Reference: Rest
American
In Ac 9:31, refers to the respite from persecution enjoyed by the Christians in Palestine, after the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, during the last two years of Caligula's short reign, A. D. 39 and 40, when the Jews were so harassed by the attempts of the emperor to force them to worship him as a god, that they forbore to afflict the followers of Christ.
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Then, indeed, the assemblies throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, had peace, being built up, and, going on in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
Easton
(1.) Gr. katapausis, equivalent to the Hebrew word noah (Heb 4:1).
(2.) Gr. anapausis, "rest from weariness" (Mt 11:28).
(3.) Gr. anesis, "relaxation" (2Th 1:7).
(4.) Gr. sabbatismos, a Sabbath rest, a rest from all work (Heb 4:9; R.V., "sabbath"), a rest like that of God when he had finished the work of creation.
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'Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest,
and to you who are troubled -- rest with us in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with messengers of his power,
We may fear, then, lest a promise being left of entering into His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short,
there doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God,
Fausets
Heb 4:9, "there remaineth a keeping of sabbath (sabbatismos) to the people of God." God's rest ("My rest" Heb 4:3) was a sabbatism, so will ours be; a home for the exile, a mansion for the pilgrim, a sabbath for the workman weary of the world's weekday toil. In time there are many sabbaths, then there shall be one perfect and eternal. The "rest" in Heb 4:8 is katapausis; Hebrew noach, "rest from weariness": as the ark rested on Ararat after its tossings; as Israel, under Joshua, rested from war in Canaan.
Anesis (2Th 1:7), "relaxation from afflictions". Anapausis, "rest," given by Jesus now (Mt 11:28); but the "rest" in Heb 4:9 is the nobler "sabbath rest"; katapausis, literally, "cessation from work finished" (Heb 4:4) as God rested from His (Re 14:13; 16:17). The two ideas combined give the perfect view of the heavenly sabbath: rest from weariness, sorrow, and sin; and rest in the completion of God's new creation (Re 21:5). The renovated creation shall share in it. Nothing will there be to break the sabbath of eternity. The Triune God shall rejoice in the work of His hands (Zep 3:17). The Jews call the future rest "the day which is all sabbath."
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Jehovah thy God is in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing.'
'Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest,
and to you who are troubled -- rest with us in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with messengers of his power,
for we do enter into the rest -- we who did believe, as He said, 'So I sware in My anger, If they shall enter into My rest -- ;' and yet the works were done from the foundation of the world, for He spake in a certain place concerning the seventh day thus: 'And God did rest in the seventh day from all His works;'
for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not concerning another day have spoken after these things; there doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God,
there doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God,
And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, 'Write: Happy are the dead who in the Lord are dying from this time!' 'Yes, (saith the Spirit,) That they may rest from their labours -- and their works do follow them!'
And the seventh messenger did pour out his vial to the air, and there came forth a great voice from the sanctuary of the heaven, from the throne, saying, 'It hath come!'
And He who is sitting upon the throne said, 'Lo, new I make all things; and He saith to me, 'Write, because these words are true and stedfast;'
Hastings
The conception of rest as a gift of God runs through the Bible, the underlying idea being not idleness, but the freedom from anxiety which is the condition of effective work. It is promised to Israel in Canaan (Ex 33:14; De 3:20), and Zion is the resting-place of Jahweh (Ps 132:8,14), the Temple being built by 'a man of rest' (1Ch 22:9; a contrast is implied with the desert wanderings in Nu 10:33-36). At the same time no earthly temple can be the real resting-place of Jahweh (Isa 66:1; Ac 7:49). The rest of the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year are connected with the rest of God after creation (Ge 2:2; Ex 20:11; Le 25:4; see art. Sabbath). The individual desires rest, as did the nation (Ps 55:8); it is not to be found in ignoble ease (Ge 49:15 Issachar), but in the ways of God (Ps 37:7; Jer 6:10); it is the gift of Christ (Mt 11:28). Sinners fail to find it (Isa 28:12; 57:20), as Israel failed (Ps 95:11). Heb 4 develops the meaning of this failure, and points to the 'sabbath rest' still to come. This heavenly rest includes not only freedom from labour, as in OT (Job 3:13,17 [in Ps 16:9, see RV), but also the opportunity of continued work (Re 14:13).
C. W. Emmet.
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and God completeth by the seventh day His work which He hath made, and ceaseth by the seventh day from all His work which He hath made.
And he seeth rest that it is good, And the land that it is pleasant, And he inclineth his shoulder to bear, And is to tribute a servant.
for six days hath Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and resteth in the seventh day; therefore hath Jehovah blessed the Sabbath-day, and doth sanctify it.
and He saith, 'My presence doth go, and I have given rest to thee.'
and in the seventh year a sabbath of rest is to the land, a sabbath to Jehovah; thy field thou dost not sow, and thy vineyard thou dost not prune;
And they journey from the mount of Jehovah a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is journeying before them the journey of three days, to spy out for them a resting-place; and the cloud of Jehovah is on them by day, in their journeying from the camp. read more. And it cometh to pass in the journeying of the ark, that Moses saith, 'Rise, O Jehovah, and Thine enemies are scattered, and those hating Thee flee from Thy presence.' And in its resting he saith, 'Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads, the thousands of Israel.'
till that Jehovah give rest to your brethren like yourselves, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God is giving to them beyond the Jordan, then ye have turned back each to his possession, which I have given to you.
'Lo, a son is born to thee; he is a man of rest, and I have given rest to him from all his enemies round about, for Solomon is his name, and peace and quietness I give unto Israel in his days;
For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept -- then there is rest to me,
There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.
Therefore hath my heart been glad, And my honour doth rejoice, Also my flesh dwelleth confidently:
Be silent for Jehovah, and stay thyself for Him, Do not fret because of him Who is making prosperous his way, Because of a man doing wicked devices.
I hasten escape for myself, From a rushing wind, from a whirlwind.
Where I sware in Mine anger, 'If they come in unto My rest !'
Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou, and the ark of Thy strength,
This is My rest for ever and ever, Here do I sit, for I have desired it.
Unto whom He hath said, 'This is the rest, give ye rest to the weary, And this -- the refreshing:' And they have not been willing to hear,
And the wicked are as the driven out sea, For to rest it is not able, And its waters cast out filth and mire.
Thus said Jehovah: The heavens are My throne, And the earth My footstool, Where is this -- the house that ye build for Me? And where is this -- the place -- My rest?
To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear is uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it.
'Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest,
The heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool; what house will ye build to Me? saith the Lord, or what is the place of My rest?
And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, 'Write: Happy are the dead who in the Lord are dying from this time!' 'Yes, (saith the Spirit,) That they may rest from their labours -- and their works do follow them!'
Morish
The first allusion to rest in scripture is on the part of God after His works of creation. Gen. 2. It may be assumed, therefore, that while the term means cessation from labour, it also covers the idea of complacency in the result of the labour; and this thought probably underlies the institution of the sabbath; for it is clear from Ps. 95 and Heb. 4 that it was in the thought of God that man should enter into His rest. But sin entered into the world by man, with all its baneful consequences; and unless God were to acquiesce in a world of sin and moral woe He must needs work in grace. Hence the word of Christ, "My Father worketh hitherto until now, and I work." Joh 5:17. This untiring activity of God is intimated by various expressions in the O.T. God is again and again described as 'rising up early,' sending His prophets, etc. Eventually Christ came to do the will of His Father, and to finish His work. When the full results of the death of Christ are displayed, and all enemies subdued, then God will again enjoy His sabbath of rest, and His people too will enter into His rest.
The Lord Jesus in His ministry on earth, when recognising the absence of moral effect from His mighty works, and retiring consequently into the service of revealing the Father to the babes, invited those who laboured and were heavy laden to come to Him for rest. Mt 11:28. Those who felt the rejection of Christ here were invited to take His yoke upon them, and learn of Him, who was meek and lowly of heart, and they should find rest unto their souls. Mt 11:29. The soul thus has, outside of circumstances here, a portion unaffected by circumstances, and that satisfies all its longings. On the other hand there is no rest to the wicked, who are like the troubled waves of the sea; and those who bow to the future imperial beast and his image will have no rest from their torments day nor night for ever and ever. Isa 57:20-21; Re 14:11.
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And the wicked are as the driven out sea, For to rest it is not able, And its waters cast out filth and mire. There is no peace, said my God, to the wicked!
'Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest, take up my yoke upon you, and learn from me, because I am meek and humble in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls,
And Jesus answered them, 'My Father till now doth work, and I work;'
and the smoke of their torment doth go up to ages of ages; and they have no rest day and night, who are bowing before the beast and his image, also if any doth receive the mark of his name.