SEVENTH DAY REST
“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 (NIV)
For the original audience to whom the scripture was written, numbers held great significance. In Hebrew tradition, seven represents completeness, perfection, and divine order, signifying something brought to its fullness. The creation account has a little wink to God’s intended design for our lives. On the seventh day of creation, all was completed and fulfilled. And there, God rested.
For the previous six days, God had ended that day of creation with the phrase, “There was morning and evening, and God saw that it was good.” But not on the seventh. Instead, the seventh day received a blessing. Rather than creating more, God consecrated the seventh day as holy because of the rest He took. On this day, all was complete, whole, lacking nothing. There was no sin, no separation between humanity and God, just delight. It was pure and beautiful.
If we move on too quickly, we’ll miss something beautiful. The added blessing, instead of the previous concluding phrase on the seventh day, serves as a holy wink—signaling that all work after the seventh day was meant to flow from rest. Nothing could be added to God’s finished creation. Our lives were always meant to come from a place of abiding, connecting and delighting in Him.
In the Kingdom God designed, we work from rest, not for rest. Even after the fall and the arrival of sin in the world, God, in His kindness, offers a glimpse of our true purpose by observing the Sabbath. The Sabbath foreshadows the ultimate rest found in Christ, where those in Christ will experience perfect peace. It reflects both the seventh day of creation and the promise of heaven. It’s also a day to remember that, even in this life, we can abide in uninterrupted communion with God. More than a break from work, the Sabbath reminds us of what we were made for and will one day fully experience.
APPLICATION: We work from rest, not for rest. How can you practice hourly, daily and weekly moments of rest this week? Allow those moments of rest to fuel everything you do.
PRAYER: Father, Your kingdom is wonderful. Teach me what it means to dwell with You in the rest You always intended for me. You are a marvelous Creator, and I love You. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?