CREATED FOR REST
GENESIS 2:1-3, EXODUS 20:8-11, MARK 6:30-34
Jesus’ instructions to his disciples, as they were still caught up in the “high” of a successful mission trip, to separate themselves from the work, to be alone with him, to be quiet and to rest, has taught me that my Lord’s priority is firstly for his disciples. The work is important, as he later demonstrates, but not at the expense of the needs of his disciples.
But did Jesus neglect his own needs? No. He was not a part of the mission trip. And his example in Mark 1, keeping his time alone with God and moving to the leading of the Holy Spirit rather than the demands of the mission field, tells me that he regularly takes care of his soul and spirit. And no, he was the one teaching, not the disciples, and they only got involved at the end of the day when they themselves needed food. His sheep needed their Shepherd, and he responded to their need.
This recognition of the needs of man, both the mind and the body (productive work) and the soul and the spirit (nourishing rest) stems from the days of Creation, telling us that God has created us for work and for rest. Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 raises this principle: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” So one is not more important than the other. Man is made for work and for rest.
But what should that sabbath rest consist of? In my imagination (and so it is debatable), God savoured his Creation. We catch glimpses of this in those terse “and God saw that it was good” revelations almost on a daily basis and we saw the “very good” at the end of the 6th. In Genesis 2, it seemed that God spent time regularly with Adam and Eve in the Garden, and also interacting with Adam and helping him get acquainted with the rest of Creation. There was deep fellowship and I’m sure that these were times when Adam and Eve’s souls and spirits were nourished.
To me, the seventh day is a day for God, for family, for friends, for love, for laughter, for warmth, for kindness and generosity, for blessing: to give and so to receive. The Preacher wrote in Ecclesiastes 3, to “find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.” This is not to be limited to the seventh day but where possible, everyday we should look to feed our soul and spirit; but the Sabbath is God’s command.