A dear friend is currently having his first, well-deserved and much-needed, sabbatical after 30-plus years of faithful ministry. Sensing his hesitancy, I encouraged him to take the sabbatical and to trust the Lord with what would take place back home. I recently spoke to him and he is enjoying his time of resting, and is trusting the Lord to care of the church. I can relate.
These eight weeks have been good for me and Jill, in many ways. Personally, they have challenged me about the need for a deeper trust in the Lord, including trusting him with his bride, Brackenhurst Baptist Church. In giving considerable thought to the matter of pastoral transition, this sabbatical has encouraged me to trust the Lord, not only in the present but also for our future. Trust, in fact, is precisely the point of the biblical precept and practice of sabbaticals. Resting is for trusting. When God formed the nation of Israel, he instituted several laws emphasising the creation principle of sabbath, the practice of rest in order to produce trust in the Lord.
When God delivered his people from Egypt, he immediately revealed the connection between trust and sabbath when he fed the people of Israel with manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16). The Lord promised to feed his people with a supply of heavenly bread, provided throughout six days of the week. On the sixth day, the Lord supplied twice as much so that the people could rest on the seventh day. The Lord was to be trusted, demonstrated by the people of God as they rested. Resting from their regular labour of gathering demonstrated they were trusting the Lord, not themselves. And so it was with the fourth commandment, revealed four chapters later. Six days they were to labour for their bread, but on the seventh day they were to rest, practically declaring and demonstrating their ultimate dependence on the Lord for daily bread. Resting on the seventh day testified they were trusting God for all of their days.
In addition to the weekly sabbath, there was a sabbath year every seven years. In this appointed sabbatical year, financial debts were forgiven and bondservants set free (Deuteronomy 15). In addition, after the previous six years of working the land, the fields were to rest in the seventh year (Leviticus 25:1–7). This was good for the land in pre-fertilising days, but ultimately it was good for the faith of the people of God. For a people that lived by subsistence farming, this was a great declaration and demonstration of trust in the Lord. By not planting a crop in the sabbatical year, no harvest could be expected. But neither should they expect hunger, for, as in Exodus 16, they could trust the Lord who gave the commandment to meet their needs (Leviticus 25:20–22). Finally, the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8–17), which occurred every fifty years, was a sabbatical year. In fact, it was the second straight sabbatical year after the preceding (49th) year.
Every fifty years, previously forfeited land was returned to its original owner, slaves were set free, and debts were forgiven. This was a sign of great trust in God. As mentioned, the land would also rest—for two consecutive years. Talk about resting and trusting God!
In every case of sabbatical instruction, we see the principle that trust is inseparable from rest. Rest was a means of developing trust. “Forced” rest was necessary for God’s people to reflect on the one who was sustaining them. Stepping aside from the normal was designed to strengthen faith. This is what my sabbatical has done for me, and perhaps for our church as well.
In my absence, the church, of course, has done well. God builds his church and he can always be trusted to do so. And, of course, God is to be trusted when the time comes for me to be permanently absent. This sabbatical has reenforced my conviction that no human leader is indispensable. As is often observed, cemeteries are filled with indispensable people! This break from my norm has reminded me how dependent BBC is upon the Lord and therefore our need to constantly reflect on this truth.
The sovereign Lord gives new life. He sustains our lives, both physically and spiritually. He meets the needs of the church, even amid the economic challenges in our country. He who has all authority in heaven and earth, is furthering his kingdom amid a land infested with political corruption. And he is making his people holy, though surrounded by moral chaos. Yes, our great God can be trusted. And these weeks of sabbatical rest from my normal labours has strengthened that trust. I hope that these Friday feeds have improved your trusting as well.
God willing, see you on Sunday as we rest and trust together,
Doug