The sabbath principle

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating he had done. Genesis 2:2-3

There was, I suppose, a funny side to the story. It’s a week or so now since I read it in the paper, and I haven’t remembered all the details, but the gist was pretty clear.

A high-flying businessman was determined to keep everything going as much as possible during lockdown, so he was working pretty much round the clock, including Zoom-meeting after Zoom-meeting, hour after hour, long into the night. He knew he was overdoing things; he knew he was neglecting his family; he knew he was not getting enough rest or exercise. But, well, it was only for a limited period, wasn’t it?

But… then it happened. He was sitting as usual at his computer when he began to feel unwell; seriously unwell. The (sort of) funny thing was that instead of thinking “Whoa, this doesn’t feel good! Am I having a heart-attack?” and calling for help, his immediate thought was “Oh no! This really is inconvenient! I’ve got another meeting in twenty minutes – I simply can’t afford a heart-attack at the moment!”

Well, the fact that he was able to write an article for the paper shows that in time he recovered. But the essence of his article was how he felt he had been taught a lesson, and how from now on he was going to live his life differently. (I wonder if he will stick to that decision…)

The message is simple: we need rest.

The human body is not a machine that can be forced into ever greater activity – not, at least, without serious risk. Nor the human mind. And that is why God, according to the Bible, has built regular periods of rest into his pattern for human life.

The encouragement that we need to take this seriously is even built into the story of creation: twice in Genesis 2:2-3 we read that “God rested…” And it is included in the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses for his people Israel: Exodus 20:8-11 tells us that the seventh day is to be “holy”, which means “special” and “different”, a day when normal activities stop so that the people can focus on God.

Not, of course, that God needed rest! But hopefully we get the message: non-stop activity is foolish and even sinful. It puts unhealthy strain on our bodies and minds; it destroys the balanced life-style which God wants us to enjoy; it endangers our relationships with family, friends and work-mates.

If you know me personally you might feel I’ve got a bit of a nerve writing this, because you will know that I am well into my retirement. For one thing, I can’t claim that I have always practiced what I’m preaching here; and for another, what right does someone who is happily retired – given that (theoretically at least!) retirement is non-stop rest - have to offer advice to others who are still toiling at the coal-face?

That’s fair enough. But reading that article simply made me feel that this was an issue worth highlighting. After all, it’s not just that business-man’s experience we’re talking about; no, it’s an important theme in God’s word. I hope, and indeed believe, that just putting these thoughts into words might have the effect of saving someone’s life, or health, or marriage, or general well-being. Who knows. Just one person’s life would make it worthwhile.

I realise, of course, that your circumstances may be such that you have little control over your need for regular rest. But even so I hope this reminder might prompt you to make what small adjustments you can to your priorities: adjustments which will make a significant difference.

I wonder too if somebody reading this might be an employer, and thus responsible for the burden of work others are expected to bear. If so, recognising the need to be scrupulously fair, considerate and supportive in the way you treat your staff might be something you need to think about. All of us, one day, must stand before God’s scrutiny of the way we have lived our lives – and that includes how we have treated others.

The world into which the church was born was a world of masters and slaves, rather different (I hope!) from the world most of us live in. But passages like Colossians 4:1 can still be very relevant: “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a master in heaven”.

Whatever, let’s take seriously the vital principle of the sabbath rest; it could be a matter of life and death.

Heavenly Father, even though I do not remember the sabbath day in the same way as the people of Bible times, please help me to take the sabbath principle seriously, for the sake of my own well-being, that of those for whom I am responsible - and for the sake of your glory. Amen.