Rest

"'They’ll never get where they’re headed, never be able to sit down and rest.’” —Psalm 95:11

That’s king David expressing God's thoughts. He says that the people didn't listen, they didn’t obey, and because of it they didn’t find rest.

Last year as I read through Judges I was once again impressed by the phrase, “The people did what ever was right in their own eyes.” And because of their sin God responded by sending a people group to enslave them until they cried out to God for rescue. Then He rescued them by raising up a leader—a judge—only to have the people go back to doing what was right in their own eyes once the threat was gone. It was a cycle. The last phrase of the book is “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” And because of it they were never able to sit down and rest.

I have a confession to make. I struggle with rest. Taking a day and being still before the Lord. … A day? That’s excessive isn’t it? A whole day! The fourth commandment of the ten commandments says:

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.” Exodus 20:8–11 (The Message).

Is it excessive then, to take a day each week to rest? Again, I struggle with this. We live in the post Old Testament era, right? Things are different today, right? A whole day of rest can’t be meant for today. What is the sixth commandment? … If I were to go out and murder someone this week, I think someone reading is going to have a problem. Am I right? The sixth commandment is Thou Shalt Not Murder.

God’s law is His law, whether it's the fourth or the sixth. Rest for a day or do not murder is God's law. And His law is good. When I struggle with taking a day to rest—practicing Sabbath—I am struggling with God's good law—the Designer's design of what is best for His creation… for you and me.