Holy Convocations – The Fourth Commandment

Holy Convocations

Exodus 20:8

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

We are to remember the Lord’s Day and to guard it against anything that threatens its holy, restful purposes. In Leviticus 23:3 the Lord tells us that He has appointed this as a day of holy convocation–a time for God’s people to come together (“convocation”–“called” together) and unite their voices in worship of their Creator, Redeemer, and Lord.

We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the custom of some (Heb. 10:25); rather, we must join in worship and pour ourselves out before the Lord Who calls us together to renew our covenant relationship with Him, week by week. We “rest” in the midst of God’s people as we “rest” our attention on the Lord, “rest” our praises at His feet, and prepare in worship for the “rest” of that holy day.

God tells us that “above all” we must keep His Sabbaths (Exod. 31:13). What about “above all” do we just not understand?

How might you carry the content of your morning worship service into the “rest” of your Lord’s Day?  How would you expect to benefit from doing so?

Daily meditation in the Law of God helps us along the path of holiness, righteousness, and goodness (Rom. 7:12). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compilation of the Mosaic Law for contemporary believers, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.