"He makes me lie down in green pastures" (Psalm 23:2).
Physical rest is essential, but spiritual rest is even more important. The Israelites refused the spiritual rest that God offered. They ignored His promise of eternal rest. The prophet Isaiah scolds Israel for their pseudo-rests and directs their attention to the perfect rest God provided for them in the coming Messiah, who we now know as Jesus Christ, the "precious cornerstone" (Is. 28:16).
Like the Israelites, we find false rest in the wrong places. We may feel temporarily refreshed (in body and mind) if we quench our sinful thirst with earthly pleasures, but that rest is deceiving, and eventually leads to despair.
Sometime we refresh ourselves in body and mind through things that are not sinful, e.g. reading a book, watching the Olympics, hunting, fishing, hobbies. These are good things that a person needs, as long as we keep them in perspective and balance.
However, the perfect rest is given to us through the cross of Jesus Christ. This is the only rest that renews our souls. In the cross we find God's reconciliation with us, forgiveness, soul and faith strength, and our eternal rest.
When King David begins the list of what the Lord provides in this Psalm, he starts with green pastures.. What a serene picture of "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding." (Phil. 4:7).
In this perfect rest, we rest in His arms. When we are weary, we are thankful to rest in Jesus.
-Dale
