God's Strict Orders -- Exodus 23:13

“Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.”
 

I remember as a young lad being put on a Greyhound bus from Toronto to New York to visit my aunt and uncle during summer and Christmas breaks, as well as Easter breaks (for that is what they were called when I went to school; not March or Winter breaks). The reason for my visits was that my father and mother both worked and I would have no one to take care of me.  I remember all the instructions I was given about what I was to do on the bus ride and how to be on the alert for various things, plus what to do if by chance my uncle or aunt were late in coming to the New York city bus terminal to meet me. Those directives or teachings came from my loving parents who were reluctant to let me go, yet realized they had to for my own welfare. Overall, these were pleasant separations between a parent and a child. But the world is also full of unpleasant, unkind, and very often undesired separations between parent and child.

No matter the circumstances of separation, when there is time and opportunity to do so, a wiser older person will often say to the younger, weaker one, “Now remember everything I have told you. Watch out for those that may hurt you or trick you or rob from you. Be alert. And whatever you do, do not . . ..”

That’s exactly what is going on in this verse. You will remember way back in chapter 19 of Exodus, the story begins of Moses meeting God on that awesome mountain. It is during that time with God that all the commandments and directives of how the Israelites are to live were made known. And while there are some instructions with respect to various feasts and other matters still to come, for the most part this awesome meeting with the Living God Almighty is drawing to a close. So God says to His beloved children of Israel, “Remember everything I have told you. Be alert.” It was as if God was saying, “Sons, daughters – you are going to need to do these things if you are going to survive and do well in your life for the Enemy is great and active and just looking for a chance to ensnare you.” How true that is of life for us today.

But God also goes on to give a very significant warning that I believe many of us have either forgotten or we have chosen to ignore. God says, “ . . . do not mention the name of other gods. Do not even let them be heard from your mouth.” In context, God was likely referring to Baal and other similar idols or heathen gods that people worshipped at the time. He knew that uttering their names or talking about them in any capacity except to denounce them was dangerous, as they had the power to entice and lure people into their realms, inch-by-inch, thought-by-thought, and practice-by-practice.

We also know that for us today, “another god” is anything that takes us away from our reliance and dependence on God and God alone. Be it that new car, some form of music, sports, making money, that summer escape, a bigger home we desire, any vice, and anything else we can think of that makes us lose our focus on what is God’s desire and plan for my life right now. God says, “Stop talking about those things!” Doing so does not help and it can definitely hurt.

This verse is a gem that many of us miss. Or we try to avoid it all costs.  But we do so at our own peril. Be alert.  If we love our Heavenly Father the way we say we do, at least during the worship singing time at church, then we must listen to His very strict order to us –“Stop talking about other gods in our lives.”

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The Sabbath Is Not About Us -- Exodus 20:8-10a

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God;”
 

Have you ever lost a day?  It happens to me regularly.  Life is moving so fast that I miss what day it is.  Or if I have enjoyed a statutory holiday in the middle of the week, I wake up the next morning thinking it is Monday when it’s not.  I have a dear acquaintance of mine who will be 100 years later this month; we will celebrate it with her.  She is in a nursing home and often asks her visitors “What day is this?” for to her they are all the same.  Life is like that, we forget what day it is for various reasons.

But God says, “Remember the Sabbath day.”  If we want to walk with God and in obedience to His commandments, we must not, as long as we are mentally able, forget the Sabbath.

When I was younger, and hearing various ministers preach on this topic, the key thought that was driven home to me, was “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”  We had to be careful not to do anything ‘unholy’ on the Sabbath.  As a rebellious youngster, I got fired from my summer job at a Christian family resort for actually swimming on the Sabbath.  Clearly that was a no-no back then.  But as society changed, with our ever-increasing ability to cram more things into our life (or so we thought), Christians too had to start doing many other things on the Sabbath.  We started washing our cars, mowing our lawns, and doing other garden or exterior housework.  (Up to that point, many were carrying on interior housework away from the neighbor’s eyes.)

This went on to the point where the general teaching on the main focus of this verse started to change.  Along with our ever-growing appetite for a “healthy body”, pastors started preaching about the importance of the Sabbath for our own physical well-being.  That is, our bodies needed the break (along with good nutrition, of course).  I remember hearing, “If God took a rest on the seventh day, then you surely need one.”  And many of us accepted that as Old Testament truth and ran, or should I say, ‘sat’ with that.

Many years later as I now study this portion of Scripture more carefully, I believe the emphasis that preachers put on this verse when I was a youngster was more correct.  There is nothing in this verse or the ones that follow that suggest that keeping the Sabbath is for the purpose of our physical (or even mental) rest.  Do not get me wrong; our bodies do need rest and a good rhythm in order to function best.  But that rest could come anytime, whenever it is needed, not just on the Sabbath.  The Sabbath is about God, not us.  Making it about us does not mean we’re “keeping the Sabbath” as it was intended.  Our Sabbath day must be “holy”.

God wants us to work for the purpose of our earthly sustenance for up to six days a week, but on the seventh day, He wants us to consider it totally His and we are to go out of our way to “keep it holy”.  That does not mean the other days we can participate in unholy things, but on this day, our focus should be on keeping it “holy”.

Now what does keeping something holy mean?  And more specifically, what does it mean in a 21^st century society, in 2014 and beyond?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives us five definitions for the word “holy”.  They are:

1. exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
2. divine holy — Psalms 99:9 (Authorized Version)>
3. devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity holy temple> <holy prophets>
4. having a divine quality <holy love>  and venerated as or as if sacred <holy scripture> holy relic>
5. -- used as an intensive holy mess> holy terror when he drank — Thomas Wolfe> ; often used in combination as a mild oath <holy smoke>.

Definitions 1 and 2 above refer strictly to our God.  Definition 5 is a misuse of the word, maybe even an abuse of it.  But we would do well to heed definitions 3 and 4 (highlighted above).

As I read these definitions, we keep a day “holy” if we devote it and us entirely to our God or to the work of our God and we treat it as divine or sacred.  It is interesting that the world defines it in a way that uses the word “entirely”.  Maybe that is just to trip us Christians up, but I don’t think so.  Something cannot or should not be, part holy.  We either keep the Sabbath holy or we do not.  It is our choice.  So what does that mean for us today if we wish to obey God on this commandment?

First, let me state that here is not the place to argue about which day of the week we are to observe.  Just note that our verse only says it is the last day of seven.  Enough said on that now.  Now back to the main question of what it means for us.

It means that in all our activities on our Sabbath, we are to satisfy the relevant definitions above.  We are to have and exhibit a divine love in our actions, words, and thoughts, as if we are sacred because our God is Holy.  It also means we are devote the entire day to our God and to His work of service.  Church is in.  Family is in because God wants us to pour into our families.  Friendship and relationships are in because God wants us to cultivate those for His purposes.  But what we do at church; what we do with our families; and what we do with our friends, must have a divine or holy quality and purpose to it.

I can serve in church, worship in church, etc., but I cannot go there to gossip or show off my new clothes or automobiles or make everyone envious about the holiday I just had (something I should not do any day of the week).  I can spend time with my family building them up and developing our relationships, but I cannot partake in activities with them that do not have a divine quality to them – such as watching movies with questionable language or action or taking in a show that does not glorify God.  I can spend time with my friends, but not at a place of their choosing if that is a place that God is not being glorified.  This is His day.  Again, don’t get me wrong – I am not suggesting we can go to inappropriate movies on the other six days or visit a strip club on any day but our Sabbath.  But our Sabbath is His Holy day.  We need to keep it in that manner.

So let me ask you and in the process, ask myself, “How are we doing with respect to this commandment?”  It’s your move, but remember, it’s about Him.

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Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.  And while you’re here, why not check out some more of our recent blogs shown in the right hand column.  Ken.

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It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.