This is the second in a 5-part series on the spirit of the sabbath. Through this journey we press beyond the shallow ideas of sabbath that are commonly taught today, and go deeper to discover the real meaning and power that we’ve been missing.
2 - The Gift of Increase
God's guidance on resting and trusting is not just some purity test of obedience. It's a transformative process by which God grows us and draws us closer to him. And it's a process that God guarantees to reward. Inside of God's instruction to rest is a promise of increase.
Leviticus 26:2-5, 9-10
2 “‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
3 “‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.
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9 “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.
The fear that often governs our pace of life tells us that if we stop or slow down to rest, we will have less. Could it be possible that rest might actually give us more?
