Word for Today.....Rest and Be Refreshed
Scripture: It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Ex 31:17
On the 7th day he (God) rested and was refreshed.
Resting and being refreshed is something that we ALL long for, but how to get to the point somehow eludes us. This scripture was given to Moses as God instructed him concerning the Ten Commandments. God instructed Moses to tell the Children of Israel that there was a day of rest RESERVED for them. It was a privilege and a sign or proof that God really loved them. He told them that the Sabbath day or the 7th day was a day of resting and refreshing. So let’s understand what the Sabbath day was REALLY about.
First, the Sabbath Day was a weekly day of rest and it its meaning derives from the Hebrew term Shabath or Seven. The Jews weekly observed a day to rest from any and all labor. It was stiplulated that even their servants were not allow to work. However, their practice of Sabbath rest began to leave the original plan of God. Many times they used the practices of rituals to impose a hardship upon others. And the practice of Sabbath day resting was one such idea and made the practice of God's....labor.
Genesis 2:1 says that “the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done and he rested on the seventh day.” The most noteworthy thing that this passage indicates, which differs completely from the other days of creation is the absence of any reference to an evening or a morning. The record of all the other days of creation closed with the words, "and there was evening and there was morning, (a first, second, etc.,) day." But there is no reference to evening or morning in this passage. This helps to confirm what we have already seen in these "days" of creation: that these "days" do not primarily emphasize time, but development. The evening and morning were indicative of a developing process, beginning in an incomplete state and moving toward completion. But on this seventh day there is no evening and morning. In fact, twice in this brief passage we find the word, "finished," occurring. "Thus the heavens the earth were finished" (Gen 2:1a) and "God finished his work" (Gen 2:2b). Obviously there is no need for development, no place for it. The text says, “So God rested from all his work which he had done in creation” This is the last account of any creative activity by GOD. Man was made and then God rested, and there has been no creation since. Man is the last effort of God in creation, on the physical level. Therefore this Sabbath, this rest upon which God entered, is still continuing today. God is not creating physically today. However, He has given the power to creatively manifest in the earth to US. He has given us the keys to the kingdom.
So how does this rest apply to me? GLAD YOU ASKED!!!
So how does this rest apply to me?Sunday, is not the real Sabbath. It never was, and it is not now. In our society Sunday is the first day of the week and not the seventh. The Sabbath in its biblical sense is a picture or a reminder of the real Sabbath. The true Sabbath is a rest; the Jewish Sabbath is a shadow, a picture of that rest. All the Old Testament shadows pointed to Christ. They were predictions, fore views, of the coming of the One who would fulfill all these remarkable things. Every lamb that was brought as an offering was a shadow of the work of Christ. Every burnt offering, every bit of incense that was offered, was a picture of the fragrance of Jesus Christ. The tabernacle was a shadow of him. The high priest, in his garments and his office, was a shadow of Christ as our High Priest. Read the book of Hebrews and you will see how beautifully all this is brought out. These Old Testament shadows were looking forward to the coming of the One who would fulfill these and thus end them. When the work of Jesus Christ was finished the shadows were no longer needed. Much like my relationship with my husband BEFORE we were married. When I became engaged to my husband, I received a ring as a promise of a future covenant or marriage. I had pictures of him all over my room at home, in my wallet and when I went to college I had his picture plastered all over my dorm room wall. I would look at those pictures 3 or 4 times a day. It was all I had to remind me of what was to come and it served moderately well for that purpose. But one wonderful day we married and we became one, in spirit and in body. So now I didn't spend much time with those pictures because there is no need. The other day I ran across one of the pictures that hung on my dorm room wall. It was still a beautiful picture, and I noted that my husband had not changed much except for having A LOT less hair now and a gray in his beard. But I found that the picture was quite incomplete and unsatisfying. It revealed that now that I have the real thing (and have been married for 16 wonderful years); there is no longer any need for the picture. And so though this shadow- Sabbath, i.e., ritualistic Sunday observance, ended at the cross, the true Sabbath, the rest of God, continued and still continues today. The daily application of the Sabbath is stated in Hebrews 4: 9&10 “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God [it is available to us now]; for whoever enters God's rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his.” That is what the true Sabbath (rest and completion) is, to cease from your own labors, your own efforts, and your own activity; to cease from your own works. True Sabbath is designed that we might be refreshed and be more productive when used by God. When God hallowed (sanctified) the Sabbath, he assigned it a specific function to perform. That is what sanctification is -- to put to a proper or intended purpose. Thus God designated the true Sabbath to the function of producing, fruitfulness and dominion and refreshing for man. This is why the Jesus declared, "the Sabbath is made for man; not man for the Sabbath". When we walk in the rest and refreshing that Jesus has laid out for us we are resting in Jesus Christ, and that rest is the divine condition to produce fruitfulness and abundance of victory in a Christian's life.
As we seek for and embrace the idea that God wants us refreshed, a wonderful thing will begin to happen. You will find rest. The rest that is of moving and active but yet still refreshing and restful. The bible says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest." The rest that is in Jesus includes reigning, ruling, producing that which is worthwhile and satisfying in life. That is what God wants to give us.
Be Blessed!
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Comments
You are awesome!!! Love the Love story!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 4, 2007 11:25 AM