The Seventh Day: Rest & its Bearing on Creation & Redemption

Old Testament Significance of Rest

At the completion of creation, God ended His work of creation and rested, ceasing (shabath) from His work of creating. He blessed the day and sanctified it. That God blessed and sanctified the day is significant as no other days were blessed or sanctified. The seventh day was the first thing God sanctified, drawing attention to its importance.

Israel’s Creation in Rest

In Exodus 5:5, Pharaoh complained Moses made the people cease (shabath )from their labors, anticipating Israelite liberation from slavery and its meaningless, never-ceasing work. Liberation would come through rest, introduced at Passover, an ordinance to be commemorated (Exodus 12:15; Deuteronomy 16:8).

This quintessential liberating miracle completed creation of a sanctified people (Exodus 19:10; Deuteronomy 15:19) whose firstborn was also sanctified (Exodus 13:2), and by introduction of another institution, the Sabbath שַׁבָּת shabbath (Exodus 16:23), a word closely related to shabath.

The Sabbath was enshrined in the ten commandments where the Israelites were told “the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord . . . you shall not do any work . . . for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth . . . but he rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:10-11). It links to the creation-narrative affirming Israel as a new creation. They were liberated from slavery and were to rest regularly as Yahweh rested after creation’s completion. They were to image God’s creative behavior of work and rest. Keeping the Sabbath became a sign and covenant between God and Israel (Exodus 31:13-17) emphasizing its importance. Their relationship was founded in rest. Sabbath reminders (Exodus 35:2-3; Leviticus 26:2; Deuteronomy 5:12-14), application of the Sabbath to the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31) and other laws (Leviticus 19:3, 30); its listing first among the feasts (Leviticus 23:3), its application to various feasts (Leviticus 23:4-8; 21,25, 26-36) and its application to the land – the seventh year and Jubilee (Leviticus 25:1-12), all show its inseparability from the promise to Abraham of people and land. [1]

Rest was commemorated and enshrined in the Sabbath, incorporating it in the promise to Abraham. The blessing of people and land was dependent upon rest. [2]

Rest After Israel Subdued the Land

Joshua, upon taking over for Moses, subdued the land, bringing it to rest (Joshua 1:12-15). Fulfillment was realized in Joshua 21:44 where the land was at rest, all of Israel’s enemies had been subdued and “the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors” (vs 43).

In 2 Samuel 7, David desired to build a house for the Lord “after the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him” (vs 1). David desired to build a temple for Yahweh after Israel had subdued her enemies and the land was at rest. Critically, before temple erection began, God’s enemies were subdued and the land was at rest. These events are typical, foreshadowing the final erection of God’s temple following God subduing His enemies and bringing rest to creation.

The Deepened Meaning of Rest

Noteworthy are occurrences of Shabath where God through judgment ceases the activities of evil or evil kingdoms (Isaiah 13:11; 14:4; 16:10; 17:3; 21:2; 24:8; 30:11; Jeremiah 7:34; 16:9; 36:29; 48:33-35; Lamentations 5:14-15; Ezekiel 6:6; 7:24; 12:23; 16:41; 23:27, 48; 26:13; 30:10, 13, 18; 34:10;  Daniel 11:18; Hosea 1:4; 7:4; Amos 8:4). [3]

These activities should be viewed as efforts to subdue His enemies and bring spiritual rest to creation. It seems ironic that those committed to evil will be judged to bring rest from evil in the land. Rest is thus rest from evil and injustice, cessation from wickedness that anticipates the ultimate triumph of God’s Appointed.

Some of the judgments are pronounced upon Israel for her disrespect of Sabbath rest (Nehemiah 13:15-18; Isaiah 58:13; Jeremiah 17:21-27; Ezekiel 20:13-24; 22:8, 26, 38; Amos 8:5). Ironically Israel, who refused to cease from her labors and rest in the land, in judgment is made to cease from her Sabbath-labors outside the land where she finds no rest (Lamentations 1:3; 5:5).

Note the talionic judgment. Rest is inseparable from the land and cannot be procured outside or apart from the land. Rest is required of both people and land, and the land can receive its rest through the exile and expulsion of God’s people from the land. When God’s requirement of Sabbatical rest for the land was violated, it was achieved by exiling the guilty for a time equal to the number of missed Sabbath-years.

Some miss-associated “rest” with political and economic security (Daniel 4:4; Zechariah 1:11), making themselves the object of judgment. Those who oppressed God’s people would be judged while God’s people would be vindicated through rest (Ezekiel 38:11)! With the threat of judgment comes the implicit promise of cessation of judgment. God warns that while His fury will “rest” upon His people (Ezekiel 5:13; ), there will similarly come a cessation of judgment and God will cause His blessing to “rest” upon His people (Ezekiel 16:42; 21:17; 24:13; 44:30; Zephaniah 3:17).

Concluding Reflections – Rest in the Old Testament

That God declared a seventh day, sanctified it and set apart for rest, is an unexpected conclusion to the Genesis creation-narrative. God needs no rest. He never tires. Yet its application to Israel and the land teaches that Israel’s health and the land’s health is dependent upon rest. God’s fullness and glory cannot be realized without rest for His people and land. If God’s people are to reflect God’s true person and character, then their lives must testify of rest. Work is not our final objective. But work has the purpose to subdue evil and end unrighteousness. Rest follows, when the campaign over evil is won.

New Testament Implications of Rest

The True Meaning of Rest

In the New Testament, Jesus presents Himself as the One who brings rest, ἀναπαύω anapauō  (Matthew 11:28). [4] Yet the “rest” that Jesus offers is spiritual, rest for the soul (vs 29). Jesus healed a woman crippled for eighteen years by a spirit, setting her “free” from the “bound” of Satan (Luke 13:10-17; cf. 14:1-5; John 5:1-16). That Jesus set her free on the Sabbath affirms true Sabbatical rest has been accomplished in Him. The Old Testament Sabbath of physical rest merely foreshadowed true spiritual rest secured in the Messiah. [5]

The Ensuing Controversies

Jesus’ view brought controversy with the religious leaders of His day who sought to comply with Scripture’s sabbath requirement of rest. Their proclivity was likely based in Israel’s Babylonian captivity, where Israel spent seventy years in captivity for failing to honor Sabbath-year requirement. In their zeal to avoid any physical labor, they complained that Christ and His disciples performed work on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-6), even seeking to kill Him after healing a man on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:12:10-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11).

After Christ’s resurrection, debates raged over whether Jews must keep the law and the Sabbath. Paul rejected the notion that converts must keep the law (Colossians 2:16-23), and regarding the Sabbath Paul urged the Colossians not to be drawn back to more “elemental spiritual forces of this world” (vs 20).

No one was to judge them by what they ate or drank, or with regard to Jewish religious festivals including the Sabbath as “these are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however is found in Christ” (vs 17). Thus, in Christ is Sabbatical rest found.

Rest in Death Awaiting Resurrection

In Acts 2:22-32, Peter revealed Jesus’ resurrection as the fulfillment of David’s hope in death, which he described as “rest”. David did not see death as the end, but as rest awaiting a faithful Messiah who would “not abandon me to the realm of the dead” but “have made known to me the paths of life”, an allusion to Psalm 16:8-11. David could spiritually rest in the assurance of the coming Messiah, who would bring eternal, spiritual rest in resurrection. True rest comes in resurrection requiring faith in Christ for appropriation.

Rest in the Inter-Advent Age

Paul had no rest in his spirit while preaching in Troas as Titus was not present (2 Corinthians 2:12-16). Nevertheless he proclaimed a similar hope, recognizing Christ was leading captives in a triumphant procession, using Paul and other Christians to spread the Word of God that brings true eternal life with Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 7:5, he had no physical rest given all the spiritual battles raging in Corinth, bringing a toll on his physical body from waging spiritual warfare. Paul had become familiar with battling spiritual unrest, tirelessly working to bring the flock to spiritual rest (e.g. 2 Thessalonians 1:7).

Of particular note is an extended teaching on rest in Hebrews where κατάπαυσις katapausis is used. The focus is upon Israel’s wilderness experience. Hebrews argues that the Son is superior to the angels (whom Jewish tradition claimed brought the law) and greater than Moses (Hebrews 1:1 – 3:6; cf. Deuteronomy 18:14:22).

With Jesus’ superiority as background, a warning is issued that we not harden our hearts as the Israelites did in the wilderness, angering the Lord with their idolatries so that the Lord declared on oath, “They shall never enter my rest” (3:11, 14). Hebrews equates rest with entrance into the land. Rest cannot be attained apart from belief in a greater than Moses, Jesus Christ. The theme is further developed in Hebrews 4:

¹ Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ² For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. ³ Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” ⁵ And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” ⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, ⁷ God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” ⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,  just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

Though we who believe have entered that rest, the promise of rest still stands. Some have not yet entered. Hence the warning against hard-heartedness that will prevent our rest. We must “share the faith of those who obeyed”. Rest was not attained under Joshua, nor David. Yet there remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God (vs 9).

That rest was attained through Christ, and for those who have yet to enter that rest, entrance can only come through obedience. The author of Hebrews emphasizes obedience, stressing that Jesus learned obedience through suffering (vs 8) and was made perfect, becoming the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him (5:9). We should expect that we will also suffer but be perfected, understanding that through suffering we also learn the value of obedience.

The Ultimate Meaning of Rest: Rest for Eternity in a Restored Paradise

This rest is not restricted to our present world where Christ can give rest from affliction, oppression, sin and demonic possession. It includes all these benefits while also securing eternal life in a restored garden paradise (Revelation 22:1-5) from which we cannot fall, a paradise from which we will never again suffer.

Our choice to suffer with Christ for a season brings an eternal Sabbath rest without suffering. This understanding is supported by Revelation 14 in which those who receive the mark of the beast “will be tormented with burning sulfur . . . for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name” (vss 10-11). [6]

That they have no rest for eternity but suffer eternally stands in strong contrast with those who suffer for a season but then have rest forever (vs 13). [7] It is a marked contrast between the obedient in Christ and disobedient in Antichrist, schematically illustrated in Figure 1. Now manifest, is physical rest of the first creation foreshadowed true spiritual rest of the last creation.

Relevance to Christians Today

Rest in Israel’s History is Eschatological and Forward-Looking

That God rested on the seventh day, sanctifying it, is an unexpected end to the Genesis creation-narrative. It’s unexpectedness seems to be the key to understanding. As one searches Scriptures, it becomes clear that without the seventh day of rest, the creation-narrative is mere history, an ancient attempt to explain our origins.

With the inclusion of the seventh day as a day of rest, it transforms the narrative into a forward-looking, expectant narrative that foreshadows the end of God’s redemptive plan for creation. Israel’s incorporation of a Sabbath rest each seventh day would be understandable following her enslavement in Egypt.

But linking the Sabbath to creation again enriches the meaning beyond political or economic explanation. The Sabbath was not celebrated in remembrance of their enslavement but in honor of their unique creation and sanctification as a people set apart for Yahweh’s special purposes.

That the Sabbath rest requirement extended to the land was truly groundbreaking as it made God’s people and God’s place inseparable. It taught Israelites to put their trust in God as the harvest of the seventh year was fully outside their control. Yet inclusion of the Jubilee-Sabbath again defies any political or economic explanation. The unique features of the Sabbath and its link to creation can only be explained theologically and eschatologically.

Israel’s Past Sabbath Rest Requirements Anticipate Israel’s Future Eternal Rest

It certainly seems to be the perspective of later Biblical authors whose views of the Sabbath went well beyond the form introduced in the cult observance of the Sabbath. Their views anticipated a future of blessing to Israel and the land that went well beyond physical sustenance and harvest-time productivity of the land. They foresaw days ahead in which spiritual blessings would flow to God’s people bringing spiritual peace, blessing and victory over sin, failure, affliction, spiritual bondage and death. It makes their views worth reflection.

If we reflect on a few, we would first observe that there seems to be an inversion of cultic significance of the Sabbath in Christ. What was a sign, covenant and mandatory observance with the Israelite, in Christ is now seen as something for which Christians are not to be judged. With the introduction of the new creation, our Lord was resurrected to life on the first day of the week, and that may provide a theological transition from an observance of the seventh day to the first day.

Sabbath is Not About Which Day we Worship, but an Heart of Perpetual Rest in Christ

Despite this transition, there continues to be significant theological confusion among the body of Christ about whether worship should be conducted on the seventh/Sabbath. That Christ is seated now on the right hand of the Father implies He has taken His rest. It suggests that we in Christ are enjoying our Sabbath rest even now, if only in inauguration.

For those who find themselves in this theological struggle, there are two observations that can be made. First, John’s apocalyptic vision was experienced on the “Lord’s Day” and most expositors have concluded that this was likely stock language of the early church for the first day of the week.

The second observation is that the establishment of the first day as the day of worship for the church appears to have developed fairly early. Despite that, Wood has noted that there is no evidence of any Sabbatical controversy within the church. [8]

This does not mean that we should not spiritually rest, acknowledging the work God has already accomplished and celebrating/anticipating greater spiritual victories of spiritual rest in Christ. But we can rest comfortably that our celebrations on the first day of the week are scripturally defensible. The key is the unexpected inversion. [9] It suggests the rest that Israel could only foreshadow each Sabbath, is now realized and appropriated by the church every day.

Rest is Achieved in Redemption, When the Promise to Abraham is Fulfilled

A second reflection would be upon the significance of “rest” to the Israelite. “Rest” was not achieved until God had honored his covenantal promise to Abraham. His descendants would need to number as the sand on the seashore while living peacefully and prosperously in possession of all the land he had been promised.

By necessity, this would first require that Israel’s enemies (and by implication the enemies of Yahweh) were subdued. More than that, “rest” was not possible until there was a house for Yahweh where He could rest among his people (Psalm 132:8). But construction of His house could not begin until the land was subdued and the people and land were at peace.

John’s Apocalyptic View

This conception was in the background of John’s Apocalypse. Many of the judgments were designed to defeat and subdue Yahweh’s enemy Satan and His surrogate, the Beast. Satan, the beast, the false prophet and all their followers must first be subdued and the cosmos brought to rest before the appearance and dedication of God’s temple.

The order of the events John envisions is the destruction of Babylon, the defeat of the Beast, the false prophet and their forces followed by the destruction of Satan and His forces. Then follows the Great White Throne resurrection, where the dead are judged and where death is destroyed. With destruction of God’s last enemy death, comes the realization of a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem and a new temple, which John describes as the Lord and His Lamb (Revelation 21:22).

It is striking that John does not envision this new final temple until after all Yahweh’s enemies have been put under foot (subdued) and all in the cosmos is at rest. With all evil banished and hell itself destroyed, then John hears an absolutely astounding pronouncement, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men” (vs 3, AV). God’s tabernacle (temple) is introduced as the closing vision, after all is brought to rest.

We Can Speed the End, Bringing “Early” Rest

One sees the strong impact earlier scriptural authors had upon John’s thinking. It should also powerfully affect our thinking. We can speed the end, the coming of Christ by subduing the powers of darkness and pronouncing spiritual blessings through the spread of grace, righteousness and holiness throughout our world.

Our ultimate victory however, comes through testimony, filling the earth with God’s glory by speaking and living the truths of God’s word, testifying of the great sacrificial gift of our Savior. These actions will speed His coming and establish His tabernacle wherever converts are won.

These two reflections urge a change in view regarding worship. What becomes central is not the day we choose to celebrate Christ’s accomplished work, but our work with Him to subdue His enemies in anticipation of eternal rest with Him. In recognition of Christ’s redemptive gift, we should regularly come together to celebrate what only He could and has accomplished, while celebrating the victories He’s given us over His enemies in the prior week.

Christian Rest from Works of Self-Righteousness and Rest in the Power of God

Companion with this truth is rest in Christ. Jesus promised to give us rest if we would turn our burdens over to Him. To do this however, we must stop working, particularly working to justify ourselves through our failed actions. If we learn anything from our Israelite forerunners, their works to justify their holiness were failures. A similar fate awaits us if we foolishly attempt to achieve God’s objectives through our own efforts. In this regard, Sabbatical rest is an admission of what we cannot accomplish and what we must in faith trust to God.

Rest in Death Awaiting our Resurrection

Our ultimate Sabbatical rest comes in death, where our work here on earth is done. [10] What we are unable to accomplish in life, we must trust that God will accomplish in our death. The path we follow parallels that of Christ, who worked during His earthly ministry, teaching on the Sabbath and ministering the other days.

With completion of His earthly ministry, He is now seated on the right hand of the Father (Colossians 3:1) victorious while at rest. As the spies went into the land ahead of the congregation, Jesus, our forerunner has gone into heaven before us. As the congregation crossed the Jordan, they left the wilderness never to return.

The Jordan has often been envisioned as a symbol of death, a river that once crossed has no return. Those who have crossed the Jordan before us now enjoy their rest with Christ in paradise. Their work here is done and they look to God as the finisher of their faith.

This consideration makes the warnings of Israel’s history deeply salient for the believer. For if we are not faithful to the very end but rebel, we cannot expect that we will inherit the promises of Abraham of a heavenly land and heavenly city. What awaits us is eternal punishment without rest. We must not rebel as Israel did and be left to fall dead in the wilderness of sin.

Appropriating our Rest in Inauguration

A final point: As believers in Christ, we have entered His rest while here in this world, enjoying the benefits of spiritual peace with God that comes through forgiveness of sins and transformation into the image of Christ. While this is a great truth upon which we can rest, we should not forget that there is also an eschatological aspect to rest as well.

We have not yet crossed our Jordan and entered fully into His rest. The heavenly land and the heavenly city are not yet seen in their consummation, but only in inauguration. We must never forget that this world is not our home. We are foreigners, strangers, pilgrims in this world and must fight the good fight, overcome evil to the end, hold firm to our faith in Christ and complete our wilderness journey to enter God’s heavenly land. We must not turn aside or rebel before our final crossing into the heavenly land Abraham was ultimately promised (Hebrews 11:13-16). [11]

In this regard, Christ’s indictment of the “generation” of His day provides a warning to the church. Israel, from whom an evil spirit was exercised, ended worse due to their rejection of Christ. In this portrayal, the exiled evil spirit found no rest and returned to reside in Israel with seven spirits more wicked than itself (Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-25). It led to Jerusalem’s destruction and Israel’s scattering into the nations. As Paul urged, let us learn from Israel’s experiences (1 Corinthians 10:1-12) and rest secure in Christ.

[1] The seven year cycle of rest for the land points to Palestine as a new creation for His covenant partner Israel. Both were to live in the land, enjoying peace and prosperity in accordance with Abrahamic and Sinaic promises.

[2]  Leviticus 26:34-35 shows failure to honor the Sabbath-of-the-land would bring exile from the land so that it might enjoy the rest it had not been granted during Israelite stewardship (see 2 Chronicles 36:21). To fail the Sabbath rest was catastrophic for the people and land. Rest was essential to fruitfulness of the land and likely served as recognition of the blessing of God when man’s efforts ceased.

[3]  Note the reference to ceasing of sacrifices in the middle of the seventieth week in Daniel 9:24, quite likely judgment upon God’s people for rejecting Christ.

[4] While it is not the word used in the LXX of the Genesis creation-narrative, its meaning per Strong’s is consistent with ceasing from labor, resting or being calm in spirit. Interestingly, anapauō is used in Luke 12:19 of the rich fool who built bigger barns thinking he would take his anapauō – rest. Yet like those evil persons who felt secure in their wealth or political power, the rich fool found himself about to fall under judgment. The parallel with prior presented Old Testament passages is undeniable.

[5] It is no surprise Jesus healed and delivered so many on the Sabbath. It signaled Jesus had inaugurated Sabbath rest in His coming. Rest included deliverance from affliction, sin, death and spiritual forces of darkness. It brought a secondary contrast in Pharisaical opposition. The Pharisees, while appearing to struggle with how to best honor the Sabbath, show themselves hypocritical. At the root of their demands was the issue of authority. They were eye witnesses of Christ’s miracles, yet attempted to forbid His acts of healing on the Sabbath while allowing themselves to circumcise on the Sabbath to keep the law of Moses (John 7:22-24).  The issue of authority, Moses versus Christ, is on full display in the controversy of the blind man healed from birth (John 9:1-41) where the Pharisees deny Christ’s authority, claiming Him a sinner for healing on the Sabbath, thus violating Moses law. They believed their Sabbatical regulations were superior to Christ’s miracle. They attempted to deny the miracle on the basis of their Sabbatical regulations despite testimony of his parents confirming the healing. Their problem lay in refusal to believe the Sabbath was for spiritual rest that freed people from sin, oppression, affliction and demonic control. They refused to accept that Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection inaugurated a new creation, as acknowledgement would obsolete their power structure.

[6] Another interesting contrast is seen in those who worship the beast being punished without rest eternally versus those who worship God (as represented in the four living beasts) that rest not from their worship of God (Revelation 4:8). It suggests that our eternal Sabbath of rest will be marked with non-stop worship of God, the only One worthy of our worship.

[7] The contrast is strengthened by the preamble “this calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus”, as apparent warning of the coming persecutions and martyrdom. John may also be making an echo to Isaiah 57:1-2, which seems to reinterpret rest “in death” rather than the traditional understanding – in life in the land.

[8] Wood, A.S.,  The Illustrated Bible Dictionary Part 2, Lord’s Day, Wheaton, IL, Inter-Varsity Press, Tyndale House Publishers, 1980, p. 909-910

[9] There may be more to this inversion than can be analyzed here. The Sabbath tied an appointed people (Israel) to an appointed place (the Jerusalem temple) at an appointed time (the Sabbath day). Their exile to Babylon left the temple destroyed, eliminating the appointed place. In the new creation, there is a new temple where there does not appear to be an appointed place. Rather, it is where two or three gather in My name. This point is made only to show that the Sabbatical inversion must be considered in the context of the radical inversion of thought concerning the temple.

[10] While our work on earth is done, it is not clear that we do not continue to serve in heaven as priests with spiritual responsibilities that can still impact and influence the events and lives of those still living on earth.

[11] Even those who have passed over and now dwell in the heavenly land await the final fulfillment of the new Jerusalem, the consummation of all things and the appearance of the final temple of God.