Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

world."providences"place"everything that he had made, and, behold, it wasgood."veryGod's works, however, include not only creation but providence, His preserving and controllingHis creation every moment toward the fulfillmentof His eternal plan. Although the work ofcreatingthe world is finished, God is still working by Hisprovidential acts to bring to pass His eternal plan inhistory.If God is still working providentially, in whatsense could God ever be at rest? God enjoyed Hissabbath rest because He saw His eternal unchangeable plan fulfilled, and all His works finished. Godcould look down the corridor of time and see His entire plan carried out to its completion. He does notneed to wait until the end of history to see how itwill turn out. His unchangeable plan was settled forever in eternity. That this is the real significance ofthe sabbath rest is proved by Hebrews 4:3, whichtells us that "the works were established from thefoundation of the Thus, as a reminder ofGod's rest, the Sabbath day is virtually a reminder ofGod's eternal unchangeable plan.Miss Viola Cameron, in a splendid little volumeentitled God's Plan and Man's Destiny, teaches thistruth in a striking way. She states that in givingman the Sabbath to keep in Paradise, God was askingman to resign his will to God's will, to God's eternalplan. That was what Adam in the garden was unwilling to do. Instead of submitting to God's plan,Adam took the course of his life out of God's handsto determine the future for himself. He failed therefore to enter into God's rest. "He did not resign hiswill to God's will, and therefore he procured for himself the labor of planning for himself, independentof God's guidance, that labor which always followslack of trust in God's word and God's(p. 161).God will not give His rest to the unbelieving,who are unwilling to resign their will to God's willand rest in His plan. Hence we read in Revelation14:11 of those in hell that "they have no restnight"daynor; but those who die in the Lord "do restthem"from their labors, and their works do follow(Rev. 14:13).Thus, every week we are reminded by the returnof the Sabbath that we may enter into God's restonly through resignation to God's will. Since man'seternal destiny is appointed by God's eternal plan,we must rest in complete faith in God's plan.f'fi * % %Man's Faith in Accepting God's Will Brings RestGod's plan is fulfilled in the course of humanhistory. Part of that plan was fulfilled in Israel's history, through His providential preserving and guiding of His people in bringing them into Canaan.Their entrance into Canaan was a necessary part ofthe plan which God had laid in eternity for the redemption of the world.Israel, however, was unwilling to submit toGod's plan. During their sojourn in the wildernessthey continually disobeyed God and, because of suchunbelief God would not allow them to enter Canaan.Canaan was the rest which God had provided for Hispeople, but God swore in His wrath that this generation should not enter into His rest. Accordingly,during the long sojourn in the wilderness they hadno rest, but were constantly on the move, wanderingabout from place to place. Canaan, on the other hand,was to be their permanent abode where theywouldsettle down and find rest from their weary wanderings. That Canaan was to be a rest for the people ofGod is clearly stated by Joshua as he addresses thepeople just before they entered Canaan: "Rememberthe word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you saying, The Lord your God hath givenyou rest, and hath given you this land" (Joshua 1:13).If Israel was to enter the rest of Canaan, itmust be by relying on God's plan, by depending onHis works which they saw forty years in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:9), and by faith in the promiseland"made to Abraham : "To thy seed will I give this(Genesis 12:7).Once again the truth is clearly taught that reliance on God is the necessary condition for enteringinto God's rest. If we are to receive His promises,we must rely on His plan and work of redemption.* * * *God's Promised Eternal RestCanaan, however, was only a partial fulfillmentand was not the finalplace of God's gracious purposes. There isof God's promised redemption,restinganother rest in store for the people of God, an eternalrest, of which Canaan is an earthly sample. Just asJoshua led God's people of old into the rest of Canaan, so Jesus leads God's people into the eternalrest which lies in the future. The name "Joshua," incidentally, is the Hebrew form of the name "Jesus."Both names mean "Saviour." The name "Jesus" inHebrews 4:8 refers to Joshua, who led God's peopleinto Canaan.Canaan was not the final rest for God's people,but only a figure of the rest of eternity which lies inthe future. This is proved by the fact that, after theywere settled in Canaan, David in the 95th Psalm,spoke of another day of Sabbath rest. Canaan, therefore, is not the fulfillment of the type of God's restfollowing His work of creation. Canaan is only a partof the fulfillment of God's plan. It was only a "lodgingin the plan of redemption. There is another Sabbath rest reserved for the future, whenGod's plan shall be complete and all His works ofprovidence and redemption shall be finished.God's resting on the Sabbath following His workon the six days of creation is a type of the course ofhuman history. There is to be an age-long history oftoil and effort, followed by an eternal Sabbath ofrest for the people of God. History is the fulfillmentof God's eternal plan. When this plan is completelycarried out, at the end of history, and all God's worksarefinished, then will begin the eternal Sabbathrest for the People of God. Human history is not aimless or meaningless ; it proceeds toward a goal. Everyweek we are reminded by the return of the Sabbaththat human life has eternity for its goal. Everyweek the Sabbath reminds us that human historywill have a consummation ; that there will be an endof the world, followed by eternity.The Sabbath is not a thing of the past, but hasreal meaning today, and points ahead to the future.True Sabbath keeping is evidence of the believer'srest in God's plan, of his faith that one day God'splan will be fulfilled and His works finished, and thepeople of God will enter into His rest, that is, theyNovember 9, 1955309