Theme+of+Rest

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= Introduction =

The Hebrew term for rest is to be calm, camped, casts down, deposit, remain, idle, settle down, become quite and consequently at rest, to find rest.[|[1]] According to Preuss best translation is, “to satisfy, bring joy, calm.”[|[2]] Many important derivatives exist: resting place, rest (in the land), place of (God’s) rest. In Greek, rest is translated to mean: to make cease, to bring to an end, stop or hinder from something; it is to take rest from, to repose, recover, come to rest.[|[3]] In the Old Testament, there are many uses for the word rest. Some uses have secular meanings that apply to waiting (2 Sam 25:9).[|[4]] There are positive meanings of rest (when the Ark of the Covenant came to rest Num. 10:36), and negative meanings of rest (the locus rest upon the land Ex. 10:14). It is also associated with the reception of the Spirit; the Spirit of God resting upon the people (Num. 11:25; 2 Kings 2:15; Isa. 11:2; 1 Pt. 4:14; etc.).[|[5]] This article will be primarily concerned with how the word “rest” pertains to Yahweh’s promises to Israel. In context of God’s promises for Israel, rest equals a relief from enemies. In the greater perspective, it is the promise that the Lord will give rest to His people through the peace that is found in the provision of the promised land and the destruction of Israel’s enemies (Deut. 3:20; 12:10; 25:19; Josh 1:13; 2 Sam 7:11). Hensel and Brown say, “typical of the concrete and this-worldly hopes of the OT faith in Yahweh is the promise of peace in the land, where Judah and Israel will dwell securely, ‘every man under his vine and under his fig tree’ (1 kings 4:25).”[|[6]] But, this rest is only partially fulfilled throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites are never able to find complete rest as the Lord promises them; they only, at times, experience temporal relief. Not until Christ are the soteriological and eschatological promises of rest fulfilled (Matt. 11:28; Heb. 4). There are strong connections between God’s promises of blessings to Israel and the promise of rest. First of all, the promise of salvation for the world needs to be closely connected to the received blessing of rest. The author of Hebrews shows that there is a connection between faith in God and entering into the rest of God (Heb 3:7-4:6). He expands upon Psalm 95 to make his point that entering into the rest of God is for those who receive salvation. The Psalmist depicts the blessings that will be experienced by those who have been faithful, and those who remain unfaithful will “miss” God’s rest; rest is attributed to salvation. Therefore, any of God’s promises to Israel that finds its ultimate fulfillment in salvation can be connected to the promised blessing of rest. Because rest is found in salvation, it can also be said that rest is found in the ultimate seed (Christ) since all of salvation hinges upon the work of Christ on the cross.

=The Seed =

Ultimately, no rest can be found in this world apart from God. Since the fall of man there has been a tension in the world that prohibits creation from finding true rest. All of humanity has been alienated from the natural relationship with God and are in need of justification for the restoration of that relationship. Apart from the reestablishment of the correct relationship with God, rest can never be achieved. The hope of rest for humanity lies in the power of God to purify the world and reverse the destruction of sin. When The Lord created the world, there was rest on the seventh day. Because there is an absence of “evening and morning” on the seventh day, the day seems to be unending and demonstrates that this is the eternal purpose of creation.[|[7]] This can be connected with God’s redemptive work: when the Lord completes His work of redemption, there will be rest. The whole promise of the reestablishment of rest for the world begins in the Garden of Eden with the promise of the seed (Gen 3:15). In this seed lies the cure for the tension that sin created. Therefore, rest depends upon the Lord’s work to restore the world Although man had brought chaos into the world through the rejection of God, the Lord intervened to promise a reversal of the chaos that Adam introduced. This seed is the means to that reversal and is the ground work from which the theme of rest throughout the rest of the bible is built upon.[|[8]] The victorious seed allows the promises of rest found the Noahic, Abrahamic, and Davidic covenant to even be mentioned. Only through the Seed can the curse of creation be reversed. After Genesis 3:15, the promise of the seed isn’t seen again until the Abrahamic covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant contained an important promise, namely, Abraham’s descendents would be as countless as the stars and through his son Isaac there would come a great nation. Through the line of Abraham, and through his son Isaac, the promise of the ultimate Seed continues. In the Davidic covenant, the ultimate Seed is more specifically mentioned and is more precisely identified as a descendent of David who would establish the throne forever. But, one of the most important aspects of the promises of rest as it pertains to Israel is first found in the Noahic covenant. 

=Noahic Covenant =

The narrative of the Flood is a large scale depiction of the judgment due to humanity because of its wickedness. In this account, there is a glimpse of the promised rest, but it comes in an ironic way. The foreshadowing of ultimate rest comes through the destruction of the wicked and the preservation of the righteous. The Lord temporarily gives rest to the world from its wickedness through His servant Noah (whose name means rest). Noah’s father, Lamech, placed his hope in his son; by naming his son Noah, he expresses his hope for the restoration of the world through his offspring (Gen. 5:29). The Lord accomplished this through starting over completely by wiping all of mankind from the face of the earth, except Noah and his line. Through Noah, the promise of ultimate rest is continued, for through Noah the promise of the seed in Genesis 3 is continued. Noah is a symbol of rest. For Israel, what Noah did after the Flood became their symbol of rest. After the Lord had given rest to the world through the destruction of the wicked and the preservation of Noah, one of the first acts of Noah was that he planted vineyard (Gen.9:20). The man of rest planted a fruitful vine because the earth had, for the first time in a long time, experienced the blessings of rest. Because the vine was fruitful, God demonstrated that the world was renewed. Rest for Israel begins with this symbol of the vine. The vine became an indicator of Israel’s spiritual health and based upon their spiritual health they received rest. The promise of rest in the Noahic covenant is also found in the imagery of the Lord hanging up His bow in the sky (Gen. 9:13). The bow is a symbol of the Lord’s weapon that he used to judge mankind, and He says that He is hanging it up in the sky, meaning He will withhold His judgment and no longer display His wrath in such a way. After the flood comes a time of peace, for the world had been rid of the wickedness of man. But this peace was only temporal since sin had not been completely reversed.

 Abrahamic Covenant

Another aspect in the connection between promises to Israel and rest is found in the promise of land to Abraham and his descendants, which is for the purpose of furthering redemptive history. Because the curse of sin took rest away from the world, God acts is to restore the world to its former state of rest. He does this by using Israel. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is the vessel through which the Lord furthers His plan of redemptive history. Beginning with the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 3:2-3), the Lord shows that he has a plan to bless the world through a people, He reveals that He plans on using Israel to establish His kingdom (2 Sam. 7), and it is through Israel that the ultimate seed, the Messiah, will come. Since the Lord will use Israel for redemptive purposes, He must establish them as a people. This is why Canaan is so important; Israel must have its own land to be established as a people, which is evident in God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3). “If the nations are to enjoy the promised blessing through the founding of a new nation (Israel), there must be the possession of a land and the birth of a people.”[|[9]] When Israel has its land, the plan of salvation (and therefore the plan of ultimate rest) can be furthered. In God’s calling on Abraham, there are three major elements: Abraham’s individual salvation, the promise of a great nation and name, and blessings for the whole world.[|[10]] The Lord’s salvific calling upon Abraham was to separate himself from everything else for the sake of the nations (Gen 12:1). House says, “Election here dos not exclude or condemn anyone. Rather, it works exclusively as a benefit to world that has no intention of doing what is right.”[|[11]] Abraham’s calling was a step in the direction of peace for the world. The second aspect of Abraham’s calling was a promise of a great nation and a great name, and through this promise the Lord would make him a blessing (12:2). God’s covenants with Abraham later on in chapters 15 and 17 affirmed and expanded this promise by adding that his descendents would be as numerous as the stars and the sand. As noted earlier, the ultimate seed would come out of this promise; therefore, it was through this promise that perfect rest is made possible. The third aspect of the Abraham’s calling is that the Lord will bless those who bless Him and curse those who curse him (Gen 12:3). This widens the scope from individual and family blessings to worldwide blessing. Anyone could receive blessings from God because of the call of Abraham.[|[12]] These blessings the world can receive denote redemption and a relationship with God; therefore, these blessings also ultimately denote complete rest found in God. Abraham became the mediator of divine blessings not only to his descendents, but also to the whole world. And through Abraham, God continued redemption and His plan to restore the world to a state of rest. Later, the Lord continues His promises made to Abraham through the promises of blessings given to Judah (Gen 49:9ff.). To Judah’s line belong kingship and dominion, and the dynasty would be strong as a lion. This line included David, Solomon, and eventually the one from whom “the scepter shall not depart” – the Messiah. When the Messiah comes, the world will be rejuvenated (v.11). This is the seed that creation anxiously waits for and this is the descendent promised in the Davidic Covenant that will establish the Kingdom forever (2 Sam. 7:12-16). All of the promises that are given to man throughout the Bible, beginning with Eve and on, are united together for God’s purposes with mankind. Kaiser comments, “there were many formal covenants, but the content of these covenants of redemption was at once single, continuous and eternal; hence the word to Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Jeremiah (31:31–34 ) is a united plan, but exhibiting many expanding and interlocking specifications in the progress of redemption.”[|[13]] So, even though there may be many different blessing and promises in each covenant and certain promises may be more of a main point than others, the promise of rest is still prominent in each covenant and in the larger scheme of the Lord’s plans. The theme of rest is explicitly given in the Davidic covenant. In 2 Samuel 7:1, the Lord had given rest to David from his enemies. Prior to that point David had conquered all the nations that were around Israel, therefore he had rest. But, later on in the in chapter the Lord makes a covenant with David and a part of that covenant is the promise of rest (v.11). Such a promise might seem insignificant to David if he had already received rest from his enemies. But, there is an important significance here in the rest that David experience and the rest that God promised His covenant with David. This difference is clarified by having a good understanding of the promise of rest as is it seen in the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and especially the Mosaic Covenant.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Mosaic Covenant

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">After the Abrahamic Covenant, the theme of rest becomes more apparent in the Mosaic Covenant, specifically in Joshua and Judges. By the time of the Mosaic covenant, the Lord had established the seed of Abraham as a people. He had brought them out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and made them exclusively His people and called them His Son (Ex. 6:7; Hosea 11:1). It was also during this time that Yahweh gave the nation promises of rest from their enemies. God’s promise of inheritance and the promise of rest are closely connected (Deut 12:9-10; 25:19; Josh. 1:13; 22:4). But, this promise of rest was conditional; it was qualified by Joshua’s exhortation to observe “the book of the law of Moses” (Josh 1:7-8; 23:6), as they followed the Lord (Josh 23:11-13). Israel was given rest from their enemies when they were obedient to the Lord (Josh 21:44), but when Israel did not seek the Lord their God they experienced political turmoil (Judges 2:6-3:6). Every historical instance where Israel experienced rest from their enemies was a temporal rest. Therefore, when David experienced rest from his enemies (2 Sam. 7:1) it was only a temporal relief that was given by God. The Lord gave David rest for the purpose of making David the right man through whom He could continue redemptive history. It is important to note that the rest promised in God’s covenant with David is of a different nature (2 Sam. 7:11). It is no longer a qualified promise of rest, but an unconditional promise. Kaiser says, “Therefore the promise of the inheritance of God’s rest is protected even in the case of subsequent sins by the recipient’s descendants.”[|[14]] No longer is it temporal, but it looks forward to an everlasting promise. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">When David had received rest from his enemies, his thoughts were immediately directed toward building God’s temple. In Deuteronomy 12:10-11, the Lord declared that when He had given Israel rest from all of their enemies, He would dwell and establish His name amongst them. Therefore, when David had received rest on all sides, he thought that it would have been most appropriate to build a house for his Lord so that He may dwell amongst them; he saw it as an opportunity to fulfill Deut. 12. But, the Lord’s agenda was not in the temple, for the Lord had always been content to dwell in the tabernacle (2 Sam. 7:5-6). The Lord’s agenda was in making an everlasting covenant between the David and Himself (2 Sam. 7:8-16). His agenda was to make a house for David (a dynasty) rather than a house for Himself (2 Sam. 7:11).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">﻿ ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Davidic Covenant

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Davidic Covenant resembled the Abrahamic Covenant. As Abraham was promised a great nation and a great name (Gen 12:1-2), so also David was promised a great name (2 Sam. 7:9) and a place/land (v.10). David carries on the promises made to Abraham; he is the mechanism by which Abraham’s name is made great. He not only continues the Abrahamic Covenant, but he also makes it better. In the Davidic covenant, the Lord expands upon the purpose of the seed that was promised to Abraham. This is seed that was promised to Abraham for a great nation and further blessings to the whole world, and it is the same “seed” that first appears in Genesis 3:15, and it is now identified as the offspring of David who will establish the kingdom and build a house for the Lord (2 Sam. 7:12-16). But, there is one driving force behind both of these covenants: rest. The Davidic and Abrahamic Covenant strive to bring restoration to the world that had been lacking rest since the fall of man. This can now be accomplished through covenant that God made with Abraham and David. Specifically, rest is achieved in Christ, the descendent of David that establishes “the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:13). The Kingdom that Christ establishes is a kingdom that has rest on all sides; it is the house of God that fulfills Deuteronomy 12:10 and all the covenants that surround it.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">New Covenant

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">There is only one place in the Old Testament that uses the term “new covenant” – Jeremiah 31:31-34, “Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers….” In other places in scripture, it is described as the “everlasting covenant” (Jer. 32:40), the “covenant of peace” (Ezek. 37:26), “a covenant”, and “my covenant” (Isa. 49:8). In every case this covenant is identified as being between Yahweh and His people, Israel. Nonetheless, the Gentiles still benefit from this covenant. Larry D. Pettegrew says, “Other nations are not excluded from the NC, and in fact there seems to be some spill over or trickle down benefits of the New Covenant to the Gentiles (Isa 56:7-8). But the Covenant is made with Israel.”[|[15]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The New Covenant, primarily seen in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36-37, further expands upon what was promised in the Davidic Covenant. There are many physical blessing that are promised to Israel that fulfills promises made to Abraham and David of a great nation and land. Pettegrew states, “physical blessings on Israel consisting of gathering of the scattered Israelites to the land, rebuilding of the cities, productivity of the land, increase in herds and flocks, rest, peace, and expressions of joy.”[|[16]] But, along with these physical blessings come a new sense of spiritual blessing, including: forgiveness of sins (Jer. 33:8), the law inside a believer (Jer. 31:33), a new heart (Ezek. 11:19-20), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 36:27), and Israel's complete relationship with God (Jer. 31:33). This covenant is the fulfillment of the promise of ultimate rest, and the “seed” is the one who fulfills this covenant (Matt. 11:28; Gal. 3:8). Christ is that seed; He is the descendent that establishes the kingdom, and He demonstrates that He is the ultimate Davidic King. In Matthew 28:18, Christ proclaims that He possesses “all authority in heaven and on earth.” His zeal for His Father’s house (John 2) is also an indicator of His Kingship; being equal with God because He is the Son of God, Christ will have the same passion for the Father’s house as the Father has. Therefore, since Christ is the ultimate Davidic King, He carries the weight of all the previous covenants and He is able to fulfill them completely. It is through Christ that all of redemptive history meets, not only the salvation of souls, but also the redemption of the entire world. It is through Christ that the world can once again find rest.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Minor Prophets

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The rest theme is prominent in the prophetic books, especially in Joel, Amos, and Hosea. A major focus throughout the Minor Prophets is the “Day of the Lord”. This Day is a time of judgment for both Israel and all the nations. This judgment will cause repentance that will bring purification and blessings. Included in these blessings is the promise of the ultimate rest as seen the in the covenants and the promise of the Seed. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After the Davidic Covenant, not much is said about Israel’s future blessings until the latter prophets. Joel is one of the first books to address the blessing that Israel will one day receive. Joel 2:18 and following is a detailed description of those blessings Israel will receive when they individually and corporately repent. Physical, spiritual, and national blessings, all denoting the promise of rest, will be given to Israel. Throughout these passages, the imagery of the fig tree and the vine are used, “The fig tree and vine have yielded in full” (Joel 2:22). This imagery refers back to the Noahic Covenant where the fruitfulness of the vine resembled rest. What Joel is saying is that there will be a day in which Israel will receive the full blessings of rest. This prophecy is also reminiscent of Gen 49:10ff: Judah is promised to be blessed with so much fruitfulness that one would be able to bind his colt to a vine and wash his clothes with wine because the vine is so overgrown. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In Jonah, the blessing of having the ability to repent and be forgiven (and subsequently receive the promise of rest) is extended to the Gentiles. Because of the Abrahamic Covenant, Israel was supposed to bless all of the nations, yet they were unwilling to do so. Nonetheless, God still provided the Gentiles the opportunity to repent and receive salvation. Peter and James deal with this issue in Acts 15. Peter affirms that salvation is offered to the Gentiles as well as the Jews, and James declares that words of the prophets also affirm this truth (Acts 15:7-18). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Amos also advances the theme of rest. Throughout the book, the Lord declares Israel as ripe for judgment. But in chapter 9 verse 8, the Lord assures Israel that they will not be utterly destroyed. In verses 11-15, God declares that He will remember His promises even in judgment; He will remember His covenant with David and “raise up its ruins” (v.12), and rejuvenate the world (v.13-15). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Hosea 2:18 depicts the complete fulfillment of the Noahic Covenant. In 2:18, the same imagery of the bow is used as in Genesis 9. This time “bow” is used not only to give the imagery that God will hang up His weapon, but now it is used to show that one day the Lord will abolish the weapon for their will be no need for it. Because God loves the world so much, there will be a day where that love will change the World (2:21-23). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Conclusion

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The theme of rest has an important place amongst the covenants throughout the Old Testament and New. In cases of its use in books such as Deuteronomy, it most commonly carries with it an immediate historical implication. But primarily, it is a promise of complete rest that will come when the world is restored. Kaiser says, “Therefore there was more to that rest than simply occupying the land of Canaan. It was that, indeed; but it was also combined with the whole extent of the spiritual aspects of the promise.”[|[17]] From the fall of man, the world has not experience the full promise of rest. But, God so loved the world that He sent His son to redeem it. The Lord’s first promise of the redemption of the world is in the seed in Genesis, which is continued through the covenants and, in the Davidic Covenant, seen as the descendent of David that will establish His throne forevermore. Therefore, the word “rest” carries with it all the implications of the eschatological promises to Israel and to the world in Christ’s second return. “The dead will enter into its full enjoyment after their resurrection from the dead (Ps 116:7) …. it is fixed by Isaiah 11:10 as being “in that day” when ‘the Lord will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people’ (Isa.11:11).”

[|[1]] Preuss, Neuendettelsau H.D. "Rest." //Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament//. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974. 277.

[|[2]] Ibid.

[|[3]] Hensel, Robert, and Colin Brown. "Rest." Ed. Colin Brown. //The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology//. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1980. 254.

[|[4]] Ibid.

[|[5]] Preuss, “Rest”, 278

[|[6]] Hensel and Brown, “Rest”, 255

[|[7]] Brand, John. "Sabbath-Rest, Worship, and the Epistle to the Hebrews Celebrating the Rule of Yahweh." //Didaskalia// (1990): Print. 3

[|[8]] Waltke, Bruce K. //An Old Testament Theology: an Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach//. Ed. Charles Yu. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007. 266

[|[9]] Mathews, K. A. //Genesis 11:27-50:26//. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2005. Print. 110

[|[10]] Walke, Bruce K. //An Old Testament Theology//

[|[11]] Paul R. House, //Old Testament Theology (//Downers Grove//,//Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 73

[|[12]] Bruce K. Waltke, //Old Testament Theology,// 316

[|[13]] Kaiser, Walter C. "The Promise Theme and the Theology of Rest." (//Bibliotheca Sacra, Dallas Theological Seminary// 130.518 (1973)) 135

[|[14]] Ibid., 9.

[|[15]] Pettegrew, Larry D. "The New Covenant and New Covenant Theology." //Master's Seminary Journal// 181 (2007): 185

[|[16]] Ibid

[|[17]] Walter Kaiser, “The Promise Theme and The Theology of Rest.”, 12

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