On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. – Leviticus 9:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 7, 2012): Leviticus 9

We seem to be designed for a seven day week. It just seems so natural. The seven day week may have been in use with Israel since the very beginning. There is historical evidence that the seven day week was in constant use by the Jews during the Babylonian Captivity. But it has not been the only week that has been used. Various cultures have used weeks that have varied in the number of days, most between three and ten days. The Aztecs and Mayans have even experimented with a thirteen day week. But it is the seven day week that we seem to continually return to. The most recent divergence from the seven day week might have been in Revolutionary France where they tried a ten day week called a décade. But even this experiment gave way to the seven day week.

In a culture built on seven days, and a culture that emphasizes the importance of the seventh day as a Sabbath day of rest, there is also a special emphasis on the eight day. The eighth day in the Bible was significant as a day of perfecting and purifying both man and animal. It was on the eighth day that the circumcision was performed on a newborn baby boy and it was on the eighth day that an animal is made acceptable as an offering to God. And Ezekiel says that at the end of days, that it is from the eighth day on that God will accept our sacrifices. There is significance in the eighth day.

Moses summoned Aaron and his sons to him. The seven days of their consecration was complete. And now they would be installed into their offices and be ready to make the sacrifices for the community of Israel. It was the time of the eighth day.

And maybe it is significant that Jesus rose from the dead, completing the sacrifice that he made for us on the eighth day. The work of perfecting and purifying all of mankind had been completed and the creation that had been set into place in seven days was recreated on the eighth day. And so, as Christians, we continue to celebrate the work that God did on the eighth day. It is the reason why Sunday has become so important to Christ’s Church.

       

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Leviticus 10