Exams and the Sabbath

Last week an expert on Womans Hour was asked how parents could help teens cope with the psychological pressures of study and exams. Her top recommendation was always having at least one day a week free of any study or exam work, and instead just being together and doing enjoyable things. She said this helps the brain process what teenagers have taken in the rest of the week, so it is actually beneficial academically as well as being good for wider well-being.

She talked about this as if it was a new idea of which the benefits were only now being appreciated but the Bible teaches that this has been part of God's guidance to mankind since the dawn of time. The command to keep one day in seven holy, by resting from work, demonstrates perhaps more vividly than any other command how the service of God and the wellbeing of human beings are inextricably intertwinned. It is the Evil One who insinuates that God's commands are burdensome, and designed to serve some divine self-interest at the expense of our own.

The command to observe the Sabbath is not only contained in the rules and regulation of Leviticus but is so foundational to a life of holiness that it stands alongside the most fundamental moral principles in the Decalogue or Ten Commandments. We should therefore take extreme caution before discarding the observation of the Sabbath along with aspects of the ceremonial law as some people are wont to do. As Jesus said, the Sabbath was made for man and for his spiritual, physical and mental good. I can testify that this principle has proved good in personal experience, right through from my earliest exams at school to high-pressure postgraduate medical qualifications.

'Test me in this' says the LORD Almighty 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it' Mal 3:10

Time to reconsider the sabbath (Part 2)

If, when it comes to thinking about the sabbath, we're looking for a list of ‘What can I/can’t I do on the Lord's day?’ we have already lost the battle. Our approach should be ‘How can I best make the Lord's Day serve the end for which the sabbath was created?’ This will mean that what we do on the Lord's Day may vary in different situations. There are no black and white rules about what we should do with the sabbath. ‘But the prohibition on work was black and white!’ you may protest, thinking this sounds rather woolly and liberal. Well, no - even the prohibition on work was not absolute – see for example passages like Luke 13:15 or 14:5.  Wrongly, we have been inclined to abbreviate the fourth commandment to ‘Do not work on a Sunday’ but actual command is ‘Remember the sabbath day by keeping it holy’ (Ex 20:8). The prohibition on work is merely a means to that end but we, as we tend to, have made a rule of it because keeping rules is much easier than obeying the spirit of the law.

So, what does God mean when he commands us to keep the sabbath ‘holy’? Although ‘holy’ includes the idea of ‘purity’, its primary meaning is ‘set apart’. God is commanding us to have one day that is different from other days, set apart from the distractions of work to think about and worship him individually, as a family and communally.  

Ok, so now that we've got that straight,  I can talk about how to get the most out of the Lord's day without fear of my suggestions being interpreted as rules to stick rigidly to. Here goes...

Prepare properly!

The Jewish Sabbath actually started at dusk on Friday and finished at dusk on a Saturday. I reckon the idea of including Saturday evening in the sabbath, as preparation time for the following day, has a lot going for it. With no work the following day, it can be tempting to stay up late on Saturday night but it doesn’t put us in the best frame of mind to worship God on a Sunday morning. Can’t concentrate in the sermon? Can’t get up in time for church? Go to bed earlier!

Observe it together

In Scripture, the sabbath is very much something that is kept communally. Keeping the sabbath cements a family together - especially these days when family members can become like ships that pass in the night. We also need to cherish the idea of keeping the sabbath together as a church community. A Jewish writer has said that as much as the Jews kept the sabbath, the sabbath has kept the Jews and I think that is very true. It is noticeable that Christian communities with a strong Sabbatarian tradition have, by and large, a greater cohesiveness and closeness than other churches. It always perplexes me when I see Christians who I know would not work on a Lord's day themselves encouraging their children to do homework on a Sunday. On the Lord’s day we are all learning together to keep the Lord’s commands and to observe his rhythm of work and rest. I know it’s not always easy, but do we only obey the Lord’s commands when they are easy to keep? In our family, we were taught that Sunday was not for homework and carried on that principle throughout school, university and postgraduate studies. On the face of it that seemed to put us at a disadvantage when everyone else was working all the hours in the week, but I can testify that God blessed us for honouring his commandment. A healthy balance between study and rest and going into the exam room on a Monday morning with a clear head after a restful day free from study enhanced our performance compared to friends who had been up cramming until the small hours. God knows what our brains need! It also taught me to trust in God and the wisdom of his commandments and not just on my own ability or effort.

The Bible does say, however, ‘six days shall you labour’. The flip side of not working on the Sabbath is that we work hard all the rest of the week! Christian students should be known for conscientiousness, being good stewards of the money their families / the state have invested in them - not for trying to get away with the least amount of work possible, being last-minute or spending the maximum time on pleasure like other students.

Think about how to use the Sabbath

The Lord's day shouldn’t merely be a day when we desist from doing things. In the Jewish tradition the sabbath is very much viewed as a day of joy. It’s a day to do things together as a family rather than as individuals, whether that be a nice walk, playing games or just having a good catch-up over a cup of tea. It’s a day to share the things of God, both in our church communities and our family groups. It’s not a day for sitting round with dour expressions, telling the children to desist from anything that might be remotely pleasurable, or giving them a grillling about what they remember of the sermon.

Don’t be legalistic, but think biblically about your own boundaries and stick to them

Whether you should do your regular paid work seems to be pretty clear in scripture – but should you watch TV? –use the computer? –cook? We are not given specific instructions about these things. The point is not ‘how much can I get away with?’, however, but what will help me to make the Sabbath a restful, family/ community orientated, God-centred space in my week? A friend of mine has decided that Sunday will be a technology-free day, so no computers, iPads or texting because these are generally a source of stress for him and because they destroy the communal focus of the day. Many Christians prefer not to watch TV because so much of what is on TV would distract from making Sunday a special time to be with God, but for elderly Christians living alone, watching a Sunday service on TV might be a real blessing. That’s why fixed rules aren’t helpful. I prefer not to go in shops or eat out on a Sunday because I don’t want employees in those places to be losing their day of rest. However, if the shop is open and I have some kind of emergency I have, on occasions, gone in. Cooking is a tricky one, because there is a great tradition of hospitality on Sundays in Christian homes but I do try as much as possible before hand, otherwise Sunday can become a very tiring and stressful day. 

Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinner is a tradition which has its roots in the Sabbath meal. At the Sabbath meal, the best crockery and linen would be used to emphasise that this was a special meal befitting God’s special day. One lovely tradition that Christian families could certainly replicate is that Jewish parents traditionally blessed their children on the Sabbath and would also sing hymns and songs. It was also a traditional time to invite strangers, something which continues in Christian homes today. Much pleasant food would be consumed throughout the Sabbath.

Involve others!

Sabbath was a traditional time for Jews to invite strangers. In the Western world we have become far too insular in our exclusive family units which only open up to others. In the Middle East guests call may arrive without warning for meals oreven to stay and Eastern women always keep food in to offer any unexpected guests. The idea of being ‘busy’ or ‘intruding on family time’ would be lost on a person from the Middle East. We need to rediscover that openness once more, and look out for those who have no family, who live alone, whose family are not Christians or who are a long way from home. There can be nothing more lonely as a Christian than eating Sunday dinner on your own.

I am still very much working on how to put this into practice in my life. May God bless you as you seek to foster the spirit of the fourth commandment in your lives, families and churches.

 

Time to reconsider the Sabbath?

‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.’

I have noticed a massive decline in observance of the Sabbath by evangelicals in the last 20 years. I think this is a great tragedy. I want to encourage Christians to rediscover the Sabbath and be blessed in doing so. Let’s be straight. Observing the Sabbath is not one of those peripheral topics like baptism or styles of worship where the scripture is unclear and we therefore have some latitude in how we practice it. Nor is it like the sacrificial laws which have been fulfilled in Christ. It’s right there in the Ten Commandments. Whilst the ceremonial law had a limited life-span the Ten Commandments, containing God’s blueprint for our relationship with him and with our fellow human beings, are the permanent, eternal and immutable will of God. God will remain as opposed to idolatry, adultery and murder in eternity as he did at the beginning of time, because the Ten Commandments express the very essence of God’s nature. We would surely agree that the command not to murder, for example, is absolute - so why do we not view the Sabbath in the same way?

But let’s not take on a negative view of the Sabbath because it is a commandment. The Sabbath is God’s gift to us – he instituted it for our blessing. Here are some positive reasons to observe the Sabbath:

·         By observing the Sabbath we are replicating the behaviour of God himself. The Sabbath gets right to the heart of God; it is all about creating and enjoying, about meaningful activity, about working and resting, about balance, about joy

·         God also gave it as a blessing to all who fall under our protection – our children, our employees, even our animals!

·         The Sabbath is good for your body! It’s a time when you can set aside work without feeling guilty, switch off completely from the responsibilities and stresses of work, travelling or physical labour and be refreshed.

·         The Sabbath is good for your soul! Do you complain that you don’t have enough time to read the Bible, to pray, to study Christian books or to deepen your relationship with God? God has given you a whole day a week to do those things. If you really set your mind to using the Sabbath in that way, you will be abundantly blessed by it.

·         The Sabbath is good for families. In today’s frantic, 24 hour society there can be precious few opportunities to be together as a family. Sunday gives us chance to worship, eat and relax together. More of this in a later post.

·         The Sabbath is good for others, a time for giving hospitality – especially to lonely or needy people who may not have families of their own to be with on a Sunday. Not only will you bless them, but you may be blessed too! ‘Do not forget to entertain strangers because by so doing some have entertained angels unawares.’ Hebrews 13:2

Are we tired and stressed? Is our spiritual life lacklustre? Does our family feel like a lot of strangers living in the same house? Could it be that perhaps this is because we are neglecting God’s generous gift to us for our refreshment, spiritual growth and building up of communities and families?