When God gave the Ten Commandments, and it came to Sabbath rest, his message was clear: If creation didn’t crash when I rested, it won’t crash when you do! You know, we need to rest. For a field to bear fruit, it must occasionally lie fallow. And for you to be healthy, you must rest.
When David says in the twenty-third Psalm, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures,” he’s saying, “My shepherd makes me lie down in his finished work.” With his own pierced hands, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. He pried loose the huge boulders of sin. In their place he planted seeds of grace and dug ponds of mercy.
Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when the work is completed, and he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass? Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same?
