sabbath.

"Six days you shall gather it, and on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none then." -exodus 16:26.

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"The Sabbath - the word means "cessation time" - has not yet been enjoined in the Ten Commandments, but it is assumed by the story (with the Creation story behind it) to be part of the very structure of nature. Thus, the double portion of manna gathered on the sixth day is preserved through the seventh, and no manna is to be found on the seventh day." -commentary, robert alter.

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I have been reflecting upon this passage all week.

The idea that God did not merely command that we rest each week, but that he sewed the need for that rest into the very fabric of our natures, is fascinating to me.

This concept, if true, implies then that when we do not take time to cease from our constant movement to worship the Lord with stillness, we are not being our true selves.

That without rest, we are missing out on a key and central thread to the pattern of our souls.

Even God Himself, the Complete and fully Satisfied One, rested on the seventh day, so who are we to think that our small and vulnerable selves do not need to do the same?

God is a caretaker. He does not command in order to remind us of His power - He does so for our good.

Which means we can assume that this thing called the Sabbath, when obeyed and lived out in true worship before the Father, will usher into our hearts a fund of grace so vibrant and full as to be incomprehensible.

Be still.

Be quiet.

Cease.

And in this way, worship and bless and show trust for the One who made you.