GRACE FOR THE DAY: The dying American rest ethic
Jan. 6—Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series on the American work ethic.
God created the world in six days, and on the seventh day he rested. It was the seventh day that he made holy. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy
— Exodus 20:11.
This is a reversal of the values of Americans. We value work (although we complain about it) and we see rest as a lost opportunity for work.
We laud those who get to work early and leave late, rarely taking a day off or going on vacation. They are entrepreneurial, go-getters, and truly capitalists.
Folks will protect their work even over their own mental health. That is why it is difficult to schedule therapy sessions for modern workers, they "must not" leave their jobs.
The seventh day, God called the Sabbath, the one he made holy. The holy day is the day his people rested.
He was so protective of this day of rest that he made its violation punishable by death.
"For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death" — Exodus 31:15-16.
It was not just a day of rest, but a day of complete rest. We work because God works, and we rest because God rested. Or we should.
I get it, the Sabbath was a part of Jewish ceremonial law. While it was designated as a day of rest, it was intended to be a sabbath to the lord.
Moses then said to them, "This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord" — Exodus 16:22-23.
For six days Jews were allowed to work to provide for themselves and for their families. The seventh day, the last day of the week, was to be devoted to God.
It is fitting, six days of work to take care of everyone you love, and then one day to thank God for the blessings that the six days brought to his people. It was their day of worship.
They went to Temple, offered gifts to God, and spent a day in meditation, study of the Torah, and family discussions about the wonders of God. Then, it was back to work.
When people focus continually on work, they forget who they work for, why they work, and by whose grace they are empowered to work. Then work becomes stressful, and it kills people due to that stress, and the non-stop wear and tear on a body that was designed to be renewed through rest.
As a parallel, God taught that every seven years (one year for each day of creation) they were not to plant crops in their fields. The land received a year of "rest," allowing the minerals and nutrients in the soil to be refreshed.
Even the fields received a Sabbath. Every seven years slaves were set free, to "rest" from their obligation.
After seven years, debts were cancelled to bring "rest" to the economically weary. The notion of rest is particularly important to God.
Most of us feel guilty when we "do nothing." We feel that we should be doing something, that we are being lazy or slothful.
When we get a day off, we work hard at playing. Vacations become stressful because traveling is difficult . . . making reservations, finding places to eat, driving, and let us not even speak of how stressful it is to fly.
We spend a day at the amusement park and are completely stressed, anxious, worn out, and broke at the end of the day. We even work our leisure and "relaxation."
How often have you said, "I need to get back to work to get over my vacation," or "I need a vacation from my vacation?" "Days off" consist of chores, laundry, grocery shopping, and endless other activities that keep us drained and living lives of stress and anxiety.
Is it any wonder we have a raging epidemic of anxiety and its sister, depression? You need a day of rest.
It is sad that God had to legislate a day of rest for the Israelites, but he knows how we humans are. You are not a Jew, and you live under the Testament rather than the covenant, but you need to see the wisdom in rest.
I bet you would find it nearly impossible to take one day a week for complete rest. I bet if you determined to do so, those around you would think you have become sick or lazy.
No telling how long you might live and how healthy you could be if you observed a day of rest to the Lord.
Reach Stephen Parker at fam4evrsp@gmail.com.
