Ep 565 – Joshua 18:1-10

There’s a familiar saying: No rest for the weary. It attempts to convey the truism that those who work hard often find themselves never finished with their efforts. Their weariness is, more often than not, met with additional work rather than rest. Their job never seems to be completed. But in the Bible, rest is a common theme. After six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day. And He established the seventh day of the week as a sabbath, a day of rest for His people. God had also promised to bring the people of Israel into their rest, by leading them into the land He had promised to give to Abraham. There they would enjoy rest, not a cessation from work or effort, but an end to their years of slavery, wanderings, and nomadic lifestyle. They would come into their own, a land provided for them by God. And in Joshua 18:1-10, Joshua encourages the people by setting up the tabernacle of God in a place called Shiloh, which means, “place of rest.” The tabernacle, representing God’s abiding presence was to bring comfort and peace to His people as they continued their work of possessing the land He had given them. Their work was far from done, but they could rest in God’s presence and power.