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The Rest for My Soul
(Ge2:3; Mt12:1-8)
God is He who is always at work (Jn5:17).
After He finishes His work, He rests (Ge2:3) and
He lets those who toiled according to His word enter His rest.
Faith is longing for the rest for my soul and
Faith life is a life of striving, putting effort and laboring while in the flesh (He4:1).
Rest or respite is what everyone desires, especially those doing arduous labor.
The Bible speaks of God’s rest:
• In heaven—the Father’s house—the eternal resting place (Jn14:2);
• Hell—the eternal lake of fire—the devil and his angels (Mt25:41; Mk9:47-48);
—the burning Hades—a place of absolutely no rest (Lk16:22-24; 2Pe3:7)
• Outside the city—the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood (Rev22:15)
—unprofitable servant—weeping and gnashing teeth (Mt25:30).
The Bible says that there is no place of perfect rest within the universe because
Even in the abundant Garden of Eden, there were the commandment regarding
The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the serpent, the devil (Ge2:17).
Deceived by the devil, Adam sinned (Ge3:4-6) and thus
The worries and suffering of the soul and the body will never cease for all mankind (Ge3:16-18), and
Dust will return to dust while all souls became destined for hell (Ge3:19; Mt25:41).
The slavery of Israel in Egypt manifested this reality:
God sent Moses and liberated them and
Led them on a journey to a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of rest
But all died in the wilderness because they grumbled about their environment and
Disobeyed the commandments (He4:1-2), especially regarding the Sabbath (Ex20:8-11).
The Sabbath: remember 1) Jehovah=the Creator; 2) Jehovah=the Redeemer of Israel who had been slaves (Dt5:15)—do no work, kill anyone who breaks it—39 Melachot (Ex31:15; Jas2:10).
However, the kingdom established by Israel upon reaching the land of Canaan ultimately collapsed,
For they had violated the law and failed to observe the Sabbath (Eze22:26).
During the intertestamental period between the Old Testament and the New Testament,
When there was no prophet for 400 years,
There emerged the self-righteous movement, the Pharisees.
Yeshua said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days,” because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body (Jn2:19-21), He would:
End the old covenant—the Law—keep the LORD’s Sabbath—> dwell in the land of Canaan;
Begin a new covenant—the Truth—rest with Yeshua—> rest in the Father’s house (Mt11:28-30).
For He is the Word in the beginning, that is, God (Jn1:1-2),
He is greater than the temple, greater than the Sabbath—He is Lord of the Sabbath (Mt12:6-8).
He was passed over to death by the Pharisees who were slaves of the Sabbath (Jn5:18), and
As He died, He said, “It is finished” (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Died according to the command and finished the work of the Son of Man and entrusted His soul to the Father (Mt20:28; Lk23:46; Jn10:18);
2) Judged the devil who disrupted the rest of heaven and earth (Ge3:4-6; Is14:12-15); and
3) His death—redeemed all mankind—delivered from the price of sin;
His blood—souls—makes holy who receive—the promise to enter rest (He4:9).
He resurrected and ascended to heaven, and sat on the throne where He rests forever.
On the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came
To the gathering of the souls made alive by the blood of Yeshua (Ac2:10), which was
The birth of the church, the beginning of the worship in spirit and truth (Jn4:24).
The Law, the temple, the feasts, the Sabbath were all shadows (Col2:14-17):
The Pentecost—the 50th day, counting from the day after the Sabbath (Lev23:15-16)—the 8th day—“another day” (He4:8)—the shadow for the Lord’s Day (He4:9-11; Rev1:10).
Therefore, Christians strive, struggle and labor:
1) On the Lord’s Day, they worship presenting themselves to God (2Ti2:15)—with offerings (1Co16:2)—breaking bread (Ac20:7);
2) Devote themselves to prayer (Col4:2);
3) Supporting the material needs for the church and hospitality (Rm12:13);
4) Work with their hands to eat their food (1Th4:11-12; 2Th3:6-12); and
5) Preach the word in and out of season (2Ti4:2).
O Lord,
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Lord’s Day…
Without a single day of rest...without a moment to let my mind wander...
I live like a rat on a spinning wheel…
But, Lord, do not let any of us stray from this path so
When the day comes for us to leave this mortal body, we all enter the perfect eternal rest! Amen.