congregations that the 7th-day Sabbath is now on the 1st day of the week! They are "devising in their own hearts" (like Jeroboam above) the day and time of our worship of God. Not only that, I also know of some who tell their people that "it doesn't really matter what day of the week you worship the Lord on - just so you worship Him!"  Wow!  Nowhere in the Bible are we told that it is ok "to do what is right in our own eyes"!  (Judges 21:25)

I'm beginning to realize just how much Satan hates the number 7!!  Many have said that the number 7 is God's holy number.  If that's the case, then it doesn't surprise me that Satan has connived to move God's Sabbath Day to the first day of the week instead of the 7th day.  The same seems true for the above passage when King Jeroboam moved the 7th month Feast of Tabernacles to the 8th month!

There's a saying that goes like this:

"God's Word says it - I believe it - That settles it!"

Is this true for you or are you "devising in your own heart - doing what seems right in your own eyes?"  As I've written in earlier blogs, when God's kingdom is set up here on earth - there will not be two worship days.  One will be done away with, and I'm very sure it won't be God's 7th day Sabbath!

The Sabbath Day - A Gift from God

It's interesting how many Christians believe that the Sabbath Day was only given at Mt. Sinai, and only to the Israelites.  Most are familiar with Genesis 2:2, 3 that says "On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."  However, this was BEFORE Mt. Sinai, BEFORE Moses, and BEFORE there were "Israelites". 

Do you realize that when God created the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday), Adam and Eve were there with Him!  (If you remember, they were created on the 6th day of creation.) This 4th commandment of God was given to ALL mankind when it was given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  It was a gift given to them so they would not have to work "24/7" and could rest and have a relationship with Him.

Exodus 16:4, 22-24, 27-28 is a passage where God reminded His people of this wonderful gift He had given them.  God had just delivered the Israelites from being in slavery to the Egyptians.  The Egyptians were hard task masters, expecting God's people to work 24 hours a day - 7 days a week.  However, once God miraculously delivered them out of Egypt - He had to remind them about His gift of the Sabbath Day.

In verse 4, God says that He will rain down bread from heaven, "that I may test them whether they will walk in My law or not."  What "law" was God referring to since we've been taught there was no law until Moses at Mt. Sinai?  As you read further, you will see that God was referring to His law of the seventh day Sabbath.

Verses 22-24 state:  "On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread...Then Moses said to them, 'This is what the Lord has said:  'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.'  So they laid it up till morning as Moses commanded.  Then Moses said, 'Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you won't find it in the field.  Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.  Verses 27-30 state:    Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.  And the Lord said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep (obey) My commandments and My laws?  See!  For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days.  Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.  So the people rested on the seventh day."

Every Saturday, which is the "seventh day Sabbath of the Lord your God", we have a choice either to obey our God by being thankful for this day of rest and opportunity to show our love to Him - or to go out and do our "own thing" such as shopping, eating at restaurants, etc. - stubbornly refusing to honor and glorify God by being disobedient to Him and His commandment.

As someone once said, "God gave me the gift of the Sabbath, and that's why I'm keeping it!"