Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

There is no record of any Israelite losing his life in the attack on Jericho. On the other hand, the entire Canaanite population, except for Rahab and her household, was exterminated (see Josh ua 6:21–25). The Israelites could not have gained a more convin cing victory. They had lost neither lives nor property, and instead gained complete possession of the city and its wealth. Their suc cess was the outworking of faith combined with God’s works. Faith and obedience are the keys to success in this life and in God’s cause. Only with both can the work be finished. The rea son for the long delay in Christ’s return is because God’s people have never come to understand what God’s works are, where they come from, and how implicitly they must be obeyed in sim ple, submissive, unquestioning faith. The time has come when the prerequisites for God’s Sabbath rest need to be understood and practiced so that His work can be finished at last. It is no exaggeration to say that the walls of Jericho came down as a result of obeying God’s orders. The destruction of those massive walls was not the outworking of any natural cause. The faith and obedience displayed by the Israelites in this instance gave God the opportunity to work marvellously for them. “There must be continual faith and trust in the Captain of our salvation. We must obey His orders.” S . D . A . Bible Com mentary 2:996.1. Throughout the passing of the centuries, God’s followers have experienced victory and success only intermittently. Therefore, we have come to regard as normal, a life in which there are many failures, losses, impossibilities and defeats. But this is not Christian living as God intends it to be and certainly not as it will be when God’s sons and daughters learn to recognize Him as their only Source and therefore as their Problem Solver, Plan Maker, and Burden Bearer. The beautiful hymn, “He’s everything to me”, needs to be sung as an expression of living reality from the Christian’s own experience. Intermittent Success