Robert Rajamani
And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. – (Acts 2:3 ESV)
The Spirit of God which was hovering over the waters before the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2) found rest on the seventh day when the creation was complete and Adam and Eve were created and were in complete fellowship with God (Genesis 2:2). This rest of the Spirit of God did not last long. Soon Adam rebelled and went his own way. The relationship was broken. Ever since the Spirit of God has been striving with men (Genesis 6:3) to restore them back to Himself so that they can be at complete rest in fellowship.
God has been restlessly striving to be in fellowship with man. Without Faith there is no relationship, God was looking for a relationship which centered around Faith and Trust in Him. He found that relationship and rest in Noah. He made a covenant with Noah and brought forth a generation out of him. Not surprising that the name Noah means Rest. God finds a restful relationship in Noah. The generation that follows, again rebel against God and choose their own way, unlike Noah who chose Faith in God.
God is again restless and striving to find a man who will relate with Him in Faith. He finds Abraham and makes a covenant with Him. He makes a covenant to birth a nation out of Him. Even though Abraham rested in his relationship with God and also God rested in His relationship with Abraham, the generation which came forth out of Abraham did not. They again rebelled against God and went into slavery. God’s Spirit finds Moses and Joshua to deliver the people and take them to His rest. More than the physical Canaan land of rest, God was wanting to develop a relationship with them in which they will Trust and depend on Him completely and rest in that relationship, but they did not and God was still restless and striving with mankind.
He introduced the blood sacrifice and the law to be able to be with them and dwell in their midst. Though His real rest was to dwell in them; He could not dwell in them because they had nothing of the nature of God in them, getting closer to them will only consume them, like Fire will consume the chaff (Exodus 33:20). So instead of dwelling in them, He dwelt among them in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8) and in the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21).
Then the Spirit of God finds Jesus, His own Son who agrees to resolve this struggle by becoming a blood sacrifice Himself and dies on the cross declaring, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The relationship between the Son and the Father is one of complete oneness. The Father completely rests in His relationship with Jesus and so does Jesus rests in His Father (John 10:30). In Jesus the Spirit of God finds Rest. Because of what Jesus has accomplished, the Spirit of God was able on the day of Pentecost to come and rest on His disciples (Acts 2:3). Finally, The Spirit Rested. He is able to rest and dwell in us, not just among us; because of Jesus who submitted to His will even unto death.
The Spirit rests when we allow His Son to shine forth His image in us. As we yield to the mind and the nature of Christ and are transformed into His glory, we resemble Him and the Spirit of God rests in Christ who is in us. The more we yield to Him we find our rest in Him and more we take on His righteousness the more we allow the Spirit of God to rest in us. Because of His righteousness the Spirit of God when it comes to dwell and rest in us, it does not consume and destroy us, because fire does not destroy fire. We have the nature of His Son in us, and we are no longer consumed by Him, we rest in Him just as much as the Spirit of God rests in us.
Scripture Reference:
• Acts 2:3
• Genesis 1:2
• Genesis 2:2
• Genesis 6:3
• Exodus 33:20
• Exodus 25:8
• Exodus 13:21
• John 19:30
• John 10:30