Remember the Sabbath Day

"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8

I spent the summer of 1971, the summer after my high school graduation,  selling family Bibles and Bible story books door to door near Fordsville, Kentucky. . It was rigorous work that involved knocking on doors twelve hours a day, six days a week. When  I knocked on their door, yes we were trained to knock on the door, most often  the homeowner didn't invite me in.  Sometimes the homeowner invited me in. Other times the person not only invited me in, but actually bought a book from me. Sometimes the homeowner didn't buy a book,  but offered something to eat or drink and engaged in welcomed friendly conversation. In this particular instance, the very nice lady didn't invite me in but engaged in conversation on her doorstep.   I was in a really good mood because it was a beautiful day and I had sold some books that morning. We got into a discussion about church and about worship and I said something like, "And you know, it doesn't matter much when you worship as long as you worship".  It was at that moment that I was introduced, up close and personal, to a Seventh Day Adventist.

The main point she made was  the directive to honor the Sabbath Day was a directive in the Ten Commandments. She reminded me that the Biblical Sabbath was from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday because in creation  God rested on the seventh day. God also commanded us to rest on the seventh day.   She said, "I know most Christians honor 'the Lord's Day' on Sunday, because Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, but the commandment is to honor the Biblical Sabbath". She then asked a very good question, "Where in the Bible  did God issue a different commandment?" I was speechless. I had no response.

I didn't become a Seventh Day Adventist, but I never forgot the conversation.  I never forgot her question of when did God change his commandment.  Christians changed their practice, but God had never changed his commandment.

Then over the years I noticed something. If the Lord's Day is a day of rest, Sunday for a dedicated Christian is anything but a day of rest.  They go to church morning, noon and night. And then they have all sorts of rules about what you can and can't do on the Lord's Day.  If anything, they go to bed tired on Sunday night. And then I noticed something else.  Most Christian's favorite night, like most people,  is Friday night. And their favorite day is Saturday.  On Friday night they get with their best friends over food and drink. And on  Saturday, they do the things that they enjoy the most. In other words, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday is a day of rest and relaxation--the Sabbath. Meanwhile, the Seventh Day Adventists go to church all day and have all kinds of rules about what you can and can't do on Saturday.  So who is honoring the Sabbath Day?

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is actually one of the  most horrible stories in the Bible. It's not my favorite because it's horrible, but because it's a prime example of why you've got serious problems if you say you believe the Bible is literal. In Numbers chapter 15 verses 32-36 you will find a most gruesome story. You can read it for yourself, but in this story a man is caught "picking up sticks on the Sabbath Day."  He wasn't chastised or put in time out for an hour.  God told Moses to have him stoned. So they took him outside the camp and stoned him to death. If you've ever read about stoning, you know that it is one of the most cruel and most painful methods of torture. They did all this because he was picking up sticks on the Saturday. God forbid he had been mowing his lawn !

The famous mythologist, Joseph Campbell, says that whereas the stories of the Bible aren't literally true, they are, in their essence true.  It has been difficult for me to find a kernel of truth in this story, but I will offer this.  You need to find Sabbath in your life.  You need a day or at least a few hours to call your own.  You need to carve out some time for something you enjoy doing. If because of obligations and responsibility you have lost your ability to enjoy much of anything, then you need to cultivate that ability. Whereas God won't kill you, if you have no Sabbath rest then you will eventually die.  No, you may not be six feet under, but you will die to your true self. You will die to the things you enjoy.  You will die to the ability to relax. You will die.

The day I had that fateful conversation with that nice lady was a Saturday.  I guess it wasn't work for her to talk to me about her faith on the Sabbath.  I, on the other hand, according to her beliefs was violating the Sabbath by selling books.   And yet there she offered no lecture or condemnation. She offered kindness and understanding. Today is Saturday.  I've listened to some of my favorite music, finished reading a book I've been reading, but I've also been working on a book that I am writing. Now I'm writing this. So did I violate the Sabbath Day? My friend in Kentucky might say "Yes."  I say "No." In  the first place, I'm pretty sure that God has no problem with it.  In the second place,  I honored the Sabbath because I was enjoying what I was doing.  But you can be sure that I didn't go outside and pick up sticks.