PSALM 4 : Is God Really There When We Need Him?

 

The title of this Psalm: “To the chief Musician (Choirmaster) on Neginoth (stringed instruments). A Psalm of David.”

The title, “To the chief Musician,” occurs at the beginning of 53 Psalms, and at the close of Habakkuk 3:19. The Psalm is probably to be sung under his direction.

David was clearly in distress when he penned these words. It is the opinion of a number  of commentators that this Psalm is probably linked to  Psalm 3   which is subtitled “ A Psalm  of David, when he fled from Absalom his son” – along with Psalms 5 ,6 and 7.  

In Psalm 3 we saw that this situation, involving a palace revolt,   led by his son Absalom must have induced a lot of emotional pain in David.  You can read all about it in 2 Samuel 15-18. Whether it was this situation or other trials we do not know, but we do know that David was accustomed to conflict and trouble. We cannot exclude the trouble which he had experienced when persecuted by king Saul - from 1 Samuel 15 until the end of the book.  So, we don’t know what the exact situation in Psalm 4 is. It doesn’t matter. The question remains the same: 

Is God able to help you when you have come to your wit’s end? 

The testimony of David’s life is one of many, severe and kind providences.  Note then (Behold!) the  kindness and the severity of God... (Rom. 11:22).  God withheld His hands at time from David, and made him to see his end, and how fleeting his life was (Ps 39:4). At other times  this same God brought him out of many  difficult situations.

Thank God for the  Psalms, in which he pours out his heart  concerning these experiences,  for in  his experiences we  often find a mirror of our own soul.  

OUTLINE

4:1     :  David pleads with God for help.

4:2-5 :  He  addresses  his enemies

4:6-8 :  He contrasts  their  cynicism  with his  confidence in the keeping power of God.

4:1 David pleads with God for help. “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!”

David is distressed. That distress clearly relates to the men – the opponents in 4:2. This is not an uncommon experience for a believer. In my dealing with people I have  heard it frequently said, “ the more committed I want to be to the Lord, the more  spiritual responsibility I bear, the more opposition  I get and the more I  feel the heat !” The apostle Paul concurs. He once wrote to Timothy and said, “Indeed,  all who desire to live a godly life  in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  (2 Tim 3:12). Paul said that to Timothy, based on his own experience and  indeed  upon the word of our Lord Jesus Himself : Jn 15:18-21: 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Please take note how David responds to all of this in the first verse:

1.      David speaks first to God before he addresses the men (4:2) that give him grief. When trouble comes, God’s children must learn to run home!  Spurgeon says: “He who dares to face his Maker will not tremble before the sons of men.”

2.      He knows his status before God. David addresses God as “God of my righteousness” – i.e. the God who has declared me righteous. God had chosen David in eternity and in time He justified him by the merits of His greater Son – Jesus the Son of David!

3.      David remembers God’s past dealings with him: “You have given me relief when I was in distress.”  There were many times when David had been surrounded by his enemies and by armies, and every time God had delivered him.   (see his testimony in Psalm 37:25)

4.      On the knowledge of God’s past dealings, David bases his prayer: “Be gracious to me and hear my prayer”. David knows that God is really there when he needs Him.  His theology of God verified by his experience of God’s faithful dealings with Him in the past have taught him that.  So, David appeals again to the grace and mercy of God. God loves to be merciful and gracious to those who call on Him in their hour of need.

 

2. 4:2- 5   David  addresses his enemies

4: 2 David now turns from God to men – the footnote says “men of rank “ – i.e. powerful men. “O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

Here is the irony. Even though they are formidable men, great men, they are foolish men. 

·         Saul foolishly failed to see that he was forsaken by God, and that David was anointed to be the true king. He refused to give up on his throne, even when he knew that God had abandoned him.

·         Absalom, son of the king foolishly failed to see that in usurping his father’s throne he was really usurping God. In the end he was sadly killed, adding even more grief to his father! 

 

In regard to his enemies then David tells them that they love vain words and seek after lies. They can’t and won’t see the truth about him. They fabricate stories about him, and so he asks them, “how long do you intend to go on with this“? David is getting exasperated. Can’t you  see?

 

SELAH ! He solemnly pauses and inserts a Selah.

4:3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.  "But know." Fools will not learn, and therefore they must be told the same thing, again and again. This is what they must hear: that the godly are  chosen of God, and  therefore  set apart  from the rest  of  mankind.

(ii)             He who chose us for Himself will surely hear our prayer. David was king by divine decree. In the same way we   who are God’s children are His responsibility. No weapon formed against us can stand. When our enemies fight against us, they fight against God. If we think of both Saul and Absalom then we know that they were fighting a futile battles against David. Sadly anger is one word short of ‘danger’. It is a wind that blows out the candle of the mind  and extinguishes  reason. That is why David makes the following  statement

4:4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah. 

There are two ways to read this: 

(i)                 From David’s perspective - One of the greatest temptations when we are tested is to become angry beyond reason with our enemies. Anger is one letter short of danger. Unrestrained anger causes us to lose our head, and when we do this we can make grave mistakes.

(ii)               (this is more likely)…  or it can be read from the  perspective of David who speaks  to his enemies  about their unreasonable anger, counseling them to be silent and to think  about their  angry accusations.  

 

The Selah follows again!  Pause and think about this , he says .

4:5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD

If David is speaking to his enemies here, then he would be calling them to repentance and trust in the Lord, followed by the appropriate animal sacrifices that were required when sincere repentance was shown. In the NT where animal are no longer required as  guilt offerings, our sincere repentance  would be  accompanied by a true forsaking of sin, by putting off everything that hinders,  and all the while trusting  the  sacrifice of our Lord Jesus  to cleanse us from all sin.  All this shows that David has a spiritual concern for his enemies. So must we!

3. 4:6-8 :  He contrasts  their  cynicism  with his  confidence in the keeping power of God.

4:6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”  We live in a cynical world in which many want to see rather than to believe. Jesus’ many opponents were like that.  We all fall into this trap at times. We tend to measure our success by our prosperity and outward results – and we very easily think that God has forsaken us when for a moment God removes all that opens and shuts from us in order to test us.  It is in such times that we think that God is not there for us. People must have looked at David at times when he had to flee, and they would have said, “Where is your God?” He seemed forsaken, but when we look at the testimony of Scripture we must ask,

·         Was Joseph forsaken in Egypt?

·         Was Daniel forsaken in the lion’s den?

·         Was David ever ultimately forsaken in his kingly career? No! He died as king of Israel! 

·         Was Jesus ultimately forsaken on the cross?

Again David prays in such moments, “Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!” …  and see what follows … The light of God's  face  is enough for him.  See the result in 4:7

4:7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

When we have seen God’s face  again after  times of trial,   it means more than   having all the riches of the world at our disposal.  Spurgeon says,

"Christ in the heart is better than corn in the barn, or wine in the vat. Corn and wine are but fruits of the world, but the light of God's countenance is the ripe fruit of heaven…Let my granary be empty, I am yet full of blessings if Jesus Christ smiles upon me; but if I have all the world, I am poor without him.

From this follows verse 8 …

4:8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety”. God’s people can sleep at night because God is really there when we need Him.   If we have perspective, we have joy restored, and therefore   we will sleep well at night. God’s sense of peace in the heart is better than bolts, bars or burglar alarms in the home.  How many of our sleepless hours may  be traced to being preoccupied  with what our enemies do and say to us.

Application and Conclusion

Dear  struggling, fearful believer: Never lose sight of the Lord Jesus while reading this Psalm.

·         He is the Lord your righteousness (1a) 

·         He is your Saviour in distress (1b)

·          He hears your prayer now, and intercedes for you (1c) .

·         Let the world mock you for your Christian convictions   (2)

·         Know that by His blood He has set you apart for Himself. (3a)   and remember again that He hears your prayer when you are being sorely tempted  (3b)

·         When you are angry be careful that you do not trespass into sin. As for those that sin against you leave room for the wrath of God (Rom. 12:19). If your enemies are angry with you  pray that they  may ponder their reasons  in their own hearts (4) and repent  (5) 

·         Do not give in to the cynicism of the world – particularly when the evidence of God’s favours are not abundant. Pray that the Lord will show the light of His face again (6). Pray for the light of Christ to illuminate their dark world, and pray not for wealth, but   for the joy of the Holy Spirit.

·         Look for true joy (7)

·          Let these truths help you to sleep well! (8) (cf. also 3:5).  

God is really there when you need Him!

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 7^th 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 4^th 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 7^th 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 7^th 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.

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[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