EXODUS 23:11-33 REST… REMEMBER… RELATIONSHIPS There are reasons beyond physical tiredness God made rest a requirement by law. Working productively began in the Garden of Eden and has always been a way by which a person can realize their personal significance. Since the fall of man in sin, it has been a necessity for survival. We earn bread by the "sweat of thy brow." There was this one exception as the children of Israel journeyed to the Promised Land. Bread from heaven was supplied in the morning and meat in the evening. But even then, the principle of provision because of labor applied. The Hebrews had to rise early and each one had to "gather according to their eating." The day before the Sabbath they had to gather twice as much to supply their needs while they rested. The day of rest gave the Israelites uninterrupted time to consider all the blessings of the Lord. They would think about His goodness, His provisions, His will, His promises and the blessings that lay before them if they followed Him and obeyed Him. Probably they would think about the past and their deliverance. Rest rejuvenates the spirit and soul as well as the body.
But rest is also important for animals and the land itself. There is a restoration of nutrients when land is left untouched for a year. Different plants bring different things to rejuvenate the soil. Trees gather carbon from the air. Legumes bring one kind of material through their broad leaves, and other plants bring other things to replenish the earth. When left untouched for those twelve months there is restored to the earth what is needed to produce fruitful seasons again. The produce that grew voluntarily also provided for the needs of those who were poor and destitute. In our present day the land is constantly being depleted by repeatedly planting and harvesting. The use of fertilizer releases from the ground what is needed to produce a harvest. Each year the earth is depleted without any rejuvenation. Inevitably the land will get to the place where it won't produce anything. The whole purpose of legally enforced rest was to make sure men and women remembered who God is and what He has done for them and to provide replenishment of strength for man, beast and the very earth itself. The foreshadowing of Israel's future is also one of the lessons to be learned while thinking of the fact that " there is a rest for the people of God."
The giving of the law was also to make sure God's people didn't go after the false gods of Egypt or the land where they were going to live. They were not to speak about them or consider them in any way. They were not to try and satisfy their curiosity about them or even try to understand why other people found those gods so attractive. We will not be edified in any way, nor will we be better equipped to further the Gospel, knowing what false cults and false religions practice and teach. It is much more profitable for us to know what the scriptures teach so we can present what is positive and true, rather than refute what is false and even win an argument successfully. It is possible to win an argument and lose any hope of winning the humiliated person.
The feasts they were to keep on the journey had good reasons behind them. They were to be kept so the Lord's people would remember the past. We learn from our history and the history of others when we take to heart the lessons they learned before us. We learn what God did for them and remember He can do the same for us. The feasts would focus the attention of all the people on the redemption they had experienced, and the fact they were where they were because of God's redemptive grace and mercy. They would gather at those feasts and share in common the life they had with people from all over the nation, and renew acquaintances with old friends. They would also make new friends and form new and safe relationships for them and their children. The Lord Himself was with them as the "Angel" guide who led them. They would remember it was no accident where they were the people of God, and God's plans were yet being unfolded ahead of them. The gathering together of God's people is a great benefit and encouragement in many ways. We should not neglect God's call to come together and "exhort one another." It is a safeguard for us and promotes fellowship, growth and accountability.
By obeying the law in relation to rest and remembrance, they were forming safeguards regarding relationships. The world around us has all kinds of attractions that appeal to our nature and can quickly lead us to adapt to the world instead of people in the world wanting to be like us. God Himself guides us, goes before us in difficult times and opens the path of faith for us to walk in confidence in spite of the pressures around us to conform to the world. It is incumbent on me to guard my mind, my actions before my family and God's people, and before those around who want us to be like them. It is wrong for me to open the way for my children to assimilate easily into the ways of those who serve other gods. It would be a great disservice to my family and friends if I did not retain a separate lifestyle that is consistent with biblical teaching and practice. It would mislead other people if I tried to do things as much as possible like those who serve other gods. The True God and the god of this world, Satan, do not mix. Righteousness and unrighteousness are opposites. A child of God and a child of wrath do not have the same goals. I must take the time to rest and remember and form right relationships in order to maintain fellowship with God and be a blessing to others.
Some people seem so busy that they haven't time to stop and rest. For some reason they can't accept the fact it is because of God's goodness they are blest. I can't do much about them, but when I take a day of godly rest they may see, The things that are important to God, are the same things important to me.
So I do stop to consider on the first day of the week the Person who came in grace, Into this world of lost sinful men and on Calvary's cross took my place, That we could be free from sin and its bondage when we trusted completely in Him. Our rest and remembrance focus on our Lord Jesus and when our life of faith did begin.
To settle quietly in a chosen place and recall with grateful hearts, all the way The Lord has led and guided our lives makes us rejoice, and worship and pray. How gracious our God has been to us, what gratitude to Him we owe. By stopping to rest and remember the Lord is one way my thankfulness shows.
When I do this in the way God intended, I find I am not there alone. There are others who appreciate all Christ has done and willingly His Lordship own. We find we have a lot in common when we meet in fellowship and remember - It was the Lord himself who guided us here that our offerings to Him we might tender.
The relationships formed by doing what God said has opened to us world-wide, A fellowship that exceeds all others and is maintained when in our Lord we abide. We have a lot in common even though our words may hardly be understood. What joins us tightly in these holy gatherings is the name and Person of our Lord.
These relationships that bind us are actually ways God has set us free - To walk in holy fellowship with others and the Lord Jesus in liberty. The pressures of those around that seek to mold and conform us to their way - Have no appeal when our minds are renewed and the transformed life has its sway.
"Father and God of all grace, I find myself this morning in a blessed state of mind to rest in Thee and remember Thy gracious ways with me for all these years. I am also remembering names and faces of beloved brothers and sisters in Christ we have associated with all over the world in times of holy convocation. How blessed is my remembrance of the relationships formed with them! How blessed is what we all have together with Thee! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."