The Fourth Commandment

My journey in figuring out what to do with Sabbath has come a long way since the beginning instructions.  Like many of my era, there was a time when observing Sabbath had more to do with what not do than what to do.  My first remembrance of Sabbath instructions came from my father who at the time was not a practicing Christian, but an avid fisherman.  When he saw me wetting a hook one Sunday, he told me, "You don't fish on Sunday, give the fish a day of rest."    

And then there came another era when the Sabbath was all about duty and obligation to the point that it was stifling.  It seemed to me that all my friends got to watch Sunday night TV while I had to attend Sunday night worship after having been in Sunday School and Worship that very morning.  When I came home the first time from college and announced that I would not be going to church that Sunday, my mother had something to say about the rebel in her house that caused him to get out of bed, get dressed, and find his old place in the pew.  

Of course, what caused the dilemma for many of us was something which happened long centuries before we were born.  Moses went up on Mt. Sinai and came down with a tablet containing Ten Words he had received from God.  One of those simply stated, "Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8)  To read on a little further takes us into the messy world of work and rest.  It seems there are six days to work and one to rest which creates another set of problems for many of us. To be honest is to admit that I am at a different place now than I was when my father told me to give the fish a rest, but even now in these later years, my understanding of this commandment is still a work in progress.