Out Our Way: Along the Covenant Trail with Goliath

Out our way, taking care of your horse is considered a no-brainer. Of course, you pick his feet before and after the ride - if you are taking a breather as you are out all day trailing cows, you loosen his cinch. And, above all, you never, never ride him hard and put him away wet! That is a hanging offense, or just about, in cowboy country.

Of course, it makes sense. For a well-treated horse is going to work harder and longer than a mistreated one - so it's just common sense to take care of your cow pony. But anyone who has ridden much with a particular horse or horses also knows there is a bond between the horse and rider that builds up over time and, indeed, in some respects, the two do become one.

We now come to the Fourth Commandment: Remember the sabbath, and it sometimes surprises folks to learn it is a gift rather than a burden. Years ago, there were things called "blue laws" that forced stores to close on Sunday and prohibited school events on the Lord's Day, to name a few prohibitions that were largely observed in most of the country.

But the blue laws of both the church and the Pharisees missed the point, for, as Jesus taught, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The whole point of the commandment is ensuring we do not do to ourselves what no self-respecting cowboy would do to his horse - be rode hard and put away wet. The commandment calls for a day of rest, reflection and refreshment. It is a commandment because the sad fact is, many of us do pay little heed or show little care for our own welfare.

In the pagan world where no such commandment existed, many people worked themselves to death, working from sunup to sundown with no time off. To reach the age of 40 was an accomplishment.

Some folks today are no better off - and it is not uncommon to hear of folks working 70 to 80 hour workweeks to get ahead. Even folks with 9-to-5 jobs and weekends free often are still rushing about at a madhouse pace trying to get everything done. Even worse, what of those who are in such a frenzy to "enjoy" themselves that they never really do - and come back to work more exhausted than when they left.

Imagine racing through the rose garden and never seeing or smelling the roses. A zipline tour of the Smithsonian Museum. Five minutes to see the Grand Canyon. What a waste!

You are better than that, and that is why God has commanded you and me to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy - i.e. special, set apart from ordinary days.

Ask a cowboy how he feels about some knucklehead yonker riding a horse hard and putting him away wet and you will gain a little insight into how God feels when we do that very thing to ourselves.

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Old "Doc" Goliath and John Bruington try to live and help others discover good horse sense theology. They serve at First Presbyterian Church in Havre but they sometimes also enjoy the Sabbath with the Master in the Bear Paws our out on Tiger Ridge.