{"id":2253826,"date":"2024-05-27T15:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T19:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-people-cant-rest-human-nature-revealed-in-the-hebrew-scriptures\/"},"modified":"2024-05-27T15:13:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T19:13:02","slug":"why-people-cant-rest-human-nature-revealed-in-the-hebrew-scriptures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-people-cant-rest-human-nature-revealed-in-the-hebrew-scriptures\/","title":{"rendered":"Unrest in Humans: Insights from the Hebrew Scriptures"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-people-cant-rest-human-nature-revealed-in-the-hebrew-scriptures%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2253826&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This article is the third in a series discussing the biblical narrative of work and rest, published by Theology\u200b of Work Project\u200d on May 27, 2024. \u2062The article delves into how work\u2063 was originally intended as a \u2063noble partnership with God, while rest was an invitation to \u200denjoy close fellowship with Him. The aspect \u200dof \u2063the Fall complicates this narrative, making work \u200bchallenging and\u200d stirring a \u200dstrong need for both physical and spiritual rest in people. The writer highlights instances from the Scriptures illustrating the human struggle to trust in God&#8217;s provisions, including the story of the \u200dIsraelites \u2063failing to rest on the seventh day. In \u200dtoday&#8217;s \u200bcontext, the\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whats-going-on-gun-grabbing-leftists-are-suddenly-acting-like-theyre-pro-constitution\/\" title=\"Gun control advocates are now claiming to support the Constitution. What's happening?\">writer posits<\/a> that people either can&#8217;t\u2064 rest due to external \u200cforces akin \u200cto \u200cthe bondage faced by the Israelites or choose not to rest due to a lack of trust in God. This lack\u200b of trust \u200dcan lead to overworking due to dissatisfaction and a refusal to believe in\u200c God&#8217;s provision. These \u200dbehaviors\u2062 reflect\u200c a human tendency\u2062 to seek self-sufficient control over \u200cone&#8217;s \u200clife, resulting in an imbalance of work and rest.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/lifestyle\/\">  Lifestyle &#038; Human Interest <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/theologyofwork\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/theologyofwork\/%20\"><span>Theology of Work Project<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   May 27, 2024 at 9:22am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p><em>This is Part 3 of a six-part series on rest and work. Part 1 can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/created-rest-entering-joyful-communion-god\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, and Part 2 can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commanded-rest-impact-fall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The biblical narrative of work and rest is a rich and somewhat complicated story. Work is intended to be an ennobling partnership with God, and rest is intended to be an invitation to enjoy intimate fellowship with Him.<\/p>\n<p>The Fall makes work difficult and creates a desperate need for people to experience both physical and spiritual rest. But people often find it difficult to rest. The next passage of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/poll-reveals-highest-rate-scripture-disengaged-americans-time-take-discipleship-seriously\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scripture<\/a> will illuminate why that is.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the seventh day some of the people went out to gather [manna], but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, \u2018How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.\u2019 So the people rested on the seventh day\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Exodus+16%3A27%E2%80%9330&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Exodus 16:27\u201330<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>This passage comes immediately after God\u2019s dramatic rescue of Israel from Egypt. Through awesome displays of power and might, God demonstrated His faithfulness to Israel and delivered them from the bondage of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nikki-haley-joins-snl-skit-mock-trump-jokes-controversial-slavery-comments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">slavery<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As they journeyed towards the Promised Land, God continued to provide for all their needs, including food in the form of this unknown substance, manna. He specifically instructed them to collect enough manna for each day, but not more than a day\u2019s need, with the exception of the sixth day when they were commanded to collect enough for two days, so they could rest from work on the Sabbath (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Exo+16%3A4-5&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Exodus 16:4-5<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>God\u2019s instructions were clear: Collect enough food for each day \u2014 no more, no less \u2014 and God will be faithful to provide each day. After experiencing the dramatic and miraculous exodus from Egypt, there should have been no conceivable reason for the Israelites to believe that God wouldn\u2019t provide for their needs. However, there were still some in Israel who went out on the seventh day to gather manna.<\/p>\n<p>Did they simply forget it was the Sabbath? No, the explicit point of God\u2019s instructions was to test whether Israel trusts and obeys: \u201cThen the Lord said to Moses, \u2018Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day\u2019s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not\u2019\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Exo+16%3A4&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Exodus 16:4)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>God recognized the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/owens-cardi-b-is-a-symptom-of-a-sickness-in-our-society\/\" title=\"OWENS: Cardi B Is A Symptom Of A Sickness In Our Society\">deeper problem<\/a> within the hearts of His people \u2014 they did not rest on the Sabbath because their hearts did not trust in God\u2019s provision. Similarly, people today who do not trust God will not be able to allow Him to restore the relationship with Him and with other people that is broken as a result of the Fall.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Do you find it difficult to rest?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>If distrust is one reason people overwork, dissatisfaction is another. The author of Ecclesiastes observed that some people work constantly because neither their work nor the fruits of their labor, nor pleasure brings them satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw vanity under the sun: the case of solitary individuals, one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, \u2018For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?\u2019 This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Ecclesiastes+4%3A7%E2%80%939&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ecclesiastes 4:7\u20139<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>People end up in the \u201cunhappy business\u201d of working to relieve dissatisfaction with their lives, their loss of relationship with God and with people, their fears about not having the things they need, and their inability to find pleasure in anything. But obsessive work only makes people more restless and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/new-study-wokesters-likely-depressed-anxious-unhappy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unhappy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Because refusing to rest on the Sabbath stands in the way of God\u2019s plan to restore the world from the effects of the Fall, it is a very serious offense in the Old Testament.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!\u00a0Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, \u201cWhat is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Nehemiah+13%3A15-18&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nehemiah 13:15-18<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>When God gave Israel the Sabbath, He gave them a bit of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/heaven-better-eden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Garden of Eden<\/a>. So when the people of God reject the Sabbath, it \u201cbrings more wrath on Israel\u201d by subjecting them to the effects of the Fall a second time.<\/p>\n<p>The commandment to rest and the challenges to fulfilling that commandment are not particular to Israel. The struggle is real in modern times as well. Rest is as necessary as ever. It remains the pattern God laid out for people made in His image.<\/p>\n<p>The reasons that people can\u2019t rest today are the same, too. Either people are unable to rest because they are still enslaved by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-rubio-external-forces-seek-to-damage-us-colombia-relationship\/\" title=\"Sen Rubio: 'External Forces' Seek to Damage US-Colombia Relationship\">external forces<\/a>, like Israel was in the land of Egypt, or people choose not to rest because they don\u2019t trust God, like the Israelites in the desert. Christ makes it possible for believers to rest, but still rest remains far from perfect .<\/p>\n<p>Like the enslaved Israelites, many of God\u2019s people today lack basic necessities, even the food and water to survive. The world is so broken by sin that God\u2019s promise of provision is not always fulfilled in this life.<\/p>\n<p>It would be no good news to impose an undue burden on people in dire circumstances by commanding them to take a day off from work when such rest is impossible. The Sabbath is intended to be a liberation for people, not an added burden.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus performed work to relieve people in need on the Sabbath and taught that \u201cthe Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Mark+2%3A27&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mark 2:27<\/a>). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gen-z-counter-culture-shocker-another-jesus-revolution-breaking-college-campuses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christ<\/a> gives people freedom to rest, not an impossible task to fulfill.<\/p>\n<p>God ultimately delivered the Israelites from slavery and into the Promised Land. Jesus, similarly, shows nothing but compassion for those in distress, healing on the Sabbath and explaining that, \u201cWhich one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+12%3A11-12&#038;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matthew 12:11-12<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>So for those people currently enslaved either literally or by economic necessity, there is no rule that will allow anyone to judge them for their Sabbath practices. All Christians would do well, rather, to partner with God in His continuing work of liberating the oppressed.<\/p>\n<p>Other people operate in the rebellious mode that the Israelites adopted in the Sinai desert. Rather than believing that God will provide for their needs each day, these people put it upon themselves to obtain what they think they need.<\/p>\n<p>Many people would rather trust their own actions than trust a God who promises to provide for all the needs of His people yet remains unseen. The deeper problem leading to inability to rest is this lack of trust in God despite His demonstrated love and faithfulness. It\u2019s this refusal to trust God that leads people to forfeit the rest they so desperately need.<\/p>\n<p>Why is rest so difficult? Some people respond: \u201cI feel guilty that I\u2019m not working\u201d, \u201cI\u2019m afraid other people will get ahead\u201d, \u201cI\u2019ll lose my job if I don\u2019t keep working\u201d, \u201cMy coworkers will judge me\u201d, \u201cI won\u2019t get promoted\u201d, \u201cMy company will go under if I don\u2019t work\u201d, \u201cPeople will think I\u2019m lazy\u201d or \u201cSo I won\u2019t feel anxious.\u201d Some would even respond, \u201cI love what I do and enjoy the work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This list can go on and on, and many of these reasons are not necessarily bad ones. There\u2019s nothing wrong with wanting to work hard to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/good-samaritan-brings-cheer-entire-neighborhood-simple-act-kindness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">provide for a family<\/a> or to keep a job, just as there is nothing inherently wrong with working hard to succeed or because it brings satisfaction intrinsically.<\/p>\n<p>God intends work for all these purposes. The problem arises when underlying these good desires is the desire to be god rather than to trust the real God.<\/p>\n<p>When people today have time to rest and yet refuse to obey God\u2019s command, they are doing exactly what the Israelites did in the wilderness. They do not believe that God will provide for their needs. Rather they trust in self-sufficiency, inadvertently stealing God\u2019s job away from Him.<\/p>\n<p>In futile and foolish attempts to be god, people forfeit the grace that God promises. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/blogs\/justin-taylor\/an-analysis-of-one-of-the-greatest-sentences-ever-written\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Saint Augustine<\/a> noted, people\u2019s hearts will remain restless until they find their rest in God.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, people might be making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/christian-mom-warns-idolatry-wickedness-seen-new-taylor-swift-album-cover\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a god<\/a> out of work, seeking to find all of their fulfillment there rather than in God. Underlying what may superficially appear to be a harmless decision to work is actually a rejection of God, His grace, and His revealed character of generosity.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of an individual\u2019s proclivities or economic circumstances, each person should ask himself or herself whether current patterns of work and rest truly reflect God\u2019s generosity and provision. Based on what a person has received by God\u2019s grace so far, it often does not make sense to work so much and to rest so little. Indeed, the self-congratulation many people seek may not be what God wants to provide more of.<\/p>\n<p>In the moment when each person must decide whether to work or to rest, it may help to ask, \u201cIs working now instead of resting actually the way to receive the good that God has in store for me and for others? Does my work have the power to gain for me anything that God would not provide if I rest?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clearly, there will be cases when the answer is \u201cyes,\u201d analogously to when an animal falls into a pit and some immediate work is the only way to bring a good outcome. But for many people, when tempted to imagine there is no choice but to work at the expense of rest, the answer will be \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-loeffler-fires-back-after-ossoff-accuses-her-of-campaigning-with-kkk-member\/\" title=\"Sen. Loeffler Fires Back After Ossoff Accuses Her of Campaigning with KKK Member\">article appeared originally<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theologyofwork.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Theology of Work<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-45832\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/theologyofwork\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-45832\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-45832\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-45832\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>  The Theology of Work Project (TOW) is an independent, international non-profit organization dedicated to researching, writing, and distributing materials with a biblical perspective on non-church workplaces. The Project\u2019s primary mission is to produce resources covering every book of the Bible. We are also developing resources for the most significant topics in today\u2019s workplace, such as calling, ethics, truth &#038; deception, provision &#038; wealth, motivation, finance, and economics and society. Wherever possible, we collaborate with other faith-and-work organizations, churches, universities and seminaries to help equip workplace Christians for meaningful and fruitful work of every kind. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Human Interest &amp; Lifestyle article from Theology of Work Project, published May 27, 2024, is the 3rd out of a 6-part series discussing the balance between work and rest. Tracing the biblical narrative, the narrative of work and rest is dense and complex, showcasing the multidimensional aspect where work is a significant facet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3167,"featured_media":2253827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Woman-struggling-to-work.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2253826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Woman-struggling-to-work.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2253826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2253826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2253826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2253827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2253826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2253826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2253826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}