There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9-10).
After creating the heavens and earth in six days, God rested on the seventh. Why? Was he tired? No! Unlike humans, God never grows weary or tires (Isaiah 40:28).
Rather, God rested on the seventh day because His work was finished (Genesis 2:1-3). Therefore, the seventh day is strongly identified with God’s rest. Adam was created on the sixth day, towards its end. This means his first full day of life was the seventh day. As it was impossible to contribute anything to God’s finished work, all Adam could do was rest in God’s work.
Such a rest is not merely physical; it’s spiritual. It comes to the soul who puts their full trust in God’s power and care. His power is that of creation, as well it is that of redemption. Redemption is needed because the first couple broke trust with their creator. In so doing, their rest was replaced with an inordinate burden of fear and guilt. Such then fell upon us, their descendants.
The good news is that Jesus provided atonement through His death, dying towards the end of the sixth day. This is no coincidence! Adam drew His first breath towards the end of the sixth day and Jesus, the last Adam, drew His last breath then as well. A final statement uttered by Christ on the cross was, “It is finished”. As God rested after His creation work, so did Jesus rest in the tomb after His earthly redemptive work was finished. In both cases the rest came on the seventh day.
Adam and Eve could in nowise contribute to God’s perfect work of creation; neither can we contribute to His perfect work of redemption. Therefore, we cannot obtain salvation through human effort or means; rather, we must fully rely on God’s work for us. That is, we are to enter His rest. We are to put our complete trust and dependency on His power through Christ to save us to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). The seventh day is an outward representation of this inward experience. It stands as a salient symbol of righteousness by faith. Does that mean we are not to work? Nay, the only one who can work righteousness is the one who has rested in the righteousness of Christ. Did not Adam go forth labouring in the garden after first resting on the seventh day?
“There remains therefore, a rest for the people of God.” The Greek word rest in this passage is sabbatismos and it means there remains a keeping of the Sabbath. By keeping the seventh day of the week as God intended, we witness our reliance on Christ’s power to both create and to save. But we must experience the spiritual repose behind the day. Are you restless, heavy-laden and burdened? (Matthew 11:28-30). There is only one remedy. Give yourself to Christ and enter His rest. Rather than trying, start relying!
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