There is something about the speed of modern life that is not conducive to human flourishing. Ben Stuart challenges us with the truth that rest is an act of faith — and that God has woven it into the rhythm of creation. How are you and I supposed to work? God shows us through the rhythms He set for the world and in Sabbath!
Scripture References
he leads me beside quiet waters,
Manna and Quail
1The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the
4Then the
6So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the
9Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the
10While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the
11The
13That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the
17The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
19Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
20However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
21Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23He said to them, “This is what the
24So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the
27Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28Then the
31The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32Moses said, “This is what the
33So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the
34As the
36(An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.