Laws come into being because of some need. This makes the strangest laws in each of our states particularly intriguing. Wyoming criminalized skiing while intoxicated. In Texas, one is allowed to be married by proxy if there is good reason and documentation is in place. In Virginia, no hunting is allowed except for killing raccoons. It is illegal to sit down or lie on a public sidewalk in Reno, Nevada. We may assume in each of these cases that some problem or situation precipitated the passage of the law.
Why did God tell the Israelites to keep the Sabbath holy? The pattern is rooted in God’s creation of the world. For six days he labored. On the seventh day he rested. God has designed us with the need to “unplug” for one day a week. Interestingly, Moses says that the law is meant to benefit animals, slaves and foreigners as well as Israelites. Even the land needs to lie fallow and rest (23:10).
By the time Jesus came to his people, the legalists among his people had distorted the original intent of the Sabbath. They defined the law so narrowly that it became absurd in its application.
Have we ever needed rest more than we do today? Far from setting us free from work, technology has made us constantly accessible. Standing beneath a tree in a time of prayer years ago, Bill Hinson said, “If we are always available, not much of us is left when people find us.” The old adage is still true: the bow that is always bent will eventually break.
Make a commitment to unplug one day a week. Monday has become that day for me. I do not feel a legalistic obligation to return to Saturday as my day of rest. But I know I need a day of holy rest, holy reflection and holy re-creation. We all do.
