Reading through the Pentateuch again has been helpful. I have been seeing a number of things in a new light. One of those things, something I knew was there but never really thought through, is the two explanations for the Sabbath. While the substance of the Decalogue is the same in both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, there are different explanations given for certain commandments. The explanations given for the fourth commandment in each account a"[Jesus] does not think the Pharisees are mostly right about the Sabbath. They miss the most basic point of the Sabbath. Jesus does not think healing someone on the Sabbath is an 'exception' to the Sabbath rules. He thinks the opposite: Sabbath-keeping means doing good, healing, relieving distress. The Sabbath laws themselves require Israelites to give rest to their sons, servants, and even animals on the Sabbath. That's what Jesus does on the Sabbath: he gives rest by raising people from their sick beds, by cleansing lepers, by healing withered arms...He attacks Jewish Sabbath-keepers because they are not really keeping the Sabbath." - Peter Leithart, The Four (pp. 68-69)
I was recently turned onto the Theology Simply Profound podcast. On one episode, they addressed the topic of worship, specifically why and when we worship. It was a very helpful episode and furthered my thoughts on something that has come up time and time again in my life: sabbatarianism.
