Time Management = Holiness Management

August 8, 2021

The 8/8/21 message is here (starts about 28:35).

This is a leader’s test of the TimberCreek Church sermon-follow-up Small Groups scheduled to begin the week of September 12th. It is only a test. Had this been an actual Small Group session, it would not have been written out. It would just be bullet points for discussion topics. I simply wanted to try out prepping for a Small Group session within a few days of hearing the message.

The name of the group I’m leading is Through a Different Lens. And that lens is the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. The idea is: what does the Torah have to say about last Sunday’s message.

As it turned out, my test Sunday message was on Time Management. It was a great message with some great theological thoughts and some practical advice thoughts (see link above).

I’d like to focus our Torah lens on two aspects from the sermon: God is #1, and Unplugging. “God is #1” is about priorities. We need to manage time for God, family, work, and play – in that order. Unplugging is about resting, stepping back, and pondering.

Sabbath

What immediately jumped to mind from the Torah was the Fourth Commandment, keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath is all about God being #1. And the Sabbath is all about unplugging.

The Ten Commandments, of course, are in Exodus. But the importance of the 7th day is first made clear right up front in the Creation story. God created everything out of nothing. God is entirely outside of and sovereign over nature. You can’t get more #1 than that. And on the 7th day, He rested.

Then talk of the 7th day goes quiet until the Wilderness on the way to Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Remember that manna-from-heaven stuff that sustained the Israelites during their journey? Do you also remember that they were not supposed to store it up from day to day? But do you also remember that they received double portions on every Day #6? Why? So they would not have to work (collect manna) on the 7th day.

Finally, in Exodus 20, God makes known the Ten Commandments. The 4th one of which starts out saying, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Key here is that rest is not the most important part. It’s not the purpose delineated at the outset. The purpose is making the Sabbath holy. God is #1. Then, if you want some specifics on how to do the unplugging necessary to refresh your notion of God being #1, some specifics are noted… Don’t work. Rest! Unplug! And not just you, but also your family, your workers, foreigners, and, guess what, even your animals. Animals made it into the Ten Commandments! And then the Commandment reminds you that God created the world and rested Himself.

So when we rest, we emulate God. Can’t get much holier than that.

Lastly, God blessed the Sabbath. He sanctified time! First time in recorded history a deity made time holy. Also, by the way, the first time a deity was entirely disassociated from nature and celestial bodies. The week, the 7th day, has nothing to do with nature, its cycles, the movement of celestial bodies, or the like.

And this time, the Sabbath, was the first thing of Creation He sanctified. Not a place, which is what many others focus on, but time. God of the Torah is not big on sanctifying places.

An interesting footnote... This Commandment starts out with “Remember” which starts with the 7th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And we’re remembering what? The 7th day. Seven is a big deal in the Torah.

Turns out managing your time is also managing your holiness.

If you’re looking for particular instruction about how to manage time/holiness, the 4th Commandment gives it to you… 1/7th of your life. It’s just a clue, though. When taken with all the other Torah teachings, it’s pretty clear God wants us focused on His will, on goodness and holiness, 100% of the time. Given human nature, however, that’s not going to happen. But a weekly reminder is a great foothold.

While Sabbath is not mentioned in the seven Noahide Laws, the universal laws God sets forth after the Flood that pertain to all mankind (there were no “Jews” yet), the fact that it is one of the Ten Commandments should give Christians pause. So, what is celebrating Sabbath anyway?...

Sabbath starts Friday sunset and lasts to Saturday sunset. It’s a time to turn off: the world, the have-to’s, the addictions, work. It’s a time for friends and family to enjoy each other, real interaction not virtual interaction. Read the scriptures; study Torah. Ponder the awesome God that created the universe. Reflect. Consider goals. Have a good meal. Play music. Play games. Enjoy nature. Rejoice. Delight.

One last thought… don’t think of the Sabbath as an obligation, think of it as an opportunity to unplug from the mundane every week, acknowledge God as #1, and relax. As one Jewish writer put it, “The Sabbath is a taste of the world to come.”

God sanctified the Sabbath for our benefit, not His. Manage it well.