Saturday, September 1, 2018
Deuteronomy 5:13ff Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. . . . Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you from there with a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
There was little danger that the Jews, once settled in Canaan, would dream of returning to the sweatshops of Egypt. But there was every danger that they would become enslaved right where they lived. Like us, they were probably tempted to work around the clock, seven days a week, trying to carve out a better life for themselves and their children. Like us, they ran the risk of losing their perspective by overestimating the value of material things. What better way to correct one's perspective than a day off with God's Word?
Each Sabbath reminded them of their amazing deliverance from Egypt. Today, the Gospel reminds us of our deliverance from an oppressor more ruthless than Pharaoh and from a bondage far worse than making bricks. God sent His own Son to liberate us from death, sin, and the devil's power. Otherwise held in bondage, God has set us free for all eternity. Those who are eternally free should not allow themselves to be enslaved by the temporal things of this life.
What if you can't afford time off with God's Word? Well, the Sabbath taught them that it wasn't their power or ability that brought them freedom. It was the mighty hand and outstretched arm of God. Today God's Word reminds us that it isn't our ingenuity or effort that brings happiness in life, but God's grace. We like to think that it all depends on us, but it doesn't. We may worry about losing time or money by putting God first, but we never do. Our Savior's promise, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you," whether believed or doubted, is still true.
-- From the "Lutheran Spokesman"
