Tag Archives: 02/09/22 Bible Study

Daily Bible Study

September 2, 2022 Bible Study — Is Failing To Keep The Sabbath Idolatry?

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 20-21.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for the next 22 days.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

When some elders of the Israelite exiles came to Ezekiel to inquire of God, God gave Ezekiel a prophecy condemning them for their idolatry and that of their ancestors.  Ezekiel spoke against the repeated idolatry generation after generation of the Israelites (but I think we should read this as generation after generation of those God has called to worship Him).  Repeatedly, Ezekiel connects desecrating the Sabbath with that idolatry.  As we read this we can easily reach the mistaken conclusion that the idolatry and the desecration of the Sabbath were two separate charges, but I am convinced that Ezekiel was saying that failing to honor the Sabbath was a form of idolatry.  Or, perhaps that it led to idolatry.  After condemning previous generations, Ezekiel condemns the generation to whom he was speaking.  He tells them that they have continued the idolatry of their ancestors by sacrificing their children.  Ezekiel made a direct link between failing to keep the Sabbath and idolatry, and part of that idolatry was sacrificing their children.  I see this as making a direct link between the failure of Christians in the United States failing to properly honor the Sabbath and abortion.  Let us strive to keep all of God’s commands, even the command to keep a day of rest, and pray that He pour out His Spirit upon this world so as to end anyone’s desire to sacrifice their children through abortion.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

February 9, 2022 Bible Study — Assembling With God’s People To Celebrate, And Occasionally To Mourn

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 22-23.

There are seven festivals which the people of Israel were to observe.  Six of the seven festivals were celebrations, but the Day of Atonement is a more solemn assembly.  That was why I wrote that they were to “observe” the festivals, rather than that they were to “celebrate” them.  In the same way, I probably should have written that these were “assemblies” rather than that they were “festivals”.  Both celebrate and festival have connotations about joy, happiness, and fun which are inappropriate for the Day of Atonement.  Having said that I think it important that six of the seven have that sense of communal joy and fun associated with them.  It really tells us something about how we should worship God.  Most of the time (6 out of 7) it should be joyous and fun, but every now and then it needs to be sober and solemn.  We need to know and remember which approach to take on each occasion.  I want to circle back to the fact that these were assemblies.  The people were to gather together to observe these reminders about God.  We should gather with our fellow Believers on a regular basis, often in celebration, but occasionally in a more solemn fashion.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.