Flags are flown & displayed show
support and devotion to our nation. Our flag, the U.S. flag, is
displayed in position of honor in relation to other flags.
It could be noted that the flag is
not displayed upside down, crooked, etc. The improper positioning
and orientation of the flag reflects disrespect and dishonor to our
nation. Proper displaying of the flag depicts and brings honor
upon our nation.
The national flag is a symbol of our
nation. The flag illustrates our reverence or irreverence for our
nation, depending how we treat this symbol of our nation.
The Lord has given a sign to His
people, the weekly Sabbath day. Observance or nonobservance
reflects honor or dishonor to our Lord (See Isaiah 58).
The Lord has made clear to His people
that He is a Jealous God. The Lord has taught His people to honor
their father and mother, and made this a commandment with
promise. It grieves the Lord when we disrespect the day He made
holy. He sanctified this day after creating heaven, earth and the
host therein (see Genesis 2)
God is a Spirit….(See John 4:24)
We are not to grieve Him (e.g.:
not
loving Him wholeheartedly).
Clearly, the Lord has made known the
need to observe this day, which is for our own benefit. He gave
us knowledge of sin when He wrote the commandment of righteousness on
tables of stone with the finger of God. After being glorified,
and pouring out His Spirit since the day of Pentecost, He has written
His commandments in our hearts.
Imagine one giving the national sign
respect, while giving God’s sign no respect. Under the Law,
Sabbath desecration had punitive judgment imposed. With grace,
God does the judging, not man. But, the Law can not remove what
it did not impose. The Law can not reach back to the seventh-day
and say “you are not holy anymore”. Jesus did not desecrate the
Sabbath. Jesus was true to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is for
man’s benefit, and Jesus saw that man received mercy, while still
giving God all the honor and glory. Through this act of mercy,
the adversary received no benefit.
Just as our flag is flown above flags
of other countries, so must the Lord's day be lifted above other days,
especially those dedicated to false gods.
Across the horizon I see battered
stars and stripes. They were established as symbols of respect
and honor. After the stars and stripes are weathered and yet
remain established, the symbol of honor can become a symbol of
dishonor. It is very unattractive to see pink stripes on a
torn-up American flag.
It is usually disrespectful to fly a
degraded flag. But, there are exceptions. For example, the
flags recovered from the September 11, 2001 World Trade Building Attack
are battered, yet they are now considered some of the most honored of
all American symbols.
In similar manner, when the weekly
Sabbath that the Lord has claimed as His Own is degraded, that reflects
disrespect to our Lord.
When the Lord’s Day is “irreverenced” the symbol of honor becomes a
symbol of dishonor. However, when this supposed irreverence is
due to the accomplishment of the Law of Love, as the Lord Jesus did
when He healed the sick on the Sabbath, the banner that was degraded
becomes a prized symbol. When mercy is bestowed on the Sabbath,
the Lord is honored on the day set aside to honor Him.
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