Matthew 5:16
Holman
Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
David and Richard (names altered) were graduates of the
Christian high school in Africa where I taught many years ago. Shortly after
graduation they were both drafted into the army. They stopped by to see me
after completing their military service and told me of their experiences.
David had decided that he would not work on the Sabbath. He
told is commanding officer about his decision. The officer told him that he
respected him for his decision, but that he would have to report to work on his
Sabbath anyway. David refused to report and instead remained in his room and
read his Bible. He was punished for his refusal to follow orders. This pattern
of not reporting to work and being punished continued throughout his military
service. Punishment consisted of severe beatings, being denied meals, solitary
confinement in military jail, humiliation in front of his unit, loss of
privileges, and anything else his commanding officer could think of to try and
break his resolve. He was eventually discharged, but only after serving his
full time.
Richard also decided that he would not work on the Sabbath.
He chose to say nothing to his commanding officer. On Sabbath he would pick up
the spade or hoe that he would need for the day’s work. On the way to the job
he would slip off into the bush, hide his tool and spend the day in seclusion reading
his Bible. When the platoon was returning from work he would carefully slip
into the ranks and return with them to the barracks. Never once was his action
detected by his superior officer. He received no disciplinary action, of
course.
When I read this verse my mind often returns to the
experience of these two classmates and their different ways of living up to the
dictates of conscience. In each case I’m sure that the fellow soldiers observed
how these two kept the Sabbath commandment. So far as I can tell the actions of neither
soldier brought glory to our Father in heaven.
Lord I don’t know
what I would do if I were in either of these soldiers shoes. I can only pray
that Your Spirit would give me wisdom for the occasion as promised in James 1:5.
I think it might have been good to request "special work" on Sabbath-- so not shirking duty, but contributing in a way consistent with honoring the Sabbath. That might have resulted in the same treatment that David/Daniel received, but who knows...?
ReplyDelete--Leslie
Thanks for commenting. I'm delighted that much is working. Thanks for catching an inconsistency in the name. I see that I can actually correct things here which is much nicer than facebook.
DeleteI like your suggestion about possibly getting some" special work" that could pass for okay on Sabbath. This all happened a long time ago, but I remember David as being sincerely devout and he may have come across as confrontational. Then again there are some sergeants that can be pretty unbending.
God looks at the heart and judges motives. I can't judge.
ReplyDeleteThe problem begins with trying to keep the sabbath "the right way". It is impossible. I agree with the above post....The Lord God looks at our hearts and when Christ abides there through faith THAT is what He sees. For he that entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works,as God did from His. Hebrews 4:11 365 DAYS A YEAR REST !!!! Praise God.! Thanks for your blog...its interesting.
ReplyDeleteReturning to the text: What could have been done in a situation that David and Richard found themselves in that would have caused those with them in the military to have offered glory to God?
DeleteI think the answer to your question, Dr. Clarke, is that the first thing a Christ follower does in any situation is to ask God what He wants them to do and then listen and watch for direction. If both of these men decided on their own to follow a pursuit based on their own decision, then they did not bring glory to God. In essence, they told God, this is what I'm going to do, no matter what You say. Our judgment of how to implement the commandments of God is almost always faulty, and bringing glory to God depends on listening to the Holy Spirit, who is present in us but frequently left out of our decisions. Christian ethics are entirely dependent on the input of the Spirit. Our ability to reason is a gift and we should certainly use it. This is a cooperative, active, thoughtful relationship we live in, just like a human-to-human relationship. The bottom line is, if you face a Sabbath conflict, what wisdom do you allow God to give you? It will, of course, be in perfect harmony with His commandment, because He gave the commandment. Why not allow Him to give the implementation also? And then obey Him without reservation.
ReplyDeleteWhat you say about waiting on God is the absolute ideal. I have used that approach many times. On occasion God leaves it up to us. This is especially true when it is a question of obeying a direct commandment. The classical example is, of course, Eve and the serpent. God said "Don't eat the fruit." In Eve's mind He said nothing about talking to a snake in the tree. We know the rest of the story.
DeleteAnd to answer your original question more clearly, I think one man obeyed the commandment and brought glory to God, and the other man obeyed the commandment.
ReplyDeleteAs you pointed out, I doubt either of their choices inspired others to want to know their Jesus. That doesn’t mean their choices were wrong. Each had to answer to his own conscience. Since God created each of us as unique individuals, it would seem that he is not interested in having all of us behave in an identical manner. Therefore, he may lead each of us to make different decisions. If this is so, what are the implications to our personal ideas of truth?
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your thoughtful comments. As a math teacher I'm used to asking questions and knowing what the correct answer is. The math teacher in me wants to quantitatively evaluate each response. But...
ReplyDeleteI have thought about the quandary that David and Richard found themselves in many times over many years. It's easy, and probably spiritually profitable, to do arm-chair quarter-backing I learnt a long time ago that I can plan very carefully what I plan to do in a difficult situation and then find myself doing something totally different when I get in that situation. I don't have an answer that I'm satisfied with and deeply appreciate your thinking about the question with me.
Under no circumstances am I critical of how either man responded to their dilemma. I praise the Lord that they were willing to risk everything to follow what they understood to be right.
We are surrounded with a great cloud of witnesses. One day we will be able to look into God's will and what gave Him glory or not. It's not going to be boring.
ReplyDeleteThis entry reminds me of a quote: "Until the judgment you will never know the influence of a kind, considerate course toward the inconsistent, the unreasonable, the unworthy. When we meet with ingratitude and betrayal of sacred trusts, we are roused to show our contempt or indignation. This the guilty expect; they are prepared for it. But kind forbearance takes them by surprise and often awakens their better impulses and arouses a longing for a nobler life." {HDL 39.1}
Our steadfastness does not change everyone but they will know we are Christians by our love. People do not always understand faith, or hope, but they understand love. Everyone is given their choice. Thank God for Romans 8:28.
A very appropriate Ellen White comment! Thanks for sharing it.
DeleteThank you for addressing some very real situations. Commenting on the respective behaviors of David and Richard is compounded by the facts that are not revealed in the brief account of their experiences. The previous comment touches on this in that our Sabbath observance is more than what is done or not done on a Saturday. The person who shows a kind, helpful, co-operative attitude towards others through the week, is far more likely to receive the same in return when requesting a special privilege. There are exceptions, but someone placed in the situation faced by David or Richard, glorifies God, not by the stand taken over the Sabbath, but by a consistent witness in all aspects of their lives.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think you're saying is that Sabbath observance is a continuous thing that we can do throughout the week. I have found this to be true also.
Delete