The idea of Sabbath rest is one that we are perhaps most familiar with, yet it is one of the most surprising – even shocking – ideas
Sabbath in creation We are introduced to the idea of Sabbath in the opening creation account in Genesis 1. After God has formed the world (days one to three) and filled the world (days four to six), then, unexpectedly, God stops, and rests. It feels like a television competition: ‘Time is up! Stop your work, and stand away from your table!’
Despite division between chapters 1 and 2, the creation is not complete until God rests. And this is shocking, because God does not need to rest. Work does not exhaust God; God does not need to replenish himself as we do. Although there is a strong sense of ‘stopping’, the stronger sense is of enjoyment. God has seen all that he has created, and declared it not just good, but ‘very good’. He can now sit back and celebrate, and revel in its wonder.
We are invited into this rest of celebration and enjoyment – but in quite a different way. Humanity is created on the sixth day, and so the very first thing we do is to rest! Only God can rest from work; we need to work from rest. We do not have the capacity to join in God’s work in the world until we have first rested in God. Yes, we are created to live and work for God, to be in relationship with one another, and to care for the animals and the plants. But ultimately, we are created to enjoy resting with God.
Sabbath in Israel Following its prominence in creation, Sabbath forms a key part of the life of Israel. The direction to ‘remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy’ comes fourth in the Ten Commandments (known in Judaism as ‘the ten words’) – but is the first command about community relations. It is the foundation of communal and relational life for the people.
And it offers both grace and demand. The explanation in Exodus 20:11 is a theological one – this is the way that God created the world, and we should imitate him. But the parallel in Deuteronomy 5:15 adds another dimension – ‘remember that you were slaves in Egypt’, without any rest from labour, and that God delivered you. Exodus tells us why it is right, and Deuteronomy tells us what happens when it goes wrong.
And both
