I wonder how directors of art museums feel when people buy tickets, but then give cursory glances at exhibits and leave. They might ask why they bothered to pay the entry fee. Curators spend years acquiring the finest artwork to benefit the public, yet visitors rush through museums and miss the beauty found in the detailed work of the artists. Do you think the curators feel discouraged when people are in too much of a hurry to appreciate the artwork?

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Reading the Bible is like going to the museum. There are many “exhibits” in God’s Word that we miss when we rush. One of the best decisions I made was to slow down my Bible reading plan, shifting from reading it in one year to completing it in two years. I reap the benefits of this decision daily. With less to read, I take my time digesting each passage. The exhibits haven’t changed, but I’m “seeing” them for the first time. God curated the stories to preserve them for us. He wants us to appreciate the beauty of His Word and hopes we won’t rush through our reading. Moreover, He wants us to know and appreciate Him.

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I want to share an “exhibit” I found that deepened my appreciation of our Father. As I slowed down to do some “sight-seeing” of chapter 25 of Leviticus, I read something that caught me off guard:

Lev 25:2-4 The Lord said to Moses, “When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.”

We know the body must rest to restore itself. Most of us know the Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord.” But how many of us think about the need for the land to rest in order to restore its fertility and fruitfulness? God reinforced His Sabbath law for the year of Jubilee, which happened once every fifty years:

Leviticus 25 tell us,“Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. You may ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?’ I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for THREE YEARS. While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.’” (Lev. 25:18-22)

God knows us well. He tells us to give the land a Sabbath, and we worry about where our next meal will come from! Fear not. God is our faithful provider. He has prepared in advance to bless us with provisions, to take care of our needs during our times of respite. He promised that His children would eat their fill. I see God’s generosity toward us when we obey His commands.

This passage also brings new meaning to the passage, “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Cor 9:6b) Our part of this important principle is to sow liberally, but God’s part is to determine how large the harvest will be. Paul reinforces the fact that God controls the harvest: “I planted the seed (gospel), Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (I Cor 3:6-7) Sometimes God produces a harvest that is threefold, as seen in Leviticus 25, or it may be a thousand times over! Deuteronomy 1:11 says, “May the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised.” We serve a God who wants to bless us abundantly. He does this when we obey Him, which sometimes requires us to slow down and honor the Sabbath.

God is an amazing curator. If I had hurried through my Bible reading plan, I would have missed the beauty of Leviticus 25. It’s a wonderful exhibit. I learned more about God as a faithful and generous provider by enjoying His details, but I also learned the importance of rest as a bonus. We are more fruitful in our labor for God when we observe the Sabbath. He invites us to slow down. Are you tired of being in a hurry? Can we dedicate a day to rest without being “productive?”

Why do you think it’s hard to honor the Sabbath? How can we look at Sabbath differently that will motivate us to enjoy rest?

Blessings,

Lee Ann

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