“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (Tov Meod). And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” — Genesis 1:31
Later in Genesis, the perfect harmony between man and God was destroyed. Humanity decided they knew better than the Creator Himself. Sin enters the garden and Adam and Eve are thrown out. From that point forward we see death and destruction on repeat. God didn’t leave humanity in their ruin. He promised a Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), an anointed one to offer total restoration (Isaiah 61:1-2), and one that would seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10). Not just lost people, but everything that had strayed away from it’s initial state of creation. God sends His son, Jesus. The book of Hebrews tells us how Jesus became the reality of this and what it meant for rest.
“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:11-12
We see that Old Testament priests always had to stand because their work was never truly finished; there was always another sacrifice to offer. There was never a finality to sin; they could only cover it up. Jesus made the perfect sacrifice and sat down at the right hand of God. He “Shabbatt” because the work was finished. Then He “Nuakh” with God. While God modeled rest at creation, Jesus fulfilled it on the cross, providing Shalom for those who follow Him.
True rest comes from the work Jesus did on the cross. It’s not about earning or performing. It’s about abiding in the life of Christ, knowing He paid the price for every past, present, and future sin. It’s resting in this truth Paul writes in Colossians 2:13-15:
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
This is our rest. In Genesis there’s a interesting detail that often goes unnoticed. Every other day of creation ends with the phrase “evening and morning”, but the seventh day does not. It’s as if God left the door open. His rest isn’t just a 24-hour break we take once a week; it’s an ongoing state we are invited to live in every single day. Hebrews helps explain.
“So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.” — Hebrews 4:9-11 (NLT)
His rest isn’t just a 24-hour break we take once a week; it’s an ongoing state we are invited to live in every single day. The purpose of creation was for the Creator to rest with His creation. How far was He willing to go to accomplish this?
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” — John 3:16-17 (NLT)
Not to judge, but to save. To save His creation from anything that strayed from its original state of perfection in Him. His son, Jesus is the Shalom the world hungers for. It is not Shalom because life isn’t without problems. It’s Shalom despite difficulties, knowing a peace beyond understanding.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6 NLT
It is possible. It can be reality, and it is available right here, right now.
Remember this. The voice that spoke creation into existence is the same voice that calmed the waters of the storm, cried, “It is finished” on the cross and will one day say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
That same voice made this offer and it still stand today:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
Shabbat.
Nuakh.
Shalom.
Stop striving.
Dwell with Him.
Experience restoration.
Shabbat Shalom.
You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. St. Augustine