Manna lesson two: the value of rest

In the post above, we saw that work is worthwhile and important in God's eyes. But some people make an idol of their work. We've coined the term "workaholic" to describe people who are so addicted to their work, so driven to achieve success in it, that their lifestyle is damaging to their health, their marriage and their relationship with family. Right from these earliest times (Exodus chapter 16) God wanted His people to keep their lives in balance and to see work in its proper place.

So the second lesson from the manna was about the value of rest. God explained that there would be no manna to gather up on the sabbath, but that the people were to rest and enjoy the provision from the previous day. (This in itself was a miracle, as they'd previously discovered that any manna stored till the following day became full of maggots.) Some people ignored the Lord's instructions and went out to work on the sabbath anyway. To their surprise, they discovered that there was no food waiting for them on the ground that day.

Speaking to Moses about this, God's response to this wilful disobedience of His instructions is a definitive statement on the importance of rest (vs 29): They need to realise that the Sabbath is God's gift to you.

There are people today, perhaps because of the restrictive interpretations of past generations, who see the sabbath as a duty to be accomplished or a list of stifling rules to be obeyed. While it's true that the sabbath principle was important enough to be included later in the ten commandments, we must never lose sight of the fact that it is God's gift to us: our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing are closely linked to our embracing and understanding of this value. Wrong and repressive understandings of sabbath were behind many of Jesus' disagreements with the Pharisees. But a right understanding of this principle will help us live balanced lives that are honouring to God.

So, the way that God provided manna for His people was a vehicle for two important life lessons:

1. the value of work
2. the value of rest

Do we value these two things as much as God does? And are we careful to keep them in balance in our own lives?

Click here and also here to read previous blog posts about sabbath rest.