Proportion and the Sabbath...

We have already alluded somewhat to the Sabbath issue; we need now to direct that discussion to the realm of time and proportion. This will be helpful to us since the "book binders" take the stance that time or time periods are not what are being communicated in Genesis chapter 1 creation account - but mere literary devise.

I have often used the logic of proportion in defending the use of, and command for the tithe. The logic is simple - God requires that we are 100% His. Money is a central issue in our life and depicts better than almost anything where our allegiance belongs or to what or whom we truly pay homage (worship). God being merciful uses the picture of the tithe to accomplish the declaration of totality while at the same time displaying His kindness, mercy and sensibleness. So we give 1/10th to show 100%. This proportion works well because the nature of the numeric percents. 10 completes a set, and 100 also completes a set. Thus God allows us to give a complete (yet smaller) set, to represent the ownership of God over the larger complete set.

Now, if you follow me this far, it should not be hard to guess the direction I'm going. I said that: "money depicts better than almost anything" - why almost? Because it is possible for some (not many) to spend their money in ways that are not consistent with their devotion. Even though this is difficult and rarely seen it is still possible. However, I would maintain that if taken together with the element of time, the two become decisive. Where a man spends his time and his money is where his heart is. It is for this reason (and others) that I believe that God continues both the tithe and the Sabbath in both covenants (though that is a debate for another time). So time as well as money is to be 100% God's. Has God left us with such a beneficent religious obligation as the tithe is with money, concerning our time? Yes, the Sabbath is that, and in like manner - it too can be seen proportionately. 1/7th for 7/7th - perhaps not as nice as 10 to 100 at first glance, but notice that 7 is or historically has been considered the divine number of completeness - once again through 7 is thought to be a complete set, and it goes with out saying that 1 is a complete set of itself.

Proportion, at least as far as I understand, doesn't work very well in communicating if the comparisons being made are not equal. For example if you had 10 items and each separate item was worth differing amounts, then in the tithe example could you really just give one of those items to the LORD and have it fulfill the same picture = 1 complete set for another? I don't think so. This is what troubles me with the "book binders" anti-chornos. While they may believe that the 7th day of creation was actually 24hrs in duration - they seem scared to admit most of the others had such a duration - which leaves us with a faulty proportion.

Admittedly, to die on this hill would be silly for me, but it is worth considering and noting the liturgical and representational structure that is so interwoven into human history (i.e. time and money belong to God). Of course it should be again pointed out, that someone may believe that there are literary constructs (frameworks) involved in Genesis 1 creation account without denying that the time structures (frameworks) are simple, historical, 24hr periods. Once we begin stretching and pulling the activity of God to fit a structure not found in the Bible, whether to make room for scientific or academic accolade, then at that point we truly deny the framework of the Bible which is ever God's wisdom not man's. And that is a devastating prospect beyond proportion!