Christians have long debated the Sabbath. Is Sabbath a moral law that requires obedience? Is the Sabbath simply a natural law principle, a reminder that people need to rest? Does it merely mean to hear God’s Word, or is there something more?
In Day 7: For Work, Rest, or Play, Joel Biermann argues that the Sabbath is more than just a day, but rather a life that receives God’s gifts. He writes, “Sabbath is not a restrictive mandate reining in human work or activity. Sabbath is not limited to one day each week for spiritual and physical rejuvenation. Sabbath is not exactly an attitude or mindset. Sabbath is a way of thinking about and acting on all that it means to be a human being. Sabbath is God’s way for the world to exist, and so it is the telos of all created life” (168).
Day 7 can roughly be divided into two halves. The first half of the book focuses on the question, “What is the Sabbath?” while the second half explores life lived in view of the Sabbath.
In chapter one, Biermann begins by looking at Lutheran teaching on the Sabbath. Biermann notes that Lutherans have approached Sabbath differently than much of wider Christianity, writing: “While other Christians fret interminably about the extent to which the Sabbath has been set aside in the New Testament, how much work they may do or not do and what actually constitutes work on the Sabbath, and even about what day exactly is the Sabbath that must be kept with some restrictions on work, Lutherans are apparently able to vanquish all the demanding rigor of the Sabbath commandment merely by going to church—or maybe even just tuning in or logging on to a reliably good sermon source. Having dispensed with that duty, they are good to go, free to use the remaining 23+ hours of any given Sunday any way that they choose…. For Lutherans, keeping the Sabbath means honoring God’s Word by going to church, and that covers it” (23-24).
While Biermann goes to great lengths to defend and explain the Lutheran approach to this commandment, he wonders whether more could be said. He even traces his criticism back to Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, writing: “While the other nine commandments are interpreted by the reformer in ways that make them wide, sweeping, and increasingly expansive in scope, Luther’s approach to the Third Commandment does the opposite. While we can understand and appreciate his reasons for doing this and affirm the clear focus on the centrality of God’s Word for any Sabbath-keeping—and frankly for any real keeping of any of the commandments—perhaps it is not too audacious to wonder nevertheless if there might be even more to the commandment” (36).
In chapter two, Biermann moves on from Luther’s Small Catechism to an overview of the Sabbath in the Bible. Looking back at God’s command to the Israelite people to “remember the Sabbath day,” Biermann points out that the Sabbath was both a reminder of their identity and a day to rejoice in God’s creation. Just as God rested and celebrated his creation on the seventh-day, God’s people were to do the same: “While the outward form of the commandment was focused on a determination to ensure that no work would be done each Sabbath, the much wider and more important point was that each and every Sabbath was to remind Israel to recognize and live in the truth of the delightful rest practiced by God on the first seventh day” (54).
Jesus realizes God’s Sabbath work in the New Testament by healing and saving. Biermann notes, “As the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy recorded by Isaiah, Jesus brings what Sabbath was in the beginning and was always supposed to be: joyful harmony, resting in the wonder of creation, celebrating the delight of God’s work—in a word, jubilee” (70).
Finally, the Sabbath points forward to the rest that God’s people are expecting. Referencing the author of Hebrews 4, Biermann writes, “The very first rest recorded in the story of the Bible, shortly after the world’s foundation was laid, provides the essential foundation for understanding the final rest that God has planned for this world. The rest that lies ahead for all God’s people who believe his promises is in full continuity with God’s rest when he celebrates the spectacular work he had wrought over the course of six creative days” (73-74).
Biermann defines Sabbath, then, as celebration. “[Sabbath] is the celebration of the Creator and every creature living in harmony according to God’s plan” (76). This definition of Sabbath paves the way for the second half of the book, where Biermann explores various aspects of life in view of the Sabbath, titled: Work, Rest, and Play.
Work, Biermann argues, is actually part of the Sabbath. Work is not antithetical to the Sabbath but part of what it means to be human. “Humans are built to work. It is an essential aspect of our human being. God put us in the creation to work. To be human is to work” (107). Work is a gift from God intended to be celebrated.
The same is true of rest, or leisure. Leisure, defined by Biermann, is not simply “free time,” but being “fully aware and appreciative of the truths of the universe” (115). Leisure can take various forms, such as worship, festivals, feasting, music, or games. Through these things, we tune ourselves to God’s creation: “We are made to live in tune with God, with one another, and with all creation. We are made for contemplation of the wonders of God’s being and work. We are made to celebrate God and his glory” (120). Leisure is time that allows a person to contemplate and appreciate this reality.
In the same way, play is essential to humanity. Biermann writes, “Play matters because it is the affirmation that we humans are not so essentially important or life so deadly serious that every human action must be justified as worthwhile and productive. Play matters not as the antithesis of work but as a reminder that there is more to human existence than only work” (197).
Even sleep reminds us of this reality. “Sleep also reminds us that we are altogether human. It may seem self-evident, but it is far too easy to forget: God is God and you are not. We are creatures; we are not God. We must sleep, or we die. God does not sleep, ever” (219).
All of this, then, falls under an umbrella which Biermann refers to as “the Receptive Life,” a life which receives God’s gifts: “Living in the fullness of God’s Sabbath means two things: being right with God the Creator, a gift and accomplishment of the gospel alone, and being right with the creation, a gift and accomplishment worked in us by God as we learn to live in tune with the realities of God’s natural law grounded in truth, goodness, and beauty” (236-237).
Beyond these reflections, readers will find a wide range of insights in this book. In the span of just a few chapters, Biermann covers ideas such as the doctrine of vocation, the human need for festivals, the importance of beauty, and the concept of play to worship. Day 7 is a book that seeks to touch on almost every area of life.
However, because of the breadth of material, the arguments sometimes seem disconnected. It almost feels like two books in one: One on the Sabbath, another on the receptive life, and at times, these two “books” feel unrelated.
For instance, in his chapter on work, Biermann spends significant time exploring the nature of work and how work is part of what it means to be human. However, the chapter lacks connections back to the topic of Sabbath. For example, why would God forbid the Israelites to work on the Sabbath? Is “not working” a manifestation of Sabbath or the essence of Sabbath? Should modern Christians practice some form of Sabbath rest? These questions are left unexplored in the chapter.
This disconnect leaves the book both too long and too short. For readers looking for a book about the Sabbath, much of the book’s second half will feel tangential. For readers interested in the receptive life, many rich themes are introduced, but explored briefly.
It is also a book that, at times, can be inaccessible. Some readers may not enjoy the heavy focus on philosophy in the second half of the book. Others might wish for more concrete applications. Although Biermann sets out to write for a general audience, this book is probably best suited for pastors and theologically minded laypersons. However, for readers willing to take their time with this book, the insights within Day 7 are well worth pondering and celebrating.