Remember the Sabbath

“But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:”                                                     Exodus 20:10

            When I was a little boy, our family would go out on a Sunday afternoon drive in our city. I used to notice that many businesses would be closed due to the blue laws that our country had instituted to honor a day of rest. As I got older, I found that more and more businesses were opening on Sunday.

As the years passed, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that God was no longer to be a part of our public schools. As a result, other areas started pulling away from Biblical guidelines.  Years ago, even Hollywood had all movie scripts approved by the church. This helped to keep movie producers accountable in producing moral films. Now, without accountability, anything goes.

          Blue Laws are hundreds of years old. It was to honor the day of rest as quoted from the Ten Commandments of God. When John Calvin was involved in setting laws with the civil authorities concerning Geneva, Switzerland, the laws were based on Biblical principals. As a result of this, Geneva prospered and became known as a “city of peace”. Later, it became known as the world center for peace negotiations such as the Geneva Convention. It’s country became a neutral haven during World War II. Their flag still bears the cross of Christianity for it’s influence of the city of Geneva and of the works of John Calvin.

 The Swiss Flag

 Our Founding Fathers invoked these laws because we are a Christian nation. See U.S. vs Holy Trinity Church, 1892, in which the Supreme Court reiterated what the founders said. They also said that this republic will only work in a moral society. By the time we as a nation allowed God to be removed we were becoming an immoral society. This is largely due because Christians across this nation did not stop it.

          Many times our family has eaten at Chick-fil-a and we have noticed how this company has prospered. One of their claims to fame is that they practice a 6 day work week and give their employees a day off whether they are religious or not. Many feel that God has blessed them for honoring Him. Our country had these laws to give all people a day of rest whether Christian or not.

          An acquaintance of mine owns a store at a popular mall. He was telling me how sometimes he feels like selling the business, because he has to stay open 7 days a week. He informed me that to rent a space in a mall, the lease that one signs requires them to be open on Sunday with the exception of Chick-fil-a.  When a company and even a nation honors God’s principals, He will bless them.

 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”          Psalms 33:12

How people can destroy or cripple a nation

   “Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain:”                                                                                       Jeremiah 10:2 & 3

            God tells his people in this passage that they are not to follow after the ways of the world for they are vain even if they appear to work. This was further proved in the time of King David when he carried the Ark of the Covenant. He carried it using worldly methods that caused a man to be killed by God for his error (II Samuel 6). God told Israel that the ark was to be carried by a special family of Levites and they were to carry it using poles. David used the example from the Philistines when they captured the ark during a battle.  When they returned it to Israel they put it on a cart, in which God honored, because he did not tell them how to carry it, but his own people. 

          Recently my wife heard on Christian radio about how a nationwide Christian bookstore announced that they were going to be open on Sunday to keep up with other bookstores. So, what is the key example of all this? That rather than honor God in a practice that has been followed for many years, we will follow after money. This all comes down to what the Scriptures tells us:

  “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”                                                                   I Timothy 6:10

          My wife called the local branch of this bookstore and asked them if this was true. The manager replied that it was thanks to much encouragement from Christian leaders. He said that it would broaden their ministry being in competition with other stores, even religious ones.  The manager went on to say that it was from their cooperate office and they had no other choice but to obey the mandate. If that is true, it gives managers, as well as employees, an opportunity to appeal to their authorities to stop this.

“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.”                           Psalms 91:15

Until God’s people can get to a place in their lives where they can follow after God’s way and reject and forsake the ways of the world, then will we be able to make a difference in our nation.

 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”                                                    Matthew 5:13

Let history be our example of what happens

when people follow the Lord!