Thy Man-Servant nor Thy Maid-Servant

The sabbath commandment is both individual and communal.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Exodus 20:8-11

When Moses repeated this commandment at the end of his ministry, he emphasized the sabbath as a gift to other people: “that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou” (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Keeping the sabbath includes not only resting ourselves but allowing other people the opportunity to rest.

Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, had encouraged him to avoid overtaxing not only himself but also the people around him. “Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee,” he had warned Moses. Shortly after, when the Lord gave the Ten Commandments, He emphasized not only individual rest but also the offer of rest to all of those under our influence: our children, our employees, our guests, and even our animals. He subsequently applied this principle to agricultural land, specifically to lighten the burden of the poor:

Six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:

But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Exodus 23:10-12

Abinadi quoted the Ten Commandments to King Noah, who had laid heavy burdens on his people. (See Mosiah 13:16-19; Mosiah 11:3-15.) The collective nature of this fourth commandment would not have been lost on those who labored under his oppressive leadership.

Of course, for devout believers, Sunday can feel anything but restful. We may set aside our daily activities but still overload ourselves with “sabbath-appropriate” activities.

Years ago, when we lived in Boston, I had a demanding church responsibility. After attending morning meetings with my family in our local congregation, I would drive into the city, where I was assigned to help a Spanish-speaking congregation. One Sunday, at the end of the Spanish services, I was about to tackle the next item on my task list, when my leader asked to speak with me. He told me, “You look exhausted. Go home.” I objected that there was still more work to do. He repeated, “Go home.” Looking back, I’m grateful that he recognized what I didn’t see: I was overstretched and needed a break. He kept the sabbath by helping me find the rest I needed that day.

This Sunday, I will calibrate the demands I place on myself and on others. I will strive to rest from my labors, and to help other people rest from theirs, on the Lord’s day.