There are many books today that discuss sabbath rest. Maybe you’ve read some of them?
- “The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man” by Abraham Joshua Heschel
- “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World” by John Mark Comer
- Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World by A.J. Swoboda
- Soul Rest: Reclaim Your Life, Return to Sabbath by Curtis Zackery
- “Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives” by Wayne Muller
- “The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath” by Mark Buchanan
- “Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now” by Walter Brueggemann
- “Sabbath: The Once and Future Practice” by Bruce Feiler
- “The Power of the Sabbath” by Dr. Ernest Gentile
- “The Gift of Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives” by Lynne M. Baab
Most of these books discuss the historical, cultural, and spiritual significance of the seventh-day sabbath and offer suggestions for incorporating this practice into modern life. They offer a variety of perspectives, from religious to psychological, on the benefits of taking time to rest and rejuvenate on a regular basis.
But today’s concept of biblical rest… isn’t working. Our numerous discussions about “which day” and “how” the seventh-day sabbath should be observed have distracted, confused, and caused apathy within an entire generation of believers. But biblical rest is dramatically different than most suppose. The Bible’s ancient context describes how an original reader would have understood the concept. And a the New Testament suggests humanity’s rest concerns a yoke which is an instrument of work.
But there is a new book on the topic of rest and it’s the only one that incorporates the Ancient Near-Eastern (ANE) understanding of “rest” into our modern day practices. That’s what I’ve done in my book, “Rethinking Rest: Why Our Approach to Sabbath Isn’t Working.” It’s a fresh perspective on a well worn topic.
”Hall provides a wonderful exploration of a question at the heart of the biblical story—what does it look like for the world, and humanity, to be at rest?”
– Jon Collins, Co-Founder, BibleProject
Have you abandoned the sabbath? Do you feel disenfranchised with the practices of the modern Church? Are you willing to rethink what you thought you already knew? “Rethinking Rest: Why Our Approach to Sabbath Isn’t Working” will challenge you to expand your scope and reengage the topic in new ways. Its simple practicality is a breath of fresh air for what has become a stagnant discussion along party lines.
The Bible seems to present faith more like a dimmer switch. You know… the light switches some of us have in our homes that allow us to regulate, on a sliding scale, the amount of light in a room.