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Parable in the Dirt

Posted on 06. May, 2010 by Karen True in food for thought

The ancients saw Sabbath as a 24-hour idle and missed the mark. I miss it too when I tend toward the other extreme by viewing rest as little more than a lazy escape from the dailyness of life. It’s not that I think R & R is wrong, but it’s not the point of Sabbath either.

One of those mystifying Levitical commands offers a hint about the true meaning of Sabbath.

The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. (Lev. 25:1-5)

There’s a parable in the dirt.

I had to read that a couple of times too. It says the dirt needs a break. Pointers like these don’t often jump right out and reveal themselves as great spiritual truth. This one sure didn’t, but it’s starting to make sense to me.

Moses didn’t have a clue about the benefits of crop rotation when he put pen to papyrus to write these words. He had learned, though, that God’s mysteries had a point even though they might first appear to be, shall we say, a bit off beat. Talking to a burning bush and witnessing a large body of water spontaneously divide itself in two would have a way of refiguring your thinking.

But seriously. Who can afford to take a year off? Where would the food come from? What were the farmers supposed to do for a whole year while the land took it easy?

Now, I think we’re getting somewhere.

If the land rested, the people would too. And they’d do more than just kick back. They’d be forced to really depend on God. Now there’s a novel concept of faith. “Remember the Sabbath,” is God’s way of saying, “Remember to depend on me.” I’ve provided for the last six years. How about you take a break and let me take care of the future?

Learning that I might have ovarian cancer this past December flipped all of my control tendencies into high functioning status. Trying not to be shaken by the shock, I decided to over-manage this thing by phone calls, long lists of questions and demands rather than dependence. It didn’t take long for my attempts at controlling the uncontrollable to wear me out. So, I did the only thing there was to do. I gave up and realized that I had been encroaching on God’s job description while ignoring my own. God controls. I depend. And rest.

There’s a reason for all of this.

Sabbath gives us time to rest from physical work so we can focus on the essential spiritual work of learning to depend. It’s easy to bury myself in my work. The kind that delivers on self-reliance and feeds my sense of independence. And there you have it. The reason for Sabbath. And for the parable in the dirt.  God gave the dirt a rest, so I could rest in knowing that life is neither all about me or all up to me.

Related posts:

1. God’s Day Off
2. Rest is Hard Work
3. Rest is a Hot Topic
4. Bible Verses that Make Me Laugh

Tags: Leviticus, rest, Sabbath