Day 8

"On the Sabbath grace came."

FOR SIX DAYS they worked, for one they rested. They had six whole days to do business, to gather food and take care of everyday needs and should have looked forward with joy to the Sabbath. As David did. “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple (Psalms 27:4).”

The Sabbath was meant to exemplify grace for on the seventh day God rested and was refreshed. Those two words, from Exodus 31:17, are significant. It was not just that God rested, meaning He ceased His labors, but the same word translated “rested” can also mean “to exterminated, destroy.” The word “refreshed” means “to take breath.” With the first word, we have six days of creation, God spoke, and things came into being. On day six, He created man and woman and declared it all very good.

Here is the first Adam, made in God’s image and God’s likeness by the Word of God which was with God and was God in the beginning. Then day seven, God ceases creation and takes a breath. The work was finished, and here, with the man He created is rejoicing. This is what He commanded Israel to do. “Stop your work, stop striving, stop trying to accomplish everything on your own, and bring yourselves to me, seek my face, for one day in your future, I will take a breath and the Second Adam who I will send to you will become ‘very good,’ the perfect sacrifice.”

But it was not over. For generations, they observed the same seven days. Day eight would not come until Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices to an empty grave. That day, God took a breath and separated the veil from top to bottom, He destroyed the enemy, the accuser called the devil, and hung him out to dry. With one breath, the battle of the ages was over and the words of Exodus 16:29 came to pass. “…the LORD hath given you the sabbath.”

Not required the sabbath of you. Not made this rule which you must observe for God’s benefit. But “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath (Mark 2:27).” It was a gift to them which would become a gift to the world. Before the Sabbath, for six days man toiled under the Law. On the Sabbath grace came. God exhaled and one day’s rest became an eternity. No longer was there Days 1 through 7 on repeat, but Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, all filled with grace, overflowing with God’s generous kindness.

And He bids us to this rest, not just for one day’s worship. But for every day’s worship. Not just to go to the temple but to be the temple where God lives, the altar within it, covered in the blood of Jesus Christ, now built within our heart. Atop the rules of Law, which were but for a time, is the mercy seat, which He drew at the gate to Eden to protect the tree of life growing within. A tree that would blossom with new fruit, grafted in, and familiar fruit from Seed planted by God Himself.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” (Colossians 2:16)

Mercy Seat:
“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)

“And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 25:17-22)

“Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.” (Hebrews 9:4-5)

Photo by Victoria Strukovskaya on Unsplash