Robert Rajamani
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ..Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest. — Hebrews 4:9,11
In the beginning after completing the creation, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and rested on the seventh day. God did not rest because He was tired of work. He rested because He was at Peace. He had created His children and provided a perfect garden for them to live in. They were safe and in perfect union with Him. He had a perfect family. He was at Rest – the Sabbath Rest.
God desired that Adam and Eve will remain in this state of unbroken relationship with Him and enjoy the Sabbath Rest with Him. He wanted them to be in this loving relationship with the Father as a family of God. As long as they were in fellowship with God, they had access to His provision and Life and were at Rest. Their heart was designed to find rest only in Him and so had He chosen to find His rest in His children.
But, Man decided to get out of this relationship and find his own rest outside God, which he soon realized does not exist. Since that day man has only experienced turmoil and fear. Along with man even God has been restless since. He could not be at Peace when His children were lost. Since that day, God has been striving continuously to restore His family and bring them back to His Sabbath Rest. Jesus referred to this and said, “My Father is always at His work to this very day” when He was questioned about healing on Sabbath. (John 5:16-17)
To emphasize the importance of finding Rest in their relationship with God, He commanded the Israelites to honor the Sabbath day. He asked them to rest from their work of the flesh and focus on fellowshipping with the Lord in Worship and Thanksgiving. Experiencing one day of Sabbath in a week was just a shadow and foretaste of the Eternal Sabbath they were going to enter into in Jesus. God made every effort through Joshua to lead the Israelites to the Canaan land to enter His rest, but they could not because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:19)
Ultimately, God paid a huge price in Christ to restore this Sabbath Rest for his family. He desires that we enter His Sabbath rest in Christ. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28). As we come to Christ and abide in Him and are led by His Spirit, we enter His Rest and experience His Peace.
The Father’s Heart cannot rest until we enter His Rest. He wants His family back, the family He lost in the Garden of Eden. . He is at Peace only after our relationship with Him is restored and we have entered His Sabbath Rest and are secure in Christ. So, let us make every effort today to Enter His Rest. (Hebrews 4:11)
Scripture Reference:
- Hebrews 4:9,11
- John 5:16
- Hebrews 3:19
- Matthew 11:28