Day 138 Two Parts of Resting

When I was a kid, Sunday was all about what we didn't do--no newspaper, no eating out, no sports, no friends--and what we did do was no fun: church (twice), Sunday school, reading, nap. Geez. It was a kid's nightmare! But, there was a pattern there, even if the purpose got lost in legalism.

In the Old Testament, Sabbath was all about the rules, too: no work, no travel. But the in God's giving the rules, there were "shadows," pictures of something more important that God wanted noted. What we do or don't do on the Sabbath is not as important as whether you fulfill what the Sabbath portrays.

At the heart of Sabbath is rest. The Sabbath is intended to teach us to rest: it's God's stress management program! It helps us prevent burnout by letting us recover from too much pressure and catch up with ourselves. It is how to gather yourself together and become able to handle the work you have to do the rest of the week.

There are two reasons for the Sabbath. The first one is in Exodus 20:11 where God finishes creation in six days and then rests on the seventh. The he asked us, his people, to rest after six days of labor as well. Why did God rest? Because he accomplished his objective. He is telling us to recognize that there a limit to our work: there is a need to stop, to allow our body, mind, and spirit to recognize their limitations.

The second reason the Sabbath was given usually gets ignored. God said to Israel, Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day (Deuteronomy 5:15). They were to rest in order to reflect on God's ability to work through (and some weeks, despite ;) the labors they completed.

So there are two aspects of the Sabbath—creation and redemption. There is a rest of cessation; a ceasing from our own works. But then there is the rest of rejoicing in the mighty delivering power of God. Are you at rest because of the work God has done and is doing in you?

Father, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of my life, teach me that I need to enter into the rest of creation and redemption. Amen.