I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m talking. It’s probable that this discussion will annoy a lot of people; I know this because it annoys me. But it needs to be considered. Not everyone will come to the same conclusions, but all of us need to think about this. It has to do with how Americans live their lives. We’re the greatest, most powerful country in the world—arguably—but that shouldn’t dissuade us from a little self-analysis. Of course I’m talking to Christian, evangelical Americans primarily. Other types of Christians have their own approach to Christian practice and belief, but I’m just focusing on this group of which I am one. We’re main-stream—I guess—and, generally speaking, we’re vocal and engaged in the culture of our country. We embrace and utilize what America has to offer and we have something to say about how our country does its business. We enjoy the freedoms and privileges of American life, and, in many respects, we don’t hesitate to make our views known, whether directly or through those who represent us in the public domain.

However, this discussion isn’t considering hot-button issues such as abortion, or immigration policy. Those are significant concerns that need to be addressed to be sure. What I’m focusing on here is something that affects all of us whether we like it or not. It’s something that gets the attention of everyone once we get through the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year. What I’m talking about is football! It is in the aftermath of the holiday season that the next big event for many people, here and around the world, is the Super Bowl. I talked a little about this in the last post, but in this discussion I’m focusing on a different aspect of this phenomenon. Instead of thinking about how we focus our attention from season to season, or what direction our lives take under the influence of our culture, I want to consider how we allow the Bible to direct our steps.

We should understand that scripture is the most concrete means for us to know the Lord. We can pray, we can commiserate and contemplate the “Good News,” but it’s the Bible that provides the fodder for our understanding of who God is and what He’s about. This written Word has come down to us through an arduous process over a period of something in the neighborhood of 3500 years. That’s a long time. Moses was instrumental at the beginning of this process; and a series of people contributed to this collection of writings through the centuries culminating in the Apostle John’s Revelation. And it must be said that a lot of effort has been involved in collecting, preserving and translating the text; an effort that continues to this day. Even now there continues to be ongoing discussion regarding the integrity of the text, and the manner in which it’s to be applied. Why is that? I think the obvious answer is that it continues to be scrutinized and challenged because of what it purports to say. It’s not like arguing about what Homer wrote in the Iliad or the Odyssey, or analyzing what Aristotle or Plato had in mind in their writings. The Bible provides documented accounts of people encountering God. The documents aren’t presented for entertainment, or to contemplate the possibilities of human existence—although they can be entertaining and a challenge to our way of thinking. The Bible reveals who God is and what He’s about. And not only is the theme of the Bible intriguing enough to garner all this attention, it also happens to be true. That’s the rub; that’s the rub for sure. What it tells us is the truth regarding the existence of God, and regarding His nature. And it also tells us who we are and what we have to deal with in this life. We can take it or leave it, but in the wider scheme of things it can’t be ignored. So it continues to be studied, analyzed, evaluated, defied and deified, ridiculed…and embraced.

Now I’m assuming that I’m speaking to a believing audience. Evangelicals believe the Bible to be the Word of God. We may argue about some subtleties regarding the interpretation and integrity of scripture, but generally speaking we believe it to be the inspired Word. The question for us is how it’s to be applied. I mean, do we follow it verbatim? obviously not. The Old Testament depiction of ritual sacrifice has been eclipsed by the cross. Jesus has fulfilled the intention of the sacrificial system, and all the Old Testament rules and regulations regarding everyday life have been reassessed as to their validity this side of the cross; right? The question that I want to ask contemporary believers is: to what extent should we allow the Old Testament to inform us? This is to say, what teachings in the Old Testament should we continue to apply to our everyday lives? We’re not going to keep killing animals in order to appease the wrath of God, but we will continue to listen to what the Bible has to say about our origins. Our existence is the result of divine fiat not abstract principles of chemical and biological evolution. Is there anything else that the Old Testament says that we should continue to abide by? Some might suggest the Ten Commandments. Remember those?

This is just a basic rendition of the commandments, and accurate enough for what I want to discuss here. As believers we should know that what the Lord accomplished through the cross enables us to approach Him without being perfect. We’re flawed, we’ve sinned and we need, and have received, unmerited favor from the Lord through the cross. We can’t work our way to heaven. That doesn’t mean that we have a free ride or that the Lord isn’t concerned with how we live our lives. There’s an expectation that we’ll become imitators of Jesus, reflecting His holiness in the way we live. Some have tried to do this through rigorous disciplines that reward proper behavior, and penalize waywardness. Others take a more relaxed approach in which our good intentions are regarded as sufficient, with the impact of our failures nullified by our Lord’s saving grace. I tend to think of our salvation as a journey as indicated by the categories of this site’s posts. We’re on our way. We have been given a “free ride” of sorts, one that allows us to press forward in faith toward the goal of becoming like our Savior. We can approach God in spite of our sinful tendencies; and we have the opportunity to become less and less like what we were, and become more and more like Jesus. How does that happen? We pay attention to what God has to say and we align ourselves with those who are committed to achieving the same goal, i.e. we study and contemplate the Bible and seek the Lord in prayer, and we engage with a believing community: the Church. Hopefully this is becoming gruesomely repetitive, prompting you to take this effort seriously, making it a central feature of your life; which brings us to the focus of this post: “The Fourth Word.”

It is the case that the original language of the Old Testament—Hebrew—states that the original commandments given to Moses were the “Ten Words.” (Exodus 34:28) That’s the language of the text and it’s reiterated when Moses challenged Israel to adhere to these “Words” as they prepared to enter into the promised-land. (Deuteronomy 4:13) The first three words speak to the nature of God: He is the one and only, to be worshiped exclusively, and references to Him should be made respectfully. Then comes the Fourth Word stating that the Sabbath is to be recognized as holy: it’s a day of rest and a time for reflection upon all that God had done for Israel: delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians and leading them to the promised land of their forefathers. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15) The remainder of these Words focuses on our behavior towards others: parents, neighbors, and other associates. The first three pertaining to our understanding and behavior toward God are certainly applicable to modern evangelicals, as are the last six that stipulate proper conduct toward others. However the Fourth Word is a little fuzzy as to its pertinence for the modern Church. For the Israelites this stipulation ordered that their conduct on the Sabbath should remind them of the Lord’s sovereignty over His creation and remind them of their deliverance from the hand of the Egyptians. It was to remind them that they were a distinct people of the God who rested after the six days in which He established the created order. (Exodus 20:11) And it also was viewed as a reminder of their deliverance from the power of Pharaoh. Labor and travel were restricted, and keeping the Sabbath properly continued to be a focus in Israel when the Christ appeared. However modern evangelicals weren’t led out of Egypt through miraculous means, nor were we led into a promised land. And the New Testament suggests that Sabbath restrictions were no longer applicable for Christians. (Colossians 2:16-17) However, Jesus didn’t deny the legitimacy of the Sabbath but challenged its legalistic application. (Mark 2:23-3:6) And for centuries the Church has maintained an affirmation of a Sabbath for Christians to gather and worship their God.

The question is: how does a modern, American, evangelical Christian, properly keep the Sabbath? It used to be that businesses closed on Sunday and pretty much everybody went to church. It was a day that was set apart for religious reasons through what are called Blue Laws that prohibit certain activities on Sunday. Such laws continue to be enforced in some cities, but the religious basis for them has been eclipsed by secular concerns. Nowadays weekends, including Sunday, focus on recreation, rest, and relaxation. In that sense it continues to reflect the Biblical view of a Sunday/Sabbath as a day of rest. But for Christians Sunday is our day to attend church as well. We give attention to the Lord and His Word collectively. And many if not most of us also give attention to some form of recreation—including watching football games at this time of year.

My question is how do we balance these two activities? Or do we? When I was growing up in a Chicago suburb the primary activity on Sunday was church attendance—if you were a believer, or at least a churchgoer—followed by a nice meal afterward. There wasn’t much competing for our attention (maybe a television program on 1 of 3 available channels). Now we’re presented with a variety of options through a plethora of media. And signifying Sunday as primarily a day of rest and reflection on the Lord has given way to a view of Sunday as a platform for all kinds of activities, of which church is only one, and maybe not the most important one. By pointing this out I’m not saying “shame on you” or “shame on us.” Instead, I’m suggesting that we need to be careful and think about this for our own good. I’m not talking about appeasing God through our obedience to a rule of conduct, I’m talking about availing ourselves of a provision that provides us time to reflect upon what the Lord’s done on our behalf; to remember our own deliverance from a foreign power and our entry into a promised land that is overseen by our creator King, i.e. the Kingdom of God. It’s not a matter of following a regimen; it’s a matter of reaffirming the pleasure and privilege of knowing the Lord! If we’re going to engage in other activities, those activities shouldn’t be allowed to diminish the impact of what God has done through our Savior. How to find and maintain that balance is something that we all need to work on every Sunday. And that includes Super Bowl Sunday; easier said than done when your team’s playing!

Think about it. Pray about it. Hear what the Lord might have to say about it.

That’s my plan anyway; Amen and Amen!