DAY FIFTY-NINE - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE PEOPLE
Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2: 3
Reading: Genesis 2: 1–3; Exodus 16: 24-30; Exodus 31: 16, 17; Deuteronomy 5: 15; Matthew 11: 28
Today is the last day of our devotional studies in Genesis 2 – The People. It is altogether fitting that we end in the same way as God did – with rest.
Rest is one of the most important themes in the Bible and one of the most significant topics that we examine in The Big Picture. You may not understand this, until you learn of the theological significance of rest.
Biblical rest is not simply sleeping, doing nothing or pursuing leisure. You'll notice from our readings for today that rest signifies completion and satisfaction for God. He blessed the seventh day because it was the time at which He could look back on all He had created and say "Good job! Everything is exactly as it should be." A day of rest should be similar for us. It should be a day on which we can stop, examine our work and say "Good job! You've completed your work for the week and it is good."
But rest also signifies provision. God rested on the seventh day and ordered it to be so for His people, because He had provided everything for humanity. So a day of rest should be an opportunity for you to celebrate and worship God, to thank Him for being your provider, to rest and relax - He's got this!
Our ultimate rest is found, of course, in Christ, who has done everything necessary for our salvation, redemption and life. We don't have to save ourselves, we don't have to heal ourselves, we don't have to be our own god - Jesus has already done it all.
So do take a day this to celebrate the work of your hands, to worship your faithful provider and to thank God for His heavenly provision, Jesus.
Prayer
Father, thank You for instituting rest - a beautiful rhythm of celebration and thanksgiving. Show me how to enter in to that beautiful pattern.
For the family
