The Sabbath(II)
In Ezek 44:18 we are told concerning the priests, “Linen turbans shall be on their heads, and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat.”
Sweat is the result of exerting our own strength, so sweat speaks of a ministry that comes from our own efforts. If we are going to be the priests of the Lord, we must not take on anything that makes us sweat. The Lord beckons us in Matt 11:28-30:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”
A yoke speaks of work, but when we are yoked with the Lord, it will be His strength that does the work, and we just get carried along for the ride! It is the Spirit that He has given to us that will do the work, just as He did from the beginning. We are told in Acts 7:48, “the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands.” Paul the Apostle explained to the men of Athens in Acts 17:25, “neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything.” All of our best efforts will not accomplish anything for Him. We are simply called to obedience and abiding in Him. When we come to rest in Him, He will then move through us, and we will actually find rest and refreshment as He does it.
We see in His call that we need to be yoked with Him. By doing this, we learn from Him to be gentle and humble. When we depart from these two great qualities of the Lord, we will begin to work in our own strength. We know that when we begin to sweat and strive, we have departed from abiding in Him, and from the rest that we have in Him. When we abide in His rest, we are always refreshed instead of drained.
- Pray that the earth will indeed yield its best for you in this spring season even as the heavens have so declared (Gen 49:26, Deut 33:15-16.).
- Thank God. He is the Son of Righteousness and will in this season rise with healing in His wings. If there is any area of ailment, command the heavens to release it to you and your loved ones.
- The heavens shall not smite you, but rather, they will release every healing and succor for your body, soul and spirit. (Psalm 121:6-8, Mal 4:2)