I just thought of a question as im doing study notes for Leviticus: WHY was the sabbath so important that you get stoned if you dont keep it?
I wonder about that cause a lot of the stuff in that chapter is about morality, the book of Levitiicus is actually one Jesus quotes the love thy neighbor from, yet its in the midst of: Stone em for not keeping sabbath.
Now I dont got nothing against a penalty like that obviously since its God mandated there
BUT my question is WHY is the penalty for not keeping the sabbath so severe? I dont get the importance of NOT WORKING on a certain day, what is the moral signifance?
God created all things in 6 days, and ceased from His work on the seventh day and created nothing, and made it a holy day so we are to also work 6 days and rest on the seventh day.
In the Old Testament it was a physical covenant for the kingdom of heaven was not opened up to people yet, and they could not have the Spirit to be spiritual, so there were physical laws to go by in relation to the physical covenant, prosperity on earth alone, but the spiritual laws were in the Old Testament.
So because it was a physical covenant of prosperity on earth there were certain physical laws that if a person disobeys them it would be the same as breaking the moral laws, laws of love, that is spiritual.
Although there were many physical laws the punishment was not stoning, but for the sabbath day it was stoning, although I do not believe that they were stoned for disobeying one time, but had to be warned for a time, and if they did not care then they were stoned.
Also children disobeying their parents was a stoning offence although that would have to come with warnings to the children, and they would not learn.
For God said a rod for the fools back, which a fool is someone that will not learn any other way, for they are defiant, and do not care.
When Israel went astray, and did not heed to the truth God did not punish them right away but gave them space to repent, which when the nation of Israel did not accept Jesus God did not punish them right away but gave them 70 years to turn to the truth, but they did not so He allowed the Roman Empire to scatter them in to the nations as the punishment that is in Deuteronomy.
So if they disobeyed the sabbath one time I do not believe it was a stoning offence for there had to be a warning concerning it to where they did it week after week, and did not care.
But the people would also have to know about their actions, for not everybody would know they were disobeying the sabbath, so it was so bad that the community knew about it.
So children disobeying their parents was a stoning offence, but they had to be warned for a period of time, and shown that they were defiant, and did not care, but this would apply to the older children that should know better, and younger children would not disobey like that.
So disobeying the sabbath could not be a one time offence, and snatch the little bugger up and stone the person, but it would have to be something done week after week, and the person did not care to obey.
For a one time offence is a sin, but sin can be forgiven if they repent, and do not want it, but if done time after time, and holding unto it, would be not caring to abstain from that sin, so then punishment comes.
For a rod for the fools back, and a fool will not learn, and give heed, but is defiant to do what they want, not a rod for a person that sins one time, and then repents and does not want it.
If the sabbath day was so important, and God made it a holy day, and a stoning offence, it would appear that not too many people were breaking the sabbath day, so to go against that week after week shows they do not care about God's ways so it was a stoning offence.
But sometimes Israel went a whoring after false gods so there may be times that many of them did not obey the sabbath day when they were disobedient, and perverted from the truth, so they would not give heed to the stoning offence at that time.
Also this is enacted by the people for the stoning offence, and what if they judge wrong and want to stone the person for one offence but normally they keep the sabbath.
But why is the sabbath day so important.
Because God made it a holy day in which He did not work, and made it a law to keep the sabbath to do no work that day, so that alone should be enough for God lays down the laws, and we have to obey for He is the Master of the universe, and it is His universe and His rules.
God defines what is sin, and what is not sin, and if He says stealing is a sin then it is a sin, and if He says bearing false witness against your neighbor is a sin then it is a sin, and if He says not keeping the sabbath day is a sin then it is a sin, and that is all there is to it.
And all sin will have punishment if not corrected.
Old Testament physical laws to go with the spiritual laws, so those physical laws have to be obeyed, but in the New Testament spiritual laws, laws of love, moral laws, which Jesus took the physical ordinances of Israel away nailing them to His cross for they were contrary to us, for they were against us concerning spiritual salvation, and cannot provide spiritual salvation, including the physical sabbath day.
God said in the Old Testament that with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to these people, saying this is the rest where you may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing, but they would not hear.
And Jesus said take His yoke upon you, and you will find rest for your souls, for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
It is a spiritual sabbath now, and everybody has to obey that sabbath for God commands all people to repent, acknowledge the truth, and be saved, which can only be done by receiving the Spirit.
And if they do not obey they will be judged like those that did not obey the physical sabbath.
For in the Old Testament they went by the creation of this world belonging to it for it was a physical covenant with the blessings on earth, so they went by the physical sabbath.
But in the New Testament Jesus went away to prepare a place for the saints, and when a person receives the Spirit the kingdom of God is within them, so we go by a spiritual sabbath, and we celebrate the new earth, the New Jerusalem.
We still obey the sabbath but it is a spiritual sabbath by the Spirit.
That is probably the reason it is so important to obey the physical sabbath in the Old Testament because it is a physical representation of the spiritual sabbath when they receive the Spirit, and we celebrate the creation of the new world in which the kingdom of God is within us, and we are strangers walking in the earth, for we belong to that new earth, so we go by that spiritual sabbath.
For that which is natural is first then that which is spiritual.
And when God fights the world at the battle of Armageddon He will spare one sixth of the world, and Jesus and the saints will rule over them, and they have to go up year after year to Jerusalem to worship the LORD, and keep the Old Testament feast of tabernacles to be right with God while on earth for the heathen are in the flesh, and are not spiritual.
For the Old Testament Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles represented a celebration of remembrance that God provided everything they needed for the sustaining of life.
And we know in the New Testament that God provides everything we need for the sustaining of spiritual life by the Spirit.
Also the physical sabbath had to do with ceasing from your labors concerning doing work to profit a person for their gain of self interest, which God wanted them to cease from that on the physical sabbath day from self interest works that had to do with their own benefit.
But if it was in the interest of other people for their needs then they could work doing that for we never cease working to help those in need, such as they need food and clothing, or to help them if their animal is hurt, or stuck in a hole, or if they are hurt and need physical need.
Which when the disciples went on the sabbath day through corn to get to their destination they plucked some corn and started eating, and the Pharisees said to Jesus they do what is not lawful on the sabbath day.
And Jesus said David and those with him were hungry and they went in to the house of God and ate the shewbread which is only allowed for the priests to eat, but it was alright for they had a need.
And Jesus said if a sheep fell in to a pit on the sabbath day it is alright to work to help the animal out of the pit.
And they accused Jesus of breaking the sabbath by healing on the sabbath day, but He said that the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath, and God never ceases to do good for us no matter what day it is.
Also Jesus said it is lawful to do well on the sabbath day.
So they could not work on the sabbath day if it was in self interest for gain, but they could work on the sabbath day that had to do with a person's needs.
For it was lawful to do that which is well on the sabbath, but not labor for things that are a self interest for a person that had nothing to do with needs, for a person only needs their needs to survive, not their wants.
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