Providential hindrance is a term used to encompass a broad array of reasons that a person might not be able to attend the stated meetings of the church. Some of these reasons are valid, but many are not. I’d like to bring some clarity to what it means to be truly hindered from coming to church providentially. Biblically, only duties of necessity and mercy are the only valid providential hindrances.
The phrase providential hindrance itself is not found in the Bible, yet the concept is a biblical one. The locus classicus of this idea is found in Matthew 12:1-14, Mark 2:23-3:6, and Luke 6:1-11, which record a story of Jesus on the Sabbath. On this particular Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples were walking through the grainfields, and as they went, the disciples began to pluck the heads of grain and eat them because they “were hungry.” Simple enough. This practice was a common one, and it was not considered stealing because in Deuteronomy 23:25, the Law explicitly stated, “If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.” However, the Pharisees saw the disciples’ behavior, and they accosted them, saying, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” John Gill, in his comments on this passage, points out, “Their rule is, ‘he that reaps (on the sabbath-day) ever so little, is guilty (of stoning) … and plucking of ears of corn is a derivative of reaping.’”[1] This is an example of one of the many instances in which the Pharisees’ tradition contradicted the clear statement of the Law. Elsewhere, Jesus indicts them, “So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God” (Matthew 15:6). Neglecting the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23), they establish their tradition.
Doubtless, Jesus knew of this pseudo-law, and, interestingly, instead of going to Deuteronomy 23:25, he recounts the story of David and his men eating the bread of the presence in the tabernacle, which it was lawful only for the priests to eat. In addition, he says that the priests themselves “profane” (according to the Pharisees’ rule) the Sabbath by doing their work of sacrifice on the Sabbath. He says to them, “And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:7, 8).
This first part of the story is what gave rise to the term duty of necessity, which is any duty that must be performed in order to fulfill a need, whether it be the Sabbath or not. The need of the disciples in Matthew 12 is hunger, and so they plucked the heads of grain and ate. So, any duty that fulfills a basic human need is not only permitted, but required, on the Sabbath. We all must look to these needs and make adequate provision for ourselves on the Sabbath.
Some Christians have abused this category by claiming it for things that are not actually necessary. Sadly, it’s common for students who have a big assignment due on Monday morning to forsake the assembly in order to complete it. That’s not a duty of necessity, but a duty of negligence. They did not make adequate preparation for the Lord’s Day, so now they are in a bind. Or perhaps, the teacher unjustly assigned far too much work to be done over the weekend. What should the student do in such a situation? They should do the best they can do with the six days which God has given for work, rest from it on the Sabbath, and trust the Lord with the results. It may involve the cancellation of plans on Saturday, the loss of a little sleep, and hard work, but the Lord’s Day must take priority.
The next part of the story in Matthew 12 shows us what Jesus and his disciples did on another Sabbath. When they arrived at the synagogue, there was a man there with a withered hand. The Pharisees, knowing that Jesus possessed the power to heal, asked in order to accuse him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” to which Jesus powerfully replied, “Yes, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” So, he told the man to stretch out is hand, and it was healed.
From Jesus’ words and deed here, we see another category of lawful duty on the Sabbath: duties of mercy. It was in Jesus’ power to do good to this man, whom God in his providence had placed in his way. Therefore, he healed him. In the same way, when in God’s providence emergencies arise on the Lord’s Day that we have the ability to remedy, it is lawful to lend a hand. Jesus asks them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!”
Again, this duty has been abused by many. Jesus does not here give a blanket permission for any good deed or service which might be done at any given time. We should not forsake the assembly to go volunteer at a charitable organization, when God has clearly commanded us to gather with the body at that time. I’ve even heard of people attending birthday parties on the Lord’s Day, trying to claim it as a “duty of mercy.” This is not a valid reason to miss church. However, if you are on your way to church, and you see an elderly woman struggling to replace her tire on the side of the road, you should stop and help her, even if it makes you late for church.
Evidently, from Jesus’ words, duties of necessity and mercy extend not only to people but to property. We see this because he indicates that the man whose sheep has fallen into the pit is right to pull it out on the Sabbath. So, for example, if you discover Sunday morning that a pipe is busted in your home, you must deal with that first. In such cases, performing these acts is keeping the Sabbath.
This teaching concerning duties of necessity and mercy is a provision for faithfulness, so far are they from being excuses for faithlessness. Doubtless, the faithful man who has awakened to the busted pipe on the Lord’s Day is himself sorrowful that he must miss the assembly of God’s people, even while he works to remedy the situation.
Much more could be said in this vein, but I will leave the reader to consider well the sound words of the confession on this subject, found in chapter 22, paragraph 8:
The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.
May the Lord Jesus Christ get all the glory in His church!
[1] John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament, vol. I, The Baptist Commentary Series (London: Mathews and Leigh, 1809), 126.
About the Author
Andrew is the Assistant to the Pastors at First Baptist Church in Clinton, LA. In 2019, after graduating from Auburn University with a BS in Agricultural Economics, Andrew came to First Baptist to serve as a member and pastoral intern. He completed his MDiv degree at Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2025 with an eye to the full-time pastoral ministry, if the Lord is willing. Andrew and his wife Hannah have been married since February 2020, and have three children: Haddon, Charlotte, and Ruby.
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This blog post is authored by a student of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary.
