Introduction

The fantasy of living in an island paradise.

Living in an island does not save you from trouble.

Look at Johnny Depp, for example, he was living in an island where he got his fair share of troubles.

Trouble is absolutely all around and is here to stay!

For how long?

For as long as Jesus is away preparing a new home for us.

In Matthew 26:11, Jesus said, "For you have the poor with you always."

So, since poverty is a reality we must accept in this sinful world, do we simply embrace it and get on with our lives?

Ellen White, wrote once in the Signs of the Times that,

“In the providence of God events have been so ordered that the poor are always with us, in order that there may be a constant exercise in the human heart of the attributes of mercy and love.” (White, The Signs of the Times, June 13, 1892, par. 1.)

Is it alright for us Christians to turn a blind eye to the needs of those around us?

“Mercy and love” is not demonstrated if we ignore people in need!

In fact, ignoring people in need may well be called a sin because, according to James 4:17,

“Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.” (Berean Study Bible).

God calls His followers to care for the poor – this is what Proverbs 19:17 says,

“He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He [the Lord] will pay back what he has given.”

Our duty to practice justice and mercy is not only limited to our treatment of the poor, it something that we must practice in all situations.

This is what says in Micah 6:8,

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

As Christians we understand that full justice will only be realized when Jesus comes again.

Do you recognize your duty to help the weak and voiceless?

Living as an island does help anyone!

The late poet John Donne [Enlish poet, 1572-1631] understood this when he wrote the “No Man is an Island” poem, which says:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

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Isolation is horrible, right?

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inGest

Friends of the Earth

When you hear the word enviromentalist, what or who do you think of?

Greta Thunberg?

Pope Francis?

Laudato Si (2015 Encyclical)

The key idea behind it [Laudato Si] is that of “integral ecology”, i.e. that people and planet are part of one family where the Earth is our common home. It invites people to protect God's creation for future generations, to embrace a lifestyle change for their own good, and to take care of people who are poor and more vulnerable. a

Paris Agreement?

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Environmentalists are not as bad as you may think...

So, what is an environmentalist?

A person who is concerned with the maintenance of ecological balance and the conservation of the environment. a person concerned with issues that affect the environment, such as pollution. b

Would you agree that enviromentalists are "Friends of the Earth"?

Creationists and evolutionsists hold opposing views of the origin of life.

What do creationsist believe?

What do evolutionsits believe?

Both creationsist and evolutionsits share something in common.

What do think they share in common?

Both have an interest in preserving the planet.

Why?

Because both realize that there is no immediate habitable alternative beyond planet Earth!

However, for the evolutionist, this interest springs naturally from self, whereas for the Seventh-day Adventist creationist, it proceeds from a nonnegotioable divine mandate!

Mandate is an interesting word.

mandate (v.)

1620s, "to command," from mandate (n.). Meaning "to delegate authority, permit to act on behalf of a group" is from 1958; used earlier in the context of the League of Nations, "to authorize a power to control a certain territory for some specified purpose" (1919). c

Where do you think this nonnegotiable divine mandate is found?

None other than the Bible!

The Bible states that the Creator gave Adam and Eve “dominion” over creation – Genesis 1:26

KJV ²⁶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. NLT ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. KJV

Dominion seems like an intense word, don’t you think?

From the Hebrew rada (Strongs H7287):

to rule, dominate, tread down
to subjugate bring under control
to scrape out

This dominion, or rule must be interpreted more “biblically” than etymologically [definition of the word], and is best understood in the context of an additional directive God gave Adam in Genesis 2:15

KJV ¹⁵ And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. NLT ¹⁵ The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
:

“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15, KJV).

“Dress” implies service, and “keep” expresses protection –

Not abuse!

Not exploitation!

Not sneaky schemes to introduce Sunday keeping laws!

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How many of you have green thumbs [good at gardening]?

My garden grows and expands - trees multiply, grass grows up fences, vines take over bus, weed growing left right and centre. Not all weed is bad though. Like dandelion - it’s generally considered a weed, but it’s really a super food!

I need to take dominion of my small portion of land!

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How beautiful do you think the Garden of Eden was?

Before sin came in, the garden of Eden was expected to extend around the planet!

Ellen White said that,

“The Garden of Eden was a representation of what God desired the whole earth to become.” (White, Education, 22.)

This means that the divine “dress it” and “keep it” mandate for Eden was to apply on a global scale.

In the same breath that God said, “Be fruitful and multiply,” He said, “Have dominion” (Genesis 1:28).

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The “Seventh-day” segment of the name “Seventh-day Adventist” proclaims creation – that from which God rested and which He entrusted to mankind’s loving care.

Friends, a genuine Seventh-day Adventist is an environmentalist of the highest order.

Move aside Greta Thunberg!

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The care for the environment has a higher motivation than preserving beautiful surroundings.

Since “the whole earth is full of His glory”, as it says in Isaiah 6:3

KJV ³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. NLT ³ They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
)

and since His glory is His character, that is, His image, as it says in 2 Corinthians 3:18

KJV ¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. NLT ¹⁸ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

those who preserve the earth are preserving the evidence of a loving God.

Pollution, exploitation, and neglect of nature effectively erases the evidence of a mighty and loving God.

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What is the worst pollutant on earth?

Speaking of pollutants, did you hear about the radioactive material that was found in a school in Sydney this week? d

No pollutant threatens to erase the glory of God more than sin!

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A biblical environmentalist, will do everything possible with the help of divine power to get rid of sin, the original and current, most toxic pollutant!

The Sabbath is a weekly reminder of humanity’s sacred responsibility to care for the earth,

not only as a dwelling place

but as a living centre of the glory of God.

inTerpret

The Reset

A key text when considering what Scripture says about the Sabbath is Isaiah 58:13-14

KJV ¹³ If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: ¹⁴ Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. NLT ¹³ “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. ¹⁴ Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

It describes what to do and what not to do on the Sabbath for it to be a blessing to the faithful Sabbath keeper.

However, the chapter does not begin with a discussion of the Sabbath, and its beginning cannot be separated from its conclusion.

God’s people have transgressed says Isaiah 58:1

KJV ¹ Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. NLT ¹ “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins!
, despite the fact that they are devoutly engaged in religious activities – vv. Isaiah 58:2-3

KJV ² Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. ³ Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. NLT ² Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ³ ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’“I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.

But their religiosity is counter-productive says v. Isaiah 58:4

KJV ⁴ Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. NLT ⁴ What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.

and does not even agree with God’s expressed will – v. Isaiah 58:5

KJV ⁵ Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? NLT ⁵ You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?

In contrast to their self-centered religious activity, God desires that they express their commitment to Him through acts of selfless service to others – vv. Isaiah 58:6-7

KJV ⁶ Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? NLT ⁶ “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. ⁷ Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
and Isaiah 58:9-10

KJV ⁹ Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; ¹⁰ And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: NLT ⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! ¹⁰ Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

As John would later explain in 1 John 4:20,

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20).

True Sabbath observance is completely linked to acts of selfless service!

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The seventh-day Sabbath meant a time of rest not only for humanity but for the working animals as well.

In fact, everything involved in humanity’s secular work enjoyed a weekly rest.

For example, when Israel entered the promised land, God established a sabbath rest for the land.

Have you heard of such a Sabbath?

Every seventh year, the land was to rest from being worked – Leviticus 25:1-7

KJV ¹ And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, ² Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. ³ Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; ⁴ But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. ⁵ That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. ⁶ And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee. ⁷ And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. NLT ¹ While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord said to him, ² “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you have entered the land I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath rest before the Lord every seventh year. ³ For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, ⁴ but during the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest. It is the Lord’s Sabbath. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards during that year. ⁵ And don’t store away the crops that grow on their own or gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. The land must have a year of complete rest. ⁶ But you may eat whatever the land produces on its own during its Sabbath. This applies to you, your male and female servants, your hired workers, and the temporary residents who live with you. ⁷ Your livestock and the wild animals in your land will also be allowed to eat what the land produces.

Then after seven cycles of seven years (49 years), the Israelites were to observe the year of Jubilee in the fiftieth year — Leviticus 25:8-9

KJV ⁸ And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. ⁹ Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. NLT ⁸ “In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven sets of seven years, adding up to forty-nine years in all. ⁹ Then on the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year, blow the ram’s horn loud and long throughout the land.

Not only would the land rest during the year of Jubilee, but it was a time to “proclaim freedom throughout all the land to all its inhabitants” – v. Leviticus 25:10

KJV ¹⁰ And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. NLT ¹⁰ Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan.

Land was returned to its original owner, debts were cancelled, and slaves were granted their freedom.

Reintroduce these Sabbaths please!

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In summary, the message of the year of Jubilee was that “you shall not oppress one another” – v. Leviticus 25:17

KJV ¹⁷ Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God. NLT ¹⁷ Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. I am the Lord your God.

In the Jewish economy, through the year of Jubilee, God had instituted a reset button, so to speak.

This is what Ellen White had to say about the Sabbatical years and year of jubilee (year of celebration).

[HANDOUT] “Great evils would result from the continued accumulation of wealth by one class, and the poverty and degradation of another. Without some restraint the power of the wealthy would become a monopoly, and the poor, though in every respect fully as worthy in God’s sight, would be regarded and treated as inferior to their more prosperous brethren. The sense of this oppression would arouse the passions of the poorer class. There would be a feeling of despair and desperation which would tend to demoralize society and open the door to crimes of every description. The regulations that God established were designed to promote social equality. The provisions of the sabbatical year and the jubilee would, in a great measure, set right that which during the interval had gone wrong in the social and political economy of the nation.” (White, Patriarchs and Prophets, 534.)

Even from one week to the next, the Sabbath reminds us of our equal standing under God.

Fully understanding our worth as humanity instills a responsibility to uplift the less fortunate

and humble our lofty notions of self-worth.

True Sabbath keeping leads to Christian kindness.

inVite

Better Stewards

The first three commandments describe our duty to God, and the last six outline our duty to our fellow humanity.

In the fourth commandment we find a merger of our duty to God and our duty to humanity.

Because God worked, we may rest – Exodus 20:11

KJV ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. NLT ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

God rested and commands us to follow His example.

But we must also foster rest for all within our sphere of influence on the Sabbath day, even the working animals – Exodus 20:10

KJV ¹⁰ But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: NLT ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.

The sabbath that the land experienced every seven years (Leviticus 25:1-7

KJV ¹ And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, ² Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. ³ Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; ⁴ But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. ⁵ That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. ⁶ And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee. ⁷ And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. NLT ¹ While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord said to him, ² “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you have entered the land I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath rest before the Lord every seventh year. ³ For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, ⁴ but during the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest. It is the Lord’s Sabbath. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards during that year. ⁵ And don’t store away the crops that grow on their own or gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. The land must have a year of complete rest. ⁶ But you may eat whatever the land produces on its own during its Sabbath. This applies to you, your male and female servants, your hired workers, and the temporary residents who live with you. ⁷ Your livestock and the wild animals in your land will also be allowed to eat what the land produces.
) gave it the opportunity to replenish its nutrients, just as our weekly Sabbath rest allows the body to rejuvenate.

Every seven years the land was to rest from its work of providing food for Israel, and Israel was reminded that it is God who ultimately provides for them – Leviticus 25:21

KJV ²¹ Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. NLT ²¹ Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years.

The seven-year Sabbath cycle had some faith-challenging implications for Israel.

When they harvested their crops in the sixth year, they needed to trust that God would provide an adequate harvest to meet their needs – Leviticus 25:21

KJV ²¹ Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. NLT ²¹ Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years.

They would have needed food for that seventh year and seed to plant in the eighth year that would begin a new seven-year cycle, as well as food for that eighth year as well.

Similar to their manna experience in the wilderness, the Israelites had to trust God to take care of them (Exodus 16).

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The more fully we are established in our relationship of dependence upon God, the better stewards we will be of the earth and of our fellow humankind.

Every week, the Sabbath provides us an opportunity to embrace a faithful relationship with our Creator,

which translates into a better relationship with His creation.