ESOCS Devotional 15 February 2025 – Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
MEMORY VERSE: “Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.” Jeremiah 17:22 KJV
TEXT: JEREMIAH 17:14-27
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise.
15 Indeed they say to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You,
Nor have I desired the woeful day;
You know what came out of my lips;
It was right there before You.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
You are my hope in the day of doom.
18 Let them be ashamed who persecute me,
But do not let me be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed,
But do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of doom,
And destroy[a] them with double destruction!
19 Thus the Lord said to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 23 But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.
24 “And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully,” says the Lord, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, 25 then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever. 26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, from the mountains and from the [d]South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of the Lord.
27 “But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”
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The official law and command to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy is recorded in Exodus 20:8. But at this time when Jeremiah wrote, the people were using the Sabbath day, their day of rest to work. Instead of entering the gates of the city on their way to worship, they continued the hustle and bustle of business like any other day. They considered making money more important than keeping God’s law.
Keeping the Sabbath was to be a signal that the nation was obedient to the law of the covenant. On the contrary, it meant they carried on with their thirst to engage in trading to exploit and gain from their labourers. It was a signal that they had forgotten God and created a religion that would conform to their materialistic culture. If they repent, God would keep them in their land, and save the city.
The major lesson here is not about Sabbath, but obedience to the laws of God. God said, “If you love me keep my commandments”(John 14:15). It is also about placing God and things of God first before any other thing. It is about maintaining sanctity over anything to which He has commanded us. Disobeying the commandment of God attracts punishment upon the offender.
It is important to state that Jesus teaching on Sabbath did not contravene the Old Testament Sabbath laws. He rather gave it its rightful meaning, which is still all about obedience, keeping God first and His things holy, rest and showing love and care.
CHALLENGES
- So many teachings abound today about Sabbath laws as stated in Exodus 20:8. List them out carefully and meditate on them.
PRAYER POINT
- Father, give me the grace to understand your teachings and obey your commandments.
FURTHER READING: Exodus 20:8-11; Leviticus 23: 23-25; Luke 13: 10-17
ESOCS Devotional 15 February 2025
