【双语灵修】神赐的安息THE GIFT OF REST

利未记 23:1-3

耶和华对摩西说： “你晓谕以色列人说：耶和华的节期，你们要宣告为圣会的节期。

“六日要做工，第七日是圣安息日，当有圣会，你们什么工都不可做。这是在你们一切的住处向耶和华守的安息日。

星期一

十一月十七日

神赐的安息

“‘你们什么工都不可做，这是在你们一切的住处向耶和华守的安息日。’” - 利 23:3

我们的文化倾向视忙碌为荣誉徽章。我们超时工作；尽力同时兼顾家庭、教会和学校的责任；就是旅游渡假时，我们也在继续工作。当有人问候我们时，虽然已经筋疲力竭，我们仍然骄傲地感叹：“我很忙啊！”我们需要扪心自问：“我们这样做，是否只想做给人看，想被人重视，确定自己的价值呢？”

利未记23章开始讲述，神吩咐祂的子民当守什么节期和庆典。这些事件为神子民的生活提供了节奏和架构，每周的安息日就是第一个节期。在每一个第七天，百姓要放下他们的工作好好休息。正如出埃及记20:8-11所说的，休息提醒以色列民，维系这个世界的是神，而不是靠他们的努力；申命记5:12-15又清楚指出，救恩是神所赐的，而不是他们劳苦得来的。

在今天，大多数基督徒都守星期日为休息和敬拜的日子。为甚么呢？因为在一星期的第一天，复活的耶稣赐给我们的安息，胜过在利未记时代以色列民得到的安息。耶稣的死和复活，意味着完全顺服的大功已经完成，祂已经把我们心灵渴望得到的安息赐给我们了。现今在耶稣里，我们已得释放，再不用不停工作来尝试争取自己的价值，又不必以为世界的重担是由我们肩负的了。

你感到劳苦担重担吗？耶稣邀请你在祂那里找到安息。在这个星期，拨出时间来享受慈爱的神赐给我们的安息和敬拜吧。

祷告

主啊，祢邀请我们在祢里面寻找唯一能真正满足我们心灵的安息。求祢帮助我们去享受祢为我们提供的安息。阿们。

Leviticus 23:1-3

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17

THE GIFT OF REST

“You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD.” —Leviticus 23:3

Our culture tends to wear busyness like a badge of honor. We work long hours; we juggle family, church, and school responsibilities; and we take our work with us when we go on vacation. When people ask us how we’re doing, though exhausted, we take pride in sighing, “Busy!” We need to ask, “Are we doing all this just to be seen, valued, and affirmed?”

Leviticus 23 opens a section about feasts and festivals that God called his people to observe. These events created a sense of rhythm and structure for God’s people, and the first of these was the weekly Sabbath. Every seven days, the people were to set their work aside and rest. As noted in Exodus 20:8-11, resting reminded Israel that God, not their labor, sustained the world, and Deuteronomy 5:12-15 made clear that God, not their labor, was their salvation.

Today most Christians observe Sunday as their day of rest and worship. Why? Because Jesus, who rose on the first day of the week, gives us a greater rest than the people of Israel had in the time of Leviticus. Jesus’ death and resurrection mean that the work of perfect obedience has been completed; he has provided the rest that our souls long for. In Jesus we are free from the relentless work of trying to earn our worth and to live as if we bear the weight of the world on our shoulders.

Are you weary and burdened? Jesus invites you to find rest in him. Set aside time this week to enjoy the rest and worship that God graciously gives us.

Lord, you invite us to find in you the only true rest that can satisfy our souls. Help us to enjoy the rest you provide. Amen.