I’m reading through the Bible in a year, and I was reading through Leviticus and noticed an interesting trend. There seems to be a recurring theme. See if you can catch it in these verses:
Leviticus 23
3 There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
8 For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
22 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field
24 On the first day of the seventh month you are to have *a day of rest*
25 Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire
28 Do no work on that day,
29 Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people.
30 I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day.
31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
32 It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves
35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work.
36 For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.
Now I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but God seems to have some feelings about this topic. God speaks often about hard work, and the value of labor. As Americans we seem to believe that is ALL that God values. The Lord is also careful to instruct us about rest, and taking time off. Even though HE did not require rest, as we do, he still modeled the behavior for us when he created the World. He created the Sabbath for a weekly time of rest and rejuvenating. He also scattered the calendar with regular vacation days. He also appointed some very special years that included very special days off. And the Lord felt it was important enough to include in his Word to us. It’s as if he thought we might forget….
When you are homeschooling, remember to take a break. Take a break each week. Take regular breaks throughout the year. Take a longer break at least once, for example summer vacation. Plan for breaks, so that you work hard on educating your children during the “yes, do regular work” times. Then take a break to relax and renew so you’re ready to work hard again.
The Lord is clearly tell us to take some time off and DO NO REGULAR WORK at least once each week. Yes, work hard. Yes, labor and do your best. Yes, the efforts of homeschooling is so very important! But don’t forget the counter-balance that keeps us sane; rest. It’s also a clear instruction that we are called to obey.
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J W says:
It’s really great for the children and I to have some time together when they don’t have to relate to me as “teacher.” Also, I’ve always homeschooled according to the weather – working hard during crummy weather and goofing off during nice weather (especially during low tides). Believe me, it’s saved our sanity!
April 12th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Karla says:
Interesting how God keeps bringing this to my attention in the last couple of weeks. I am definitely feeling the need for a time of no work just to contemplate and to be with God. The problem for me seems to be actually doing it.
April 17th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Dee says:
Thank you! I am thoroughly enjoying your refreshing posts. Respect and honoring the Word of G-d above all is most important. I tell my kids that first we must be productive in some way the 6 days before we get to rest! Too often the modern-day American weekend (100 yrs old or less?) is opposed to Scripture and we are programmed to feel like we deserve to be lazy 2 days in a row. We just started “resting” and keeping the Sabbath holy and it is SO NICE
(KJV+) SixH8337 daysH3117 shall workH4399 be done:H6213
June 1st, 2010 at 6:13 pm
carrie says:
Yikes! I struggle with this SOOOOOOOOOO much. Resting. I need it, I know. I need put more effort into resting ;o) Thank you for the post, I needed that reminder.
January 28th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Tina says:
We regularly keep the Sabbath holy-it is a HUGE blessing for our whole family. We got to church, have friends over for lunch and/or do something in nature. The hardest thing I think we all struggle with is keeping our focus off the daily stuff and onto HIM!
January 29th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
A Day (or a Weekend) of Rest says:
[...] afternoon on Facebook, I saw an article from Lee Binz, the Homescholar. It was exactly what I needed to read. The Lord is clearly tell us to take some time off and DO NO [...]
January 30th, 2012 at 4:06 am