Why I'm on Sabbatical (The Second Part): Why I Don't Deserve This
Given that the weekly notion of sabbath is so unnatural, what's really remarkable is that the Old Testament goes even further with it. God commanded not only a sabbath for the people, but also a sabbath for the land.
When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a sabbath for the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your unpruned vine: it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. You may eat what the land yields during its sabbathâyou, your male and female slaves, your hired and your bound labourers who live with you; for your livestock also, and for the wild animals in your land all its yield shall be for food. (Leviticus 25.1â7)
This was more than just an institutionalized version of crop rotation and fallow years, though. Every seven years, all debts to other Israelites were cancelled, to the point that God had to warn people not to get stingy in the sixth year:
Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, âThe seventh year, the year of remission, is nearâ, and therefore view your needy neighbour with hostility and give nothing; your neighbour might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt.Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account theLord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. (Deuteronomy 15.9â10)
This notion of sabbath years was further developed into the idea of Jubilee: the principle that the land ultimately belongs to God, and therefore could not be sold indefinitely. Thus after seven cycles of seven years, any land sold reverted back to its original owner.
The people of Israel didn't work for six days in order to have a day off. They didn't till the land for six years in order to get a year's vacation. Rather, these were radical concepts built into their society to teach them significant lessons about the nature of time itself, and to keep them from using economic systems and wealth to enslave each other. For a people redeemed from slavery in Egypt, this was a very real reminder of God's grace.
So it has been slightly jarring over the last few weeks to hear a number of people hoping that I will enjoy my well-deserved break. I understand that they're reassuring me that they don't think taking a sabbatical makes me a lazy bum. However, if this sabbatical is to be true to its biblical roots, it has to be something undeserved. It is ultimately a gracious gift.
And so I am grateful to the Bishop for supporting me in this venture (both spiritually and financially). I am grateful to the Parish for supporting me. I am grateful to Mrs R and the Seven-Year-Old for putting up with me kicking around the house more. But I'd never be so arrogant as to assume that this is something I deserve.