Boundaries, it is a great idea but hard to implement…
Over the next few posts we are going to be talking about boundaries.
We start today with on of the first boundaries put in place by the Lord
Time and Rest
God Rests In Creation
The Seventh Day: God Rests
(Exodus 16:22-36; Hebrews 4:1-11)
Gen. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Rest Under the Law
Exodus 16:13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
The Sabbath Observed
(Genesis 2:1-3; Hebrews 4:1-11)
22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. 33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
New American Standard Bible
Ex 34:21 “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.
Rest Corrupted
The religious leaders within Old Testament in there zeal to obey the law ended up corrupting it by adding in legalistic extra biblical laws and requirement…
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A radish may be dipped in salt, but not left in it too long, for that might pickle it.
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A person could not wear false teeth on the Sabbath lest they fall out and that person be tempted to pick them up and carry them, which would be a burden.
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Mud on a person’s clothing could be crushed by a person’s hand and then shaken off, but it could not be rubbed out of the garment.
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If a person took a bath, opinions were divided whether that person should dry all at once or dry limb by limb.
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“If water had fallen on the dress, some allowed the dress to be shaken but not wring; others, to be wrung but not shaken. One Rabbi allowed to spit into the handkerchief, and that although it may necessitate the compressing of what had been wetted; but there is a grave discussion whether it was lawful to spit on the ground, and then to rub it with the foot, because thereby the earth may be scratched. It may, however, be done on stones” (Edersheim, p. 783).
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A person was not allowed to cut their hair and fingernails on the Sabbath. If done in the ordinary way, that would be a mortal sin. If done in an unordinary way, that would be a lesser sin.
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An animal might be assisted in birthing on the Sabbath, but not to the extent that a woman could be helped. For her sake the Sabbath could be desecrated. Also for circumcision the Sabbath could be desecrated.
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“For example, a person might bathe in mineral waters, but not carry home the linen with which he had dried himself. He might anoint and rub the body, but not to the degree of making himself tired; but he might not use any artificial remedial measures, such as taking a show-bath. Bones might not be set nor emetics given, nor any medical or surgical operation performed” (Edersheim, vol. 2, p. 786).
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You could not eat an egg which was laid on the Sabbath for that was not specifically prepared for eating on the Sabbath. But if the chicken were set aside as Sabbath food, and it laid an egg you could then eat the egg because it was simply part of the chicken that had fallen off.
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On the Sabbath, you could not climb a tree, ride, swim, clap your hands, strike your side, or dance.
When the Lord arrived on the scene.. he soundly rejected and rebuked those who practiced such legalism.
Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath
Luke 13:10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
When is the sabbath or time of rest-
The Jewish Sabbath has alway been and is still today from Friday night sundown until Saturday night sundown.
The Christian’s after many of the gentiles were saved , began to worship on Sundays due to Jesus rising on Sunday and it became known as the Lord’s day… it was a time of celebration, bible reading, sermons and fellowship.
The Sabbath Rest a Type of the Holy Ghost
Col 2:16 Therefore, no one is to [p]act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath [q]day— 17 things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the [r]substance [s]belongs to Christ.
Is 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
The Sabbath Under the Law of Liberty ans Love.
The Law of Liberty
1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; [a]and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died [b]and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of [c]Christ. 11 For it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another [d]anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
The Law of Love
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in [e]these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may [f]edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with [g]offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles [h]or is offended or is made weak. 22 [i]Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is [j]sin.
So the first boundary for all is:
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The Lord left us an example, he worked 6 days and rested on the seventh.
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To realize, our natural bodies were not made to word seven days a week.
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To realize that rest is Holy and a type of the Holy Ghost
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That no one is to be judged or not judged on the holidays, sabbaths or days they keep to the Lord.
Forty percent of Americans are sleep deprived – many get less than five hours of sleep per night. While most people don’t give lack of sleep much thought, there are in fact life-threatening consequences. When you allow yourself to work late, watch TV, stay out until midnight or get caught up with your favorite games, you deprive yourself of a critical element of optimal health and brain function.
Here are five significant risks to your mental and physical well-being:
Your reaction time slows down
When you’re sleep-deprived, driving and other potentially dangerous activities become risky. Sleepiness behind the wheel is nearly as dangerous as drinking and driving.
Your thinking suffers
Just a single night of sleeping only four to six hours can impact your ability to think clearly the next day. Without enough rest and sleep, you will have difficulty processing information and making decisions. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to developing Alzheimer’s disease sooner than those who sleep well.
Immune function deteriorates
Sleep deprivation, just like physical stress or illness, depletes your immune system and is associated with an increased risk of numerous chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
A decline in memory and learning
Our brains have neuroplasticity, the ability to grow new neurons and heal itself. It is the foundation of your brain’s capacity to control behavior, learning and memory. However, sleep loss interferes with this process. Getting at least eight hours of sleep works to strengthen your capacity for learning and memory.
Heightened emotions
Without sufficient sleep, your emotions are more reactive. You are more likely to have arguments with colleagues and family, and you are more apt to blow things out of proportion. When you’re well-rested, your brain will help you manage your emotions.
Start to increase your awareness of signs that your body is sending you. It’s telling you something important! Trust these signals, and listen to the messages, so you take action. Face that you may be in denial. Learning to listen to your body will take you to new levels of self-awareness and health. You’ll get sick less often; your weight will optimize, you’ll have energy, a better memory – and all of those little annoying symptoms will get the attention they need so you are always your best self!
