In 605 BC Israel had not observed the (one-year-in-seven) Sabbath rest for 490 years. The Holy Land and it’s people did not get their required Sabbath rest from planting and did not use that time to focus on God as they were supposed to. The prophet Jeremiah predicted the nation of Judah would fall to the Babylonian Empire and their temple destroyed and that after 70 years the Jews would return to Judah, repopulate Jerusalem, and rebuild their temple (Jeremiah 25:11 and 29:10). The Babylonian captivity was set at 70 years to make up for the missed annual Sabbaths. 2 Chron. 36:21 says, “The land (of Israel) enjoyed its Sabbaths, all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.” (See Jeremiah 25:11). So we see that God required His people and His land to rest and pray – and they did not do so. Why does God care? Because His plan require our prayers!! I know God is not causing the evil in this world today, the evil one is responsible for that. But could one of the better things that will come from this time of self quarantine be that Gods people will have a Sabbath rest and will pray for what is to come? Do you owe God some time? Here is our chance to get ourselves on firm ground again and to pray for our leaders, our nation, and our world for what is surely to come in the short, and long terms.
