Banquet With The King

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Like the chickadee - rest on the Sabbath Day.

"Tell the people of Israel: 'Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.'" Exodus 31:13-17

Meditate. Consider God’s holiness.

The Rabbis at the Temple in Jerusalem debated about God’s Holiness. God told us many times that we needed to be holy. In this passage, where God gives Moses instructions for the Hebrew people during their exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, He tells us that He is the Lord…specifically, I am the LORD, who makes you holy. I find it interesting that when Father God told Moses to go to Egypt and rescue His people, Moses wanted to know what he should tell them about who sent him.

But Moses protested, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?" God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you." God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations. Exodus 3:13-15

Yahweh is holy, powerful, loving, and merciful, and He wants us to keep His commandments, including the one about the Sabbath. He made the Heavens and the earth and all that is in it in six days, and then He rested. He knows we need to rest, too. I will honor Him and keep the Sabbath—but would He want people to suffer on the Sabbath? Can people be healed, take care of their animals, or even follow other directives like circumcision on the Sabbath? How can we keep the Sabbath? I will think about this in Nazareth and in the future days ahead--as I grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Prayer – Lord God Almighty, You are Holy. The covenant in this passage seems so very strict. Will people be put to death for not keeping the Sabbath? Forgive me and give me guidance about this holy day. Purify my heart and make me holy for Your use. Like Jesus, I want to honor You by keeping Your commandments, even concerning the Sabbath. Jesus and His disciples gathered grain to eat and healed people on the Sabbath. What are we to do? How can we keep Your Sabbath day holy?

Verse of Salvation ~ "Listen to me, you who know right from wrong, you who cherish my law in your hearts. Do not be afraid of people's scorn, nor fear their insults. For the moth will devour them as it devours clothing. The worm will eat at them as it eats wool. But my righteousness will last forever. My salvation will continue from generation to generation." Isaiah 51:7-8

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Much Love & Prayers...Always

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

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