Work without a sabbath is slavery

^{When does work become idolatrous slavery? It is not just when one is not paid. It becomes slavery when there is no freedom to rest and to worship God.} 


John Grisham's novels paint a brutal picture of young associates "slaving away" in large law firms and getting paid $300,000 per year. 


^{The passage below from Exodus 5 illustrates how the powerful can use work as a means to control "the masses". Don't let them rest! They might think for themselves. Worse, they may worship God!}


But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” ⁵ And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”⁶ The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, ⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labour at it and pay no regard to lying words.”