God's True Rest—part 4

The Sabbath thus became to Adam symbolic of rest with God, perfect communion, of oneness with God. It was the one commandment that God chose to honor by joining man in its observance; or perhaps better, inviting man to join Him in its observance. It is the one command that was communicated to man not only by way of law but also by God’s example. Among the ten it stands unique, symbolic of God’s ideal of perfection, of holiness, of rest, of ideal existence with God.

It is this idea of the seventh-day Sabbath that is introduced in Hebrews to symbolize God’s rest. From the “foundation of the world” God spoke of the seventh day as His rest. (Hebrews 4:3, 4). It is evident from this reading that God connects the seventh day—the original seventh day “from the foundation of the world,” when He had finished His work—with entering into His rest.

There are three distinct ways in which “rest” is used in [Hebrews]: first, entering into the land of Canaan, which was Israel’s understanding of rest; second, rest from sin, resting in God, having peace in the heart, rest for the soul, true conversion; and third, the perfect symbol and sign of rest, the Sabbath, instituted by God Himself—not a spurious or new sabbath, but the original seventh day of creation, which “remaineth” and which God blessed and sanctified and gave to man as a sign of sanctification. (Ezekiel 21:12, 20).

M.L. Andreasen