There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. [10] For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Hebrews 4:9-10 NKJV
The Sabbath day was one of the most revered days in Jewish tradition. During this day, no work was to be done whatsoever, not by a man, his family, his slave, or even his cattle, Exodus 20:10. No fire was to be lit on the sabbath and all food gathering was to be done on the day before. Apart from the priest’s service in the temple, all the Children of Israel were to do was to eat and rest. Any violation was met with the death penalty. Even Aaron and his sons were to come into the Holy place to eat the bread of His presence in the Holy place on Sabbath, Leviticus 24:8-9.
The sabbath, however, became a huge bone of contention between Jesus and the Pharisees. This was because He healed and performed miracles on the sabbath, John 5:15-17. Their traditions and laws became so strict that they magnified the rituals and the day more than the true significance of the Sabbath. God created man on the sixth day and on the seventh day, He rested. Adam was supposed to enter into this rest with God, but due to sin, he was cast into a labour field till the day he died, Genesis 1:17-19. The Sabbath was instituted to free man from his labour and give him access to the Rest of God. The sabbath for us in the new covenant is not a holy day, although rest is encouraged. Paul in Colossians 2:16-18 warned the Church in Colosse not to miss the point of the Sabbath by accepting condemnation for not observing high days and feasts, all of which was simply a pointer to Christ.
Jesus referred to Himself in Matthew 12:8 as the Lord of the Sabbath, this means He is the owner of the Sabbath. Being the one who instituted this day, He was able to show us a perfect example of what He intended when He commanded man to observe the sabbath. Jesus healed on the sabbath and allowed his disciples to eat grain on the sabbath because the emphasis was not on tradition. Jesus said in John 5:17 that His Father continues to Work and so He worked. This means that the only work that would be done on the sabbath by men was the Work of God. In John 6:28, Jesus had just told the people not to labour for temporary meat, but the meat that leads to eternal life. When asked what the Work of God was, He simply replied “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.“.This means that as Jesus, who is the Pattern Son, observed the sabbath by walking in full faith, dependence and obedience to the Father, making statements like “I can of my own self do nothing, John 5:30, and “the Father in me does the Work”, John 14:10, only the works of faith in Jesus can be done on the sabbath. This work involved eating (taking in) the bread (Word) of God and living by the strength of this Word.
Entering into the Sabbath is an invitation to cease all self-work. The difference between self-works and faith-inspired works is often in the art of doing work “for” God versus doing work “with” God. A person may have a good idea to pray, but the inspiration may be to win God’s favour or something along that line. This often leads to the frustration and weariness that come from self-imposed religion because the arm of flesh always fails. This type of work is not accepted because it is vile before God. Another could also pray based on the understanding that he is already accepted in the beloved, Ephesians 1:6, and that he is a house of prayer, Isaiah 56:7. He may simply seek to commune with His Father and let the Father express Himself through him. This kind of work is blessed and this individual often obtains supernatural assistance to perform this work with so much ease. Faith-based works are based on faith in the Word and the finished work of Christ.
Final thoughts: Hebrews 4 tells us that there remains a rest for the people of God and then encourages us to labour to enter this rest and not fall short due to unbelief and it mentions the potency of the Word of God and the grace of God to help with this. Jesus makes a call to those who are weary and heavy-laden with works that do not lead to rest. He tells them to learn of Him, leave their burden and become yoked to Him. It is in this Yoke with Him that He gives us and leads us into His Rest that our souls long for.
Prayer: Lord Jesus I come unto You today and repent for the times I have tried to do works by My own strength, which before You is a filthy rag. I come to learn of You today and to take up Your yoke upon Myself. I cannot offer any meaningful service or even live life to the fulness of what You have for me by my strength. Lead me into Your rest Lord Jesus! Refresh my weary soul!
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4
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