by Tad Lindley
If you are traveling up and down the Kuskokwim, you may notice that there are very few logs tied up. For whatever reason, not much wood came down with the ice. Some years there is lots of wood, this is not one of them. And it was perhaps in just such a year that a man went logging on Saturday, and ended up paying the ultimate price.
While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly. (Numbers 15:32-33 NIV) He was brought before the judge, Moses. Unsure how to handle the situation, Moses sought guidance from God. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp (Numbers 15:35). Ouch.
Overkill
We might think, “Isn’t this going overboard? The poor guy was probably out of wood and wanted to cook.” Here are the facts. The Lord had clearly written in stone: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (Exodus 20:9-10). For some unknown reason, this man chose to deliberately defy God’s command.
The Sabbath
The Sabbath is the day that we call Saturday in English. According to the Hebrew Bible it is to be set aside as holy. No work is to be done on that day.
Jesus was called into question for healing on the Sabbath. In fact the Pharisees wanted to kill him because he did work on the Sabbath by healing a man. Jesus dealt with them as follows: What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? [For this reason] it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. (Matthew 12:11-12).
As New Testament Christians, we are not bound to set Saturday aside. Some do, and that is their personal privilege. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:5-6 NIV)
Every one of us ought to thank the Lord that we do not live under the Old Testament. The Bible teaches us that the reward for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Fortunately for us, Jesus took our sin upon himself. In other words, he received the death penalty on our behalf. This is the reason that those of us who have deliberately rebelled against the Lord have mercy.
What about chronic sinners?
We might wonder about people who are lost in sin. If Jesus really hates sin, why does he let them continue in it? Is the Lord ignoring what he sees? Is he ignoring drunkenness and abuse? Is he ignoring the foul-mouthed and the atheist? Is he ignoring the sexually promiscuous and the thief? Absolutely not: Sin breaks the heart of God. He is not ignoring it. He is waiting patiently, hoping that people will turn away. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NIV)
Us
Most of us are guilty of doing much worse than logging on Saturday. In God’s economy, we are worthy of the death penalty. We can find mercy and forgiveness at the cross. It was a price that Jesus willingly paid so that we could rise up from the brokenness of sin. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him [that joy is our salvation from death] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).
If you are forgiven, rejoice in it. If you are still living with sin in your life, do not wait. Meet with Jesus today in prayer with tears of repentance. Have your sin washed away in baptism. He has already made a way for you to be saved, walk in it!
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