Isaiah 30:15
For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
Sometime back a labor union offered a bumper sticker that said something like “Labor Unions: The People Who Brought You the Weekend.” With all due respect to labor unions, it should be noted that the Jews are really the People Who Brought Us the Weekend. The idea of a “day of rest” was virtually unknown in antiquity outside of Israel. It was the God of Israel that gave us the Sabbath. And when you think of it, it is a curious thing. God reserves for us a special day, 1/7 of our lives, simply to have a time for resting, goofing off, playing, praying, and not having to be anywhere or do anything besides tell God you love him and let him tell you the same. It’s all terribly impractical and inefficient. And that’s the point. God did not create us out of necessity or efficiency. He creates like an artist and a lover, not an engineer or an economist. So once a week he calls us back to that reality and bids us to worship, goof off, and savor life, lest we start thinking our strength comes from work and efficiency and not from him.
