"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him everything they had done and taught. And He said to them: "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, so much that they did not even have time to eat. And they went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves." (Mark, chapter 6, verses 30-32*, bold text is ours)
"Moses answered his father-in-law: "The people come to me to seek God's judgment. When they have a case, they come to me. I decide on the case between them and explain God's laws and His instructions." But Moses' father-in-law told him: "What you are doing is not good. You will tire yourself out, and the people who are with you, because this work is too heavy for you: you cannot do it alone." (Exodus, chapter 18, verses 15-18*, bold text is ours)
A very familiar Hebrew word for rest is the word Sabbath (shabbath/שַׁבָּת), which comes from the verb that translates as to stop, to rest, to pacify. We see that rest is one of Yahweh's commandments even in the book of Exodus, which Moses relays to the people: "This is what the Lord has commanded: tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord." (Exodus, chapter 16, verse 23a*)
"But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns." (Exodus, chapter 20, verse 10*)
In the Old Testament, resting on the seventh day of the week, or the so-called Sabbath, is a time when Jews are prohibited from engaging in any work, even the most basic household chores. Travel and all activities involving effort and labor are prohibited. The Lord commands Moses to have the Israelites sanctify the day of rest for Him, meaning they are to do nothing but celebrate, rest, enjoy, and remember what He does for them when He leads them out of slavery in Egypt.
From this perspective, for the Israelites, rest becomes just another obligation, a part of the Law and regulations they must adhere to, which is why they often violate it.
Why would God actually command us to have a day or specific time where we do nothing? We see in the passages cited at the beginning how His disciples return from a mission Jesus sent them on, where they travel from village to village, preaching, healing the sick, and freeing spiritually bound and possessed people. Afterward, He tells them to go to a remote place, where there are no people, to rest and eat. We see how often Jesus Himself withdraws to pray when all are asleep in the quiet hours of the night. Why is rest recommended and even commanded by God?
We observe how all God's commandments are directly linked to human welfare. God Himself gains nothing from us fulfilling His decrees. This might be one of the few statements by Job's friend Elihu that can be considered correct: "If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand? Your sin affects only humans like yourself, and your acts of justice benefit only human beings." (Book of Job, chapter 35, verses 7-8*) Human welfare is the goal on a micro-level, and on a more global level, it's about the welfare of humanity or the fulfillment of God's plan.
Sometimes we think, like Moses, that to fulfill God's plan and instructions, we must exhaust ourselves to the last drop. However, what we observe in the Bible is that in moments of physical overexertion, we become vulnerable to the temptations of the enemy. Our bodies, our flesh, play an important role in our spiritual service, as we are a unity of three - spirit, soul, and body. Even Christ is tempted by the devil in the wilderness only after He becomes hungry at the end of His forty-day fast.
On the other hand, Apostle Paul says: "So I do not run aimlessly or box as though beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body severely and bring it under strict control, or else after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." (First Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 26-27*, bold text is ours), but also says: "No one has ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for it, just as Christ does the church, for we are members of His body - of His flesh and bones." (Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 29-30*)
We must find a balance between the healthy exertion of the flesh, which otherwise would lead us into sin, passion, boredom, and idleness, causing yet more sin and the overexertion of our bodies and minds. The world around us is so dynamic, stressful, noisy, demanding, and for a reason. The Lord does not want us to be in constant running, busyness, fatigue, nerves, tension, worries, and confusion. He wants us to know how to quiet ourselves, to recover from our labor properly and thoroughly so that His body, which we are, can truly be effective for others. We stated that God's commandments, including the commandment for rest, are for humanity's good and to carry out God's plan for humanity. God does not want busy, tired, stressed, drained, and disappointed Christians, but men and women who work when and what He tells them, and who can quiet themselves in Him, being filled with His presence as God desires. Only then we can be effective, and not just busy; we will stand on stable ground, rather than in the field of flying arrows of temptations and our own strength and self-righteousness.
Challenge: How could you rest during the summer months, but in a proper way? God's rest is always associated with being filled by His presence and recalling His goodness and mercy. Can you dedicate an hour each day of your vacation solely to God – without phones, internet, obligations, or other distractions?
*The biblical quotes are according to the text of Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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