What the Bible teaches about Rest

Depending on who you ask, health professionals suggest adults get
between seven to nine hours of sleep each night. When we sleep
well, we live better. Rest is one of the things we often take for
granted, but it is part of what makes us human and what God uses
to refuel us and reorient our minds to reality. As you read through
your Bible, take note of all it says about sleep, rest, and relaxation.
God’s comments on this subject are thought-provoking and
convicting. Our world emphasizes one extreme or another: work
yourself to death without rest or crown laziness as a virtue. Notice
what God teaches about rest and let it affect the way you go about
your work and your rest.

1. God Never Sleeps (Psalm 121:4). The God of the Bible is
described as one who does not slumber or sleep. He does not faint
or grow weary (Isaiah 40:28). Though He was satisfied with His work
of creation and rested from His creative activity, He was not
exhausted (Genesis 2:1-3). The only person in the Bible who does
not need rest is God. This means when we behave as if we don’t
need rest, we are trying to occupy a role reserved for the Divine.

2. Humans Need Rest (Mark 6:31). As busy as Jesus was during
His earthly ministry, He also believed in rest. Once He became
human, He needed all the things humans need to live, including
sleep. He took naps (Matthew 8:23–24). He encouraged His
disciples to pull away from the crowd to rest (Mark 6:31). When His
sleepy disciples struggled to stay awake in Gethsemane, He told
them to take their rest (Matthew 26:45). In the Old Testament, God
commanded a day of rest so people would learn to trust Him
(Exodus 20:7–11; Deuteronomy 5:12–15). We need rest—it reminds
us that God is still in control and things won’t fall apart just because
we stop working. Rest shows our finite nature and dependence on a
God who never needs to recharge. To be human is to need rest; to
deny this ruins our ability to function as God intended.

3. Laziness Is Condemned (Proverbs 6:6–11). While the Bible
teaches rest, it also warns that resting when we should work brings
regret. Work is not a consequence of sin; there was work in the
garden of Eden before sin (Genesis 2:15). God wants us to work
with vigor and dignity as if working for Him—because we are
(Colossians 3:23). A faithful Christian is hard-working in the kingdom
and on the job (1 Corinthians 15:58).

In the end, the Bible describes heaven as a rest to be anticipated
and enjoyed (Hebrews 4:9; Revelation 14:13). Our rest now,
alongside our work, prepares us for the eternal rest to come!
Hiram Kemp