Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
This passage of scripture contains a portion of the fourth commandment which deals with the aspect of proper Sabbath keeping that involves the stranger who lives within our gates. In many households across the land, in the days of the Hebrews, there were to be found servants or maids who were under the care of those who owned property, and they too were under sacred obligation to participate in keeping the Sabbath holy, even if they might not have agreed with the religion of their masters. They were never to be coerced into going to church, for God never forces the will of anyone, but they were at least expected to honor God's institution by refraining from their secular labors on the sacred day, and the homeowners were directly responsible for making sure that nothing of a secular nature took place within their own borders.
This injunction given by God to each household head was not arbitrary as some people think, but was designed so that the stranger could benefit also from the blessings of rest. After a long week of toil and care we all need a break, where we can be refreshed and rejuvenated, and this benefit is not given only for the people of God, but for all generations, because the Sabbath was made for all people. Further more, the law also included the working animals like oxen, horses, and donkeys, which were used in ancient times to plow the soil. Let's read:
Exodus 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
In our day the same principle needs to be applied across the board as it pertains to relatives and friends who may stay over the weekend at our residences, or those who may be living with us for extended periods of time. While no one is to be forced to go to church, yet if they are to remain at home during the Sabbath hours, it should be with the understanding that cooking, washing, working, and the various television shows and and secular songs of the day are to have no place in our homes during the sacred hours, for if we permit these things whilst we ourselves are at church, we are just as guilty of Sabbath breaking in the sight of God, as if we were there in person, participating in the forbidden activities. This will then lead to a curse resting over the entire household, for God holds us responsible for anything which takes place within the jurisdiction of our homes, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Let's read:
1st Samuel 3:11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
There is something such as collateral blessings and collateral curses, which bring weal or woe to those who are under our care, depending on whether we are found faithful to all of God's commands, or whether we choose the easy route of succumbing to various social and paternal pressures. This sacred truth is plainly stated in the Bible through the experience of Joseph, and the testimony of his master Potiphar, who benefited tremendously in the temporal as well as the spiritual realm because of Joseph's faithfulness to all God's commands. Let's read:
Genesis 39:2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
Within our own borders there is urgent need of serious reform and changes in this regard, for many Sabbath-keeping Christians have allowed friends and family members to desecrate the sacred day that God has set aside for His own purposes, and because of this many households are at a loss to find answers to problems that just keep popping up and would not go away for anything. The reason may very well be in a constant violation of the fourth commandment, and if so, it is the will of God that we now make good on our commitment to serve Him faithfully in the spirit as well as in the letter, that His presence may continue to dwell with us. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which shows us how our relationship with The Lord is directly affected for the better or the worse, by obedience to His commandments, or by a callous disregard of His laws and statutes. Let's read:
1st Samuel 2:30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what The Spirit saith unto the churches. God bless!