Saturday, September 7, 2024

THE DOCTRINE OF REST



This Paper was given at a Break-away Session  during the 2024 SOLA 5 Conference

by Joachim Rieck 

The doctrine of rest, or ceasing from work, is deeply embedded in the Bible – more deeply than we may believe at face value. Frankly, it is an overlooked theme in biblical theology, and therefore it rarely features in our theological discussions, except when it comes to disputes around the Sabbath. Though the specific word translated as rest or ceasing is not found in every single book of the Bible, the concept of rest is a consistent thread from Genesis to Revelation. 

The doctrine of rest is founded in creation in Genesis, it is commanded in  the law in Deuteronomy, it is realized in Jesus finished work of salvation in the gospels and it is consummated in  heaven, in the book of Revelation.

The concept of rest formed a part of the DNA of OT Israel. The early church continued in that habit.  Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel[1] once wrote, “for Jews, whose sacred architecture isn’t only physical but temporal, “Sabbaths are our great cathedrals.” “Six days a week,” he observed, “we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul.[2]

The practical value of this doctrine is often not readily understood. We tend to think of physical rest, and it certainly includes that, but it has a much profounder spiritual  foundation, which we must explore if we hope to understand the biblical concept of rest. 

In essence, the concept of biblical rest refers to a ceasing from labour, for the purpose of finding spiritual refreshment in God.

A BRIEF CONSIDERATION OF THE WORD “TO REST”

1.      Old Testament - ‘to rest’ [3]

Nuach - to rest, remain, be quiet.  The first occurrence of this word is found in Gen. 8:4: “And the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” The use of the word here indicates a physical settling down in some particular place.[4] The spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha (2 Ki. 2:15). Sometimes it is synonymous with  the word sabat (Ex. 20:11)

Hadal -  to cease, come to an end, desist, forbear …”. The basic meaning is “coming to an end.” The first occurrence of hadal is found in Gen. 11:8 (Tower of Babel) where, after man’s language was confused, they left off building the city” (ESV). Sarah’s capacity for childbearing had long since “ceased” (come to an end) before an angel informed her that she was to have a son (Gen. 18:11). The Mosaic Law made provision for the poor, since they would “never cease out of the land” (Deut. 15:11; Matt. 26:11).

Sabat - (noun/verb) to rest, cease. (שׁבת/shabath). This is the word of particular interest to us. It occurs frequently throughout the Old Testament. The verb first occurs in Gen. 2:2-3: “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. 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.” This passage establishes the pattern of working for six days and then observing a Sabbath day of rest. This was later codified as the fourth of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:9-11). God commanded that human beings should follow Him in this pattern of rest and renewal.

·          Ex.23:12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien may be refreshed”.  In Ex 31:15, the seventh day is called the Sabbath rest. This rest was to include a person’s animals and servants. This rule was to be observed even “in ploughing time and in harvest you shall rest (Exod. 34:21). 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 (Exod. 31:17).  This was a covenantal sign between God and Israel. Israel rested with God and in God.

·         In addition, the  feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the first and eighth days of the Feast of Tabernacles  provided Israel with “a sabbath of complete rest” (Lev. 23:24, 32, 39).

·         In Ex. 23:10,11  the concept of  the 7th year as  Sabbath rest is expounded. “… Then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord”. Six years’ crops will be sown and harvested, but the seventh year “there shall be a Sabbath of solemn for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord …” (Lev. 25:2,4).  

In the Old Testament these weekly, yearly, seven-yearly and forty-nine-yearly cycles of rest serve two functions.

The first is to give both people and land a physical rest from the hardship and frustration of work.

The second is a spiritual rest, in which God’s people were called to commune with God in worship, meeting a greater need than just that of their physical bodies. God’s people need physical rest, but also spiritual rest by which they  would be made aware again and again that the Lord God was their ultimate Provider and  Sustainer. During these times of worship, Israel was reminded that God Himself is their source of rest: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Ex. 33:14).

The Sabbath was a day of worship (Lev. 23:3) as well as a day of rest and refreshment for man (Exod. 23:12). In that sense we must understand Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27-28, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.' By observing the Sabbath, Israel confessed that they were trusting in the LORD and in His providence.

The prophets regularly rebuked Israel for their neglect of the Sabbath (Isa. 1:13; Jer.17:21-27; Ezek. 20:12-24; Amos 8:5). They also proclaimed Sabbath observance as a blessing in the messianic age and a sign of its fullness (Isa. 56:2-4; 58:13; 66:23; Ezek. 44:24; 45:17; 46:1, 3-4, 12). The length of the Babylonian Captivity was determined by the extent of Israel’s abuse of the sabbatical year (2 Chron. 36:21; cf. Lev. 26:34- 35).

Rest and the Sabbath were eschatological in perspective, looking to the accomplishment of God’s ultimate purpose through the redemption of His people in a promised land, Canaan, but ultimately in heaven. In this sense Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.  (Hebr. 11:10)

2.      New Testament – ‘to rest’

In the New Testament, the Greek word most often translated as rest is anapausis (noun) anapauō (verb); katapauō   (to cause to rest)

·         It is related to the idea of taking a break from exertion and the seeking of refreshment. It includes stopping regular work and activities in order to renew spirit, mind and body.

·         The NT church did not do away with the concept of Sabbath. She had the freedom not to tie it to the Jewish Sabbath, but rested the principle on the finished work of Jesus in the resurrection, which happened on a Sunday. This became the Christian Sabbath. The law is completed in Christ!  When we rest in Christ, we are truly at rest!

·         Jesus used this word (anapausis) when He promised rest for those who are weary and burdened “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt.11:28-30).  This rest that Jesus offers here is in contrast to the demanding burdens imposed by the Pharisees. The rest which Jesus promises is not a rest from our work, but in our work. I will be with you, in this life in which you will have tribulation (Jn. 16:33) even unto the end of the ages (Matt. 28:20). He said that His yoke (compared to the world’s yoke) is easy and his burden is light (Matt.11:30). When urging people to take His yoke upon themselves, Jesus declared, “I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28-30). Jesus provides rest on two levels.

(i)                 He invites His disciples to have physical rest in the sense of encouraging them to come away to a desolate place and rest a while (Mk. 6:31).

(ii)               But the profounder rest He offers is in Himself: “Come to me!” Jesus is the profound centre of Christian rest, both in this side of the grave and in the life to come.

·         This theme continues in Hebrews 4 as the author explains how those who trust in Christ enter God’s “Sabbath-rest” (Hebr. 4:9)

(i)                 This is a spiritual rest from the burdens of sin, guilt, and trying to justify ourselves before God. When we trust in Him, we experience “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1). Augustine affirmed this when he wrote, “You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You”.[5]

(ii)               Future eschatological rest. The 4th chapter of Hebrews contains a discourse on entering his rest (katapauō).  The concept of stopping work and resting as God did on the seventh day of creation is discussed, but Hebrews 4:1-11 anticipates a far greater rest. The writer warns us against missing out on God’s ultimate Sabbath-rest through disobedience and lack of faith.  So then, the rest spoken of here has a twofold dimension which includes

a. entering His rest  in the here  and now by  trusting  in the Lord Jesus Christ now, and  by  resting in Him in every providence that we encounter in this life  

b. to anticipate the ultimate rest  from our  earthly labours, when we shall enter into the joy of our Master (Matt. 25:21). In Revelation 14:13 the saints are promised they will “rest from their labour.”

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) wrote a book, “The Saints Everlasting Rest”, as his own funeral sermon. He believed that he was on the verge of death. He was quite ill for most of his life. Quite to the contrary he lived on for many years thereafter.  He writes, “Rest is the end and perfection of motion. The saint's rest, here in question, is the most happy estate of a Christian, having obtained the end of his course: or, it is the perfect, endless fruition of God, by the perfected saints, according to the measure of their capacity, to which their souls arrive at death...”[6].

APPLICATION

The question now arises,

·         What are we to do with this doctrine?

·          What are the implications?

 

1.      We must believe that God means what He says about this subject. God is introduced to us as the working God in Genesis 1. His working nature is offset by the seventh day, a day of Sabbath rest (Gen 1:31). Work and Rest is a part of God’s Being.  It is part of God’s created design, and therefore it is written also into the DNA of human life.  We must believe this and we must practise this. If we choose to disregard the godly principle of rest, then we (i) go against God’s  design (ii)   we will do damage  to ourselves.

2.      We must believe that both, work and rest have become a real challenge after the fall in Genesis 3.  Sin undermines the biblical concepts of work and rest.  We can typically see this in terms of how our view of work is either exaggerated (e.g. workaholism) or diminished (e.g. the lazy man, the sluggard of Proverbs). We need to avoid both and strive for the work-rest balance that the Bible envisages.

 3.      As fallen, but regenerated beings we must learn again what it means to rest. Entering a state of rest is possible! If you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have begun to enter into God's Sabbath rest. Heb. 4:10 says, “For the one who has entered God’s rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His”. It is ultimately a sanctification issue.  It is an invitation to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are going to have to learn to rest, not in our hoarded resources, but in the kind, gracious, merciful providence of our Creator and Saviour. The 7th year Sabbath rules are a powerful illustration of this.

 

4.      Rest begins with a mind-set that must be cultivated. For this we need time, method and application.

 

(i)                 Time:  God has commanded times of physical and spiritual rest  for our good. The NT Sabbath is our very best day of rest in the week. In this regard Jesus must remain our focus point. He is the end of the law. We need to be reminded that the rest of the 7th day was not first published in the law. It was first published in the perfect Garden of Eden. It is rooted in Creation ordinance.  It is our DNA. It should be catered for in our lifestyles.  It is the market-day for the soul. It is meant to be a focus day for resting in God. It is given to re-focus our spiritual priorities as we gather under the Word of God.  Other times for rest are  found in our  every -day  routines , where we need  physical (sleep) and spiritual rest (a spiritual quiet time). Furthermore we need sustained times of rest- vacations/sabbaticals to help body and soul to catch up.  

(ii)               Method:

·         We do this through regular prayerful reading of the Bible and meditation upon Scripture. The old theologians called this having communion with God[7].   The Sabbath and the daily routines help here. When we increase our knowledge of God’s word we will find it easier to rest in God and in His promises.  

·          We also get to know Him through our fellowship with other Christians. We learn from others. Paul calls people to imitate him as he imitates Christ. We learn particularly from people who have walked faithfully with Jesus over a long time, whose lives demonstrate that restful spirit.  (iii) we must also rest in God’s sanctifying providences.

(iii)             Application: all this must be followed by the conscious application of Scripture.  We must not only be hearers of the Word, but doers (Jas. 1:22-24). “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (1 Tim 4:16 NIV).  We must be practical theologians in the matter of rest. DO IT!

 

 HINDRANCES TO BIBLICAL REST

1.      Many hindrances to rest start in the mind.  Here we think the effect that anger, fear, resentment, unforgiveness, jealousy, anxiety produce. Anxiety for instance is nothing but failing to rest in God as Provider (See Matt 6:25-34). Anxiety is a pagan mind- set.  The antidote to anxiety is to engage in different thinking. Philippians 4:6,7 is a good example. The strategy in Ephesians 4 &5 is to put off unhelpful patterns of thinking and to put on Christ centred thinking and acting.

  

2.      Lack of faith/trust in God’s Word concerning the matter of rest (Hebrews 4:1,2).  When we ignore God’s Word concerning the necessity of rest we are going to frustrate ourselves. ILLUSTRATION: In Exodus 16 Israel needed food. God promised to provide daily manna. However, on the sixth day (Friday) they were to gather twice as much bread, for “tomorrow is a day of solemn  rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD” (Ex. 16:23). This was a test from God.   We learn here  that the people do not  obey this command , because they ultimately did not trust in God’s provision (16:27).

 

3.      Dissatisfaction is another problem. Ecclesiastes 4:7-8  observes, “I saw vanity under the sun: one person who has no other, either son or brother; yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches. “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business”. People work to relieve dissatisfaction by amassing riches, but they fail to see that their loss of relationship with God and with people ultimately cripples them. Obsessive work only makes people more restless and unhappy.

 

4.      All the pursuits of the works of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 are essentially a refusal to rest in God’s providence. No holiness – no rest. There is no peace – no rest for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22;57:21).

 

5.      Work- Rest Imbalance: The danger of overwork – Spurgeon, Calvin, Luther, Richard Baxter overworked and suffered in their bodies. All died relatively young.   Is there not perhaps a subtle assumption that God will not be able to do the work without us? I am convinced that Spurgeon in his early days overworked himself, so that his ministry was affected adversely. “Approximately 1/3 of his last 22 years of his ministry was spent out of the Tabernacle pulpit, either suffering, convalescing or taking precautions against return of  illness[8]. 

 

QUESTION : Exaggerated  work  ethic = idolatry?  

 

BENEFITS OF OBSERVING BIBLICAL REST

1.      Peace: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7) Biblical rest produces a peace that is from God. It is not dependent on the circumstances around us. In  the  Scriptures we read of those who do not enter God’s rest and suffer the consequences of restlessness or lack of peace. This is the situation that plagues many people today.

 

2.       Contentment: We read also of those who do enter God’s rest and find joy and contentment despite their circumstances in life.  See Paul in Phil. 4:11-13 – “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Paul, who had been through many trials, wrote this while in prison. He  was able to be content, because he did not look to the circumstances but found  his rest in God. Many people look to all the wrong things to provide this deeper spiritual rest, resulting in increased restless.

 

3.      Biblical rest promotes physical rest: When we have God in view, the centre holds. If the centre holds then we can go to sleep at night, knowing that our Father sustains us.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; (note the  presence of anxiety again)  for he gives to his beloved sleep (Ps.127:2).  Physical rest without spiritual rest is not satisfying; nor is spiritual rest without physical rest restoring.

PRACTICAL TIPS

1.      Make use of your Sundays to learn to rest in God.  Feed and meditate on the Word that is brought to your soul. A good church is Scripture soaked.  Make sure that you attend Communion services. They are repeated invitations to rest in Christ’s finished work.  

2.      Use the church holy days (Christmas, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost) to be reminded of  God’s grand plan. A mind that sees God’s plan at work over time is a mind that rests in His promises and providence. We see that the  faithful Father is in charge of history, and therefore we  will not fear or be anxious about anything

3.      Take holidays and sabbaticals. In the Old Testament, God instituted various patterns or cycles of rest, creating regular God focussed rhythms for the Israelites. Weekly, monthly, seasonal, annual, and sabbatical rhythms can provide us with a freeing rest, particularly when Christ is kept in focus. Sadly, such times may hinder us from experiencing a deep satisfying rest when Jesus is excluded.

4.      Take charge of what thoughts inhabit your mind.

·         Philippians exhorts people to think about things that are good and true and beautiful.

·         Colossians encourages Christians to imagine the glorious future that awaits all those who look to Christ.

·         2 Corinthians asks believers to recognize current problems and difficulties as momentary afflictions compared to the eternal rest that awaits. To rest fully is to anchor the mind upon Jesus and the perfect future that awaits all who follow him.

 

5.      Examine existing desires. Many people don’t experience true rest because they are consciously or subconsciously pursuing something that appears to promise rest, but which doesn’t deliver. The Bible considers anything which we pursue above Christ to be an idol. An idol has a controlling position in one’s heart, causing one to spend their passion, energy, emotional and financial resources, on it… but find that it ultimately doesn’t satisfy. This is a frequent theme in the book of Ecclesiastes. Repentance and return in such cases is necessary. We need to die to a false sense of self-sufficiency. Without this repentance, people cannot experience deep rest. If there is a solution that promises to fix all life’s problems, and it’s not rooted in Jesus, repent of it.

 

6.      Remember also that there are seasons in life where we may not be able to experience the rest that we would want.  New parents, for example, cannot take a day off from caring for the needs of their infant. In these seasons when people are not able to enjoy physical rest properly, they need not feel guilty, but instead turn to God with hopeful expectation for future rhythms of rest and work, always remembering  that  “a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9), both from an eternal perspective and in this lifetime. God’s  covenantal goodness remains constant.



[1] Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907 – December 23, 1972) was a Polish-American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century.

[2] https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-quiet-revolution-of-the-sabbath The Quiet Revolution of the Sabbath . Requiring rest, rather than work, is still a radical idea. By Casey Cep,September 30, 2023

[3] Vine’s Expository Dictionary : To rest/ remain

[4] Other examples are birds (2 Sam. 21:10), insects (Exod. 10:14), and soles of feet resting in the waters of the Jordan (Josh. 3:13). “To rest” sometimes indicates a complete envelopment and thus permeation, as in the spirit of Elijah “resting” on Elisha (2 Kings 2:15), the hand of God “resting” on the mountain (Isa. 25:10), and when “Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,” (Prov. 14:33). Frequently it  means “to be quiet” or “to rest” after hard work (Exod. 20:11), from onslaught of one’s enemies (Esth. 9:16), from trouble (Job 3:26), and in death (Job 3:17). The word may mean “to set one’s mind at rest,” as when a child receives the discipline of his parent (Prov. 29:17). Sometimes it  means “to leave at rest” or “to allow to remain.” Thus, God “allowed” the pagan nations “to remain” in Canaan during Joshua’s lifetime (Judg. 2:23). God threatened to abandon the Israelites  in the wilderness (Num. 32:15).

[5] Augustine, Confessions Book 1

[6] https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/baxter/TheSaintsEverlastingRestRichardBaxter.pdf

[7]  E.g. John Owen on Communion with God.

[8] Letters of C.H. Spurgeon , Banner of Truth, p. 166 footnote

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THE DOCTRINE OF REST

This Paper was given at a Break-away Session  during the 2024 SOLA 5 Conference by Joachim Rieck  The doctrine of rest, or ceasing from work...