Rest (2)

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure.  Psalm 16:8,9   (NIV)

(Me resting at a picnic table outside Challis, Idaho)

   I mentioned in the last post that King David wanted the wings of a dove so he could fly away from his troubles and rest.  Well, I’m not a king, and I don’t have the problems of a king, but the past four weeks have been intense and filled with necessary activities, both physical and mental, that have tired me greatly.  So, like King David I ask for rest, but I know that I can go to my Lord Jesus and get the rest I need.

   Jesus called His disciples to rest in Mark 6:31:  “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to the disciples, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (NIV).  They had just returned from going out two-by-two throughout the surrounding countryside.  They had worked hard speaking the word and healing the sick, and Jesus knew that they needed time to rest before they took on new tasks, so He called them to rest.   They went away to a solitary place, but the people discovered where they were and cut short their rest.  Jesus saw the crowd and knew that their need was greater, so He began ministry to them.  This is when He fed 5000 men plus women and children ,with five loaves and two fish.  So the disciples didn’t get a long time to rest, but they got to see a fantastic miracle.   I’m sure that revives the soul, body, and spirit better than rest.

   In Exodus the Lord speaks to His people to decare the sabbath.  “Six days do your work , but on the seventh day do no work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed”  (Exodus 23:12  NIV).  Here the Lord makes sure that His people know that the rest is not just for them but is also for those living among them and for the animals that work for them.  We certainly don’t do that today.  We expect police protection, medical services, and we also expect our favorite restaurant to be open.  I hope that provision is made for all people to have a day of rest even when it is not the same day when we rest.  

   Moses had been leading the Lord’s people and was getting weary of making all the decisions, and he asked God in Exodus 33:12, to send someone to help.  God answered Moses in Exodus 33:14: “The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (NIV).   Moses was not completely satisfied, so He continued to ask for help and assurances from God.  He also said in verse 18, “Now show me your glory.”  The Lord answered in verse 21, “…I will cause all of my goodnesst to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence….” (NIV).  If had my choice of having rest or directly seeing the personal glory of the Lord, I think I would have to at least delay the rest.  What a gift Moses was given to see the glory of the Lord.

   Come back next time for the conclusion of “Rest.”  Meanwhile, remember the source of rest.  “Come to me…and I will give you rest”  (Matthew 11;28  NIV).