The Quest for Rest II
In the previous post, we examined the rest motif as it pertains to the weekly Sabbath. In this post, we will move to the second way in which the rest motif appears in the Old Testament: Promised Land rest. In Scripture, the concept of rest is not merely temporal but also spatial. In the creation narrative, God gives Adam and Eve not only the Sabbath Day, but also the Garden of Eden. Thus, rest is not only a time, but also a place.
In the Old Testament, we most clearly see the spatial dimension of rest in the inheritance of the Promised Land. Just before the Israelites inherit the Promised Land. Moses tells them: 8 “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, 9 for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety…” (Deuteronomy 12:8-10). Here, the rest motif is applied to Israel’s inheritance, the Promised Land. Moreover, the book of Joshua repeatedly refers to the Promised Land as God’s and the people’s rest (Joshua 1:13, 15, 21:44, 22:4, 23:1).
In the context of Deuteronomy 12, God has freed his people from slavery in Egypt and has given them the Law by which to live. His people, however, sinned against him, so he does not allow that generation to inherit the land. He raises up the next generation and appoints Joshua to lead them into their inheritance. Moses prophesies about this entrance into the land through Joshua (Deuteronomy 12:10). In doing so, he gives us three characteristics of Promised Land rest.
First, Promised Land rest means inheritance. Moses says: “for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.” As such, Moses equates Israel’s inheritance with the idea of rest. Importantly, God’s people never had a permanent home before this inheritance; they were nomads, ‘strangers in a strange land’ (Exodus 2:22). They were also slaves, toiling for the Pharaoh, in a land not their own. At long last, they would experience rest in their own home. Like all of us, the Israelites longed for a home, a place to live, to love, and to enjoy the fruit of their labour. This home, this inheritance, this Promised Land would become a place of rest for God and his people.
Second, Promised Land rest means that God defeats all his and his people’s enemies. Moses says that God will give his people “rest from all [their] enemies around.” A home is not a place of rest if it is constantly under threat. Where there is no peace, there is no rest. Thus, God defeats his enemies to give his people Promised Land rest. In Joshua’s day, God’s and his people’s enemies were the Canaanites. To bring his people rest, God calls and empowers Joshua to lead the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan. When God’s enemies are conquered on every side, God’s people can enter their rest.
Third, Promised Land rest means safety and security. Moses defines God’s purpose in giving his people rest: “so that [they] live in safety.” When there is the likelihood of violence or harm, rest is impossible. Dangers, real or imagined, threaten our peace of mind, and rob us of our rest. Therefore, God promises to bring safety and security to his people as part of his provision for Promised Land rest.
God makes good on his promise. He brings victory to the Israelites, and they inherit the Promised Land. But sadly, this rest was not to last. Soon, a new enemy would arise to threaten the Israelites’ security and inheritance. As the book of Judges makes clear, God’s people began to sin against him soon after they entered the Promised Land. God continuously called his people to repentance through his servants, the prophets, but the Israelites would not listen. While there are bright spots, sin and rebellion characterized the time of the Judges and monarchs. Finally, God had enough with his people’s sin and brought them to judgment. He allowed the Babylonian armies to overtake the Promised Land and to take his people to exile resulting in the loss of their inheritance, their security, their rest (2 Kings 24). Once again, God’s people found themselves as slaves and strangers in a strange land (see especially Psalm 137).
But this loss of the Promised Land did not surprise God. He revealed to his prophets that there would be a renewed and greater Promised Land, a new heavens and new earth where his people would enjoy safety and peace forever (Isaiah 65:17-25). In this place, the wolf would lie down with the lamb and the lion would eat straw like the ox (Isaiah 11:6-7). In this new creation, this new Promised Land, God’s enemies would be so defeated that an innocent, powerless child could play with a venomous snake and not be harmed (Isaiah 11:8). Indeed, in this new home, the earth would be filled with God’s knowledge as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
But how would the fulfilment of these promises be brought about? Joshua could not bring about a lasting and ultimate rest (Hebrews 4:8). Thus, God speaks of a new Joshua, a new conqueror who would sit at God’s right hand until he makes his enemies a footstool under his feet (Psalm 110:1). In doing so, this greater Joshua would bring eternal security and an everlasting inheritance to God’s people. In other words, this greater Joshua would bring about the fulfilment of Promised Land rest. From exile, the faithful among God’s people waited for, prayed for, longed for the day of his arrival. Before long, that day would come.
