Obsession/Workaholism versus Rest -- Fourth Commandment

 

Like the 3^rd Commandment, is the 4^th Commandment one that has been downplayed culturally, and politically? Is it really an ethical problem, or can it lead to an ethical problem, when so many people need to work on the day on which so many others rest? Would it be healthy for leaders in the political world to model resting? The Creator-God took a rest on the 7^th day (Genesis 2:2), and then made it obligatory for the humans He made (see Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15), so resting is a done deal, with no work permitted on the Sabbath, correct? We might have thought so, until God’s own Son came along and redefined it a bit. His teaching gives each of us some guidelines for today: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28). Jesus got into more than a little trouble because He challenged what the Jews thought was a settled issue, including when He healed people on more than one Sabbath occasion (an example is shown here in Christ heals the man with paralysed hand, a Byzantine mosaic in the Cathedral of Monreale, Sicily, Italy…biblical reference is Matthew 12:9-14). Yet, apparently on other non-Sabbath days, Jesus did take a break, for instance when He would escape a crowd, oftentimes to rest or pray (See Luke 4:42; 5:16; 6:12; Mark 6:31-32). So whether it was or was not the designated rest day, Jesus seemed to do whatever He thought was circumstantially appropriate – both resting and working, a balance that is a model for those who are true, total-life believers, including leaders. What might be the consequences if someone instead becomes obsessed with work? Rubel Shelly (Written in Stone – Ethics for the Heart) reminds us that the 4^th is intended to make us stop, and to appreciate that we are His. In a sense, ignoring the STOP sign means I think of myself and my activities as more important – essentially, I bow to my own ego; I am obsessed with me. Read on.

Does anyone else think our 21^st Century political landscape has become oppressive? Might its nature actually be inhibiting candidates with good, balanced characters from running for political office? If it’s clear that God models balance for each of us, then it is also clear that He thinks the danger of work obsession to everyone is real, so we dare not ignore His commandment on this – it’s for our own good. Check your dictionary, and here’s what it says about obsession: a persistent, disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling. We all have experienced this occasionally, perhaps with more than one night’s sleep sacrificed. Now, the keywords in the definition are disturbing and unreasonable. You can be disturbed about something that actually does need attention, but if it is also unreasonable, then there’s a problem. Are political personalities especially susceptible to this obsessive, workaholic phenomenon, accentuated with such pervasive media coverage of themselves? The stakes for winning the public’s approval are awfully high, so advertising oneself (in a positive light, obviously) to the maximum might seem like a logical course of action. But, broadening the picture, what of the public’s ability to rest in this atmosphere? What happens when a politician always feels the need to be spotlighted…is he/she a balanced person? Does he/she allow for rest, conveying to We The People a sense of peace and calm? WARNING: A people can also become obsessive – in an irrational, even violent way – if they mimic such a compulsive person.

Is there such a thing as a Sabbath in politics during an election cycle? After long, hard-fought elections, do the candidates give the campaign a rest, allowing the voting citizens a much-needed peace of mind? What happens when obsession takes over instead, a continuing fight to keep the election front-and-center? Which elections have been challenged? Which ones not conceded by the losers? Read some linked articles (shown below), or watch some of the following videos, especially the one re: the aftermath of the closest election in American history: the 2000 George W. Bush-Albert Gore election.

Note these videos: 

 Albert Gore – 2000 (note that this was the closest election [Electoral College] in recent history…Al Gore concedes presidential election of 2000 (youtube.com))

John McCain – 2008, and note especially how he wasn’t obsessive about his own cause, and remained even-keeled as he confronted a supporter who tried to say something false about Barack Obama during a campaign appearance…Bing Videos)

·    George H.W. Bush – 1992, and note how he did not allow the election loss to dominate his outlook, and showed consideration for his staff Bush impression by Dana Carvey

·    In fact, most losers – both Democrats and Republicans -- in U.S. presidential elections have conceded defeat peacefully and gracefully (prior to 2020). See this article: No modern presidential candidate has refused to concede. Here’s why that matters. (nationalgeographic.com)

 

 

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Trash Talk…Trash Motives

 

By Daniel Cain (David's brother)

 

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” [Numbers 20:9-10; NIV]

 

By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord, and trouble came to Moses because of them; for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.[Psalm 106:32-33]

 

The above episode from Numbers chapter 20 is one of those difficult passages (see the artist Pieter de Grebber’s 1630 depiction of this here, Moses Striking the Rock). Many read it and try to interpret exactly what Moses did that was improper. Perhaps the best interpretation is to let another part of the Bible do the interpreting. Psalm 106 calls out Moses’ words for what they were: rash…or maybe in 21^st century American lingo—trash. Moses’ mistake was that his words were rooted in trash talk. Wikipedia says trash talk is “a form of spoken insult” but it also usually involves exaggerating one’s own ability and belittles that of an opponent. Maybe one of the most famous trash talkers—or the earliest, at least in my memory—was the heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali, also famous for coining the phrase the “greatest of all time” which even has its own acronym now—“GOAT.”

Someone may say, “OK, but trash talking is pretty harmless, isn’t it?” Isn’t trash talking merely a tactic or technique to try to intimidate your opponent, to unnerve him, and gain a critical advantage in a contest that could be very close? The problem with trash talking is that it exaggerates on the one hand, and ignores the reality of the situation. Displaying humility, and a clear-eyed acceptance of facts is deemed unwise, while bluster and mouthing off, and a motive in making oneself all-important are necessary in order to prevail in the game.

And that last thought is also part of the problem with trash talking, when rash talk—or trash talk—occurs in politics. Running for political office is treated like a game, by many now. Maybe I’m in the minority—it’s hard to tell anymore—but I’m so tired of the trash talking, and the negative ads, and the puffed-up strutting in which specific candidates engage. I want to hear facts, and proposals for solving problems in our society, for making life better—but instead we get trash talk.

 

“Loose lips sink ships.” [from U.S. WWII War Advertising Council, per Wikipedia]

 

Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall. [Proverbs 16:18]

 

 

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