Wednesday Week 11

There is one story in all scripture that gives any clear indication of the kind of activity God forbids on the Sabbath. That may surprise you since the Pharisees seemed to have a lot of problems with what Jesus did on the Sabbath. But there is this one story:

'While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. then the Lord said to Moses, The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp. So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.' Numbers 15:32-36

The punishment seems grossly out of proportion to the crime. Gather wood and die. And yet, the man won't stop. He won't, for one day, lay down his load and refuse to pick it up again. He won't, for one day, trust God to meet his needs.

Such living always carries with it a death penalty.

Mark Buchanon - The Holy Wild