Holiness: Sabbath

For six days we work to make this world a better place. But the seventh we set aside to reflect on the good that God has done. 

Faithfulness, justice, and mercy. These are the attributes that should mark our work and our rest.

The six work days are about what we do--our work for the Kingdom. Wherever we are in life, God calls us to work faithfully as to Him, for He placed us where we are. Doesn't matter if that's writing books, forecasting storms, shoveling sand, or cooking for your siblings. We are to work with justice, always doing the right thing even when it hurts. And we are to work with mercy, for we are all human. We all make mistakes and we all need love. It's not just business. It is your post as an ambassador of the Most High.

On Sabbath we remember it's not about us. It's about our Father. This is when we recover our identity as the children of God. We remember His faithfulness to His Covenant, His justice for the poor, the stranger, the oppressed, and His mercy on His people. The work is done. It is finished. There is nothing we can add to or take away from what He has done. All that is left is for us to rest in His goodness.


How do you set apart the Shabbat?

Back to Holiness Challenge

Holiness Challenge

Today is First Fruits and the beginning of the counting of the omer--fifty days that lead up from First Fruits to Shavuot (Pentecost). We are commanded to mark each of these days as we count toward the offering of first fruits of wheat. Traditionally, this is considered a time of preparation and spiritual growth, culminating with the giving of the Torah and the Holy Spirit at Shavuot.

One of the things I've been studying recently is holiness. So, I've decided to take these fifty days as a sort of "holiness challenge." I've divided these this out so that each week would correspond with certain "holiness" commandments. My hope is that this will not only help cultivate holiness, but also bring out some understanding of those commandments that are often regarded as purely "ceremonial." Things like kosher and tzitzit and Sabbath--I believe these are not only symbols, but practical boundary markers set in place to help us maintain a standard of holiness.

That being said, I don't claim this to be the best way to divide up holiness and I am almost certainly leaving something out. Nor is my understanding of holiness perfect. But I hope that this is a start in the right direction. You are welcome to join me on this adventure. I'm going to try to post something to the blog each week--I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. After all, challenging and encouraging each other helps us to grow. At any rate, I hope that this will be a season of spiritual growth and learning for all of us--growing closer to our Father and learning His ways as we prepare to receive His Spirit. The chase is on.


Week 1: Time (Sabbath & Prayer)
--focus your day with prayer
--six days of work, seventh day is a Shabbat

Week 2: Home (Mezuzah)
--let nothing unclean enter your gates

Week 3: Relationships (Tzitzit)
--know who you are
--conduct yourself with purity

Week 4: Tongue (Blessings / Leprosy)
--let your mouth and your deeds speak only blessings

Week 5: Possessions (Tithe)
--set apart the first part of everything God has given you

Week 6: Friendships (Kosher)
--maintain proper boundaries in friendship

Week 7: Selflessness (Light)
--do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Meaning of Holiness

What is holiness and why do we need it?

Literally, the word "Kadosh" (Holy) means "set apart." It implies distinction and boundaries. Scripture says "Be holy for I am holy" implying a sort of Godliness in this idea of holiness (1 Pet. 1:16).

Stopping here, some have taken holiness to mean "isolationism" or "religiosity." Isolationism comes from a fear of being polluted, of losing your status of holiness. Religiosity stems from pride, the "holier than thou" attitude. The problem with both of these ideas is that they are stripped of purpose. Holiness is reduced down to something that revolves around you. Isaiah 65:5 speaks of this type of holiness. So, what is the purpose of holiness?

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. -- 2 Timothy 2:21

According to Paul in 2 Timothy, holiness is to prepare us for "every good work." Two examples can help to illustrate this.

Consider a hospital with doctors and patients. It is essential for the doctors to maintain a sort of "holiness" in order to keep from getting sick. But that is not the end goal. If that were the case, they could simply stay away from the hospital. The end goal is the healing of the patients. The doctors maintain their holiness so that they may be well equipped to bring healing to the world. It is the same with Biblical holiness.

Consider also the Sabbath. It is interesting to note that God did not make every day Sabbath. If it was His intention that we live in the Sabbath, then He would have done so (remember, this all happened before the fall). Rather, He divided the week into six days of work and one day of rest. Six common days and one holy day. Why? So that the holiness of Sabbath could overflow into our mundane working lives and touch every corner of creation. We rest on Sabbath so that we may be restored in order to carry out "every good work" of the Kingdom the other six days. Of course, this process works like a cycle where the other six days serve as preparation for the Sabbath as well, but we cannot forget the other half.

As we work to set up boundaries in our lives and maintain Godliness, we should keep the purpose of holiness in mind. Standards that are too strict will cut us off from our purpose in the world, while standards too loose will render us ineffective. Finding that balance takes time--it is a growing process. But I believe if we keep the purpose of holiness in mind--so that we may be a light unto the world--I believe that will help guide us.