# Six days you shall labour



## steadfast7 (Aug 19, 2011)

Is a five day work week unbiblical? Is there any indication that "work" in Exo 20:9 is not referring to income generating labour?


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## Romans922 (Aug 19, 2011)

Dennis, if a woman is to work 6 days and rest 1, and she is a stay at home mom, are you suggesting that she can't keep the 4th commandment because she doesn't generate income?

Given that the definition of work isn't necessarily income generating, God's command is clear, six days shall you LABOR and do all your work...


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## Andres (Aug 19, 2011)

I would say no, a five day work week is not biblical. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that one would have to work at a job for six days, or over 40 hours. Our labors shouldn't be limited to the work we do for our employers. Many people work at their house doing yard work or cleaning. Or your work may mean volunteering somewhere on Saturday. You get the picture.


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## steadfast7 (Aug 19, 2011)

It's our culture of the 5-day work week that makes us read that we can work for 5, then on the 6th we do our house/yard work. I'm only arguing that this distinction is not to be found in the passage.


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## Rufus (Aug 19, 2011)

steadfast7 said:


> It's our culture of the 5-day work week that makes us read that we can work for 5, then on the 6th we do our house/yard work. I'm only arguing that this distinction is not to be found in the passage.



When the law was given people, I imagine, generally didn't work at an office, they may have owned there own property and worked on it (and thus 6 days of yard and house work), or worked for someone else doing "yard work".


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## Andres (Aug 19, 2011)

Rufus said:


> steadfast7 said:
> 
> 
> > It's our culture of the 5-day work week that makes us read that we can work for 5, then on the 6th we do our house/yard work. I'm only arguing that this distinction is not to be found in the passage.
> ...



Exactly. I could very easily be wrong, but weren't most people in biblical times part of an agrarian society? This would easily lend to laboring 6 days a week.


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## Rufus (Aug 19, 2011)

Andres said:


> Exactly. I could very easily be wrong, but weren't most people in biblical times part of an agrarian society? This would easily lend to laboring 6 days a week.



There definitely would have been some merchants of sorts, the majority of militaries at that time only formed when a war started, a few other professions, stone-cutters, smiths.
Look at countries with Traditional economies (parts of the Middle East, Asia, Africa especially).


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## VictorBravo (Aug 20, 2011)

"and do all your work." I think it is pretty straightforward. All the tasks God has given you to do.

So, maybe God has given you the task to go to a particular location and work for a particular boss who wants you there 5 days a week. Fair enough, you go five days a week. But you still likely have tasks before you that require labor and it is a good thing to complete them on the sixth day, or in the evenings or mornings of the other five, etc.

So, no, I don't see anything particularly unbibilcal in doing something repetitively for five days and then doing something else in the remaining time. Labor is labor, and it is proper labor if it puts food on the table, keeps a roof over your head, beautifies your surroundings, or generally improves your life and supports Christ's church, all to God's glory and praise that you have the ability and opportunity to work.


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## steadfast7 (Aug 20, 2011)

VictorBravo said:


> "and do all your work." I think it is pretty straightforward. All the tasks God has given you to do.
> 
> So, maybe God has given you the task to go to a particular location and work for a particular boss who wants you there 5 days a week. Fair enough, you go five days a week. But you still likely have tasks before you that require labor and it is a good thing to complete them on the sixth day, or in the evenings or mornings of the other five, etc.
> 
> So, no, I don't see anything particularly unbibilcal in doing something repetitively for five days and then doing something else in the remaining time. Labor is labor, and it is proper labor if it puts food on the table, keeps a roof over your head, beautifies your surroundings, or generally improves your life and supports Christ's church, all to God's glory and praise that you have the ability and opportunity to work.


 good answer.


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## Peairtach (Aug 20, 2011)

The commandment is about to the Seventh Day Sabbath, not the other six days.

It is not saying that you must _only_ work on the six days, and not rest, play and worship.

That would be a legalistic interpretation and addition to the commandment. 

By the logic that says that the commandment _also_ teaches that you _must_ work for six days, and not have a day off, any rest or holidaying or play on the six days, at least during daylight hours, would be forbidden.

The six days _collectively_ are legitimate for work, but _also_ for worship, rest and play. 

The Sabbath, on the other hand, is for rest and worship.

If you have a legitimate job, and you have, e.g., the Saturday off you can use it for anything legitimate e.g. a snooze, prayer, tennis, shopping, gardening, going away for the day, etc.


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## Herald (Aug 20, 2011)

Another way to put it is that you have six days in order to get your work done.


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## Scott1 (Aug 20, 2011)

The fourth commandment is two fold- it regards work and rest ("sabbath"). Do the ordinary labor (which includes house maintenance, allows pursuing recreation and entertainment, the ordinary tasks of life).

That's why sloth tends to poverty, as does violating sabbath.

All creatures are commanded to live well-ordered lives, regulated by God's commands.


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## steadfast7 (Aug 21, 2011)

suppose the common case where someone uses his Saturday as a day to totally relax and rest and do nothing. Has he violated the commandment by being unproductive?


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## Peairtach (Aug 22, 2011)

*Scott*


> sloth tends to poverty,



The Bible teaches plenty on sloth, but I don't think we can take from Scripture - or the Fourth C in particular - that _we must by God's command_ work six days in the week, which seems to be what Dennis is getting at.

Those who use their, e.g., Saturdays to spend time with their families rather than working at their normal work, or working in the home or garden, are not violating a particular comandment.

This is also sometimes a pathetic cavil of some anti-Sabbatarians i.e. You're observing the Sabbath, but the fourth commandment demands that you work a six day week. Why aren't you doing that?

The fourth commandment does not demand that people work a six day week. It's the one day in the week that has been hallowed unto rest and worship, not the six days that have been hallowed unto work.


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## Sviata Nich (Aug 22, 2011)

steadfast7 said:


> suppose the common case where someone uses his Saturday as a day to totally relax and rest and do nothing. Has he violated the commandment by being unproductive?


 
If someone wastes anytime, I don't think that's Biblical. But resting is not always wasting. Jesus rested. And I don't think he worked while he was in the desert for the forty days (maybe I'm wrong). I do think man was made to work - for the glory of God - six days a week. However, I don't think that work hast to be for their professional employer only; he can work around the house or church, volunteer in some charitable work etc.. If he is just sitting around doing "nothing", well I do think that's wrong. (I struggle with this).


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## VictorBravo (Aug 22, 2011)

"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work." 

I think Richard is right, but I'd approach it differently. You have work to do. Whatever that is, you do it in the six days. If you finish your work and there is time left over, think about the proper way to redeem that time.

And, yes, rest and enjoinment of the fruits of your work is also Scriptural. It's a balance, as Solomon noted:

Ecc 2:21 "For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil."

As balanced with:

Ecc 5:18 "Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion."


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## Sviata Nich (Aug 22, 2011)

VictorBravo said:


> "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work."
> 
> I think Richard is right, but I'd approach it differently. You have work to do. Whatever that is, you do it in the six days. If you finish your work and there is time left over, think about the proper way to redeem that time.
> 
> ...



Wonderful advice. I was thinking it over on my jog though, and two more questions came to mind. Is it right for someone to take a vacation? And is it Biblical to retire?


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## Scott1 (Aug 22, 2011)

The command to work six, rest one as a pattern for life does not mean, of course, one has to be paid for all labor, tasks. A married man has tasks he needs to do outside of work hours, but not ordinarily on sabbath.

There were many regular celebrations and feasts in the Old Testament, taken outside of the sabbath.

The only caveat Dennis, is it's okay to ocassionally do nothing on Saturday as you describe so long as other responsibilities are not being neglected and this is NOT AN EXCUSE TO VIOLATE THE SABBATH. So, not say one rested Saturday, so now Sunday free to work and play (and not prioritize worship all the day).

God is quite generous in giving man plenty of time to rest and play outside of the sabbath, but not as a substitute for sabbath nor excuse for sloth. Human nature, seeking it's own will go there- pray God will redeem that in your life, and work diligently toward that.

Among the many manifestations of that in our generation are governments paying people not to work, and women having the brunt of the workload. Not only is this offensive to God, but it was the undoing of some ancient civilizations (and undoing some current ones), but it is not the characteristic of biblical Christianity-

work six, sabbath one is.


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## steadfast7 (Aug 23, 2011)

What I see happening in a lot of households is that Saturday is very much like another Sunday except without the church activities. It's an extra day for rest and recreation. Some even ensure that their housework and shopping is done during the week so that they can have a "full weekend" for themselves to sleep, laze around at home, catch a movie, or hang out with friends. it seems to me, if the commandment is read literally, we given not only a prohibition to work on the Sabbath, we are given a _positive injunction_ to ensure that ALL other six days are committed to work - whether to gain income or not.


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## steadfast7 (Aug 23, 2011)

Herald said:


> I think you're reading the commandment hyper-literally. However, if you are convinced you should work on Saturday then have at it.


 Is it really hyper-literal? How else do we normally understand "you shall.." except as a positive command to do something? If we take it as meaning 'you have 6 days in which to do all your work,' then doesn't it allow for the conclusion, 'but if you finish it in 3 days, feel free to do nothing the other 4 days' ? Also, given that God gave the command because it reflected his own work in creation over a six day span, I don't see how we can get out of it so easily.


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## Scott1 (Aug 23, 2011)

steadfast7 said:


> What I see happening in a lot of households is that Saturday is very much like another Sunday except without the church activities. It's an extra day for rest and recreation. Some even ensure that their housework and shopping is done during the week so that they can have a "full weekend" for themselves to sleep, laze around at home, catch a movie, or hang out with friends. it seems to me, if the commandment is read literally, we given not only a prohibition to work on the Sabbath, we are given a _positive injunction_ to ensure that ALL other six days are committed to work - whether to gain income or not.



Your analysis minimizes the Sabbath, i.e. "except without church activities."

Westminster XXI and the London Baptist Confession summarize the doctrine of Scripture. The sabbath is a day given over to worship- public and private, that is,individually, in family and corporately and establishes mercy and necessity exceptions.



> Westminster Confession of Faith
> 
> Chapter XXI
> Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day
> ...



Dennis, you need to spend personal time in the Word on the Lord's Day, and personal time in prayer also. If you have a family, you need to be reading the Bible to them. The sabbath is not merely an ordinary day with an hour out for "church."

It does not say that every minute has to be gainful employment on the six days, it says, "Six days thou shalt do thy labor." That is a normative plenary statement. It does not say you cannot sleep eight hours, for example. So reading the Command literally, does not mean you cannot sleep. You are reading into the command something that is not there.

We must be careful to seek to truly understand the command, not to focus on finding excuse not to obey it.

Also, remember to define "rest" carefully. If you are defining rest as doing nothing or seeking to amuse or entertain yourself, you are not using it in the sabbath rest sense, which is to cease from the ordinary labors of the other six days.


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## SolaScriptura (Aug 23, 2011)

I think "work" is being defined too narrowly. (Except by Vic. He's got it right.)

Look at the 4th Commandment, specifically about how the Shorter Catechism states Lord's Day is to be sanctified and what is prohibited on it, namely:



> Q. 60. How is the sabbath to be sanctified?
> A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments *and recreations* as are lawful on other days;and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.
> 
> Q. 61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?
> A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments *or recreations.*



Thus we see that really the idea of "work" is not simply refering to what we do to provide for ourselves and our family. Rather, the language of "work" makes reference to the gamut of human experience from employment to play, namely all of our "worldly" affairs and concerns. 

Thus, the commandment is saying that I've got 6 days a week to earn money, maintain my property, go fishing, play golf, etc., but on the Lord's Day, that is HIS time, and I am to spend the day engaged in accordance with His revealed will. 

Consequently, if we see that "work" is defined broadly, there is no obligation to work _at our employment_ any specific number of days per week. If you are able to provide for your family by working 3 days a week good for you! If it takes all 6 days to provide (as it did in pre-industrial agrarian socities), then so be it. 

I happen to appreciate that our culture has a "5 day work week" as that gives me 1 day to do the personal work I need and want to do.


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## Scott1 (Aug 23, 2011)

> Exodus 20
> 
> 8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
> 
> ...



The command does not say you shall labor every minute of six days... it says that in six days you shall do your (ordinary) work, and rest from that on the sabbath, which means to "cease" from that labor. Making it "holy" means set apart from the common labors, activities (including recreation) of the other six days.


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## awretchsavedbygrace (Aug 24, 2011)

steadfast7 said:


> Herald said:
> 
> 
> > I think you're reading the commandment hyper-literally. However, if you are convinced you should work on Saturday then have at it.
> ...



Dennis, if you want to work in an office for six days (or whatever it is you do), go right ahead, but you ain't taking my Saturday! =D


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## ZackF (Aug 24, 2011)

Out of respect to the OP, being able to take Saturday "off" is a 20th/21st century luxury. In most of human history it was difficult for a family, entire family that is, to produce enough income (of whatever kind) to keep up a living for itself. Consequently taking the Lord's Day off, if the Christian's employer allowed it, could have been perceived by our departed bretheren as a great act of faith in the Lord. In agrarian times a entire family's productivity was lost by not working on Sunday. Believe me as one who use to work on a family farm, my unbelieving father gave me Sunday's off except during harvest. We lived in fear of the crop getting hailed on before we could get it out of the field.


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