Do you remember the Ten Commandments? No, not the classic movie starring Charlton Heston as Moses, but the actual Ten Commandments from Scripture? Perhaps you can quote them and probably would agree it’s still important to remember them.
At one time, the Ten Commandments were posted without controversy in American classrooms, daily reminding young, developing minds of the laws God gave Israel. Even after the Ten Commandments disappeared from school settings, churches continued to display pictures of the stone tablets Moses received on Mount Sinai. Today, however, it is rare to see a copy anywhere, but the principles taught in these laws are as important as ever.
The Ten Commandments are the basis for the legal systems of Western Civilization — the laws of the land that protect our lives and property. What we call common law was written to govern human interaction and to maintain peace and equality. It was also the purpose for some of God‘s laws about how we should interact with Him.
One of those commandments says “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). There was once a day in America when the sabbath (Sunday for New Testament believers) was revered and kept holy, even by people who didn’t claim to be religious. Sadly, today, adherence to this fourth commandment is slipping by the wayside even among God’s people.
Do you remember Blue Laws and what they were all about? Blue Laws prohibited certain types of commercial activity on Sunday, especially morally offensive activities such as gambling or drinking alcohol. Also called “Sunday closing laws,” Blue Laws originated in Europe, came over with the Puritans in colonial days, and have been part of America’s legal history since. In the nineteenth century, state and local governments passed laws preventing many businesses from operating on Sunday. Although the laws were clearly based on Christian beliefs, the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled the laws do not violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.
Most Blue Laws have been repealed since the 1960s, but those banning the sale of alcohol on Sunday remain in some areas. Around the turn of the twentieth century, Blue Laws were amended and exemptions permitted with confusing results. For example, a hardware store could be open on Sundays and the proprietor could sell nails but not hammers.
Winds of Change
Following World War II, the expanding economy brought new products and increased customer demands. More businesses stayed open, and few Sunday closing laws were enforced except for the sale of alcohol. Still, most Christians resisted the change and continued to avoid non-essential business on Sunday.
In a 1961 test case, McGowan v. Maryland, the Supreme Court resolved the constitutionality of Blue Laws in Maryland, which required most businesses to be closed on Sunday, while others (such as hospitals) were deemed necessary and exempt. If department stores opened on Sunday, they could sell only specific retail items: candy, milk, bread, fruit, gasoline, oil, grease, tobacco products, drugs, medicines, newspapers, and magazines.
The State of Maryland enforced the law, fining department store employees for selling items not found on the exempt list. Merchants and employees appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, arguing the Maryland Blue Law was based on specific religious beliefs, that the laws compelled everyone to observe the Christian day of worship. They claimed it violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.
The Court rejected their argument and upheld the Blue Law. Even liberal Chief Justice Earl Warren, writing for the majority, acknowledged that, although the law was originally enacted for religious purposes, it had evolved into secular purposes. The Court said non-religious reasons had been added since the 1700s, specifically that it was good to encourage people to take a day off from work for rest and relaxation. They further ruled Maryland employees could not make an Establishment Clause claim since they did not allege that their religious freedom had been infringed, only that the law had caused them economic harm.
Since this landmark decision, the Supreme Court has not revisited Blue Laws, and they are considered constitutional when supported by a secular purpose. However, in the sixty-plus years since McGowan v. Maryland, most state and local governments have not enforced Blue Laws, and Sunday business has grown exponentially. The one exception still remaining in many states is the sale of alcohol on Sunday by liquor stores. Some prohibit selling only during certain hours, except for grocery and drug stores.
Aside from the legal aspect, churches in America have basically gone along with and adopted these cultural changes. When Blue Laws were enforced (prior to 1960), most Christians held strictly to the practice of “church and rest only” on Sunday, especially avoiding commerce, housework, gardening, sports, fishing, hunting, swimming, and other non-essential activities.
Church-going wives cooked most of their family’s Sunday meals on Saturday, simply warming up the food, and their families avoided anything that caused others to have to work on Sunday. The few families who could afford to eat in restaurants chose not to go there on Sunday. Attitudes about what was “right” were mostly uniform among churchgoers. Learning a job required working on Sundays, Christians often refused the job offer.
But as the culture changed, what was considered “right” for Christians also changed. The emphasis on Sunday as a day of rest and relaxation has given people a reason to participate in any activity they feel helps them relax. Women working outside the home have limited time for housekeeping during their 40-hour work week. To make every minute count on weekends, some push laundry and other chores into their Sunday schedules. After all, with indoor automatic dryers, no one could see the clothes hanging outside on the clothesline. They also reasoned if they must cook and clean the kitchen, they might as well allow someone else to cook and clean instead.
Back to the fourth commandment, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Sadly, it seems this commandment has lost its relevance in today’s culture. Or has it? The question really becomes: What does the word holy mean, and how is this relevant to the sabbath? The word holy means to be set apart or different. Exodus 31:12-17 makes it clear God considered this commandment significant, even prescribing the death penalty for those in the nation of Israel who broke it, concluding, “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”
Is keeping the sabbath still relevant, or was it only for biblical times?
For those who say this law was temporary and only for Israel, please note that verses 16 and 17 say it is a perpetual covenant, and is to be kept forever. What then does the Lord expect of Christians today regarding the sabbath or the Lord’s Day? It is difficult to determine what that looks like for others, but each of us would do well to determine for ourselves what the terms “holy” and “set apart” mean. Clearly, Sunday cannot be just like any other day. It should definitely include corporate worship, which Christ modeled during His lifetime on earth.
Following COVID restrictions, some found it convenient to remain home and watch a worship service on television, social media, or Zoom. While that may have been necessary, many did not return to public worship services, despite returning to work and most other activities. Have we let convenience replace our commitment to gather with fellow believers?
We are reminded to make this a priority in Hebrews 10:24-25 in the familiar command not to forsake assembling together to worship. Keeping the sabbath also should involve resting, something most of us need desperately. Even God modeled this behavior after creation. Exodus 31:17 indicates He rested and was refreshed.
The Bible reiterates God’s seriousness about the sabbath. Exodus 35:1-3 explains: “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD.” And then, this serious warning follows: “Whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.”
God certainly kept His promise. In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, Israel was taken into captivity and kept out of the Promised Land for seventy years to allow the “land [to] enjoy her sabbaths,” which had been violated (Leviticus 26:14, 24, 30-35).
It is clear keeping the sabbath was important to God. The question is, have we as believers today given this day of worship and rest the importance it needs?
About the Writer: Judith Puckett is a happily married, 60-something freelance writer with kids and grandkids. She loves writing, surfing the web, reading, photography, antiques, genealogy, and spending time with friends.
