Rest (2025)
The Commandment: Let’s start at the beginning, when God gives the command to rest.
Exodus 20:8-11 The command to rest is rooted in that Fact that God Himself rested after he created the world.
- It should also be noted that Sabbath and rest are not the same.
- Sabbath is unto the Lord: God commanded it and it involves worship.
- Rest for our own wellbeing: God created us with limitations.
Exodus 34:21 This passage is later after the people have rebelled with the golden calf etc.
- Notice, they didn’t rest and quickly fell into sin.
- So here, God is rewriting the stone tablets and reminding Moses of important precepts.
- I love how it says even during plowing season and harvest.
Exodus 23:12 Even your ox and donkey are to rest on the Sabbath.
- Even, the salve and the Alien are to rest, so you can’t just get others to do the work.
- This was to be a societal rest.
Rest is a big deal even for the land:
Lev 25:1-7 Even the land was to have rest every 7 years.
- They could only gather enough of what grew on its own to eat.
- In other words, they couldn’t go out and harvest the total of what grew and store it in their barns.
- But, by consequence if you couldn’t work your land that meant you were forced to rest as well.
- Every seven years you basically got a year off to rest.
- Rest is tied then to trust.
Lev 26 :31-35 This is right in the middle of a section where God is speaking future judgment over the people for their disobedience.
- Notice that in their punishment the land will get the rest that it didn’t get during the time they lived there.
Other Days of Rest: There were also specific days of rest throughout the year.
Lev 23:23-25 This was to be a day of rest and a sacred assembly with an offering to the Lord.
- Here are other days of rest prescribed by the Lord.
- The Passover Feast, Lev 23:7-8 included a day of rest
- The Feast of Weeks Lev 23:21 included a day of rest
- The Day of atonement Lev 23:28 included a day of rest
- The Feast of Tabernacles Lev 23:35, 36 included two days of rest
- The Year of Jubilee (Every 49 years) was also to be a year of rest.
- All these days of rest were also meant to honor the Lord, with special offerings, etc.
How can this be?? How can they rest for an entire year and not starve to death?
Lev 25:18-22 When God asks something from us, he also makes a way.
- He asks the people to rest themselves and the land for one year and he makes a way for that to happen.
Rest for Rests sake or with a purpose?
- The Lord created us and knows the limitations of our bodies better than we do.
- We need rest just for rests sake.
Rest is more than napping. Rest can be activity as many of these passages showed.
To Honor God:
- All of those special days of rest I mentioned earlier involved a sacred assembly and an offering of sacrifice to God.
- So, the rest was tied to honoring God.
- Rest was tied to worship.
- Putting our eyes and attention back on God.
- And all of those special days of rest involved an assembly which puts us back in community.
- So being in community was also a big part of rest.
- In our day and age especially after Covid, we have lost the idea of rest being tied to community.
Atonement:
Lev 16:29-31 This day of rest was tied to atonement, being made right before God, having their sins forgiven.
- We must stop and rest to recognize that forgiveness comes from Jesus and not our work.
Trust: When God asks the people to not sow or reap for an entire year there is also a big trust factor here.
Worship: Exodus 33:12-14 Rest of course tied to worship.
Application:
Attend church/ worship: Being with others, community: Eating and feasting: Reading: Creative expression/ music art