What Is The Sabbath / Does It Matter? - Part 2

What does it means to enjoy the Experience of Rest?

So this question leads into what we just learned. What does the bible mean when it says that God enjoyed the experience of rest? The word “newach” is used many many times in the Old Testament. One of those verses is found in 1 Chronicles 22:9, where we are told that God promised David a son. The word “newach” here is linked with the idea of peace, tranquility, and stillness after all the enemies of Israel have been defeated. Another one is found in Proverbs 29:17, “Correct your son, and he will give you rest (Newach); Yes, he will give you delight to your soul”.  In this verse the idea of rest is linked with delight. In Zephaniah 3:17 we are told how God will delight in His people when they dwell safely in their land. “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save, He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you (newach; give you rest) with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing”. Once again “newach” is connected with rejoicing, gladness, and singing. The last example I will share is found in Esther 9:17-18. This passage describes a time when God’s people had been delivered from their enemies. Haman had wanted to destroy all the Jews, but Esther had interceded, and God’s people were delivered. And it says in that verse that God’s people had rest, or “newach”. It is using the same word as was used in Exodus 20:11. The book of Esther tells us that, on this occasion, not only did God’s people have rest, but they also celebrated that day with feasting and gladness.

So in other words, “newach” was an experience of feasting and gladness. They were resting from the destruction their enemies intended to execute on them. So the word “nephash” means that God took a deep breath after creation in the contemplation of His work, and the word “newach” means that He experienced rest, tranquility, joy, and gladness. As Job 38:7 says that all of heaven rejoiced when God created this planet Earth. That the stars of heaven and the sons of God rejoiced in the work that God created. Meaning that it was a joyous rest in meditation and contemplation of the great work that God had done. And God took the seventh day simply to step back and look at the work that He had done, to meditate on it, and to enjoy it with gladness and feasting.