Argument VI
Moderation and Balance
Who can understand his own error?
~Psalm 19:12~
One of the most common arguments advanced by people in God’s Church today is that although one should not make a habit of going to restaurants on the Sabbath, it would not be wrong to engage in such a practice on occasion. In other words, it could be done in moderation and balance.
To be sure, the Bible does encourage moderation. This quality is a virtue that reflects discipline and self-control, which are essential components to the Christian walk. However, does the Bible remotely suggest that God approves of moderation when it comes to going contrary to His law? In other words, can you imagine anyone arguing that adultery is appropriate if done in moderation? Or, that stealing is acceptable if done in balance?
When it comes to sin, God prohibits moderation. He hates it!
To illustrate this point, how would God respond if His people wanted to go to an amusement park once every six months on the Sabbath? Or play golf every six weeks on His day? What about painting a room on the Sabbath? Or working on the family car every 5000 miles during the time God set apart as holy?
It is doubtful that any true Sabbath-keeper would see these activities, regardless of how infrequently they were done, as anything less than a clear violation of the fourth commandment. Those who think otherwise are just fooling themselves.
God’s law concerning His Sabbath makes many provisions for its observance. But it also outlines prohibitions. This is not done because God is some tyrant in the sky, but rather because He is a Master Architect who created the Sabbath and its great purpose.
When God instructed the children of Israel to “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy,” He indicated that as a result of their obedience, they would know Him (Ex. 31:12-17). This alone should make honoring the fourth commandment among the highest of priorities. What could be more important than knowing the GREAT GOD and His plan? But how does one keep the Sabbath holy?
Specific Instructions
The Bible is filled with very specific instructions concerning how God’s Sabbath is to be kept. Additionally, the scriptures provide numerous examples of how the great champions of faith honored this commandment. Noticeably absent from these instructions and examples is any hint that buying and selling, even in moderation, is permitted on this day. It simply is not there. On the contrary, God’s word indicates that buying and selling on the Sabbath is one of the primary reasons the nations of Israel and Judah went into captivity over 2500 years ago. This was the point Nehemiah was trying to hammer home when he contended with the nobles of Judah over their reckless disregard of this day (see Neh. 13:15-21).
Moderation or Compromise
The argument of “Moderation and Balance” advanced by proponents of dining out on the Sabbath may have the appearance of maturity and wisdom, but in truth it is nothing more than an attempt to rehabilitate sin.
The fact of the matter is that God’s law forbids moderation in many areas. Consider just a few: God’s law prohibits lying in moderation, stealing in moderation, coveting in moderation, killing in moderation, cursing in moderation, or building an occasional graven image. Such “balance” is abhorrent to God. When it comes to the Sabbath, God’s law prohibits working in moderation, doing your own pleasure in moderation, and compelling others to work on your behalf in moderation. That law also prohibits buying in moderation as well as selling in moderation.
Appropriate Sabbath Activities
Although God’s law outlines certain prohibitions concerning the Sabbath, it also outlines numerous activities that enhance the honoring of this great commandment. In reality, the command to honor God’s Sabbath is among the most affirmative in the Decalogue. Here are just some of the things you can engage in on that day:
Rest from your labor.
Fellowship with God’s people.
Study His word.
Pray to Him.
Refrain from worry.
Meditate on His way.
Sing praises to Him.
Be nourished by His servants.
Anticipate His Kingdom.
Celebrate God’s way with family.
Teach your children.
Delight in the great hope He has given you.
Serve God’s people.
Comfort the weak.
Encourage the strong.
Embrace the lonely.
And in all of this, God’s word instructs His people to DELIGHT in this day, knowing that the Sabbath stands as evidence that God’s hope for all mankind will one day be accomplished!
A Great Blessing
The Sabbath pictures God’s great millennial Kingdom. It is a day filled with hope and rich in meaning. God’s people should see it as nothing less. The Sabbath is a day that provides a glimpse into a Kingdom that will be absent of suffering. That Kingdom will be a time of great peace, great prosperity, great health, and great hope. It will be a time when ignorance and superstition will be replaced with the knowledge of a loving God and Father. Honoring the Sabbath that pictures that Kingdom is nothing less than a tremendous privilege and blessing. It should fill all of God’s people with a sense of purpose and hope, and most of all, it should fill them with THANKSGIVING.
King David once wrote a psalm dedicated to the Sabbath (Psa. 92). It contains some of the most inspiring words ever recorded in scripture. The day will come when those words will be fulfilled. For now, God’s people can act out that great Kingdom every week. And to do so, they do not need an occasional visit to an amusement park, an occasional movie, or an occasional meal at a restaurant. Such practices do not reflect that Kingdom in the slightest, even if done in “moderation and balance.”
