Theme of the Week: Spiritual Reset & Renewal
Bible Verse: By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2-3
Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:2-3 NIV
Where does this idea for Sabbath rest come from, anyway? Well, as you can see in today’s verse, right back to the beginning of the Bible in the creation story. After 6 days of creation, God decides to rest, and that Hebrew word “rest” seems to indicate it was a full stop on work. Not only that, but God blessed that day and made a point of ensuring we knew that it was important.
So, we read at the beginning of chapter 2 that God rests, and then a recap of the creation story happens until verse 15. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
We see God taking Adam to the Garden of Eden and staying with him there. God rests and immediately starts a relationship with Adam. In verse 15, the Hebrew word for “put him” in verse 15 means settling or quieting him down. It’s another word for rest – more than just stopping work. It’s like God takes his rest and gives it to Adam. Relationship develops, and then something cool happens: God speaks to Adam.
Maybe we can connect the dots here on what God is trying to model for us in this short passage. We need times to stop working, settle down with God, quiet our hearts and let him speak.
Is God opposed to work? Absolutely not. In fact, in verse 16, he puts Adam in the garden to work in it and take care of it. What I think he is saying is that we as humans need times of rest from work. We need time to connect with God and hear him speak. We can get so distracted with work, life, and activities that we need some regular time for building our relationship with God.
Why not take a few minutes now to quiet your heart and mind, and let him speak to you?
Copyright © 2021 Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada. All rights reserved.
About
