By Andrew Williams – January 21, 2022
It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial; it is a permanent statute.
Leviticus 16:31 HCSB
Good morning fellow disciples.
In this passage that speaks about the day of atonement God declares it to be a Sabbath of complete rest. Later we see God saying that on this day you should do no work, your servant should not work, nor should your animals work. The next thing that God says is that they should practice self-denial. What is self-denial?
Self-denial is the habit of refusing to do or have things that you would like, either because you cannot afford them, or because you believe it is morally good for you not to do them or have them.
God is telling us that we need to refuse to do, or have things that we like on this day of rest. This is because doing or having these things would cause us not to have complete rest.
Rest is defined as “to cease from action or motion : refrain from labor or exertion” or, “to be free from anxiety or disturbance”.
What happened on the day of atonement?
“Atonement will be made for you on this day to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Leviticus 16:30 HCSB
On the Sabbath day the people got rest. Due to the sacrifices and the atonement that was made for them they were set free from their sins. Oh how great it is to be set free from sin!
That is indeed complete Sabbath rest! Rest for the body, rest for the soul, and the rest for the spirit!
Prayer: Father God, I need complete Sabbath rest. I need rest from my work. I need rest for my soul, and I need to rest for my spirit! Only You can give this to me, Lord!
I will do as You say and seek my complete Sabbath rest. I repent of my sins and ask You to cleanse me. I place my soul, which is my thoughts, emotions, inclinations, and desires in submission to You. I also take a break from my physical work so that I can spend time fellowshipping with You, amen.