Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Christ, the Hope of the Sabbath

When God had put everything in its place: the heavenly host, the creatures populating the water and dry land, he ceased from his labors. All was perfect. The human beings were directed to take hold of the potential of what God had made and use it wisely for creation’s benefit and God’s glory. Alas, they were not content with what had been granted them and they rejected God’s story for their own. But God always has the first word and the last. He intends to re-establish, and even surpass, that original peace when he dwelt in perfect harmony with all that he had made.

To carry out that plan he initiated covenants. Promises made to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israel, and David, all led to the coming of the Redeemer, the one “born of the seed of the woman.” The particular covenant made with Israel had a unique component. They were told to keep the Sabbath, not doing any work on the seventh day, for the LORD “blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). God gave two rationales for expecting this of them: he had ceased from his work on the seventh day, and they were to remember that he had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt. As such, the Sabbath represented on the one hand the rest that had been scorned and on the other the gracious hope that had been set before them in the gospel. When they obeyed the Sabbath, they declared to all the world that they knew where history was headed.

When the promised Redeemer came, he declared himself “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). His lordship was evident in his correcting the accretions to the command made by the Pharisees. Most importantly, his lordship over the Sabbath was realized in his being the one to whom the command pointed, for the hope of dwelling in perfect harmony with God is possessed by all who believe in him (Hebrews 4:11). In the blood of the Promised One a New Covenant was initiated. And as the redemptive purpose of the Sabbath had been fulfilled, its demands were nailed to the cross

Though the Sabbath no longer binds the people of God, the consummation that it pointed to is yet to be realized. The church, like Israel before her, has an obligation to direct people’s eyes toward the end of all things. Our faithful participation in the worship of the Lord of the Sabbath, and our persistent pursuit of our new selves, will direct our watching neighbors to the reality of the hope set before them in the gospel. Let us not, therefore, neglect “to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25).

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

What's in a Name? Everything!

When parents are expecting a child, one of the tasks, indeed, privileges, is to choose a name for the boy or girl to be born. Sometimes they choose a name because of its sound. Sometimes they want to honor someone, a relative or famous historical figure. Despite such intentionality, it is not always the case that a name is chosen for what it means. And I doubt if it is ever chosen with an understanding that this is who this child is. In this regard, names in the Bible are of a different ilk. They very often signify something about the person: Abraham, the father of many nations; Jacob, supplanter; Nabal, fool; Moses, drawn out, which refers to his having been drawn out of the water by Pharaoh’s daughter, but also that he would draw out God’s people from Egypt. 

This association of name and person takes on eternal weight when we consider the name of God. Though there are several names by which the one true God is known, in an exchange with Moses we learn of the name that is unique to him: “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’’ And he said, ‘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 fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”’ (Exodus 3:14-15). From this name we learn of God’s transcendence and his imminence, his aseity and his covenant faithfulness. He exists, dependent upon nothing. But he is also near, carrying out his promise to Israel’s forefathers. 

We can then understand why God places such a premium on his name, why it is that his people are not to “take the name of YAHWEH your God in vain.” His name is his, it is holy, it is revelatory. If we use his name as a cloak for evil, such as to validate an oath we have no intention of fulfilling, or if it is woven into colloquialisms that express our surprise or frustration, or defame it by making it interchangeable with some “four letter word,” we have gravely diminished the glory attached to the only true God for we have treated his name as though it were worthless, signifying nothing.

God’s name is to be reverenced by all, but this is a particular obligation for his people. As he places his name on them, calling them his own, it is to be borne well by them as they live their lives. And because it is name of the God of salvation, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, we are to confess it before all for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Worshiping Idols

Taking the First and Second Commandments together, we learn who we are to worship and how we are not to worship. Yahweh alone is to be worshiped and he specifically says that images are not to be worshiped when we worship. Does the Second Commandment forbid the making of images altogether? It does not. In truth, God enjoys images. He is the one who made all that there is and, as the apostle teaches, “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” The issue is not images. The issue is idolatry, and specifically, the use of images (or idols) by which we worship. Please notice that last preposition. By which we worship is not the same thing as in our worship, nor is it the same as the use of images when we are not worshiping. 

Though it has often been the case that in Reformed circles depicting God has been frowned upon, if not downright prohibited, the Second Commandment says nothing about it. Wisdom might teach that depicting God could lead someone astray, either by encouraging worship of the depiction, or by creating a misleading image in people’s perception of what God is like. But the fact that God created men and women “in his image,” and that he fully took on our existence in the incarnation, suggests that he is not opposed to being depicted in very concrete ways. Some might counter that the two instances I mention involve his acting to reveal himself. That is true, but again, the Second Commandment involves worshiping images, not making them, even of God.

So, if something is clearly proscribed when it comes to worship, is there a guideline as to what is permitted? The best rule is twofold: keep God as the primary audience of worship throughout, and include only those elements that have biblical warrant. Following this rule, the liturgy (all churches follow a liturgy) might be complex or simple. It might feature an orchestra, or a small ensemble (that it can involve both music and musicians most certainly has biblical warrant). It might include written or extemporaneous prayers (but it should include prayer). It definitely should involve Scripture with its exposition. And celebrating the Lord’s Table when the faithful are gathered also has biblical precedent. 

There are other elements that could be considered, but whatever is included should direct the congregation’s faith and devotion to the one, true, living and redeeming God. Anything else is worship of the creature and not the Creator, which is what is specifically prohibited by the First and Second Commandments.