Giving Sunday Rest

"Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, maybe refreshed" (Exodus 23:12).

Although I've done it several times in a pinch, the general rule should be that Christians do not go to restaurants or grocery stores on Sundays.  Most think it's a pharisaical and legalistic add-on to the fourth commandment, but there are plenty of Scriptures like Exodus 23:12 that make it clear: don't make others work for you on the Sabbath.  That includes grocery store clerks and waitresses at restaurants.

There are two basic arguments I've heard against this.  First, "God wants ME to rest, so why should I prepare my own meal when someone else can do it who is willing?"  This is just ignorance of our Exodus 23:12 text (also Deuteronomy 5:14).  Sure, your servant will do whatever you pay him to do, whenever.  But the point of the text is to command you not to ask it of him.  You must rest, and you must give others rest.

Second and more compelling, Colossians 2:16: "Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath."  But I believe this refers to Judaizers insisting Christians obey the whole Old Testament ceremonial law.  If the seventh day of rest is abolished with the rest of the ceremonial law, why is it in the 10 commandments, and why do you go to church on Sundays?  Why was it established in the first few pages of the Bible (Genesis 2:2-3), way before Moses?  Sabbath rest is a sign of our ultimate rest in glory (Hebrews 4:8-10), and until we have that, we should observe a sabbath.

It's become something of a punchline in the evangelical world that the fourth commandment isn't about whether or not we go out to eat on Sundays.  But that's a cop out.  I beg to differ.  Of course the Sabbath is about more than this.  But it's included.

Saturdays are for house work and preparing for Sundays.  The old school pattern for Saturdays of mowing the lawn, washing the cars, getting groceries, vacuuming, extra cooking, and a Saturday night bath for the kids in preparation for Sunday was a very good one.  It parallels God telling Israel to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day, in preparation for the seventh (Exodus 16:22-30).  The goal should be to help yourself and others to rest the next day.

We shouldn't freak out if plans suddenly change, or someone's "ox is in a ditch," and we have to do some work or go to a store.  God understands (Matthew 12:1-8).  But we should plan for going to worship and fellowship with His people, not going to stores on Sundays.