7. Sabbath, Selah, and Fallow Ground: God’s Design to Keep Our Focus on Him

This chapter includes scripture and explanations of Sabbath along with the debate of whether or not the Sabbath was only as a covenant between God and the Jews or whether the commandment is for all people or if Jesus’ statements alter the commandment. The concept of Sabbath is contrasted with the shorter time concept of Selah and the longer time concept of fallow ground. The definitions of the Sabbath day seem to imply an event in which a person’s focus is taken off of the tasks at hand and to cease striving so that one might focus on the qadosh that is God. The focus of the shorter Selah is on the reflection of what was just said or accomplished, while the focus of the longer Sabbath year is on deeper rejuvenation. The role of the leader in contemporary organizations is to arrange the work-rest cycles that optimize the time at work and the time with God while creating opportunities for people to pause and reflect, as well as arrange job rotation or sabbaticals to help people reach deeper levels of rejuvenation, motivation, and organizational commitment.