Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
The command to keep the Sabbaths and reverence the sanctuary was spoken by Jesus Christ enshrouded in the cloudy pillar as a lesson for the benefit of future generations. It requires observance of God's Sabbaths and reverence for His sanctuary, and both duties rest on God's authority as Lord. Keeping the Sabbaths and reverencing the sanctuary belong to the holiness God requires and to justice in dealing with others. They stand alongside honoring father and mother, turning from idols, refusing to oppress brethren in any way, and sharing the gleanings of harvest-field, orchard, and vineyard as the Lord's portion to relieve the necessities of the poor and the stranger.
The same command presents the same high standard as His teachings in the New Testament, calling those who have received God's great gift to love one another as Christ has loved them. The sacredness God attached to the earthly sanctuary teaches how to regard the place where the Lord meets with His people. The reverence anciently shown for the sanctuary where people met with God in sacred service is the standard for Christian worship, because God Himself gave the order of His service and exalted it high above everything of a temporal nature. The precious, sacred things that connect people with God must be kept distinct from common things and not brought down to their level, and the loss of that reverence in habits and customs of worship is a change for the worse.
The command to keep the Sabbaths and reverence the sanctuary was spoken by Jesus Christ enshrouded in the cloudy pillar as a lesson for the benefit of future generations. It requires observance of God's Sabbaths and reverence for His sanctuary, and both duties rest on God's authority as Lord. Keeping the Sabbaths and reverencing the sanctuary belong to the holiness God requires and to justice in dealing with others. They stand alongside honoring father and mother, turning from idols, refusing to oppress brethren in any way, and sharing the gleanings of harvest-field, orchard, and vineyard as the Lord's portion to relieve the necessities of the poor and the stranger.
The same command presents the same high standard as His teachings in the New Testament, calling those who have received God's great gift to love one another as Christ has loved them. The sacredness God attached to the earthly sanctuary teaches how to regard the place where the Lord meets with His people. The reverence anciently shown for the sanctuary where people met with God in sacred service is the standard for Christian worship, because God Himself gave the order of His service and exalted it high above everything of a temporal nature. The precious, sacred things that connect people with God must be kept distinct from common things and not brought down to their level, and the loss of that reverence in habits and customs of worship is a change for the worse.