As I said before - I believe every day is sacred and holy. I believe all of the days and everything we do should be dedicated to God, but understand that other doctrines require a single day set aside for church and family... but I'm wondering.... why Sunday? Wasn't the sabbath supposed to be on the 7th day of the week? Looking around, every calendar I have shows Sunday as the first day of the week and Saturday as the seventh.... so isn't the true 'sabbath' on Saturday?Katzpur said:
Also, what about the sabbath for the land? That was commanded as well. Are those who grow things (gardens, crops, whatever...) required to let the land rest every seventh year? If not, why not? It is a sabbath commanded by God to the children of Israel, just as the 7th day sabbath was...
Exodus 23:10 And you shall sow your land six years, and shall gather in the fruits of it.
11 But the seventh year you shall let it rest and let it alone, so that the poor of your people may eat. And what they leave, the animals of the field shall eat. In the same way you shall deal with your vineyard and with your oliveyard.
Leviticus 25:3 You shall sow your field six years, and you shall prune your vineyard six years, and gather in the fruit of it.
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest to the land, a sabbath for Jehovah. You shall neither sow your field, nor prune your vineyard.
5 You shall not reap that which grows of its own accord of your harvest, neither gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It is a year of rest to the land.
6 And the sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for you and for your servant, and for your slave woman and for your hired servant, and for your stranger who stays with you,
7 and for your cattle, and for the beast that is in your land, shall all the increase of it be for food.
11 But the seventh year you shall let it rest and let it alone, so that the poor of your people may eat. And what they leave, the animals of the field shall eat. In the same way you shall deal with your vineyard and with your oliveyard.
Leviticus 25:3 You shall sow your field six years, and you shall prune your vineyard six years, and gather in the fruit of it.
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest to the land, a sabbath for Jehovah. You shall neither sow your field, nor prune your vineyard.
5 You shall not reap that which grows of its own accord of your harvest, neither gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It is a year of rest to the land.
6 And the sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for you and for your servant, and for your slave woman and for your hired servant, and for your stranger who stays with you,
7 and for your cattle, and for the beast that is in your land, shall all the increase of it be for food.
Besides the 10% tithe to the church for the Levitical/Aaronical (?) priesthood, didn't God command a couple of other tithes? Do these commanded tithes need to be adhered to as well? If not, why not?Katzpur said:
How about the yearly increase tithe (for those that farm or ranch)?
Deuteronomy 14:22 You shall truly tithe all the increase of your seed that the field brings forth year by year.
23 And you shall eat before Jehovah your God in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the first-born of your herds and of your flocks, so that you may learn to fear Jehovah your God always.
24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, or if the place is too far from you, which Jehovah your God shall choose to set His name there, when Jehovah your God has blessed you,
25 then you shall turn it into silver and bind up the silver in your hand, and shall go to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose.
How about the 3-year tithe for the levites, fatherless widows and poor (not just those of your faith.... this is to feed ALL the poor who are "within your gates")?23 And you shall eat before Jehovah your God in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the first-born of your herds and of your flocks, so that you may learn to fear Jehovah your God always.
24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, or if the place is too far from you, which Jehovah your God shall choose to set His name there, when Jehovah your God has blessed you,
25 then you shall turn it into silver and bind up the silver in your hand, and shall go to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose.
Deuteronomy 14:28 At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and shall lay it up inside your gates.
29 And the Levite, because he has no part nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
For those who raise animals, does the 'first born of an animal' still belong to God and not to be redeemed?29 And the Levite, because he has no part nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Leviticus 27:26 However, the first-born of an animal, which should be Jehovah's first-born, no man shall sanctify it, whether an ox, or sheep, it is Jehovah's.
27 And if it is of an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it to it. Or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your estimation.
28 However, no devoted thing that a man shall devote to Jehovah of all that he has, either of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Every devoted thing is most holy to Jehovah.
29 Nothing devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death.
30 And all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah's. It is holy to Jehovah.
31 And if a man will at all redeem anything of his tithes, he shall add to it the fifth part of it.
32 And all the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, all that passes under the rod, a tenth shall be holy to Jehovah
33 He shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall he change it. And if he changes it at all, then both it and the change of it shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.
27 And if it is of an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it to it. Or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your estimation.
28 However, no devoted thing that a man shall devote to Jehovah of all that he has, either of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Every devoted thing is most holy to Jehovah.
29 Nothing devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death.
30 And all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah's. It is holy to Jehovah.
31 And if a man will at all redeem anything of his tithes, he shall add to it the fifth part of it.
32 And all the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, all that passes under the rod, a tenth shall be holy to Jehovah
33 He shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall he change it. And if he changes it at all, then both it and the change of it shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.
I agree that babtism is an important rite. But although Jesus said we should do it as a declaration to the world as a declaration of faith and to 'fulfill all righteousness,' he most certainly did not say we need to be baptized to gain salvation... the thief on the cross next to Jesus was forgiven and saved without being baptized...Katzpur said:
As for the other 'ordinances' or 'sacraments,' I don't know which ones are 'required' by the various denominations, or even which commandments are considered 'ordinances/sacraments,' but for those listed, I agree with lunamoth about these things being gifts.
And again - are there others that are not required?
Why only some of the commandments? There are something like over 600 some commandments under the Mosaic law... How do those who decide which ones need to be applied determine the applicable ones? How do they decide which ones are no longer considered important enough to be required?Katzpur said:
