Sabbath Day’s Journey

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From Acts of the Apostles: The Church Begins (Unit 1) – Learn More

jur’-ni (sabbatou hodos):

Used only in Acts 1:12, where it designates the distance from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives, to which Jesus led His disciples on the day of His ascension. The expression comes from rabbinical usage to indicate the distance a Jew might travel on the Sabbath without transgressing the Law, the command against working on that day being interpreted as including travel (see Exodus 16:27-30). The limit set by the rabbis to the Sabbath day’s journey was 2,000 cubits from one’s house or domicile, which was derived from the statement found in Joshua 3:4 that this was the distance between the ark and the people on their march, this being assumed to be the distance between the tents of the people and the tabernacle during the sojourn in the wilderness. Hence, it must have been allowable to travel thus far to attend the worship of the tabernacle. We do not know when this assumption in regard to the Sabbath day’s journey was made, but it seems to have been in force in the time of Christ. The distance of the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem is stated in Josephus (Ant., XX, viii, 6) to have been five stadia or furlongs and in BJ, V, ii, 3, six stadia, the discrepancy being explained by supposing a different point of departure. This would make the distance of the Sabbath day’s journey from 1,000 to 1,200 yards, the first agreeing very closely with the 2,000 cubits. The rabbis, however, invented a way of increasing this distance without technically infringing the Law, by depositing some food at the 2,000-cubit limit, before the Sabbath, and declaring that spot a temporary domicile. They might then proceed 2,000 cubits from this point without transgressing the Law.

And in some cases even this intricacy of preparation was unnecessary. If, for instance, the approach of the Sabbath found one on his journey, the traveler might select some tree or some stone wall at a distance of 2,000 paces and mentally declare this to be his residence for the Sabbath, in which case he was permitted to go the 2,000 paces to the selected tree or wall and also 2,000 paces beyond, but in such a case he must do the work thoroughly and must say:

“Let my Sabbath residence be at the trunk of that tree,” for if he merely said: “Let my Sabbath residence be under that tree,” this would not be sufficient, because the, expression would be too general and indefinite (Tractate `Erubhin 4:7).

Other schemes for extending the distance have been devised, such as regarding the quarter of the town in which one dwells, or the whole town itself, as the domicile, thus allowing one to proceed from any part of the town to a point 2,000 cubits beyond its utmost limits. This was most probably the case with walled towns, at least, and boundary stones have been found in the vicinity of Gaza with inscriptions supposed to mark these limits. The 2,000-cubit limits around the Levitical cities (Numbers 35:5) may have suggested the limit of the Sabbath day’s journey also. The term came to be used as a designation of distance which must have been more or less definite.

H. Porter

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. “Entry for ‘SABBATH DAY’S JOURNEY'”. “International Standard Bible Encyclopedia”. 1915.  

Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 39 “Jeroboam”

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Featured Passage: 1 Kings 11-12

As Solomon grew older, he began to turn from God and His laws and statutes. Before Solomon’s death, God warned him that his actions would result in the loss of half of his kingdom to Jeroboam, an energetic leader who oversaw many of Solomon’s building projects. God promised that this break-up of the kingdom of Israel would not occur until after Solomon died, but that his son Rehoboam would inherit the consequences of his sins. Despite Solomon’s best efforts to kill Jeroboam, his plans failed. More importantly, Solomon failed his kingdom when he turned his back on God, creating the ingredients for strife between Israel and Judah. Would Solomon’s son, King Rehoboam, learn the lesson that Solomon did not? And would Jeroboam obey God and establish a dynasty that would rule Israel down through history? Read 1 Kings 11-12 and find out!

Discuss:

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  • Why did God take the majority of the tribes from Rehoboam, Solomon’s son?
  • When Solomon learned that God was going to give part of the kingdom to Jeroboam, he tried to thwart God’s plan by having him killed. Can anyone stop God from carrying out His plans? How did Jeroboam escape? What made him return to Israel? 
  • What special opportunity and blessing did God offer to Jeroboam and his descendants? 
  • Jeroboam set up idols for the people to worship, made priests of anyone, and established different holy days than those that God had ordained. What was his excuse for doing this?
  • How did God respond to Jeroboam’s actions taking Israel into idolatry?
  • When we disobey God, what do expect will happen? What would we expect God to do?

Memory Challenge:

1 Kings 11:31

And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you…’”

L3.39-JeroboamDownload

Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 39 “Bitter Water Made Sweet”

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Featured Passage: Exodus 15:22-27

God saved Israel by bringing them through the Red Sea, protected from Pharaoh and His army. After a great victory celebration, the Israelites continued their journey. They traveled for three days, but they started running out of water. After seeing so many miracles, you would think that the people would look to God to help them, right? 

What did they actually do? 

Discuss:

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  • Israel had witnessed many miracles that God had done, but they started forgetting them. Do you ever forget things? What helps you remember?
  • The people complained to Moses because the water was at Marah was bitter. What should the people have done – instead of complaining? 
  • In this difficult situation, Moses didn’t complain. Instead, what did He do?
  • Making the bitter water sweet was another example of God’s miracles that preserved and protected Israel. This is a good time to think back on God’s other miracles. What were some of those miracles? 

Memory Challenge: 

Exodus 15:26

If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.

L2.39-Bitter-Water-Made-SweetDownload

Second Thoughts: The Culture We Share

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Author: Thomas White | Editorial Staff, Living Church of God

Most of us know Matthew 24:14 verbatim: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” It’s encouraging on many levels, especially its use of the word “will.” The Gospel will be preached to all the nations. The end will come. There are no possibilities in this—only certainties that we can, and should, believe in with our might.

But why does the Gospel need to be preached to all the nations? As we well know, God’s not opening everyone’s mind now, so why is He emphatic about the Gospel being so widespread? With such a massive number of people hearing the Truth without the chance to internalize it, why must we bother making sure they hear it to begin with?

Our Sisters and Brothers

The answer is way too multifaceted for this post, but a small part of it struck me after hearing Mr. Peter Nathan’s recent Assembly on the Work in Africa. As he related the unique challenges, opportunities, situations, and brethren in that part of the world, I couldn’t help thinking that although I may be different in so many ways from everyone born and raised in any part of Africa, the African brethren and I nevertheless share a culture.

Feast of Tabernacles, Living Church of God: Kendu Bay, Kenya, 2017

Those truly in God’s Church are all part of the same unifying culture—we all read from the same book (various translations notwithstanding), worship on the same day of the week, abstain from the same meats, believe in the same upcoming eternity, share the same ultimate destiny.

There are Church members in Africa whose languages I have no idea how to speak, and yet I have more in common with each one of them than I do with almost everyone I’ll pass on the road while driving home today. Those who strive to worship God in spirit and truth inhabit a common ground that transcends all the cultural boundaries that would otherwise be impenetrable. That’s how we can call each other brothers and sisters—because in every meaningful sense, we are exactly that.

That’s already beautiful, but it becomes doubly so when you consider that God chose each and every one of us. He wanted His people in North America to be siblings to His people in Africa. He wanted Saints in Australia to be family to Saints in South America. He wanted His begotten children in Europe to see His begotten children in Asia and recognize, “Here are my sisters and brothers.”

Why?

Harmoniously Different

It’s funny—I can’t help but think of a line from Ratatouille. Yes, the animated movie about the rat chef. Not exactly a film devoted to capturing reality, but I’ve always thought there was some truth in the phrase, “Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”

Feast of Tabernacles, Living Church of God: Kendu Bay, Kenya, 2017

Maybe Jesus Christ had something similar in mind when He assured His disciples that the Gospel “will be preached as a witness to all the nations.”

Sure, not everyone will believe that Gospel, but those who do believe it will be made up of people from all over the world, proving that all worldly cultures pose not the slightest obstacle to the culture that is God’s Way.

Belief in God’s Truth doesn’t make us all the same. It wouldn’t be God’s Truth if it did, since God loves the individuality of each of His children. Belief in God’s Truth makes us unified—different, but harmoniously so. Although not everyone can currently become a Saint, a Saint can come from anywhere.

Thomas White headshot

Thomas White was one of the onsite Living Education students for the 2018-2019 semesters. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Thomas currently works as an Editorial Assistant for the Living Church of God. According to his wife, he eats pizza in entirely the wrong way.

Acts Challenge

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Second Thoughts: In Response to Ignorance

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Author: Thomas White | Editorial Staff, Living Church of God

If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the Church of God, so you’ve heard sermons before. You’ve probably heard quite a few Bible studies, too, like the one Mr. Mario Hernandez gave for the most recent Assembly, in which he powerfully emphasized the command and the need for us to read from God’s word every morning and every evening.

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Messages like that, instructional ones that point out things required of us, are given for what should be an obvious reason: Not everybody knows about every requirement. Case in point, I don’t remember ever hearing a sermon about how we shouldn’t eat one another, because that’s common knowledge—the world at large pretty much agrees that if I’m hungry, you’re not an option. But messages about not hating one another, for example, will always be needed, because although that’s required of us too, not everyone knows it—it’s a bit easier to forget than the law against cannibalism.

All humans are ignorant. We’re not to try to be, but it doesn’t make much sense to deny the fact that every one of us simply doesn’t know a lot of stuff, including a lot that’s biblical. The Bible’s not exactly light beach reading, and we wouldn’t need ministers if we could all just go through it and internalize everything we’ll ever need to know.

Yet how many of us, after hearing an enlightening message of instruction, feel terrible about having not known something? Maybe we haven’t thought to read the Bible every morning and evening. Maybe it never occurred to us that we need to keep a third tithe. Maybe it never crossed our minds that a daily part of our vocabulary might be a word we really shouldn’t say.

Nineveh’s Response

We didn’t know. But now that we do, what should our reaction be? For some, the first reaction is shame, as though they’re somehow stupid for not having made these connections themselves. Certainly, a godly sorrow is appropriate, because a sin committed in ignorance is still a sin, but if we sincerely ask God for forgiveness and determine to change whatever it is we’ve been doing or not doing, what’s the use of guilt-tripping ourselves over what, until recently, we had no idea was a problem?

Nineveh’s a good example of the right reaction. When it was made abundantly clear that major change was essential, the king of Nineveh didn’t wallow in guilt and think, “Well, we’ve been seriously missing something, so, I guess we’re terrible people who deserve whatever we have coming to us.” His response was almost the opposite—“let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?” (Jonah 3:8-9).

What Defines Us

Nineveh accepted that they’d been ignorant of something important, and they determined to change. No “I can’t believe I didn’t know, I’m so stupid and awful”—just a desire to make the most out of what they now knew, and even, in their own way, an understanding that God is a merciful rewarder of heartfelt repentance.

So, if we hear a message that makes us aware of something wrong we’ve been doing, or something right we haven’t been doing, Nineveh might be a good place for our thoughts to go. God’s a whole lot more interested in our future than He is in our past, so we’re not defined by our ignorant mistakes—we’re defined by what we do about them.

Thomas White headshot

Thomas White was one of the onsite Living Education students for the 2018-2019 semesters. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Thomas currently works as an Editorial Assistant for the Living Church of God. According to his wife, he eats pizza in entirely the wrong way.

Second Thoughts: The 25 Percent

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Author: Thomas White | Editorial Staff, Living Church of God

A psychologist by the—awesome—name of Solomon Asch conducted a super unnerving experiment in 1951. He had a group of eight people look at four drawn lines—three “comparison” lines and one “target” line.

Each member of the group had to say, out loud, which of the comparison lines they thought matched the target one in length, and this was repeated with eighteen sets of lines. It wasn’t hard; the right answers were intended to be really obvious.

The catch—there’s always a catch with these tricky psychologists—was that most of the time, seven of those eight people purposely gave blatantly wrong answers. Asch had told them to. The unsuspecting eighth participant was the real focus of the study—would he, despite the obviously wrong answers of all his peers, conform to them, answering in the same way? Asch conducted this experiment over and over again, and found that 75 percent of these participants did, at least once, do exactly this.

Bulletproof Evidence

For his student Assembly, Mr. Ames let us watch a movie (I love it when people do that), Unlocking the Mystery of Life. It’s a documentary presenting several scientists and their reasons for embracing the theory that our mind-bogglingly complex universe had, itself, a mind behind it. It’s right here, if you want to watch it.

That the universe was intelligently designed happens to be true,

and like a lot of true things, it has a plethora of compelling pieces of evidence in its favor. Irreducible complexity, the Design Inference, the fact that proteins and DNA can’t possibly make sense without each other—you’ve heard the arguments. They’re good. Even, perhaps, better than, good—they could very well be bulletproof. Just as bulletproof as the reasons for why the Bible is definitely God’s inspired word, and for why God’s true Church is emphatically not Catholic or Protestant.

But as Solomon Asch demonstrated, something being obviously right doesn’t mean we won’t abandon it for what everyone else says is right.

The Target Line

Asch found that people tend to conform for one of two reasons. Either they know they’re wrong and are okay with that, because “At least I won’t be ridiculed,” or they honestly believe that if most people are saying something, that something must be true.

Neither of these influences make a whole lot of sense, but they are, undeniably, influences, and those who try to tear us away from the God of the Bible make great use of both. Such people have also been told to give the wrong answers, but by someone infinitely more nefarious than Solomon Asch—and they actually believe the wrong answers they’re giving.

Encouragingly, in Asch’s experiment, 25 percent of participants consistently refused to conform to the wrong answers of those in their groups. The advantage we have over them is that we know exactly what’s going on; God’s word tells us that the others in our “group” are spewing fake info, blinded by a spiritual veil and victims of a truth-deprived society. With that knowledge, we can be confident that we aren’t wrong; there is a God, He did inspire the Bible, and we are in His Church.

As for ridicule, since the Designer of reality informs us that we’re not stupid, I think we can safely ignore Richard Dawkins & Friends saying otherwise. Like the 25 percent in Asch’s experiment, we can be confident and unyielding. The line that includes God, His word, and His Church, obviously matches the target line—no matter what anyone says.

Thomas White headshot

Thomas White was one of the onsite Living Education students for the 2018-2019 semesters. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Thomas currently works as an Editorial Assistant for the Living Church of God. According to his wife, he eats pizza in entirely the wrong way.

God’s Fall Festivals – Part 4: Last Great Day

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Artist: Ava Mitchell—Plainview, NY

Have you ever had a “great” day?

Maybe your parents took your family to the beach where you got to play in the sand and the waves all day long before you finished off the afternoon with a large ice cream cone. Or perhaps you had a great day when you and some of your closest friends spent the day at an amusement park riding roller coasters and eating popcorn and funnel cakes. Whatever you may consider to have been a “great” day, nothing compares to how great the Last Great Day is going to be!  When God calls something great, there can be no mistake that it is certainly GREAT!

How it works:

This Study Guide is written for the purpose of helping parents teach their children vital Biblical topics in a focused, easy-to-follow format. Each section is not meant to be taught in one lesson, rather the topics are organized so parents can choose specific areas of focus and gear lessons toward the learning styles and ages of their children. Each topic is presented in a straightforward manner with accompanying verses for study. The main study should always come from the Scripture itself, while these lessons can act as a guide for reading passages from the Bible. Each lesson packet includes memory verses, questions for meaningful discussion, and activities (added at the end of the packet). Also, though some things may be labeled as Level 1, 2, or 3, the activities, questions, and scriptures for memorizing can be used to fit the needs and learning levels for children of all ages. Enjoy!

Fall-Festivals-Part-4-Last-Great-DayDownload

Fall Holy Days Coloring Pages

Prepare for Feast by printing out some of these GREAT coloring pages! All of the coloring pictures are selected submissions from our Fall Holy Days Art Contest.

What pictures are included?

  • “Lamb” – Artist: Maleewan Foster—Charlotte, NC
  • “It Won’t Be Long Now” – Artist: Lexi, Mitchell—Plainview, NY
  • “Girl on a Bridge” – Artist: Grace White—Morgantown, WV
  • “Bear and Baby” – Artist: Brandon Fall—SeaTac, WA
  • “The Living Water Sea” – Artist: Joseph Ross—Dubuque, IA
  • “Kingdom Creatures” – Artist: Amber Leonard— Charlotte, NC
  • “Jerusalem” – Artist: Susan Winnail—Tampa, FL
  • “The Last Great Day” – Artist: Ava Mitchell—Plainview, NY
Feast 2019 Coloring pagesDownload

All images displayed in this post were submitted by private artists who have granted all rights and permissions of use to Living Education for the purpose of education, and/or promotional publication, in accordance with the Fall Holy Days Art Contest Rules and Guidelines. Coloring Pages may be printed for personal use ONLY. All rights reserved.

God’s Fall Festivals – Part 3: Feast of Tabernacles

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Artist: Diego Villafaña – Santiago, Chile

Once Christ returns,

and Satan is put away, it will be time for the real celebration to begin! On God’s calendar, just a few days after Atonement, one of the most joyous and exciting times of the year begins: The Feast of Tabernacles!
Why do people get so excited about this Feast? Is it just a regular family vacation? Or is God giving us something much more exciting to look forward to than simply an eight-day family trip? Why did God include it in His plan to build a family? Keep reading!

How it works:

This Study Guide is written for the purpose of helping parents teach their children vital Biblical topics in a focused, easy-to-follow format. Each section is not meant to be taught in one lesson, rather the topics are organized so parents can choose specific areas of focus and gear lessons toward the learning styles and ages of their children. Each topic is presented in a straightforward manner with accompanying verses for study. The main study should always come from the Scripture itself, while these lessons can act as a guide for reading passages from the Bible. Each lesson packet includes memory verses, questions for meaningful discussion, and activities (added at the end of the packet). Also, though some things may be labeled as Level 1, 2, or 3, the activities, questions, and scriptures for memorizing can be used to fit the needs and learning levels for children of all ages. Enjoy!

Fall Festivals Children’s Lesson – Part 3 FOTDownload

God’s Fall Festivals – Part 2: Day of Atonement

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Photo: Susan Winnail – Tampa, Florida

After the Feast of Trumpets,

the next holy day we come to is what the Bible calls the Day of Atonement. Remember, the fall holy days represent important events or periods of time that have not happened yet, but will happen very soon in the future. Just as the Feast of Trumpets represents the return of Jesus Christ, the Day of Atonement pictures another very important event which will happen after Christ comes back to Earth. What big, exciting event does this special holy day picture?

Read on! 

How it works:

This Study Guide is written for the purpose of helping parents teach their children vital Biblical topics in a focused, easy-to-follow format. Each section is not meant to be taught in one lesson, rather the topics are organized so parents can choose specific areas of focus and gear lessons toward the learning styles and ages of their children. Each topic is presented in a straightforward manner with accompanying verses for study. The main study should always come from the Scripture itself, while these lessons can act as a guide for reading passages from the Bible. Each lesson packet includes memory verses, questions for meaningful discussion, and activities (added at the end of the packet). Also, though some things may be labeled as Level 1, 2, or 3, the activities, questions, and scriptures for memorizing can be used to fit the needs and learning levels for children of all ages. Enjoy!

Fall-Festivals-Part-2-AtonementDownload