Author: Tim Hayes

Keep My Sabbaths

Trying to keep Sabbath in a non-Torah culture can be challenging, especially if family and friends are not aligned. Are we violating Sabbath if we put gas in the car? go to a grocery store or a pharmacy? eat out at a restaurant? go to a movie or a concert? What if a friend needs help on Sabbath? or we need to travel for a business trip or vacation, or attend a wedding or a funeral? In the complexity of living in a broken world, if we aren’t thoughtful and careful in our application of Sabbath, it can become a stressful burden rather a blessing of rest. (He 4:4-5)

There are three questions to consider: [1] Do our individual activities violate Sabbath? [2] Are we requiring / encouraging others to work? and [3] Are we setting a bad example or causing others to stumble?

Firstly, we note God never clearly defines work in the context of keeping Sabbath; this is not an oversight on God’s part – it is inestimable brilliance. He’s inviting us to participate with Him in how we observe Sabbath, to use the guidelines He has provided to sort out what it means in any given circumstance. In other words, this isn’t about thoughtless, rote obedience to a set of rules; we must understand the heart and spirit of Sabbath in order to properly obey it. (Mk 2:27)

The primary Sabbath principle is to remember it (Ex 20:8a), remind ourselves why God blessed and sanctified it (Ge 2:3), setting it apart from the other days. (Ex 20:8b)

We set Sabbath apart (keep it holy) primarily by doing all our work (Ps 104:23), how we typically generate income or value and provide and care for ourselves (2Th 3:10), on the other six days (9): we are forbidden to work on Sabbath and to require others to work. (10) As God rested on the seventh day (Ex 20:11), so should we. (Le 19:3)

So, we’re evidently within Sabbath guidelines if we abstain from the types of activities we typically engage in the other six days, especially income-generating activities, so long as we’re not neglecting our duties to ourselves or others, continuing to live responsibly and charitably in the world. (1Co 16:4) The more of this routine activity we can do before Sabbath, to prepare for it without creating an inappropriate inefficiency or burden, the better. This can be a learning process, where we get better at keeping Sabbath the more we observe it.

So, if a friend has an emergency on Sabbath and requires our help (De 22:1-2), we shouldn’t think of this as a violation. (Mt 12:11-12) But when friends or family routinely plan chores on Sabbath and count on our help, wisdom advises them of our Sabbath observance and kindly asks them to respect it.

And if we need to go to a store to pick up something we overlooked, or want to relax at a restaurant or go out to a performance on Shabbat, does this promote our rest and recovery from our weekly labors? Is it something we can easily put off until after Sabbath? Would it increase our stress or decrease it? We should pray through each situation with the spirit of Sabbath in mind.

As to how the world views our Sabbath activity, God deals with each of us according to our hearts. (Pr 24:12) Unless we are in Israel itself, most people in our culture work voluntarily on Sabbath, ignorant and/or heedless of God’s commands; benefiting from this isn’t necessarily inconsistent with Torah since we aren’t requiring others to work, or even encouraging it.

It isn’t our responsibility to require others to obey Torah, or to rebuke, admonish correct or instruct those who aren’t seeking after God and wanting to obey Him. God evidently enforces Torah violations differently depending on one’s understanding and permits His own to benefit from the voluntary Torah violations of others so long as we ourselves are being obedient. (De 14:21a)

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Eat No Fat

God tells us to not eat the fat from an animal which may be offered as a sacrifice, such as an ox, a sheep or a goat (Le 7:23-24); violating this rule imposes the death penalty. (25) Since all God’s Law is spiritual and good (1Ti 1:8) we should be obeying this principle.

As a bit of context, while God says the fat belongs to Himself (Le 3:16-17), He also describes the location of the fat as that which covers the animal’s flesh and internal organs. (14-15) God doesn’t require us to shred sacrifices to remove every trace of fat.

As with the blood, which we’re also forbidden to eat (De 15:23), it isn’t generally reasonable or practical to try to remove absolutely all the fat from any cut of meat. No matter how well we slaughter an animal and drain out the blood, some blood cells will always remain within the flesh. The idea seems to be that we are to avoid eating animal fat as a focus, we trim it out where it’s reasonably practical to do so.

When God blesses His people with the fat of lambs (De  32:13-14), it’s clear that all fat isn’t forbidden; baby lambs simply don’t have much fat; what little is present is evidently intended for us to enjoy.

So, we should trim the fat off the outside of a cut of meat and then enjoy the flavor-enriching marbling within as we like; not in rigid, legalistic fastidiousness, becoming judgmental, fretful or worried about getting out every trace of fat, yet not casually eating easily isolatable chunks of it either.

As in applying most any aspect of Torah, especially in non-Torah observant contexts, reason, love and moderation ought to rule the day. (Php 4:5)

We might ask why God forbids eating fat. Is it bad for us in a nutritional sense? Do animals tend to store more toxins in fat than in other parts of the body?

Since God hasn’t told us clearly, perhaps we don’t need to know. Perhaps this is a foolish question; having the answer may not help us in our walk with God. (Ti 3:9) Evidently, we don’t need to know why God tells us what He does, we simply need to focus on clearly hearing and fully understanding what He says so we can obey Him in wisdom, love and joy. (Ps 119:3-4)

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I Was Thirsty

God is omniscient; He knows everything about everything; His understanding is infinite. (Ps 147:5) He knows about all of reality, what has been, what is and what will be (Is 46:10), and He also fully understands every possible variation of reality, even things that will never actually happen. (Mt 11:21) Yet does this mean God actually experiences everything? Can God know something perfectly without personally experiencing it?

Since God cannot be tempted with evil (Ja 1:13), it must be that we experience reality differently than God experiences it; God knows with perfectly infinite understanding and awareness exactly how we feel and experience these sinful tendencies without Himself experiencing them. In other words, God knows what it’s like to sin without ever having sinned. (He 4:15)

So, yes, God doesn’t need to personally experience anything in order to fully comprehend all of its detail. Yet this doesn’t mean God is aloof from human experience, that He doesn’t engage intimately with His creation. Evidently, this is especially true of innocent suffering; He so identifies with His elect that He suffers in and with us. (Mt 25:35-36) While He allows pain and suffering in His children, it is not without personal sacrifice: God is willing to enter into our suffering Himself, and actually does so, being one with us. (Co 1:24)

While nothing exists apart from God (Co 1:17), and while all being and activity is of God and by God (1Co 8:6), it is incorrect to say God is any created thing, or that any created thing is God, or even part of God’s divine essence or being. (Panentheism) It is also evidently incorrect to say God is in (in the sense of inhabiting or indwelling) anything physical other than His earthly temple (Ha 2:20) and the bodies of the saints. (1Co 6:19)

While God is ultimately sovereign, controlling all things (Da :35), He is entirely distinct from the entire physical universe and independent of it. He forbids identifying Himself with any particular aspect of His material creation (Ex 20:4) other than His bride: the church. (Ep 5:30)

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Let Us Reason

To read between the lines is to look carefully at what is written in order to infer truths which are not explicitly stated. We call this reasoning, and God invites to use it as we seek Him (Is 1:18), employing logic to expand from what is explicitly revealed to see what some might consider hidden, yet if one is paying attention and thinking deeply it becomes obvious.

To illustrate, the arrow in the FedEx logo may not be apparent until someone points it out; but once you see it you can’t stop seeing it. The arrow isn’t exactly hidden, but it isn’t exactly there either.

To see it you must look between the E and x at the resulting white space connecting them, which is really nothing by itself: the mere juxtaposition of the letters reveals a shape implied by what surrounds it, and this insight enhances the logo, making an impression which creates additional value.

There are many truths like this in Scripture; what is explicitly stated in the text often implies priceless truths which remain unwritten. We may consider what is unspoken, which we might think ought to have been spoken, or which is certainly implied by what is stated, to learn more about God and His ways.

For example, when Paul is meditating in De 25:4, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn“, he infers a principle for supporting Christian workers. (1Co 9:9-10) Paul reasons from the general context of scripture that God isn’t particularly concerned about the feelings of an ox, so He must be providing a general instruction in how we’re to treat those called serve in ways which make it difficult for them to earn a living in the traditional sense.

We often see this kind of reasoning explicitly stated in Scripture with the phrase how much more; when God shows us how to address the relatively unimportant, He expects us to reason similarly about more important yet related concerns. For example, if the saints shall judge angels, how much more are they qualified to judge temporal matters? (1Co 6:3) If we expect earthly parents to care for their children, how much more should we expect God to care for us? (Mt 7:11) If animal sacrifices sanctify the physical man, how much more shall the blood of Christ sanctify the spiritual man? (He 9:13-14)

We should certainly be careful when looking at the white spaces in scripture, but they’re indeed present and we should be on the lookout for them, meditating both on what’s explicitly written and prayerfully considering what’s implied.

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The Acknowledging

Sharing our spiritual insights with other believers is central to our calling in the church of God; it’s the primary way we edify one another. This is the communication of our faith (Phm 6), how we impart our experience in God to others who are pursuing Him. (2Ti 2:2)

As we explore our own hearts and souls for faith gems to impart to others, we’re searching out and acknowledging every good thing which is within us in Christ, identifying and cultivating the Christ-life within. (Phm 6) But notice how God puts it: “that the communication of thy (s.) faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you (pl.) in Christ Jesus.” We each share our individual faith walk in Christ with others effectively by becoming aware of and appreciating the Person of Christ, not only within ourselves, but also within those with whom we’re sharing.

In other words, as we testify of the faithfulness and character of God as we experience Him in our lives, we’re identifying the works of Christ within us as He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. (Php 2:13) At the same time, the Christ within us is reaching out to the Christ within others, calling forth the divine nature within each one to edify, exhort, encourage, refresh, strengthen and nourish the souls of the saints. (Phm 7)

This perspective gives us both a sobering realization that in our testimony we are expressing the eternal Christ Himself to others (1Pe 4:11), and also a confident expectation and hope that our brothers and sisters will be quickened and blessed in our sharing.

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Guilty Before God

Guilt is the fact of having committed a breach of conduct, an offense or crime, which may produce a wide variety of feelings.

If the offense involves a righteous law and one regrets breaking it, guilt may bring a feeling of deserving blame for moral failure, remorse for making an immoral choice. We also call this feeling, guilt.

If a severe punishment is imposed for an offense, guilt may bring dread or even terror. If we expect willful moral failure to draw disdain and rejection from others, we call it shame.

If the offender feels the violated statute is unjust or inappropriate, or if they disdain moral obligations altogether, they may be defiant in their guilt, resolutely committed to violating the establishment. (Re 16:10-11)

If the offender feels they’re not guilty due to a flawed judicial process, they may feel frustrated, resentful, angry or bitter.

If the punishment is trivial and the offender isn’t inconvenienced, they may not feel much of anything.

Eventually, every human being will be found guilty before God (Ro 3:19); what we each feel in that Day may be unique, but it won’t change the fact of our guilt: we will all be found guilty because we all are guilty.

What should we feel when we’re found guilty before God?

Well, since God’s judicial process is perfect (Is 9:7), His law is just (Ro 7:12), and since violating it is evidence of moral failure (Ps 119:118), we should admit we’re deserving of blame — because we are (Pr 20:9); God would not find us guilty otherwise. (Ro 3:4)

This is the first step in drawing near to God: submit to His right to rule over us (Ps 81:15), and agree with His assessment of us. (Ro 3:10) To do otherwise is to lie to ourselves and to God, and also to call God Himself a liar. (1Jn 1:10)

We should also regret that we’re guilty, not simply that we’ve been found guilty; we should feel genuinely sorry we’ve been disobedient to God, acknowledge we’re at His mercy (Lk 18:13), and look to Him to deliver us from our own sinful nature. (Ro 7:24-25) Ultimately, there is no excuse for moral failure (Ro 1:20); we should never disobey Him willfully, but be committed to obeying Him as well as we can.

As concerning the penalty for sin, for the consequences God will impose for our guilt, it’s sort of a “pay Me now or pay Me later” kind of proposal (Ga 6:7); one way or another, there will be consequences for our behavior. (Re 2:23b)

If we’re willing to own up to our sin and confess it, submit to Christ and receive Him as our Lord and Savior, acknowledging the immense penalty He is willing to pay on our behalf, offering Himself up for our sins (Ga 1:4) to redeem us from all iniquity (Tit 2:14), and flee to Him from the wrath to come (Lk 3:7), trusting Him as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1Jn 2:2), we can receive forgiveness of sins and be delivered from the eternal punishment we justly deserve. (Co 1:14)

From this place of submission to God, we’re left to recon with the guilt for sins we can’t stop, even as we try our best; in this we should expect God’s mercy in judgment; He is infinitely merciful toward those who fear Him. (Ps 103:11) He will discipline us to bring us into holiness (He 12:10), and judge us for our sins in this world as He sees fit (1Pe 4:17); His judgment of His people will be severe in this life for all lapses into willful sin. (He 10:26-31) Yet there is no fear of eternal condemnation in this kind of judgement: even if it is severe, it is for our good to deliver us from the bondage of our sin. (He 12:11)

The alternative is to continue to live our lives our own way, defiantly refusing to submit to the Lordship of Christ (Ro 2:4-5), and suffer the eternal consequences. (Mt 7:26-27) This should produce fear and dread (Is 33:14), even if only in the subconscious, to move the thoughtful soul to repentance. (Pr 16:6) For those who will not turn, eternal terror shall be their destiny. (Re 20:11)

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The Israel of God

Who or what is Israel, according to Scripture? Well, depending on context it can mean different things.

Most commonly, it’s a reference to the Jewish people (Ro 9:31-33), the descendants of Abraham through Jacob, who’s name was changed to Israel. (Ge 32:28) These are God’s chosen people from an earthly perspective. (De 7:6)

But there are times when God uses the term to refer to the elect (1Pe 1:1-2), those whom He has chosen from eternity past to be His eternal, heavenly people. (1Pe 2:9-10) For example, when Paul says, “they are not all Israel which are of Israel” (Ro 9:6), he evidently means just because someone is a descendent of Abraham doesn’t imply they’re a child of God. (7-8) In other words, one definition for Israel is the children of God. (Ga 6:16)

So, when we read, “all Israel shall be saved” (Ro 11:26), we shouldn’t understand that every Jew will go to Heaven, but that all of God’s eternally chosen people will. God counts believing non-Jews as His own (Ga 3:28), belonging to Israel (Ep 2:14), members His earthly chosen people (1Co 10:1), and applies the same principles to us all. In other words, earthly, physical Israel is a type of God’s elect, and what He’s written about His interactions with them is for all His people in every age. (11)

So, as we consider God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament (5), we should take note and recognize God is showing us how He treats His chosen people. (6-10) God doesn’t have two different standards for or ways of interacting with His people. (He 10:28-30) God has written the Old Testament for our learning and comfort (Ro 15:4); its principles are meant for us now, today. (1Co 9:9-10)

In other words, anything God has written which we’re able to observe and obey today is written to teach us how to walk with God. (Ps 119:105) As we hear the Word, we ought to be doers of it. (Ja 1:22-25)

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Christ Our Life

Losing a loved one, a friend, a job, or our health can be destabilizing, even a slight change in our routine can be challenging. What does it take to disorient us and send us into a tailspin? When our world begins to collapse do we become fearful, lost? Do we lose our faith in God? in Life itself?

To the degree we draw our sense of well-being from this world, the more losing it will cripple us. Trying to draw life from non-life-giving sources is a dead end.

The truth is, even now we don’t have any of these temporal things we think we have; our possessions, relationships, health, occupation, our whole world is passing away. (1Jn 2:17) We came into this world with nothing, and we won’t take any of it with us when we leave. (1Ti 6:7) What we have the moment after we die is all we really have now.

This is troubling if we’re looking for life and love like most everyone else, minding earthly things (Php 3:18-19), defining life in the context of earthly experience … building houses on the sand. (Mt 7:26-27)

When Christ becomes our Life (Co 3:4) our sense of well-being is grounded in Him; our foundation doesn’t collapse when our temporal world falls apart because we’ve built our house on the Rock. (Mt 7:24-25) Our life down here is a vapor (Ja 4:14); our treasure isn’t here, it’s in Him. (Mt 6:19-21)

In this world we will have tribulation, and that’s OK. (Jn 16:33) We who are already dead in Christ, our life is hid with Him in God (Co 3:1), and we will live with Him. (2Ti 2:11) Our lives are living sacrifices for Him to do with as He pleases. (Ro 12:1) To live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Php 1:21)

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One of These Least

Theologians claim to be able to divide Torah into parts which apply differently to different groups of people: [1] Moral laws for all Mankind (e.g. Le 19:18), [2] Civil laws only for Jews (e.g. De 20:1-4), and [3] Ceremonial laws for priests. (e.g. De 18:6-8) This is commonly used to teach that only Moral laws are relevant today.

The problem is this hermeneutic is not found in Scripture; while certain laws are explicitly directed toward specific groups, Scripture never limits the relevance of Torah on any other grounds.

Clearly, if a command is directed toward a group to which we don’t belong, we cannot break it because the command is not to us. However, if we disregard a command which we’re able to obey then we’re actually breaking it, unless we can show from Scripture we’re exempt.

Though Torah was given to Israelites on Mount Sinai thousands of years ago, Christ Himself says whosoever (Jew or Gentile, man or woman, adult or child) disregards one of these least commands will be counted least in His kingdom. (Mt 5:19a) Kingdom greatness is reflected by respecting even the most insignificant laws of Torah. (19b) This aligns with Torah itself. (Ps 119:4-6)

So, Christ is effectively teaching us we should all be keeping every law in Torah which we’re able to keep: any law not specifically addressed to someone else.

And since Christ’s nature within us delights in Torah (Ro 7:22) as a reflection of Jehovah’s majesty, holiness and character, one of the primary ways He’s revealed Himself, the godly aren’t looking for loopholes; we’re looking for every opportunity to honor God’s Way as well as we can.

So, as we’re working through passages which appear to teach otherwise (and there are a few) think of Torah wholistically (Ja 2:10-11), don’t pick out one of these least commandments; consider whether Paul could be saying we don’t need to love God with all our heart (De 6:4-5) or our neighbors as ourselves. (Le 19:18) On these two hang all the rest (Mt 22:40): we can’t separate them.

As we expose our cognitive bias to the light of Torah and square ourselves with the fact that every single one of God’s Laws is precious and good (Ro 7:12), we invariably find better ways to understand each text and reconcile it will all of Scripture.

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Make a Battlement

When we build a new house, God says to make a battlement for the roof so we’ll not be guilty of manslaughter if someone falls from the rooftop and dies. (De 22:8) This certainly makes sense in the context in which it was first given, where houses were generally constructed with a flat roof which was used as a living space; in such cases providing a barrier around the edge to keep people from harm is consistent with charity.

Yet how do we respond to such a law for steep rooftops, upon which only trained professionals are ever allowed? Do we violate this law because we think we understand its context and spirit, presuming it’s not applicable or obsolete in our case? or do we build completely useless barriers around rooftops which serve to protect no one?

If sin is the transgression or violation of the law (1Jn 3:4), in either the letter or the spirit, it seems we should not ignore the law, or violate it at any level for any reason. Yet it also seems inappropriate to build useless fences around our rooftops – making us appear foolish to the world and positioning Torah itself as ridiculous and burdensome. Neither approach seems reasonable.

If we look at the text carefully, it says to build a parapet, or a barrier or wall for our roof; the barrier need not be above or even upon the roof, just for the roof. To serve the intended function this battlement must be between the edge of the rooftop and those occupying our residence to prevent anyone from ever accidentally falling off.

For houses with steeply pitched roofs the exterior wall of the home itself serves as this battlement or barrier: when there is no rooftop access from within the home, if one must go to considerable trouble to climb up and over the exterior wall to access the roof, it seems this law in Torah is being respected both in spirit and in letter, in truth at every level.

However, for any home which provides convenient access to the rooftop, surrounding the accessible portion of the roof with a sturdy, waist-high fence to prevent anyone from accidental injury is clearly the Law of Love. (Ro 13:10)

This principle shows us we should make reasonable efforts to promote the safety and well-being of others at all times, taking steps to prevent accidental injury of any kind.

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