Excuse XI
Eating is a Necessity
Question:
Don’t restaurants operating on the Sabbath provide a vital service by preparing nutritious meals for God’s people?
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There are times when certain leaders in God’s service think they can get away with treating their audience like fools. In this particular argument, one COG leader does just that. He implies that those who reject dining out on the Sabbath actually want God's people to go hungry on this day. He then argues that this practice is acceptable with the Lord of the Sabbath because it satisfies a critical need for sustaining life. We aren't making this up. Here are his exact words.
Do you grasp what these people are saying? They are equating the physical necessity of eating—ingesting food in order to obtain necessary nutrients for life—as entertainment and recreation. Who is missing something here? Should such a rift in logic or judgment not serve as a warning flag to reasonable, spirit-led minds? Should it not also be painfully obvious that these people simply do not know and understand the true God?
Now for a Little Honesty
Contrary to what this long standing minister claims, those who reject going to restaurants on the Sabbath are NOT against food. That is just silly. They are against this leader acquiring it on the Sabbath. Come to think of it, so is God (Ex. 16: 4-5). They are also opposed to him having his Sabbath meals prepared on the seventh day. Come to think of it, God is opposed to that as well (Ex. 16:23). What this COG leader is suggesting is tantamount to saying that the reason God prohibited His people from gathering manna on the Sabbath and preparing it on that day was that He wanted to deny His people the "necessary nutrients for life." Does anyone honestly believe that?
Another Example of Self-Justification
The argument just cited is not an isolated case of God’s leaders attempting to justify their sin by cloaking it as a “necessity.” In a letter advocating dining out on the Sabbath, representatives of a very prominent COG group offered a similar argument. Here is how they expressed it.
In the millennial rule of Christ on earth, everyone will learn to keep the Sabbath and reap its benefits, far beyond what we are able to enjoy today. Eventually all mankind will keep the Sabbath. Work will cease early on the sixth day with plenty of time to prepare for the Sabbath. Of course, there will be no restaurants or other business establishments open on the Sabbath. But neither will there be a need as there is today.
In this brief paragraph, some of the best minds in the Church have officially declared that what takes place in restaurants every Sabbath is a "NEED" in today's world. It is not a sin as originally believed. It is a real end-time necessity for God's people. This assessment is offered even though the fourth commandment vehemently prohibits the very work these Sabbath breakers perform (Ex 20: 8-11, 31:14, Lev. 23:3, Deut. 5:14, Jer. 17:22)
A Question Regarding Need
Although virtually every COG group advancing the argument of “need” is convinced that their understanding is based on God's word, we are puzzled by it. What is it about making dinner reservations for a Friday evening that falls into the category of a "need?" We understand the need for food on the Sabbath. But that need has always existed--even when the children of Israel were delivered out of bondage in Egypt. However, God had a way of satisfying this need without compromising His law. He did this by specifically commanding His people to acquire and prepare their Sabbath meals on the sixth day. Our question is: why can't God's people today do the same thing? Why can't they simply follow God's instructions? What is it about today's world that makes it a necessity to seek out Sabbath breakers to prepare our meals on holy time?
Furthermore, although many COG leaders characterize dining out on the Sabbath as a “need,” why doesn't everyone have it? In other words, how are some of God's people able to satisfy their food requirements on the Sabbath without seeking out unbelievers to acquire and prepare their food for them?
Legitimizing Sin
The argument that what takes place in a restaurant on God's Sabbath is a necessity today is absurd. Dining out on the Sabbath is a luxury—one that goes totally contrary to God's law. To try to cloak it as a critical component of human survival represents a desperate attempt to legitimize sin. God's law specifically forbids such work to be performed on the Sabbath. To suggest that soliciting this labor from unbelievers is endorsed by the same God is brazenly arrogant, whether the leaders of His Church believe it or not.
A Final Thought
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (Job 23:12)
