By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Genesis 2:2
God rested on the seventh day. He gave to us the gift of Sabbath so we can rest as well. When I consider Sabbath, though, I find myself caught up in all the things I can’t or shouldn’t do. Is that really what God is saying?
This is the first use of the Hebrew word menuha, which we translate as rest. But the word actually encompasses so much more than just a cessation of work. It involves tranquility, joy and even celebration. It can even mean a place of rest or celebration. Think about that. God created our whole world – then He stopped and took delight in it, celebrating and enjoying His handiwork.
Abraham Heschel, the Jewish scholar and philosopher, contends the creation wasn’t complete until God created menuha on the seventh day. I like that. Menuha isn’t the absence of work, meaning things to avoid, but it was created as a time or place of rest and fulfillment.
We are called to observe Sabbath, to rest from our work and celebrate all He has done in and through us. God created a true place of rest, of menuha, for us. It is first found in the architecture of time on the seventh day. But ultimately He created a place with Him. It is here we find rest from our work and rely on His grace. It is here that we delight in His work and celebrate. Our menuha is found in Him alone; it is fulfilled in His Presence.
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Psalm 62:1
