How might I follow God's law, reflecting on both NT and OT ethics when deciding what to do? As Calvin recognised, the Sabbath is not just about the worship of God. It is also about rest and about community.[26] In the Old Testament, foreigners, servants and animals are all to be given one day of rest from work each week. In Deuteronomy 5:14 it is explicitly stated that the Sabbath must be observed by all 'so that your servants may rest, as you do'. It is not just about each person having one day of rest in seven; it is about having a communal break from work and trade[27] so that people can enjoy and strengthen their relationships with one another.
By reflecting on the OT material, we can deepen our understanding of what Jesus meant when he said 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'[28] Recognising love as the motivating reason behind the Sabbath command enables us to understand its rationale, and why it might be of continuing relevance to our lives.
Of course, Paul in Romans 14:5 recognises the possibility of Christians holding diverse views on this topic, but in making up our minds how we should live we ought to take into account the impact of our choices on those around us. If, as a busy lawyer, I don't mark out some regular time in my week to see my wife and children, our relationships quickly suffer. If as a consumer, I do my shopping on Sundays, someone else has to work that day to sell me the goods. Their ability to sustain relationships with their family and friends is affected by having to work that day to serve me.
The example of tithing
Everything belongs to God (Job 41:11). The question therefore for the Christian is not how much of what God has given me does he want me to give away, but rather how much does he want me to keep? Each Christian household, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, ultimately has to answer that question for themselves. However, when considering that question we have relevant biblical material from both the Old and the New Testament to help us. Jesus told his followers: 'Give and it will be given to you' (Luke 6:38).
Paul instructed the Galatian and Corinthian churches that Christians should set aside a sum of money in keeping with their income (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). The principle of the tithe, one-tenth, is to be found in the Old Testament.[29] In addition, there were special gifts, freewill offerings and other sorts of gifts (Deuteronomy 12:6). Christians are not bound to apply the tithe slavishly, but we ought to have regard to it in determining how much of our wealth it is right for us to retain for our own use. Having reflected on the biblical principles, each of us should, under the guidance of the Spirit, 'give what he has decided in his heart to give' (2 Corinthians 9:7). In such a way, we determine what is God's law for ourselves.
Thinking about eating meat
The story of the Flood not only tells us about God using Noah to preserve animal species, but also in Genesis 9:3 that God gave humankind permission to eat animals as food. Nonetheless, in Genesis 9:4 God tells Noah 'you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.' That general principle is repeated in Leviticus 17:10-14, where it is applied to both Israelites and to resident aliens, and in Deuteronomy 12:16, 23-25. The rest of the Jewish food laws in the Torah marked out Israel as a distinct people and probably also had a rationale in terms of public, and possibly also animal, health.
Those laws no longer bind Christians, but does the prohibition on eating meat with blood in it still apply? After all, when the early Church held a meeting in Jerusalem to decide which parts of the Torah to ask Gentile believers to abide by, they wrote saying 'It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.' (Acts 15:28-29).
Moreover, in the Old Testament God is recorded as giving reasons why meat with blood in it should not be eaten. The blood represents the life of the animal. It is also blood which is used to make atonement for sins (Leviticus 17:11). In not eating the blood, God's people both recognised the value of the life of the animal and also their need for God's forgiveness.
