Jack, the Dog Who Kept Sabbath

“And dear God, please help us to know Your truth.”

Papa always finishes his prayers like that, 8-year-old Jessie Brown thought as she stroked Jack’s long brown ears. His tail thumped happily against the wooden floor. I wonder why he always says that?

The next morning Jessie asked Mama, “Why does Papa always ask God to help us know truth?”

Mama smiled and pulled Jessie close for a hug. “Truth is important, Jessie. Do you see this?” She opened the big family Bible and read John 8:32: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

“Pa’s been traveling since he was not much bigger than you. He’s met a lot of people—some good ones and some bad ones. It’s made him want to know the truth more than anything else.”

That satisfied Jessie’s curiosity for the moment, and she ran outside to play with Jack. The hound dog was a big help on the farm. He knew exactly how to keep the deer out of the melon patch, how to kill a rattlesnake, and how to find a raccoon hiding in a tree.

The Browns lived near the little frontier town of Chico, California. They grew melons, tomatoes, and corn at the base of the flat-topped buttes that rose abruptly behind their home. Down the hill and across the field, the Butte Creek gave Jack and the 11 children a perfect place to splash and swim in the summer.

Hunting Raccoons

Jack’s favorite activity was hunting the raccoons that lived in the woods behind the Browns’ house. They stole eggs, ate melons, and broke down the cornstalks. The raccoons caused a lot of problems for the Browns. When it was time to go after them, Papa or one of Jessie’s older brothers would call, “Come on, Jack!”

Jack would leap up excitedly and race into the woods with his nose to the ground. He ran back and forth until he caught the scent of a raccoon, then he would howl to let Papa know he was on the trail. Papa followed Jack’s howls through the woods to the tree where the raccoon was hiding.

Jack loved these hunting adventures and often begged to go by barking and running in circles.

Bible Meetings in the Valley

One day Papa came home from a trip to Chico with exciting news. There was going to be a series of meetings about the Bible in a big tent in town! Jessie could hardly wait.

Finally the day came for the meetings to start. The whole family climbed into the wagon. It was a long, dusty trip into town, but they finally got to the big tent. They listened as Pastor Loughborough preached about the Sabbath and Jesus coming back to earth soon.

All day long, no matter what Uncle said, Jack would not go.

For several weeks Jessie and her family attended the meetings every evening. During the day they worked on the farm and studied their Bible to see if what Pastor Loughborough was preaching was actually in the Bible. Is Jesus answering Papa’s prayer for truth? Jessie wondered.

“Do you think it’s true, dear?” asked Mama as they drove through the canyon into town. “Is Jesus really coming back soon? What about the Sabbath? Are we supposed to keep the seventh day?”

“It all seems true,” replied Papa. “I can’t find anything wrong with it.”

As they rode along, sharing the questions swirling through their minds, Jessie suddenly pointed to the sky. “Look! There are soldiers on horses up there!” she cried.

Everyone looked up—and what they saw was far more than a beautiful sunset or an unusual cloud formation. It wasn’t one person’s imagination; every single person in the group saw it clearly. Filling the horizon above the valley was a dramatic scene: two armies at war.

One army rode black horses, with black chariots and a tall, dark, evil-looking leader. The other rode white horses, with white chariots and an even taller, regal leader. The Browns watched in awe as the battle unfolded, until thick smoke and dust filled the sky and hid everything from view. Then, just as suddenly, the smoke cleared.

Only one army remained. The white army had been victorious. Across the clear blue sky, words appeared. “It says, ‘Jesus is coming soon,’ ” Pa whispered, his voice low with awe. “Jesus is coming soon! Thank You, Lord, for showing us the truth.”

A New Tradition

It wasn’t long until Jessie and her family became members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They still farmed their land, but now they kept the Sabbath holy. They didn’t harvest melons or weed the garden on Sabbath anymore. Instead, Pa hitched up the wagon, and they rode into Chico for church.

Jack soon learned that Pa didn’t go raccoon hunting on Sabbath. “Sorry, boy; it’s Sabbath,” Pa would say when Jack started begging to go. “We don’t do that today.” After a while Jack stopped begging to go on Saturday. He knew his job was to guard the farm while the family was gone.

One Friday Jessie’s uncle came to visit. That night some raccoons made a mess near the chicken coop. The next morning Jessie’s family invited Uncle to church. Uncle laughed. “You know I don’t believe in no God. I’ll stay here. Me and Jack will take care of those raccoons.”

He called, “Come on, Jack!” But Jack didn’t jump up. Uncle tried again. “Let’s go!” Jack wagged his tail—but stayed right where he was. All day long, no matter what Uncle said, Jack would not go. But early Sunday morning, Jack was up and ready, barking happily to go out. Uncle laughed in surprise. “Well, I’ve never seen anything like that! I think your dog was keeping the Sabbath too!”

Papa smiled. “Maybe so. Guess God teaches animals the truth too.”

Jessie wrapped her arms around Jack. “God did teach you,” she whispered.

Jack kept the Sabbath for the rest of his life. Friends and relatives all tried to get him to go raccoon hunting on the Sabbath, but he never went.