Mark 2:27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

I have been intrigued by this idea of Sabbath rest that comes up often in the Bible. I remember attending a “Mercy Me” concert and the lead singer spoke on the importance of the Sabbath rest from the context of the New Testament. It was a powerful sermonette. I have been reading a lot of the Old Testament, and I see that this concept of the Sabbath rest was important to God from the start; I was especially intrigued when I saw Leviticus 25 and 26. This led me to do a study on the Sabbath and God’s intention for this.

Thinking back even from the beginning of creation, rest has always been part of God’s plan for us. I always love to read the Bible and ask questions at different points like “God, why did you choose to do this earlier this year, I wrote a devotional, “In The Beginning,” focused on creation. When writing this devotional, I found it so significant that God rested after He was done creating?” “God, what was your intention here?” I love to read between the lines of God’s choices and actions and really ask, “God, why was this important to you.” 

Genesis 2:2 ESV “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.”

When we read the Bible, we have to know that nothing is placed in it by accident. There is intentionality in all that God does, the account of creation could have omitted that God “rested” because it is not significant in comparison to all the things listed that God created, but no. God found it significant enough for us to know that He rested, and I believe it is because rest is a gift to us from Him. He found it so important to show us that He rested, so we, too, need to rest.

Over the next few days, we will dig deeper into this rest that God has gifted us. This is not going to be focused on the “religious practice” of the Sabbath but more on the heart behind God’s intention for this rest and how we can intentionally enter into this rest so we might live as God has called us to live.

Read and Meditate on these verses below and write down the following:

1. What is God saying to me?

2. What am I saying to God?

Genesis 1

Genesis 2:1-3

Exodus 20:8-11 ESV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 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. 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.

I referenced in the closing of yesterday’s reading the word “Sabbath.” It is hard to think of “rest” in the Christian context without thinking of the word “Sabbath.”

So what is Sabbath?

Shabbat (/ʃəˈbæt/ or /ʃəˈbɑːt/; Hebrew: שַׁבָּת‎ [ʃa'bat], "rest" or "cessation"), Shabbos (['ʃa. bəs], Ashkenazi Hebrew and Yiddish: שבת‎), or the Sabbath, is Judaism's day of rest and seventh day of the week. According to biblical tradition, it commemorates the original seventh day on which God rested after completing the creation.

In our current day and age, it is hard to imagine how we can really embrace this practice of Sabbath because we are inundated with things that keep us busy. We see a lot in the Old Testament where God speaks about the Sabbath. It was so important to Him that this was included in the 10 commandments given to Moses. This should tell us that the idea of rest, in general, was important to God.

Over time, people have turned the intention of the Sabbath into a religious activity of something to do to fulfill the Law, forgetting the heart behind why God instituted the command in the first place.

Ezekiel 20:12 ESV “Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”

There is purpose in the rest God wants us to have. It is not just something to do to check off a box; there is a deeper purpose in the Laws. Included in the purpose are blessings that come from rest. Isaiah 58:13-14 ESV “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father, Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

You might say, “Shile, these are Old Testament Laws, and the rest does not apply to us as New Testament Christians.” As Bible commentary notes, even Old Testament Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hoshea, and Amos were instrumental in speaking on the heart of God behind rest. “Isaiah denounced the formalistic Sabbath observance of his time (1:12, 13), and defined true Sabbath-keeping as turning from one’s ways and one’s pleasures, and taking delight in the Lord (58:13, 14).”

The above commentary tells us that the religious practice of Sabbath, though observed by some in the Old Testament, was then taken to be an outward performance as opposed to the intention of God for it to not be a physical stillness only but an internal process for us as well. It is no wonder that even in the New Testament, Jesus aimed to change our understanding of the practice of the Sabbath. He saw the Sabbath was being abused and twisted, and the practice of it deviated from the heart of what God intended it to be: a gift and example for us. On day one, I encouraged you to ask why. So we are at this point again where we ask God, “Why? What is your intention for this ‘rest’ the Bible speaks of?”

The Sabbath is not meant to be a religious practice; it is a posture of our hearts. Read the passages below and meditate on them as we delve deeper in day 3 into Jesus' view on rest and how He contended with religious leaders about the legalistic acts of the Sabbath. Jesus was intentional about pointing us to what is more important, the heart of the Father.

Read and Meditate on these verses and write your response to the following questions:

1. From all you have read, write down what you think God’s intention of the Sabbath was.

2. From the passages highlighted in Isaiah, what are the things that matter to God for a real Sabbath?

Matthew 5:17-19

Colossians 2:16-17

Mark 2:28 ESV

So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

I love to read about Jesus in the Bible. I don’t know if anyone else gets a little excited anytime you get to those red-marked words in your physical Bible or your Bible app. I legit break out smiling because these are parts when Jesus (God in the flesh) spoke, and I love to read His words closely because He had such a short time to share and impart with us before His death. I am intrigued by the things He chose to deem as important and things He was not concerned about; this should intrigue you, too. Jesus lived a simple life and laid for us a good example of how to live.

Jesus rested so why shouldn’t we? It is as simple as that! We see that He had times He retreated and rested from a day’s work. His rest not only consisted of sleep, but it was also when He spent time with God and got renewed, rejuvenated, and aligned. I love that Jesus showed us rest in the flesh the same way God showed us He rested in Genesis. So why then, if Jesus embraced this idea of rest, was He so adamant about calling out the religious leaders for their way of Sabbath?

In many different parts of the Old Testament (Matthew 12:12, Matthew 24:20, Luke 13:10-17 Matthew 15:9, Matthew 12:1), we see Jesus contend with them about how they are so blinded by the outward performative obedience of the law that they miss the heart behind what God intends for it. One Bible commentary regards the opening verse to today’s reading in Mark 2:28, as an indication that Christ regarded the Sabbath as a provision for man’s need and welfare and not as a burdensome legal requirement.

We see in scripture that Jesus did not condemn the act of rest; on the contrary, He acknowledged the Sabbath but challenged the thinking of people from Law and religious practice to focus on the intent of God and why He wants us to have a time of rest. He not only spoke of this, but He demonstrated it so that we, too, can glean from His perfect example and be like Him.

The more I study God’s commands, the more I find this to be true: “God’s commands are made for us, not for Him.” He knows that lack of rest will and can destroy us, so He desires us to rest to reset, refuel, and realign ourselves with Him. That is how we can become the whole and functional people He has destined for us to be. Man was not created to never rest; it just simply wasn’t God's plan.

Read and Meditate on these verses and write your response to the following questions:

1. As you think about all you have read today, I want you to begin to ask God to help renew your mind on the need for rest as He intended it to be.

2. Ask Him to help you embrace rest in his own way as a consistent practice in your life.

Matthew 12:12

Matthew 24:20

Luke 13:10-17

Matthew 15:9

Matthew 12:1

Luke 13:14-15

Hebrews 4:11

11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

So, what then should we say to this? Does God expect us to be lazy and not work hard? On the contrary. The same way Paul said, should we continue to sin because grace abounds, the answer here is no. The same goes for rest; rest is meant to be a compliment to the life of hard work we have.

Paul in Hebrews 4 spoke of how we have to make an effort to enter into the rest that God has for us. So, this means that for us who are Christ’s believers, there is a rest that God has available for us, not a legal and religious rest bound by practices but a rest that is promised to His people. The true rest that allows us to honor the true intent of God. It is a rest birthed from a relationship and not fear. It is a rest that allows us to truly live as free people who are not devoted to God solely because of a day of practice, but devoted to God daily. Then, with that devotion, love, and relationship, we choose to honor this time of separation distraction-free so we can enter our rest. Hebrews 4:10 “for anyone who enters God’s rest also enters rest for their works.”

As one Bible commentary puts it, the author of Hebrews speaks of the Sabbath as a type of “God’s rest,” which is the inheritance of all the people of God as listed in Hebrews 4:1-10. He does not tell His readers to forego the practice of the Sabbath but rather urges them to strive to enter God’s rest.

God wants us to be aware that there is a better way to live in Him, a way He has set for us to live that will help us unload the burdens that life places on us. So, in reality, by taking time of separation from what we know, we allow our bodies to physically rest. We also grant our minds and souls a chance to reconnect with Him and have more inspiration to be our true selves.

Read and Meditate on these verses and write your response to the following questions:

1. In what ways can you practically enter into the rest God promised in this scripture?

Hebrews 4

Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We see in 1 Kings, Elijah needed rest for the journey ahead of him. Why is this? Even when you think you just need to keep going your body can break down.

Mark 2:27-28 ESV And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Matthew Henry commented “The Sabbath is a sacred and Divine institution; a privilege and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us, therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. The Sabbath was instituted for the good of mankind, as living in society, having many wants and troubles, and preparing for a state of happiness or misery. Man was not made for the Sabbath, as if his keeping it could be of service to God, nor was he commanded to keep it outward observances to his real hurt. Every observance respecting it is to be interpreted by the rule of mercy.”

As I read over the last few lines from the devotion from yesterday, I am reminded by the Holy Spirit of this scripture from Matthew 11: 28-30. This is an invitation of God to flow with His rhythm. I love the way the message Bible puts this verse, it feels so good reading it. Pardon my romantic heart, I love when words dance on the pages like a love poem. I read the Bible like a love letter, but I digress. Back to the verse, the Message Bible puts it: “28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

The truth is that God’s invitation in this verse is an invitation to rest. We get so focused on life and our goals, and we carry so much and never get to pause. But what Jesus is doing here is showing us the better way; He is saying come to me and He is also saying I will give you rest. Until then they classified rest as Sabbath, a religious practice, a thing you do. Yet Jesus is here reframing our mind and transforming our thought patterns, saying, “I will give you rest.” Reminding us that what we need, the rest we need can only be found in Him. He goes on to say “You will find rest for your soul,” emphasizing so much more that this rest will go beyond your physical but will refresh your soul.

God wants so much for us; His way is better, and His plans are better. What is your response to His invitation today?

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Read and Meditate on these verses and write your response to the following questions:

1. What is God saying to me?

2. What am I saying to God?

Matthew 11:28-30

Mark 16:1

Exodus 16:29

I fondly tell people this when asked how I juggle my responsibilities: There is no such thing as work-life balance, but what we have to do is create work-life harmony. Let’s be real: A lot of us live our lives and feel we never get the balance right.

One of the lies we tell ourselves is that there is not enough time in our day to do what we need to do and get enough sleep. If you sit and take inventory of a week, and I mean hour-by-hour inventory, most of us will find that this is untrue. What most of us find to be true is that we have filled our days and times with a lot of unnecessary things that are stealing our time. So we end up in this cycle of work and no consistent routine of rest until we crash. If you are looking for a good book that speaks on eliminating the unnecessary check out “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer.

I once had a breakdown, and I don’t say this lightly. This is something I don’t share often but I knew that breakdown was my wake-up call. I took for granted the ability God gave me to do many things and decided instead to do all things. I was a new mother of two, growing my business fast, involved in a lot of other projects, and serving in many ministries at church. I had nudgings from the Holy Spirit to find moments of rest and make adjustments, but I ignored them all until I crashed. It was not a good look, I could not get out of bed for three days; all I did was cry. I could barely eat or sleep. I struggle to describe what that season was because it was like I was sinking into a dark hole and I did not know how to get out. It was a dark place I never want to be again. It took days to break out of it and another month to reorder my mind.

What God did for me in the season of healing and restoration while I felt alone was to show me what rest truly meant. He showed me in so many ways why rest is for us. He spoke to me and taught me that we are not meant to live life in a hurry without intentionally carving out time to unplug, rest, rejuvenate, and center ourselves. One of the gifts of rest is that it allows you to appreciate the things God has done because you can finally stop long enough to see it.

Am I saying this will be easy? No. The art of entering into God’s rest and just physical resting alone doesn’t come easy to us because it is not second nature. If you are like me, always on the go and involved in multiple projects, this idea of rest is a work in progress. When you rest you have access to more. When you take time to rest you are giving yourself permission to show up as your best self to your work. I have chosen rest as a better way because I have come to see it as God’s way. He wants this for you and me. His way is always better. I encourage you to choose rest today.

Read and Meditate on these verses and write your response to the following questions:

1. What are the ways you need to take inventory of your time today?

2. What adjustments can you make, or do you need to make to allow for more rest in the rhythm of your week?

Psalm 92:1-15 ESV

Isaiah 58:14 ESV

One misconception is that rest only means sleep. Now don’t get me wrong, it is important to get 7-8 hours of sleep (this makes such a huge difference). I love that the Word of God speaks of a rest that is promised to the children of God in the New Testament. For this final devotional, I want us to come back to Hebrews 4 because I think this is a crucial point in scripture that highlights the essence of what God intends for us as Christians.

Through this study, we have found certain things to be true.

-God rested so we should rest.

Rest was important enough to God that He demonstrated it at the beginning of creation and made it one of the 10 commandments.

-God never intended the Sabbath (day of rest) to be seen only as a religious activity but also as a posture of the heart so that the physical action of unplugging could have an inward attitude as well.

-The religious leaders made it a performative act and misconstrued the idea of what God intended.

Jesus came and set the record straight. He reminded us that He came to fulfill the Law and that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

-Jesus pointed back to Himself as the way to access this true rest for our souls.

Paul spoke of the rest that God promised even in the Old Testament and affirmed that it is still available for the people of God today, and this rest is available to you and me.

I hope that over the last seven days, you have taken time to reflect on God's word, hear from God, and seek to understand more of His character. Read Hebrews 4 and meditate on the words shared there. My prayer is that we all embrace and enter into this promise of rest God has set aside for us.

I will leave you with this as an invitation from God: “Rest my child, says the Lord, rest in me, rest in my love, rest in my peace, rest in my finished work for you. I came so you might have life and life in abundance. If you love me, you will be like me, I set an example for you in the beginning of creation, I rested. My child, be like me, rest in me, and make a consistent habit and not an occasional reset. Enter into my rest, it is made for you.”

Read and Meditate on these verses and write your response to the following questions:

1. What is God saying to me?

2. What am I saying to God?

3. For this final day, make sure you take time to have an extensive conversation with God about all that you have read and learned from His Word over the last seven days. Ask Him for clarity where you need more, for understanding where you need more, and for grace where you need grace. God is always inviting us into conversation with Him. Today, will you go deeper? God is inviting you closer.

Hebrews 4