Week 2: Listening to the Creator
The Creator Rested
Week 2, Day 7
Yesterday, we reflected in silence. Today, we will contemplate rest.
Genesis 2:2-3 (ESV)
2 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. 3 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.
Following the lead of the Creator, and the commandment in Exodus 20:8-11, we are told to rest as a celebration of the work that has been done.
However, Deuteronomy presents a different facet of rest that connects with our focus on listening. While we do not see the specifics of the Sabbath commanded in the New Testament, nor the direct command to keep the sev-enth day holy, the spirit and purposes of the Sabbath rest continue, which we will explore today. The Jewish teachers of the law had lost the spirit of the Sabbath rest, as commanded by God, which I hope we can renew a bit today.
Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
According to the Exodus account, why were the Israelites commanded to rest (v.11)?
Now, let’s look at the version of the Sabbath instructions in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (ESV).
12 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Focusing on verse 15, why are the Israelites commanded to rest? What is the purpose of their rest?
In Exodus, they rested from work (at the end of the week). In Deuteronomy, they rested in preparation for work (a time to remember God’s faithfulness, rescue, and provision—mentally and spiritually preparing for the week to come). The Creator rested. And He gave us two distinct purposes for our rest. He left us that example and that command. We can look at rest as a gift, rather than a reward.
What is the Creator saying to you about rest?
Additional notes, drawings, and thoughts from listening to the Creator:
We would love to hear from you! Please share with us what you are hearing and how you are growing in your devotion to listening.
This blog post is taken from the book Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion. To order a copy of this book, please visit our website and invite a friend to participate in the study with you. The book includes additional guides and questions to be reviewed in a small group context weekly.