Rest in God signifies a spiritual Sabbath, reflecting the eternal peace and renewal found in Him (Exodus 20:8-11). Christian preaching often uses imagery of physical rest—like sleep and sabbath observance—as metaphors for trusting God’s provision and experiencing soul-refreshing peace (Matthew 11:28). This rest balances life’s labors with divine restoration.
Human life’s seventh decade should be a sabbath reflecting eternal rest with God.
It is a favorite speculation of mine, that, if spared to sixty, we then enter on the seventh decade of human life; and that this, if possible, should be turned into the sabbath of our earthly pilgrimage, and spent sabbatically, as if on the shores of an eternal world, or in the outer courts, as it were, of the temple that is above, the tabernacle in heaven. Dr. Chalmers.
The sabbath is a tent of rest and refreshment on life's pilgrimage to the promised land.
Krummacher tells of an Israelite named Boni, a resident of Mesopotamia, whom the Lord called to make a pilgrimage to the land of his fathers. Taking his family, he started westward through the wilderness. When he was weary with a journey of six parasangs, he came upon a tent by the way; and a man said to him, "Rest here." When rested, the man guided him forth. At the end of six parasangs more, he found another tent with refreshments; and so on to the end of his journey in the promised land. The life of man is a pilgrimage. Six parasangs are six days: the seventh is the day of rest, the tent of refreshment by the way. The fool passes by the tent, and perishes in the wilderness; but the wise man rests there, and reaches the land of promise.
Observing the sabbath rest improved workers' health, punctuality, and productivity.
For a number of years, a flour-mill was worked seven days in a week. In making a change of superintendents, it was ordered that the works should be stopped at eleven o'clock Saturday night, and to start none of them till one o'clock on Monday morning. The same men, during the year, ground many thousands of bushels more than had ever been ground in a single year in that establishment; and the men, having time for rest and sabbath-duties, were more healthy, punctual, and diligent.
Sleep restores strength and life, balancing daily exertion with nightly renewal.
Waking consumes, sleep replaces; waking exhausts, sleep repairs; waking is death, sleep is life. The man who sleeps little, repairs little; if he sleeps poorly, he repairs poorly; if he uses up all the day less than he accumulates at night, he will gain in life and vigor; if he uses up all that he gains at night, he will just hold his own; if he uses more by day than he gathers at night, he will lose; and, if this last process be long continued, he must succumb. A man who would be a good worker must see to it that he is a good sleeper. Human life is like a mill: sometimes the stream is so copious, that one needs care but little about his supply. Now, often, the stream that turns the mill needs to be economized. A dam is built to hold a larger supply. The mill runs the pond pretty low through the day; but, by shutting down the gate, the night refills the pond, and the wheels go merrily around again the next day. Once in a while, when spring rains are copious, and freshets overflow, the mill may run night and day; but this is rare. Ordinarily, the mill should run by day, and the pond fill up by night.
— Beecher
Wilberforce credits Sabbath observance for spiritual renewal and strength amid life's pressures.
The celebrated Wilberforce ascribes his continuance, for so long a time, under such a pressure of cares and labors, in no small degree, to his conscientious and habitual observance of the Sabbath. "O what a blessed day," he says, "is the Sabbath, which allows us a precious interval wherein to pause, to come out from the thickets of worldly concerns, and give ourselves up to heavenly and spiritual objects. Observation and my own experience have convinced me that there is a special blessing on a right employment of these intervals. O, what a blessing is Sunday, interposed between the waves of worldly business, like the divine path of the Israelites through Jordan. There is nothing in which I would recommend you to be more strictly conscientious than in keeping the Sabbath holy. By this I mean not only abstaining from all unbecoming sports, and common business, but from consuming time in frivolous conversation, paying or receiving visits, which, among relations, often leads to a sad waste of this precious day. I can truly declare that to me the Sabbath has been invaluable."
Dr. Wilson found Sabbath rest improved his work effectiveness during the week.
The distinguished Dr. Wilson, Pastor of the first Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, for a number of years before he became a preacher of the gospel, was an eminent lawyer in the state of Delaware. He was accustomed when pressed with business, to make out his briefs and prepare for his Monday's pleading on the Sabbath. But he so uniformly failed, during the week, in carrying out his Sunday plans, that it arrested his attention. As a philosopher, he inquired into the cause of his uniform failure, and came to the conclusion that it might be, and probably was on account of his violation of the Sabbath by employing it in secular business. He therefore, from that time, abandoned the practice of doing any thing for his clients on that day. The difficulty ceased. His efforts on Monday were as successful as on other days. Such were the facts in his case, and many others have testified to similar facts in their experience.
A financier survived financial crisis by faithfully resting on the Sabbath.
A distinguished financier, charged with an immense amount of property during the great pecuniary pressure of 1836 and 1837, said, "I should have been a dead man, had it not been for the Sabbath. Obliged to work from morning till night, through the whole week, I felt on Saturday, especially Saturday afternoon, as if I must have rest. It was like going into a dense fog. Every thing looked dark and gloomy, as if nothing could be saved. I dismissed all, and kept the Sabbath in the good old way. On Monday it was all bright sunshine. I could see through, and I got through. But had it not been for the Sabbath, I have no doubt I should have been in the grave."
Dr. Sewall affirms Sabbath rest renews body and mind, enhancing weekly productivity.
Thomas Sewall, M. D., professor of pathology and the practice of medicine in the Columbian College, Washington, D. C., remarks: "While I consider it the more important design of the institution of the Sabbath to assist in religious devotion, and advance men's spiritual welfare, I have long held the opinion that one of its chief benefits has reference to his physical and intellectual constitution; affording him, as it does, one day in seven for the renovation of his exhausted energies of body and mind; a proportion of time small enough, according to the results of my observation, for the accomplishment of this object. I have remarked, as a general fact, that those to whom the Sabbath brings the most entire rest from their habitual labors, perform the secular duties of the week more vigorously, and better than those who continue them without intermission. I have no hesitation in declaring it as my opinion, that if the Sabbath were universally observed as a day of devotion, and of rest from secular occupations, far more work of body and mind would be accomplished, and be better done; more health would be enjoyed, with more of wealth and independence, and we should have far less of crime, and poverty and suffering."
# 381. Providential Benefits.
Captain Scoresby observed Sabbath rest led to greater success in subsequent work.
"It is a little remarkable," says Captain Scoresby, in his voyage to Greenland, "that during the whole of this voyage, no circumstance ever occurred to prevent us engaging in public worship on the Sabbath day. In a few instances, the hour of worship could not be easily kept, but opportunity was always found of having each of the services in succession on a plan adopted at the commencement of the voyage. And it is worthy of observation, that in no instance, when on fishing stations, was our refraining from the ordinary duties of our profession on the Sunday ever supposed, eventually, to have been a loss to us; for we in general found, that, if others who were less regardful, or had not the same view of the obligatory nature of the command respecting the Sabbath day, succeeded in their endeavors to promote the success of the voyage, we seldom failed to procure a decided advantage in the succeeding week. Independently, indeed, of the divine blessing on honoring the Sabbath day, I found that the restraint put upon the natural inclinations of the men for pursuing the fishery at all opportunities, acted with some advantage, by proving an extraordinary stimulus to their exertions when they were next sent out after whales. Were it not out of place here, I could relate several instances in which, after our refraining to fish upon the Sabbath, while others were thus successfully employed, our subsequent labors succeeded under circumstances so striking, that there was not, I believe, a man in the ship who did not consider it the effect of the divine blessing."
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