Unwrapping the Gift of Sabbath
Over the past two posts, I’ve focused on the issue of balancing work and rest. I noted that both were part of the “very good” in the creation week.
In the beginning, God modeled intentional rest and then, lest we miss the point, He mandated it in the Ten Commandments. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath...On it you shall not do any work…” Exodus 20:8-10
The Lord was making a profound point here. Sabbath is not a reward for finishing the job. It's a gift of relief from the job.
It's the rest we take smack dab in the middle of all we need to do without apology, without guilt, and for no other reason than God told us we could and should.
One question I’ve frequently been asked is why there is so little mentioned in the Bible about the practicalities of the Sabbath—what we can and can’t do. And it’s a good question.
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, there are all sorts of details about things like priestly garments, dietary restrictions, and how to care for animals. But as it relates to the Sabbath, it’s pretty general: cease working.
Yet that can still leave us hanging as to what means. So, at the risk of oversimplification, let me give you two “rules of thumb” that have served me well as it relates to Sabbath observance:
Rule #1 – Stop doing what you “ought” to do.
There are six days to do what you ought. Sabbath is exempt from that. Other days may have a call on us. Other days may make their demands of us. But for this one day, we are free, indeed, mandated to say, “No.” You might look at it this way:
Sabbath is the one day when the only thing you must do is not do the things you must.
You are given permission—indeed, issued a command—to turn your back on the “have to’s” and lay hold of the “get to’s.” This filter carries all sorts of application.
For example, can you chop wood on the Sabbath? Well…do you have to or do you get to?
If you enjoy the process and it gives you a sense of exhilaration…if it feels good to stretch your muscles and break a sweat…then chop away. On the other hand, if there’s a sense that it’s necessary, well, maybe it’s not something for that day.
Should you cook a big meal on the Sabbath? Again, the question is, have to or get to? Is it a source of joy, or is it a function of the job?
You could add all sorts of other things to this: washing the car, mowing the lawn, working in your garden, raking leaves. Have to or get to?
As with so many other things, Jesus is our example here. What did He do on the Sabbath? We know that He went to the synagogue, so clearly He prioritized worship, the teaching of the Word, and community. For Him, these were “get to’s.”
But He also did a lot of healing on the Sabbath…something that got Him in a lot of trouble. Yet in His divine understanding of the heart behind the commandment, He recognized that helping people find life and freedom was a perfect interpretation of what it meant to honor the Sabbath. It wasn’t “have to” – it was “get to.”
With that example, I’ve come to see that I would do well to reframe some of my Sabbath in that light as well. Would this be an opportunity I would “get to” bless someone? I get to bring them a meal. I get to mow their lawn. I get to take their kids fishing. If that’s the case, then perhaps I ought to consider it.
By the same token, if it’s something that is more duty than delight, perhaps I should hold off. Make sense?
So … stop doing what you ought to do. That’s the first rule of Sabbath.
The second is this:
Rule #2 – Embrace that which gives life.
Put another way, engage in something that restores your soul. All too many mindlessly engage in Sabbath with little thought other than to sleep in or take a nap. I’m not against either one of these, but if that’s all that your day consists of, I doubt your soul will be restored.
You might consider three interrogatives: What? Where? Who?
What would be restorative today?
Where might that happen?
Who is it that, when you’re with them, you end up feeling refreshed?
Again, most of us have never given this any thought. As a result, you may have a “day off” – you may actually cease work. But in not engaging in that which is truly life-giving, you really don’t get the full benefit of Sabbath.
Put another way…Sabbath is a function not only of refusal, but pursuit. We refuse to continue working and pursue that which brings us joy and restoration.
One thing that has helped me is that my wife, Gwen, has come to share this value. She challenges me when I begin to fudge on this (“Hmmm…I thought this was your Sabbath.”)
She gently chides me when she sees me starting some exhausting project on what is supposed to be a day of rest. (“Oh, you’re going to shovel gravel on the driveway for two hours. Help me to understand: is this a ‘get to’ or a ‘have to’?” Or, “You’re working on your ministry update. Is this a get to or have to?”)
But what if this wasn’t only a matter of correction? What if it was a matter of suggestion? What if, early in the week, you could ask your spouse, “What can we do on our Sabbath that would make it restorative?”
What if we went to Panera for coffee? What if we strolled around at the Farmer’s Market? What if we went to our grandson’s Little League game?
By actually planning your day – not wall to wall – but at least in part, you might make the most of God’s restorative gift. Because, after all, that’s what Sabbath was always meant to be: a gift.
Here’s hoping that you will unwrap and enjoy that gift on a regular basis. And that, in so doing, you will have a healthy soul.