In the academic world, most people are in a full sprint to the end. While the first few weeks of the school year are busy, the air is filled with excitement as families set out on a new adventure. Conversely, the final weeks are run by weary families straining for the finish line. At the beginning, they are looking forward to the new and unknown. At the end, they are looking forward to rest.
What is rest, though? You may be surprised to find that a chronological examination of the Scriptures will provide not only a definition but also a theological parallel to this season of life. May this brief article renew your mind and provide you with encouragement to use your summer well.
Genesis opens with the familiar creation account. In 6 days, God created the world from nothing by speaking. On the 7th day, God rested (Gen. 2:1-3). This is the well-known Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which is also where we “Sabbath” comes from. It has the idea of “ceasing from something”. Unfortunately, this is where most people stop thinking about rest.
Admittedly, I was like most until my Bible reading took me a few chapters further. Noah, another popular Bible story, adds another layer to this definition. If you read the genealogy of Genesis 5 too quickly, you can clear the “speed bump” in verses 28-29. “Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, ‘This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.’” (NASB) It doesn’t take any knowledge of Hebrew to see that “Noah” and “Sabbath” are very different words.
This second word carries more of an emphasis on “settling”. In context, Lamech is hoping for the promised Seed (Gen. 3:15) who will crush the Serpent’s head and make all things right. Specifically, he wonders if this son of his could give the world rest from the curse that came through the Fall. A quick word study reveals that this word has appeared before. After making man, God plants the garden of Eden. Then, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Gen. 2:15, ESV) The Hebrew translated “put” is the same word. Another reading could be, “God rested him in the garden.” We see from this that rest and work are not mutually exclusive.
Exodus 20 will help cement the connection between these concepts by using the second word to describe what God did on the 7th day of Creation. So, a biblical understanding of rest includes ceasing from something and settling into something else. Moses and Joshua will develop this more as they describe the Israelites longing to cease from their wandering and to settle in the Promised Land. In fact, the Promised Land is sometimes called God’s “rest”. The New Testament will continue this theme as the author of Hebrews compares the Israelites with Christians running their race toward Heaven. With all of these different notes being played, Jesus’s words bring them all together when He says, “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.” (Matt. 11:28-30)
Alright, back to the end of the school year and summer break. Here are 2 applications that we can draw from our full understanding of rest. First, biblical rest involves ceasing from something in order to do something else. Closing off your mind and laying around is not what the Scriptures are advocating. You can cease from good work in order to enjoy fruitful work as God did when He ceased creating and rested Adam in the garden to cultivate it, which included eating from the Tree of Life! Second, longing for biblical rest in a season of trial should remind us of the pattern we have in Scripture. Christians have always longed for Heaven as sojourners and exiles in this world. Ultimately, we rest in the finished work of Jesus, knowing that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.
