The Importance of Physical Rest in the Bible (Exodus 20:8-11)

Physical rest in the Bible is an important topic. Read or listen to this chapter from Work and Rest God’s Way to learn the Bible verses about rest. Table of contentsThe Need for Physical Rest in the BibleTransition from the Seventh Day to First DayThe Need for Sleep in the BibleThe Consequences of Inadequate SleepMortalityDiabetesObesityCardiovascularMentalImmune SystemSocialWhen Science Catches Up with the BibleThe Spiritual Helps Us Rest PhysicallyRest Produced from Obeying the LordRest Produced from the Lord’s LeadingRest Produced from the Lord’s SovereigntyRest in the Bible Requires BalanceFootnotes The Need for Physical Rest in the Bible On the surface, work and rest seem like opposites, as though one undoes the other. They appear to be mutually exclusive. To do one must mean that we reject doing the other. There’s a conflict: do we work or rest? The answer is, yes! We’re commanded to do both. Rest is as much a theme from Genesis to Revelation as work. God introduced the concept of rest at creation. Genesis 2:2–3 says, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” God is omnipotent. He wasn’t tired. He didn’t need to rest. Instead, He was establishing a pattern for His people to follow. The Ten Commandments made resting on the Sabbath a requirement of the Law. The fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8–11 reads: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. God said, “Remember the Sabbath,” because it wasn’t something new; it had been around since creation. The command to rest was not an excuse to be lazy, considering they had to work six full days before the seventh. Since the Sabbath preceded the Mosaic Law, we can “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy” as a creation mandate. Transition from the Seventh Day to First Day Jesus and the disciples kept the fourth commandment, just as they kept the other nine commandments. But there was a transition. Jesus instituted the New Covenant at the Last Supper with these familiar words: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). With the institution of the New Covenant there was a shift from the seventh day of the week (the Sabbath/Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday) in honor of Christ’s resurrection.259 Thus, we see the first day of the week emphasized in the New Testament. The phrase “first day of the week” occurs eight times: Six times in the Gospels identifying the day of Jesus’ resurrection: Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, 9, Luke 24:1, John 20:1, and John 20:19 Once in Acts 20:7 identifying the day the early church met: “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread”260 Once when Paul encouraged believers to set aside something to give financially: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). More than likely Paul told them to set their collections aside on the first day of the week, because that’s when they gathered for worship. If we only had Acts 20:7 stating the early church met on the first day of the week, this would be enough to encourage corporate worship on Sundays. Pastor John MacArthur writes, “The writings of the early church Fathers confirm the church continued to meet on Sunday after the close of the New Testament period.”261 Matthew Henry writes, “The first day of the week is to be observed by all the disciples of Christ; and it is a sign between Christ and them.”262 While the first day of the week is emphasized in the New Testament, the seventh day (or Sabbath) is de-emphasized. The phrase “first day of the week” occurs eight times, but the phrase “seventh day of the week” never occurs. Understandably we’d expect the seventh day to be called, “Sabbath.” The Sabbath is mentioned in the Gospels, but only because the transition to the first day of the week had not yet taken place. When the Sabbath is mentioned in Acts, it’s associated with the practice of Jews who had not yet embraced Christ, but it’s never associated with the practice or worship of the early church. After Acts, the Sabbath only occurs in one verse: “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17). After Acts, this is the only time the Sabbath is mentioned. Since the epistles are the instruction letters for the church, it’s inconceivable that there wouldn’t be at least one verse commanding observing the Sabbath if that’s what God wanted. Instead, Colossians 2:16–17, the one place mentioning the Sabbath, identifies it as a shadow pointing to Christ, and the command is for believers to avoid judging each other over their view of it and other nonessentials. We don’t see any verses saying something similar for moral issues. In other words, there’s no verse saying something like, “Let no one judge you regarding forgiveness, or love, or lying, or prayer, or service, or adultery.” Unlike the Sabbath, these are moral issues involving judgment. Similarly, Paul downplayed observing the Sabbath in Romans: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it” (Romans 14:5-6). Paul wouldn’t write this if he wanted believers keeping the seventh day. Although we aren’t expected to keep the Sabbath under the New Covenant, we are expected to rest. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Why would Jesus say this? Because we need to rest! Just as we are not at liberty to murder or commit adultery, we also are not at liberty to ignore the importance of rest. The Need for Sleep in the Bible Sleep reveals that we are creatures, and not the Creator: “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). Sleep reminds us of our limitations and the need to depend upon God for our very existence. This keeps us grateful and humble. When God became a Man in the Person of Jesus Christ, He experienced our human limitations, including the need for rest. When Jesus left Judea for Galilee, He passed through Samaria and “being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well” (John 4:6). At one point, He was so fatigued He slept in the bottom of a boat during a storm: “And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep” (Matthew 8:24). Mark 6:31 records Jesus’ own words, “‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.” Jesus and the disciples were so busy they didn’t have time to eat, say nothing about sleep. Jesus was God in the flesh, and not a created being, yet He still sought time for Himself and the disciples to relax and refresh; therefore, we must see the same need in our lives. We are weak. Our bodies require sleep to function and be recharged and refreshed. Sleep allows our minds to rest so we can think clearly when we wake. Lamentations 3:23 says, “[The Lord’s mercies] are new every morning,” implying that after a good night’s sleep, we can pray for help and strength for the day. Sleep is a gift from God that we’re wise to accept: “I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid” (Leviticus 26:6). “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:24). “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). Conversely, the inability to sleep is presented negatively, often associated with fear and a guilty conscience: “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears” (Psalm 6:6). “You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak” (Psalm 77:4). “For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall” (Proverbs 4:16). The Consequences of Inadequate Sleep Sleep is often neglected in our busy schedules. Some are inclined to view it as a luxury and think the benefit of a few more hours awake outweigh the negative consequences. Although scientists have only begun to identify the problems associated with insufficient sleep, enough studies have been performed that they agree the healthiest amount of sleep for adults is about seven to eight hours per night, and it’s as important to health and well-being as nutrition and exercise. While getting enough sleep does not guarantee good health, it does help vital functions. Many restorative functions take place during sleep, such as tissue repair, muscle growth, and protein synthesis. When we get enough sleep, we not only feel better but also increase the likelihood of living healthier, more productive lives. When we don’t get enough sleep, there are considerable negative consequences. Mortality