Genesis 2:1-3 (ESV), 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman
It is important to rest on the seventh day. God spent six days creating all of the universe and everything in it. He then calls out specially that He rested on the seventh day and declared it a holy day. That alone should get our attention. On top of that, we can find a second emphasis on this in Exodus 20:8-11.
Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
What is God telling us here? Sabbath is a day of observance and a day of abstinence from work. God Himself rested this day and did no work, blessing it as a holy day. If the day is holy, we should not work. It is also pointed out to us in Exodus that we should not make our children or servants work. An interesting point that Moses makes in Exodus 20:10 is to rest your livestock.
If the Sabbath day is a holy day and a day of rest, how do we observe it? The Pharisees put rules around how far you can walk and what activities you can do. Is this really seeking God’s rest? I believe we can find rest in God by worshiping Him and reflecting on all the strength He has given us for those prior six days of laboring. I think we can find rest in fellowship with others and enjoying all that God has given us.
God knows that we need to take a day off from the craziness of life to unwind, recharge, and be with Him. He wants those who are weary and burdened to come to Him, and He will give us the rest that we need. We should take His command seriously and use that seventh day for this. We may not always see it, but God knows what we need. I believe this is just another example.
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