Here we are in the middle of Black Powder season and the deer are really moving. Many fortunate hunters have already connected and others are attempting to bag their trophies. Each deer harvested is one less to jump in front of an automobile or to ravage a farmer’s crops. Here’s to another safe and successful deer season for all hunters.
As most readers remember, my father was a taxidermist and this was always the busiest time of his year. For most of his career, over 80% of his annual workload came in during a two week window in November. As such, he worked longer hours and extended his normal work week to accommodate customers who wanted their deer heads mounted or their hides tanned.
My siblings related a story to me recently that took place sometime before I was old enough to remember. In the early days of Dad’s business, he even stayed open on Sundays during rifle season. Because he didn’t want to miss church, he hired someone else to cover the shop during the morning until he could arrive in the afternoon.
Our mother had apparently shared her disapproval of this at some point for one late November Sunday as they came home from worship and neared the shop, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Without a word, Dad pulled into the shop parking lot, paid and dismissed his employee, and locked the door. From then on, the shop was closed on Sundays. And although conventional wisdom would predict a drop in revenue, Dad was never at a loss for work or provision.
When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, He included one that specified keeping one day each week holy and separate. It was and is a day on which all were to pause from regular work and responsibilities to rest and recharge. This command was so broad that it included not only employees, foreigners, and servants, but even oxen, donkeys and other draft animals as well. Even before this, God had already instituted the Sabbath principal at creation and reinforced it with the manna in the wilderness.
Although we think we can work all day every day, we’re only fooling ourselves. Sooner or later, such overcrowded living leads to elevated stress levels, health problems, and emotional and relational breakdowns. The God who made us knows how we best function.
Studies have shown that resting actually improves productivity. Our nerve cells do not fully recover in a single night and must catch up every few days. If we don’t take a break, we will break. Exodus 23:12 indicates that the Sabbath refreshes us! A good work ethic actually takes a day off. God even commanded Sabbath observance during the harvest time which was their busiest season.
Years ago the Sabbath was so holy in America that Madison wrote legislation punishing Virginians who worked their slaves on Sundays and Jefferson signed it into law. Sunday was and still is written into our Constitution by our supposedly atheistic founders. Presidents Hayes and Garfield walked to church so that their staffs could have Sundays off. Taylor refused to be sworn in on a Sunday, Grant wouldn’t attend horseraces on Sunday, and McKinley would not go sightseeing on that day. More recently, Truman refused to fish on Sundays and many states, including Virginia, had Blue Laws restricting Sunday commerce.
Leviticus 23:3 refers to the Sabbath as a day of sacred assembly implying that God’s people would gather to honor and worship Him on that day. What a great concept. God intended this day to be a physical and spiritual blessing to His people.
The Sabbath command is listed right alongside murder, theft, and adultery. It is a big deal to God and should be to us also. If He had commanded us to work seven days a week, we’d pitch a fit. Instead He commands us to rest and we won’t listen. How crazy is that? We worry about lost income, but it never hurt Dad and it doesn’t seem to hurt Chick-fil-A either. Perhaps God honors those who honor and obey Him.
Blessings, George