Psalm 95 ~ Rest

Psalm 95

 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

² Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
³ For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
⁵ The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
⁶ O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
⁷ For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
⁸ Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
⁹ When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
¹⁰ Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
¹¹ Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

On the topic of the rest of God, Psalm 95 seems to tie in right along side Hebrews. The hardness of hearts prevents people from entering into the rest of God, a rest that no work, or cessation from work, can mimic. This is a rest of the spirit, of which the Israelite Sabbath rest was only a shadow of, a worthless imitation. They may have had the physical rest as commandment, but yet they did not have the Lord's rest, because they hardened their hearts and rejected the Lord. They may search for rest in this world, but it will never be found apart from Christ.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

That is the promise of the Lord in Matthew 11:28. Not of a physical rest, but a soul-rest, the product of which is joy and peace. A much better rest than can be found on this earth. The Lord is the source of our rest, not the things of this world.  Even in work, we can find rest if we seek it in the Lord.

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. ~Psalm 55:22

We are but frail humanity. We were not meant to bear the burdens and troubles of the world. It is too heavy a weight to bear. Yes, we are called to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ, but we were only meant to bear the spiritual burdens as far as the feet of Jesus. There He will meet us and carry those burdens for us and sustain us with His right hand.

If for no other reason than to teach us of our utter dependence on the Lord, we are sent through trials in this world.

Lord, help me to lean on thee. In my weakness, You are made strong as I yield my proud heart to Your hand. Humble me, search me, and try me, Lord, that YOU may be glorified.