I’m working on a sermon on the 4th commandment, remembering the Sabbath. One reason God calls us to do this is because he created the earth in six days and rested the seventh. I wondered, “Why did God rest? Certainly he wasn’t tired, was he?” The Hebrew word for Sabbath can be best interpreted as a ‘day of ceasing.’ So God ceased his work, and in John Piper’s words said, “Wow!” It is as if God is taking pleasure in his glorious work of creation and asking us to join him in the wonder of his creativity and power.
I was reminded this week that we are not only to look back, but we are also to look forward. I believe that another reason God modeled this pattern of work and rest is because a Sabbath rest yet remains for us in heaven after our work on earth is done (Heb 4). I met with a beautiful, godly lady this week that has terminal cancer, and the 4th commandment came to life. (So often God’s Word seems so theoretical in the study, but when you see how it applies and speaks into real life, it comes to life itself.) I took great joy in describing that our new life in the New Heavens and New Earth will be full of activity, will be marvelous and full of wonder, will be full of worship and excitement and perfect peace; and as active as it will be, it will be completely and utterly restful.
We think of all the things we would like to do on earth, but I believe it would be more fruitful to set our minds on things above, realizing that it will be infinitely better to do these things in the New Earth in new bodies which will never tire.
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