When God created on six days, this is exactly what He did on the seventh day; He quit working — not for the same reasons (God does not get tired or ache) but gave us a pattern for a regular cessation of activity. Not only do we need it, but this also foreshadows that final heavenly rest.
REST comes from several Hebrew words and one Greek word. Nûaḥ is often used to describe stopping activity and in this sense is a synonym for šābat related to “Sabbath.” Both are used to describe God resting on the seventh day. While hundreds of other verses describe human resting or ceasing activity in the “rest” of death, some verses describe God giving people a “promised land” rest from enemies, with safety and security. Again, this foreshadows our final resting place as described in Hebrews 3:7-4:13.
Related to the noun Sabbath, the OT word šābat is used to describe what God did on that seventh day when He “rested” from the work of creation. Also, when He gave His people manna in the wilderness, He supplied enough for two days on the sixth day so they could rest on the seventh day. They were to observe the Sabbath as a sign of the perpetual covenant with the Lord.
Exodus 34:21. “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.”
By the time Jesus came, this idea of ceasing labor had become a list of rules. Some continue to this day and my gas stove even has a Sabbath mode on it! Back then, Jesus was criticized for healing on the Sabbath. The religious leaders told Him that His disciples should not take care of their needs on that day.
Mark 2:23–27. One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
The NT word anapauō means “to gain relief by resting” such as ceasing from toil or to rest in the sense of bringing something to completion. It is also used of spiritual refreshment. Jesus said . . .
Matthew 11:28–29. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jesus contrasts rest with anxiety about life and fear of being without earthly possessions. He told a parable about a farmer who thought he could rest when his barns were full but Jesus pointed out that true rest comes from knowing our loving Father in heaven provides all we need. This rest comes from the Spirit of God as 1 Peter 4:14 indicates: “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”
Heavenly rest is not an eternity without activity. In Revelation, rest refers to four things: we will never cease worshiping the Lord, those in hell will never rest in their torment, those who die before Christ’s return are told to rest as they wait for their vindication, and those who die in the Lord will rest from their labors:
Revelation 14:13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. All this said, I also understand that resting in the Lord is ceasing my efforts to run my own life. Sabbath rest is not just one day a week but every day — trusting Him and His way over my efforts and ideas. It is living by listening and obedience, by being calm and without stress over the little and big things that life hands me. I might be working hard or lying on the sofa— yet as I listen to His still small voice, He tells me when to get busy and when to have a nap — either way, because of Jesus I can experience His rest.