August 13, 2022

But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 1 Samuel 15:14

King Saul, under unmistakably clear instructions from the LORD, had not carried them out (see v.3). Yet, in all sincerity, Saul’s greeting to Samuel was punctuated at the end with these words: “I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” (v.13) Following Samuel’s direct question as to why Saul disobeyed the LORD’s command, Saul gave this delusional reply: “But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.” (v.20)

Fast-forward to the days of Jeremiah. Called by God from his youth, Jeremiah, more than any of the other prophets, highlighted the counsel of God laid out in Deuteronomy. To live in the land … beyond the Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:20) was an allusion to eternity with God, where you [will have] rest from all your enemies… so that you dwell in safety. (12:9-10). One of God’s greatest lessons for mankind is to learn how to truly rest in Him. But, oh, how stubborn we are!

Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.” But they said, “We will not walk in it.” Jeremiah 6:16

The Lord commanded Jeremiah on one occasion to occupy a prominent spot at one of the main entrances to Jerusalem to highlight the importance of keeping holy the Sabbath day. They were losing sight of its sanctity, as pronounced in His Word (Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:11, Isaiah 58:13; 66:23, Ezekiel 20:12,20; 22:26, Matthew 12:8; 24:20, Mark 2:27, Luke 23:56, Revelation 14:7). Jeremiah solemnly warned them against the pursuit of secular interests on that day. A blessing was promised, on condition of obedience, but they failed to see the eternal implications as the promise referenced that eternal City that God is building. It is the city where no burden of sin shall ever be allowed to enter . . .

“And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully,” says the LORD, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever.” Jeremiah 17:24-25 (see also Revelation 1:6)