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!