Enjoying its Sabbath Rests (2 Chronicles 36:21)

 


Friday, September 13, 2024


Psalm 35:1-17

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

2 John


Observance: Cyprian of Carthage, bishop and martyr (d. 258)


Enjoying its Sabbath Rests (2 Chronicles 36:21)


The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians was no picnic for the locals. We read in various other places, including the Psalms and the Prophets, that it was an occasion of horrific violence and tragedy. Yet here in the conclusion of the Chronicles, it seems like the author and his readers have heard enough of the horrible stuff. And so we get an ending that actually feels loaded with hope, rather than ending with heartbreak. (We also get a hint of where we are going with the title of this series, “The Sword and the Trowel”, with the mention of Cyrus and his return of the exiles – but that is for later.)


One thing that does seem to stick out in this passage is the comment about the land enjoying its Sabbath rest. Remembering that a Sabbath rest is a spiritual rest as much as anything else, we can recognise that there was a lot of spiritual exhaustion that had bled out into the physical realm. Hence, the land itself needed a break.


It makes one realise that wickedness is very exhausting. Conspiring to do evil takes a lot of effort. And to cook up the schemes and plots that Jerusalem’s wicked kings did left the land itself weary. Even with the smattering of good kings, with their observance of festivals and widespread engineering works, the land still needed a breather. God had decided that it would take seventy years worth of Sabbath rests for the land to recover from all that business.


When Jesus had only a few hours to go before his betrayal and execution, he told his disciples that he was leaving them with his peace. Indeed, every Sunday, we finish our worship by remembering that it is the peace of God, a peace which surpasses all human understanding, that guards our hearts and minds. The things of God involve work, yes, but not busyness. God gives us work, but he also gives us rest, and he guards us with his peace. Evil is exhausting; goodness is refreshing.


Are you experience the peace and rest of God? Where could your efforts be redirected so that you can enjoy the peace which God has gifted you? What will you have to hand over to God in faith to look after so that you can enjoy his peace and rest?


God of my peace and rest: give the grace to do the work you have given me in the way you would have me enjoy it, and teach me to leave up to you to do what I cannot.

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