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Yes! There Is Good News!

Bill Rollins has been publishing each week a column in the local Elk Horn, Iowa paper for the past several years.
Note the original publication date on each blog post

Yes! There is Good News!                               11.2.18

12/10/2021

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In looking at the Fourth Commandment we saw, last week, that there was a slight difference in the two instances where the Ten Commandments are written. Deuteronomy begins by telling us to “Observe the Sabbath day” and Exodus starts by telling us to “Remember the Sabbath day. In Exodus the emphasis of this command is related to the creation found in Genesis 1 and 2. Within this version we find written, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your animals, not the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

As we look at this, let us note that God is concerned with animals. He is the Creator and He has compassion upon all the He has created. The alien that might have been living among them (There were a few Egyptians that tagged along with them as they left Egypt.) was also to be given a rest day. But the emphasis here is upon creation week.

In the other version of the commandments found in Deuteronomy we find this addition, “The seventh day is a Sabbath day to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, not your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath Day.” The emphasis here is on the fact that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. This was something that God wanted His people to remember and so to memorialize it by keeping the Sabbath day; a day of freedom.

Allow me to consider here what the Apostle Paul tells us about our own slavery. In Romans 6:16 we read, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Jesus Himself said in John 8:34, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

And so, what is the sign that leads us to remember our freedom? It is the Sabbath day! And our freedom leads us to rejoice in the freedom of obedience.

Within both of these versions we find written that the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD. This is not a man-made concept. God blessed the day and made it holy; only God can make a day holy! It is a gift from God to us and is something to be valued.

In every place I look, I see the hand of God giving good gifts and blessing to His people – let us rejoice in our God!
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    Author

    Bill Rollins resides in Elk Horn, IA, with his wife, Sally, and has pastored the Church of God of Omaha, NE for more than 35 years.

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  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent >
      • Psalm 120
      • Psalm 121
      • Psalm 122
      • Psalm 123
      • Psalm 124
      • Psalm 125
      • Psalm 126
      • Psalm 127
      • Psalm 128
      • Psalm 129
      • Psalm 130
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
    • Sabbath School 2023
    • Sabbath School 2022
    • Sabbath School 2021
    • Sabbath school 2020
    • Sabbath School 2019
    • Sabbath school 2018
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  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
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    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct