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The
Law of
Rest Bruce Montroy
This book is lovingly dedicated to my three very special daughters:
The Abundant Life Loving God Tapping the Power of Denial
The covenant name of God in the Hebrew language is Yahweh, translated
by many Bible scholars as "the LORD." Because Lord is a title and not
a name, and because much is made by God concerning the use of His "name,"
this work will use God's proper name "Yahweh" where the English versions
use "the LORD." I would be interested to hear how you feel as you read
these verses and encounter the name of Yahweh, the All-powerful, covenant
making God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Please let me know at the address
above. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1987, 1988. Used by permission. Abbreviation, NASB. Scriptures marked KJV, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scriptures marked NIV, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NKJV are from The Holy Bible, New King James
Version, Copyright 1979, 1980 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Introduction
Chapter One
Many physical laws are not seen, but are observed as they operate. Take the law of gravity. It is always in operation, but you do not see a big sign flashing saying "I'm the law of gravity; I'm operating right now." We may be sitting calmly at a table enjoying a casual cup of coffee the whole time the law of gravity is keeping the coffee in our cup! If we drink in such a way as to arouse the law of gravity, the unseen force, always on duty, causes the coffee to saturate our clothes. In space, scientists are doing many experiments with weightlessness. Gravity's force is so diminished that things float around the spacecraft, including the astronauts. Gravity is still operating sufficiently enough to keep the craft in an orbit pattern, but not enough to influence most of the lifestyle of the craft's occupants. Natural man has a hard time accepting the fact that God, the Creator of the universe, has put certain unseen spiritual laws in place. These laws could be called righteousness. They are the standards for maintaining a right relationship with the Lord as well as with others in our society. For instance, we may hear a person say, "If you're going to treat me that way, I'm out of here!" A slave may have to comply with certain outward laws laid down by their master, but if there is to be a quality master/slave relationship, certain expectations must be met by both parties involved. Couples that are having troubles in their relationship are usually fuzzy about what the unseen and unspoken "laws of success" are for their relationship. They may not be able to clearly spell out the "laws," but they innately know when their partner is breaking them. Marriage counseling, therefore, has as its goal, to clarify mutually acceptable rules for the relationship, and to gain cooperation by both parties to enforce the rules. Organizations have laws or rules that govern the relationships of its members. To be a "righteous" member, is to cooperate fully with the organization's goals and policies. Breaking the specified and the assumed ordinances will have different consequences. At some degree, you can get kicked out for violation of the group's standards. At other times you may be shunned. Our relationship with our Creator is very similar. Although most of His rules are spelled out, some are assumed. And, as in all relationships, there are always two sides to every relationship. It may cost a person the sentence of hell, but they have the freedom to refuse having a relationship with God if He does not meet their expectations. Righteousness or right relationship is like the law of gravity in that the further mankind gets away from God, the seemingly less effect His laws of righteousness have on their life. The greater the distance a spacecraft gets away from the earth, the less pull earth's gravity has on it. But as the astronauts have a price to pay when they return to gravity-governed terra firma (loss of bone and muscle mass), so the person who pulls away from God will have a price to pay at the Judgement-seat of Christ. There are simple lifestyle functions that can exasperate astronauts and necessitate scientists spending much time and money to compensate for because gravity is weak. My belief is that the human race is spending huge amounts of time, energy and money, trying to compensate for being too far removed from God. A poor relationship with the Lord (little righteousness) extracts a tremendous price, and all because we humans are either ignorantly or belligerently neglecting God's standards. When we are not willing to cooperate with our side of the responsibilities, the entire relationship suffers--just as in all fellowships! Spiritual laws are always in operation and the only way we can optimize our life and maximize our eternal rewards is in keeping them, by faith. When we walk in right relationship with our Creator, His laws produce great abundance. When we go crosswise with His laws of righteousness, either knowingly or ignorantly, we quickly discover that life can be harder than it needs to be! The spiritual law of rest was designed by God to develop our dependency on Him, and the side effect was to promote health and greater personal success. Ignorance and neglect of the law of rest results in pride, stress and a life of strife. When God commanded His kids to take off every seventh day, some were afraid they wouldn't make enough money. As they kept working hard, they ended up cutting their life short, and someone else got to enjoy the rewards of their hard work (see Ecclesiastes 2:18,19). Let me hasten to say, this writing is not intended to take believers back under Old Testament Law. Jesus is our Sabbath Rest! All of the Old Testament was written to point us toward the One who would fulfill all of the Law. This is not a treatise concerning days of the week. What I hope will happen to us as we go through this material is that we will gain a deeper respect for God's Word, and when He tells us to do something, we will not challenge Him, but comply and be blessed. We don't have to understand why His laws work in order to be blessed by them any more than we have to understand how the TV works to enjoy it! But as in human relationships, if things aren't going as we'd like, it's time to do some investigating work and take appropriate steps for improvement. Spiritual laws always work. They are either the force that enables us to enjoy life and please our Heavenly Father, or they are like a destructive enemy hounding our every step. The devil gets blamed for some of the stuff that can be traced back to our own transgression of God's laws of righteousness. For sure, our adversary was no doubt the snake prodding us to take the forbidden apple, but when we know better, we can't hide behind his slimy carcass! We have a clear warning to not give him any opportunity (Ephesians 4:27). To walk in abundance, we must stop blame-shifting to "his ugliness" and quickly resist all hazardous input, taking every thought captive to Christ, and immediately refocusing on Jesus. The abundant life results from walking in right relationship with Jesus, not in bogging down in demonic wrestling matches. If we fail to discern the devil's temptation thoughts and end up beating on ourself or others, we will be a dismal failure in life. Equally true is the fact that if we spend too much time resisting the devil and fail to go on to "drawing near to God" (James 4:7,8) we will likewise end up in a pile, exhausted and exasperated. When Jesus said we could avoid temptation by "watching and praying" (Matthew 26:41), He was giving us the easy way to walk in continual spiritual abundance. We don't have to be devil-minded to walk in victory--just seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). Spiritual prosperity comes from enjoying the mind of Christ! Finding out how God designed His kingdom to operate becomes, therefore, much more than religious rigmarole. Exciting, abundant life is the reward! When you see people apparently "floating" away from the consequences of breaking God's righteous standards, remember the astronauts. If the erring ones do not draw closer to the Source of righteousness, they will waste away in space. The Bible is very clear that the scales will be balanced one day. Every flesh counterfeit will be justly compensated. The hiding place of scoundrels will be exposed, the guilty will be punished, while the righteous will shine forth as a bright light. The misunderstood will finally be exonerated. God-lovers who were mocked by earth's society will be compensated beyond measure. Flesh-worshipers may ridicule the thought that there is a day of reckoning coming, but listen to them as they hug trees and decry the impending doom for "mother earth" because of the rape of the planet. They believe a day of reckoning is coming! Even mobsters hold "get even" over those who might dare think of crossing them. Everyone knows that there are consequences to our actions. Try as we may, mankind has not been able to successfully escape the gravity of the knowledge of some of God's righteous laws, i.e., the law of sowing and reaping! As we look in particular at God's law of rest, keep in mind that His intention with this law is to bless you, not to make you miserable. In choosing to go His way, we reveal the kind of stuff we are made of. Our life, therefore, becomes part of the evidence by which we are judged (Romans 2:14; 2 Corinthians 5:10,11). Our right relationship with the Lord becomes both our source of enjoyment for life as well as our confidence in the day of judgement! For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
As the Bible begins, we see the Almighty God busy at work creating the universe. The limitless reaches of space, speckled with planets and stars, were little challenge to the massive genius and ability of our Awesome God. His Word, traveling much faster than the speed of light--the speed of thought--brought from the fathomless dimensions of the spirit world, three simple dimensions: height, depth and width. Surrounded by the world of the spirit, our universe was a piece of cake for our Heavenly Father to design and develop. We could say of the physical realm, as of a fish swimming in an aquarium, in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). God created quickly. The vast regions of space were filled with His presence, so all He had to do was to manifest His power at each place where He wanted a star or a planet. After taking six days to create our physical universe (He could have done it even faster), Yahweh rested from His work. As you read the Genesis account, notice what is missing: Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:1-3 If this account was describing something a human accomplished, the record would include groans of soreness after such an outlay of energy. God was not tired, He merely completed the task. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable (Isaiah 40:28). Yahweh did not stop working, He only stopped doing "His work" [notice above, it's used three times in Genesis 2:1-3, bold added]. Jesus made it clear that His Father has always been working: But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working (John 5:17). God had to continue to hold everything together that He had made (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17). He was always working, but after six days of doing His own thing, He became Adam's God. Yahweh, the all powerful creator, began doing things for someone else. This becomes the definition of Sabbath rest: ministering to someone else. God finished doing "His work" and began working on our behalf! This was God's first name change: from "I AM" to "I AM, the God of Adam." He told Moses what His covenant name was: And God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ''Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations." Exodus 3:15 Parents can identify with this shift of focus. They want to have a baby--their baby! After considerable time and expense, "their" baby comes into the world, and suddenly they become "Junior's parents." Their entire lifestyle shifts and begins to revolve around the new kid on the block. They rest from doing their deeds, and after a fashion, become the servants of the newest member of the family. Similarly, Jesus said He came to serve, not to be served! Please do not misunderstand what the Word is saying about God. He is all-powerful and completely sovereign. We don't tell Him what to do, nor do we throw orders at Him. We are to fear Him and respect Him in all dignity. We are His servants, not He ours. But, some have only worshipped this awesome God from a distance. They have never come to know Him as "their" Father. Jesus told us that the proper way to pray was to start with the words, "Our Father which art in heaven..." Prayer is not telling God what He'd better do--it's asking! The definition of rest, as the Scriptures above reveal, is that which takes place when God answers our prayers! For us to enter His rest is to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1) and answer His requests! I can hear someone saying, "Wait just a minute. Everything I do is for someone else, and I feel far from rested." The kind of rest Genesis is talking about is not that which comes at 5:00 p.m. quitting time. The Jews observed the Sabbath rest by not working on Saturday. The Scriptures, however, say that they didn't enter into God's promised rest (Hebrews 4:8-11). Therefore, there must be something more to this kind of rest. The power in the law of rest is that when we do what we do out of love and devotion for our Heavenly Father, we walk in "His rest." This is what Isaiah was describing using the term "waiting" on Yahweh: But they that wait upon Yahweh, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 KJV Notice how the true servant of God supposedly can be very active, yet tireless. They fly, run, and walk and are not dominated by the physical law of exhaustion from work. You may say that this promise is spiritual and not necessarily physical. I wholeheartedly agree. Herein lies the hidden secret to power and continual renewal. God is a spirit, therefore, a spirit-being created our physical universe. We are tempted to think that the spiritual realm is weak and unable to really make a difference in our lives. I've heard many lonely people say, "I know God loves me, but I need physical arms to hold me." What is the implication? Spiritual arms can't do what physical arms can do. If we see the spiritual realm as just a religious dimension, we will place our emphasis on the physical realm. We will work in the flesh and find exhaustion is the result. This is why God told man to rest every seventh day. The expenditure of physical energy has as a byproduct weariness and exhaustion, but not so with the spiritual realm. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63 The spirit realm made our three dimensions and holds this world together. God's source of energy is life. God, a spirit, makes what we see out of that which is invisible (Hebrews 11:3). This process of creating is not an increase of God's energy demands, but a stepping down, from higher to lower. An example could be seen if you compared the heartbeat rate of an out-of-shape person, just getting up from their easy chair, going to raid the refrigerator, with that of a seasoned marathon runner doing a casual jog to warm up. What's a big deal to us doesn't even raise God's temperature! When we do our many activities for our Heavenly Father, we are spiritually renewed. The power of the Spirit is to be the source for our physical renewal. Our physical bodies depend more on spiritual and mental renewal than they do on three-dimensional substance. Ponder these verses: For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. Romans 8:11 The King James Version renders the word "life" as "quicken." It is the Holy Spirit's job to give our physical bodies life and energy (quicken) when our spirits make faith withdrawals from His limitless account. The lump of clay God first formed became a living human being when the Breath or Spirit of God entered it. The physical elements are just physical elements until God manifests His Spirit within them! Then there is life! Rest and renewal, as well as creative force, come from the Spirit of God and He gives us this power as we wait on (serve) Him. When we stop doing our thing and do God's thing, the Holy Spirit pours rest and vitality on us. We can literally run and not be tired. His anointing flows through us, and He is the one doing the work. Or, in keeping with an earlier comparison, as we get into the spirit realm, God's arms become more real than physical arms. His spirit arms create physical manifestations. He quickens us. He heals our physical bodies. His hugs are continual; flesh and blood hugs must stop if we are to go about our business. Our minds can be influenced by either the spirit kingdom or the physical kingdom, and God's demonstration in our mental realm is as "real" as manifestations in our physical bodies. For example, fear, a mental response, can paralyze our physical being and even stop our physical heart! If fear can do this, why not rest and refreshment? Ministering for the Lord "under the anointing" produces a surge of energy and power that probably includes adrenalin hormones. The frail, human messenger can pray long and hard, loose, cast out, heal, and the time passes quickly. When the time of ministry ends, fatigue quickly enters. Why? Probably because the focus shifts from "ministering" for others to, "Wow! Wasn't it great to be used to do..." Focus on the physical triggers fatigue. One of our biggest tests will be to depend on God for this rest and renewal by doing what He says rather than hustle our way through life, grabbing the apples of temptation, hoping for a short trip to stardom (remember Eve's temptation). The flesh cries out "work harder and you will succeed." God's Word says... Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6 "Straight paths" is another way to say that God will make your work easier. God is not asking us to be lazy, but to have as our main, driving purpose in life to please Him--first! This must be the foundation underlying every expenditure of our energy. Survival says "me first", and it produces death. When we purpose to seek God's kingdom first, even at the risk of death, we find life! The law of rest is working behind the scenes. The law of sowing and reaping is perhaps the best known of all spiritual laws. Its power is undisputed. We know "what goes around, comes around." Look at the farmer sowing his seed. He gives the seed to the ground instead of eating it. He chances investing it in the hope of a bountiful return. Today's need is sacrificed for tomorrow's gain. Tie this into the law of rest. The farmer does what will bring out the potential in the seed. His first concern is to do what will maximize the seed. This may entail physical labor, but as he plants, the actual work takes place underground, hidden from the eyes. He rests, the seed does its work, and the result is a hundredfold return on his investment. All the sweating in the world could not have squeezed more seed out of the one seed, but allowed to do its thing, the seed, with minimal labor from the farmer, reproduces. I'm not saying farming is easy work, but the point is that the seed does what the farmer can't do directly. The law of rest is tied to faith. If we believe that God has our best in mind, we can give our energies to helping others instead of being paranoid about getting our fair share in life. Let's see if we can show how this works out practically. Little Barry the Brat is always trying to get his own way. He is forever on the alert because someone may have something that he wants, or someone may be messing with his toys. He is exhausted at night because it's tough work keeping a vigilant eye open all day lest people rip you off. Some pushy authority figure may try to get him to do something he doesn't want to do, which would be disastrous. Every directive mommy puts forth is challenged to sift out the hidden innuendos that are there to trap him, steal his valuable energy, and make him miserable. Enjoying life is hard work. Especially because he is the only one qualified to determine what is enjoyable. Opposite this is Terry the truster. He is so convinced that God has his best in mind that he can relax all the time. He knows that whatever comes into his life, God will turn it into a blessing. People can't rip him off because everything he has is at God's disposal. God gave him what he has and God can give him much more. He depends upon spiritual resources that are limitless and require faith-currency, not fleshly sweat-funds. What continual rest! This attitude is faith in action. Terry's favorite verse is: Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10). Both Barry and Terry expend a lot of energy during the day. A peek inside their minds reveals one mentally exhausted brat and one rested saint. What makes the difference? One lived a rested life, trusting God by faith, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, knowing that everything he truly needed would be added to him. The other was tormented continually by the possibility that things just might get out of his control. His pain was intensified by the enemy's lies that taunted him into expending much effort to try to escape pain. Crazy! One reached down into his physical reserves to squeeze out the last drop of energy; the other floated amid the stream of God's all powerful grace, resting while he worked! Yahweh will fight for you while you keep silent (Exodus 14:14).
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