Brett Hawthorn @BrettHawthorn@dingdash.com

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:8-10‬ ‭NIV* “The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. All the people will know it— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria— who say with pride and arrogance of heart, “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.””‬‬

*9:8-10* Pride made Israel think it would recover and rebuild in its own strength. Even though God made Israel a nation and gave them the land they occupied, the people put their trust in themselves rather than in him. Too often we take pride in our own accomplishments forgetting that it is God who has given us our every resource and ability. We may even become proud of our unique status as Christians. God is not pleased with any pride or trust in ourselves because it cuts off our contact with him.

*Ezekiel‬ ‭20:12-13‬ ‭NIV* “Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy. “ ‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.”‬‬

The Sabbath, instituted by God at creation, was entrusted to Israel as a sign that God had created and redeemed them (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15). This day of rest was a gift from a loving God, not a difficult obligation. But the people repeatedly desecrated the Sabbath and ignored their God (see also 20:20,21). It was meant to be a memory device but they ignored it. Today, many Christians celebrate the Lord’s Day, Sunday, as their Sabbath. Whatever the day, we must be careful to fulfill God’s purpose for the Sabbath. He wants us to rest, to refocus, and to remember him.

*‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭20:39‬ ‭NIV* ““ ‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.”‬‬

*20:39* The Israelites were worshiping idols and giving gifts to God at the same time! They did not believe in their God as the one true God; instead, they worshipped him along with the other gods of the land. Perhaps they enjoyed the immoral pleasures of idol worship; or perhaps they didn’t want to miss out on the benefits the idols might give them. Often people believe in God and give him gifts of church attendance or service, while still holding on to their idols of money, power, or pleasure, not wanting to miss out on any possible benefits. But God wants all of our lives and all of our devotion; he will not share it because devotion to anything else is idol worship. Beware of trying to keep God pleases while you also pursue the pleasures of sin. You must chose one or the other.