Showing posts with label sabbath. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sabbath. Show all posts
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Agriculture and the Sabbath-a test of faith
Did a little research on various internet sites and thought I would share it with any study heads out there that like this stuff...
Leviticus 25:1-5 (NIV) 1 The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
Sabbaths are a Test Commandment
The Sabbaths are a test commandment to "prove the people whether they would walk in God's law or not" (Ex. 16:4-30).
As part of the fourth commandment, the Sabbath and Jubilee years are a test of faith for God's people to obey and trust Him to bless them and provide their needs even during long periods of commanded rest (Lev 25:20-22; 26:2-12; Neh 5)."And if you say, 'What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?'" Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth produce enough for three years" (Lev 25:20-21).
The Sabbath and Jubilee years were given to provide a "sabbatical rest" for the land and for man, requiring farmers to take a break from their regular pursuit for profit and wealth, learning to trust God to provide.
Throughout history, man has exploited the land, which caused erosion and depletion of soil fertility and productivity and resulted in the downfall of many civilizations of the past (see "Conquest of the Land Through 7,000 Years," Agricultural Information Bulletin No. 99, U.S.D.A and "Ill Fared the Land").
The principles of the land rest are principles of soil conservation for maintaining and improving soil fertility, rediscovered by the U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Service, which was established because of the "dust bowl" of the 1930's in the U.S. For more understanding of soils and sustainable soil management principles see "Keys to Understanding Soil's & Soil Testing for Sustainable Soil Management" and "Soil Biotechnology for Profitable & Sustainable Agricultural Systems".
God knows the the land needs to rest and He commands us to let it rest. May we obey for our own prosperity's sake. By the way, what am I made out of? Psalms 103:14 (NIV) 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. I need my rest every seven days too or I become less productive.
Leviticus 25:1-5 (NIV) 1 The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
Sabbaths are a Test Commandment
The Sabbaths are a test commandment to "prove the people whether they would walk in God's law or not" (Ex. 16:4-30).
As part of the fourth commandment, the Sabbath and Jubilee years are a test of faith for God's people to obey and trust Him to bless them and provide their needs even during long periods of commanded rest (Lev 25:20-22; 26:2-12; Neh 5)."And if you say, 'What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?'" Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth produce enough for three years" (Lev 25:20-21).
The Sabbath and Jubilee years were given to provide a "sabbatical rest" for the land and for man, requiring farmers to take a break from their regular pursuit for profit and wealth, learning to trust God to provide.
Throughout history, man has exploited the land, which caused erosion and depletion of soil fertility and productivity and resulted in the downfall of many civilizations of the past (see "Conquest of the Land Through 7,000 Years," Agricultural Information Bulletin No. 99, U.S.D.A and "Ill Fared the Land").
The principles of the land rest are principles of soil conservation for maintaining and improving soil fertility, rediscovered by the U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Service, which was established because of the "dust bowl" of the 1930's in the U.S. For more understanding of soils and sustainable soil management principles see "Keys to Understanding Soil's & Soil Testing for Sustainable Soil Management" and "Soil Biotechnology for Profitable & Sustainable Agricultural Systems".
God knows the the land needs to rest and He commands us to let it rest. May we obey for our own prosperity's sake. By the way, what am I made out of? Psalms 103:14 (NIV) 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. I need my rest every seven days too or I become less productive.
More bricks less straw
The command to take a Sabbath day every week and rest cannot be properly understood apart from these words, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of slavery". Coming out of Egypt into the promised land required a change in how they viewed productivity and freedom. Egypt was the epicenter of modern culture and technology. The biggest city. The best homes. The pyramids. All this built on the backs of ever harder working slaves. The Jews were given quotas of how many bricks they were to produce in a day. If they did not make quota or complained Pharoe would beat then and increase the quota. Seven days a week they worked to produce more and more and more.
Exodus 5:10-14 (NIV) 10 Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.'" 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw." 14 The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh's slave drivers were beaten and were asked, "Why didn't you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?"
For us, coming out of Egypt and into a new place of freedom means rejecting the voice of the worlds fastest and most demanding economy that tells us "more bricks less straw". Productivity at all cost often means doing more with less.
But can we do more with less rest? Or do we actually become less productive if we do not get regular times of rest? "But if I can just get the overtime we can get that bigger, nicer condo down on the nile". Really? What does it matter to have "better" things when you are too tired and stressed to really enjoy them? In the long run we are not more productive with out a Sabbath anyway. Without proper rest we break down physically, emotionally, and spiritually and begin to lose our abilty to be fruitful in all areas of our lives. You can even see this is agriculture. Of course, God already knew this. I will discuss this tomorrow.
Exodus 5:10-14 (NIV) 10 Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.'" 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw." 14 The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh's slave drivers were beaten and were asked, "Why didn't you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?"
For us, coming out of Egypt and into a new place of freedom means rejecting the voice of the worlds fastest and most demanding economy that tells us "more bricks less straw". Productivity at all cost often means doing more with less.
But can we do more with less rest? Or do we actually become less productive if we do not get regular times of rest? "But if I can just get the overtime we can get that bigger, nicer condo down on the nile". Really? What does it matter to have "better" things when you are too tired and stressed to really enjoy them? In the long run we are not more productive with out a Sabbath anyway. Without proper rest we break down physically, emotionally, and spiritually and begin to lose our abilty to be fruitful in all areas of our lives. You can even see this is agriculture. Of course, God already knew this. I will discuss this tomorrow.
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