Lack of sleep and exhaustion due to physical overexertion are real problems. More troubling, however, is when we feel that we are running on “emotional empty.” And, of course, when lack of sleep is added to emotional trials, we can become painfully discouraged.

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, must have felt like that often during the last turbulent years of Jerusalem, prior to the chaos, suffering, and havoc that would follow the city’s destruction by the Babylonians.

Read Jeremiah 45:1-5. Write a quick diagnosis of Baruch’s emotional health.

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Can you imagine what it would feel like if God would send a custom-made message to you personally? Baruch received a message straight from God’s throne room ( Jeremiah 45.2-3 represents a good summary of how people feel when they are running on empty.

From all that we know from Scripture about this period, it’s clear that Baruch’s complaints were not superficial wails. He had good reasons to feel discouraged and emotionally worn out. A lot of bad things were happening, and more were to come.

How does God respond to Baruch’s aches and pains? Read  Jeremiah 45.4-5.

God’s response to Baruch’s real pain reminds us of the fact that God’s despair and pain must have been exponentially so much bigger than Baruch’s. He had built Jerusalem; He was about to tear it down; He had planted Israel as a vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7); He was about to uproot it and carry it into exile. This was not what the Lord had wanted for His people, but it had to come because of their rebellion against Him.

But there was light at the end of the tunnel for Baruch. God would preserve Baruch’s life — even in the midst of destruction, exile, and loss.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Rest. The word used most frequently in our Sabbath School Lesson pamphlet this quarter. “Thou shalt rest, Thou shalt rest!” These are words repeated each verse of
Hymn 387 – Come, O Sabbath Day, our theme hymn for this quarter.

Sabbath afternoon’s introduction leaves us with a daunting question that is answered in
Hymn 495 – There Is a Place of Quiet Rest.

This old world is ‘Worn and Weary’ we find in Sunday’s study time. The hymn that helps find an answer is
Hymn 441 – I Saw One Weary because you
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Hymn 290. A further answer is then revealed at the end of this study
Holy Sabbath, Day of Rest – Hymn 381 and
Hymn 390 – We Love Thy Sabbath, Lord.

When we are ‘Running on Empty’ (Monday), we request “Breathe, O breathe, Thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast” from
Hymn 191 – Love Divine. “it soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear” is a wonderful gift because of Jesus –
Hymn 238 – How Sweet the Name! We can then
O Sing, My Soul, Your Maker’s Praise – Hymn 37 where we find Jesus “providing comfort to the weak and grace for each tomorrow”.

The rest of the weeks’ study shows there is a time to say
My Faith Has Found a Resting Place – Hymn 523. It is then a joy to sing
O Day of Rest and Gladness – Hymn 382/383 and
Hymn 391 – Welcome, Welcome, Day of Rest. These hymns are the opposite to poor Cain and his restless wandering.

May you have a blessed week in this, the commencement of the third quarter of 2021.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Read Genesis 2:1-3. Why would God create a rest day before anyone was even tired?

Even before humanity would dash off on our self-imposed stressful lives, God established a marker, a living way to jog our memory. This day would be a time to stop and deliberately enjoy life; a day to be and not to do, a day to especially celebrate the gift of grass, air, wildlife, water, people, and, most of all, the Creator of every good gift.

Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com

This was no one-time invitation that expired with the exile from Eden. God wanted to make sure that the invitation could stand the test of time, and so right from the beginning He knit the Sabbath rest into the very fabric of time. There would always be the invitation, again and again, to a restful celebration of Creation every seventh day.

One would think that with all our labor-saving devices that we should be less physically tired than people were two hundred years ago. But, actually, rest seems to be in short supply even today. Even the moments when we aren’t working are spent in frantic activity. It always seems that we are somehow behind; no matter how much we manage to get done, there is always more to do.

Research shows, too, that we are getting less sleep, and many people are highly dependent on caffeine to keep going. Though we have faster cell phones, faster computers, faster internet connections, we still never seem to have enough time.

What do the following texts teach about why our having rest is important? Mark 6:31, Psalm 4:8, Exodus 23:12, Deuteronomy 5:14, and Matthew 11:28.

The God who created us knew that we would need physical rest. He built cycles into time — night, and Sabbath — to offer us a chance of physical rest. Acknowledging Jesus as the Lord of our lives also involves taking seriously our responsibility to make time to rest. After all, the Sabbath commandment isn’t merely a suggestion. It is a commandment!

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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