The Sabbath day of rest was a big deal in the Old Testament - in multiple places in the Scriptures (Exodus 20:8-11, Leviticus 23:3, Genesis 2:3, Isaiah 58:13, Ezekiel 20:12-24, Deuteronomy 5:12-15), God instructs the Israelites on the importance of taking the seventh day of the week off from all work. It was a sacred commandment, a sign between God and His people, that they may know that He is the who sanctifies them (Ezekiel 20:12). For them, the Sabbath day was a reminder that they cannot do it all in their own strength and with their own hands and wisdom, but they need the Lord, from whom all things are given to them. 

But then Jesus came on this earth and He himself became our rest, not for one day a week, but for every minute of every day. Taking a Sabbath day of rest from work is still a prevalent discipline practiced today by Christians, but we also have access to enter a rest that is much more impactful. 

In Matthew 12, the Pharisees saw the disciples doing what wasn’t lawful on a Sabbath, and being the rule followers that they were, they called out the disciples in front of Jesus. In response, Jesus calls himself the Lord of the Sabbath. For the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Because on that cross, Jesus put an end to our striving and our laboring to attain God’s favor. That doesn’t mean we can live purposeless, lazy lives without working, but it does mean we go about our work and lives on this earth with an inner peace that this world doesn’t comprehend. 

Alexander MacLaren explains it as such: “The ‘rest’ which Genesis speaks about was, of course, not repose that recruited exhausted strength, but the cessation of work because the work was complete, the repose of satisfaction in what we should an accomplished ideal.” It is what Jesus did when He was crucified on the cross with the words, “Tetelestai,” “It is finished” (John 19:28-30). He finished the distance between the possible and the impossible, between heaven and earth, to sanctify us, to heal us, to make us whole again. 

In Hebrews 4:11, Apostle Paul calls us to “be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” It’s the same promise Jesus made when He called us to Him and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28). The invitation to live a life at rest is ours for the taking, but it is up to us to accept that invitation and enter that rest daily. 

This article is an excerpt from our devotional Bible study, “Habits of Devotion.” Download the full study here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yelena is the founder and editor in chief Tirzah. Yelena works as an attorney in tax and in her spare time, she is working on her first book for unmarried twenty-something women in extended waiting seasons and running Tirzah. She has a passion for pointing young women to Christ, and enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with her family.