Give Me Rest
Today's study is of a command that is actually quite easy to understand. It’s a command that God presents in a straight forward, clear manner. There is no confusion about what we are being told to do. So you may be asking, if it’s so easy to understand why study it?.
We’re studying it because it’s a critically important command and while it’s easy to understand, it’s extremely difficult in today’s day and age to obey. Some may even say it’s next to impossible. But that may be in part because we don’t really believe or understand just how important it is to obey.
Let’s start at the beginning with Genesis 2:1-3,
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Now consider Exodus 16:22,23 where the people of Israel are gathering manna.
On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’”
The seventh day, the last day of the week (Saturday) is supposed to be a day of rest. Today we’ve shifted it to the first day of the week. For most pastors, Saturday or Monday is their day to rest because they work on Sunday.
The day is not as important as what you do, or in this case what you don’t do that day, that’s important.
What Does It Mean to Rest?
In its simplest form, a day of rest is when we take a break from working and we spend time relaxing and focusing mainly on God.
Do you have a day each week when you rest?
Psalm 23 is our next stop,
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
The term ‘lie down’ means to stretch oneself out, recumbent, sprawled out, horizontal. When you are flat on your back, it’s pretty hard to not rest. Your muscles relax, your breathing slows down, and your mind begins to stop wandering.
The Psalmist talks about green pastures and still waters and it doesn’t get much more peaceful and relaxing than that. It’s why I have my quiet time on my patio. We don’t have a green pasture or still waters to look at but we have the trees and birds and some other wildlife all of which represent God’s creations. Slowing down to observe God’s creations is a good habit, however, what got me most about these verses is the phrase,“He makes me lie down.”
If you go too fast for too long, He will allow things to come into your life to make you slow down. Not to punish you but to restore you and draw you closer to him that’s why the Psalmist says, “He restores my soul.” He makes me lie down to restore my soul.
Next up is Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
If I paraphrase the literal translation of those verses and personalize them I get something like this...
Come to me NOW, if you are physically and mentally exhausted, and overburdened by the pressures of life and I will give you a sense of peace and calmness that will allow you to recover and trust me more. Come now and I will give you the rest you need to be closer to Me.
I started out by saying we are commanded to rest because it is critically important. The opposite of rest is stress. Therefore, instead of restoring the body, stress destroys it.
People respond to stress differently. For some, it totally shuts them down, others thrive and perform at their best when under pressure. Regardless of how you respond, the effects on the body will likely be the same, destruction.
So, when God commands us to rest one day a week, He is serious because it is critical to our physical and mental wellbeing. I believe that’s why the Psalmist says in Psalm 23,
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. Resting one day a week is not an option in God’s mind and therefore, it shouldn’t be an option in ours either.
The faster we go, the quicker life will pass us by, and the longer will be the list of regrets we will hold when we get to the end of this thing they call life.
