What is "work" on the Sabbath?
I’m a Sabbatarian. My wife is also a Sabbatarian. Before my friend, Jaime, gave a lesson on the Fourth Commandment to the Renewal Bible Study group (yes, we used to meet every Wednesday a few years back), we were not Sabbatarian. Even Jaime wasn’t a Sabbatarian. Most, if not all, of the group were not Sabbatarians. But after that lesson, many of us changed our minds, including Jaime. That is how my wife and I became Sabbatarians.
But by becoming Sabbatarians, we became the minority among our Christian friends and family. Many of them still don’t understand us. What they do understand, which we used to understand with them, is the "non-Sabbatarian day of rest." (I wrote an article questioning the validity of it here. Do read the comments since there is good information there as well.) For the most part, they respect our view…for the most part.
Just this evening, my wife was questioned about working on the Sabbath. She was met with "is blankity blank work?" several times in her conversation. Not knowing the nature of the conversation or tone of voice with such an inquiry, it is hard to know whether the questions were asked in sincerity or in mocking. Perhaps it is a little of both. In any case, what seems to be lost in the understanding of the Sabbath is why it is important that we not work on the Sabbath. Even those who advocate the “non-Sabbatarian day of rest” (NSDOR hereafter) know that no work ought to be done, but why? Why is it important that we ought not to work on the Sabbath (or NSDOR)?
I present 2 arguments: 1) We do not work because God has already provided for what we need on that one day from our 6 days of labor; and 2) we do not work because it profanes the day that God has set apart (made holy) for us to worship Him.
Paul tells that those who do not work, do not eat. Implied in that statement is that work provides for our necessities, like food. One could argue that clothing and shelter would fit under that. Today, we work in the richest nation the world has ever seen. We do not work only for the necessities, but we now work for luxuries. Like manna provided in double portion the day before the Sabbath, we are given much in abundance so that we do not have to work on that holy day.
And a holy day it is! God has decreed it to be holy, above and beyond any individual’s subjective designation. How can it be subjective when God has objective markers. First, in the Creation Week, and second, on the Lord’s Day when Christ rose from the grave. And since it is His decree, His Law, His Holy Day, we ought to take seriously what it means to not work on the Sabbath.
So why is it important that we should not work on the Sabbath? Because God says so and has left us no excuse due to his abundant provision.
Of course, we’re still left asking, "what is work?" Is cooking work? Is doing laundry work? Is cleaning the house work? To such questions, I have questions in turn:
- Can the activity you have to do be done any other time during the week?
- Is the activity you have to do necessary to life?
- How far are you willing to go to keep His Commandment to keep the Sabbath holy?
For those who respect the decision my wife and I have made considering the Sabbath, yet have no understanding of it, the questions above ought to help clarify our position concerning work on the Sabbath. Sure, ask your questions, but first consider mine. Meditate upon them. See where it leads you.
We would readily admit that it wasn’t easy adjusting to keeping the Sabbath holy. I had to question everything I was doing every Sabbath day and what my wife was doing, too. For a long while, it even seemed quite burdensome. But isn’t that how it is when one has been immersed in committing a sin for so long? It took a while, and it is still a very bumpy road in keeping the Fourth Commandment, but I am always reminded the promises of Scripture. I am reminded that my trust is in Jesus and that His Laws are not burdensome for His followers, so by His Grace are we empowered to be obedient. And so we do our due diligence and try to align ourselves with Scripture by His Grace. This doesn’t mean we get everything straight in our minds, but we’re making the effort to head towards the direction of obedience to God’s Law.
In closing, I have intentionally left a lot out concerning the Sabbath since my main focus was about working on the Sabbath. I hope to revisit the other aspects of the Sabbath in future articles, time permitting. Plus, I hope that some of the silence on my part would generate more discussion in the comments.
In Christ,
Victor
But by becoming Sabbatarians, we became the minority among our Christian friends and family. Many of them still don’t understand us. What they do understand, which we used to understand with them, is the "non-Sabbatarian day of rest." (I wrote an article questioning the validity of it here. Do read the comments since there is good information there as well.) For the most part, they respect our view…for the most part.
Just this evening, my wife was questioned about working on the Sabbath. She was met with "is blankity blank work?" several times in her conversation. Not knowing the nature of the conversation or tone of voice with such an inquiry, it is hard to know whether the questions were asked in sincerity or in mocking. Perhaps it is a little of both. In any case, what seems to be lost in the understanding of the Sabbath is why it is important that we not work on the Sabbath. Even those who advocate the “non-Sabbatarian day of rest” (NSDOR hereafter) know that no work ought to be done, but why? Why is it important that we ought not to work on the Sabbath (or NSDOR)?
I present 2 arguments: 1) We do not work because God has already provided for what we need on that one day from our 6 days of labor; and 2) we do not work because it profanes the day that God has set apart (made holy) for us to worship Him.
Paul tells that those who do not work, do not eat. Implied in that statement is that work provides for our necessities, like food. One could argue that clothing and shelter would fit under that. Today, we work in the richest nation the world has ever seen. We do not work only for the necessities, but we now work for luxuries. Like manna provided in double portion the day before the Sabbath, we are given much in abundance so that we do not have to work on that holy day.
And a holy day it is! God has decreed it to be holy, above and beyond any individual’s subjective designation. How can it be subjective when God has objective markers. First, in the Creation Week, and second, on the Lord’s Day when Christ rose from the grave. And since it is His decree, His Law, His Holy Day, we ought to take seriously what it means to not work on the Sabbath.
So why is it important that we should not work on the Sabbath? Because God says so and has left us no excuse due to his abundant provision.
Of course, we’re still left asking, "what is work?" Is cooking work? Is doing laundry work? Is cleaning the house work? To such questions, I have questions in turn:
- Can the activity you have to do be done any other time during the week?
- Is the activity you have to do necessary to life?
- How far are you willing to go to keep His Commandment to keep the Sabbath holy?
For those who respect the decision my wife and I have made considering the Sabbath, yet have no understanding of it, the questions above ought to help clarify our position concerning work on the Sabbath. Sure, ask your questions, but first consider mine. Meditate upon them. See where it leads you.
We would readily admit that it wasn’t easy adjusting to keeping the Sabbath holy. I had to question everything I was doing every Sabbath day and what my wife was doing, too. For a long while, it even seemed quite burdensome. But isn’t that how it is when one has been immersed in committing a sin for so long? It took a while, and it is still a very bumpy road in keeping the Fourth Commandment, but I am always reminded the promises of Scripture. I am reminded that my trust is in Jesus and that His Laws are not burdensome for His followers, so by His Grace are we empowered to be obedient. And so we do our due diligence and try to align ourselves with Scripture by His Grace. This doesn’t mean we get everything straight in our minds, but we’re making the effort to head towards the direction of obedience to God’s Law.
In closing, I have intentionally left a lot out concerning the Sabbath since my main focus was about working on the Sabbath. I hope to revisit the other aspects of the Sabbath in future articles, time permitting. Plus, I hope that some of the silence on my part would generate more discussion in the comments.
In Christ,
Victor
posted by Soli Deo Gloria | 7/13/2006 02:53:00 AM
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