Sun 15 Sep

Reading through the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 we discover that the command to “Remember the Sabbath” is the longest of the commandments. Why is this? Are we prone to forgetfulness which is why the LORD said we would need reminding to remember the Sabbath. Or is it possible in our own mind one of the easier to forget. The commandment is a reminder to keep the day holy or set apart. A day where we cease our normal work.

In the verses we read today, Jesus and His followers are accused of acting unlawfully on the Sabbath day. They are walking through a grain paddock. They are hungry so they remove the seeds from the grain heads and begin to eat the seeds. We would wonder what all the fuss is about. Surely what Jesus has just done is not unlawful. Yet in the eyes of the lawmakers, the Pharisees, the disciples have just broken the law. They have harvested grain.

Little mercy would be shown toward a law breaker. And yet mercy is precisely what Jesus was wanting to see in His people. “I desire mercy not sacrifice.” As the events unfold on the Sabbath day, mercy would not be shown toward a man with a disability. And yet they would be quick to show mercy toward an animal trapped in a pit.

As you ponder Sabbath keeping in a 24/7 world, how do you keep the Sabbath principle? In keeping the Sabbath what mercy do you show as you walk with the Lord of the Sabbath?