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Man's first day being a day of rest established a divine principle: God first supplies us with enjoyment, and then we work together with Him (1 Cor. 15:10; 3:9a, 10; 2 Cor. 6:1).
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The principle of the Sabbath applies not only in creation but also in redemption; the result of Christ's work in redemption is Christ Himself as the Sabbath (Eph. 1:6-7; Heb. 1:3; 9:11-12).
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The principal denotation of all the annual feasts is for God's people to enjoy rest with God and with one another (Lev. 23:7-8, 21, 25, 28, 31-32, 35-36, 39):
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Rest is thus the denotation of the seven annual feasts; every annual feast, like the weekly rest, was a rest.
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The weekly rest lays the foundation for God's people to keep the holy feasts with God annually.
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The weekly Sabbath was a complete, solemn rest; this complete rest signifies a genuine and thorough rest with God for God's redeemed people to enjoy with Him and with one another (v. 3).
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This Sabbath, this rest, was "to Jehovah," signifying a rest for God's joy and enjoyment, participated in by His redeemed people (v. 3).
Morning Nourishment
1 Cor. 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me.2 Cor. 6:1 And working together with Him, we also entreat you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
When God saw the man created by Him, He could rest and be refreshed. Man was like a refreshing drink to quench God's thirst and satisfy Him. When God ended His work and began to rest, He had man as His companion. To God, the seventh day was a day of rest and refreshment. However, to man, God's companion, the day of rest and refreshment was the first day. Man's first day was a day of enjoyment. (Life-study of Exodus, p. 1824)
Today's Reading
It is a divine principle that God does not ask us to work until we have had enjoyment. God first supplies us with enjoyment. Then after a full enjoyment with Him and of Him, we may work together with Him. If we do not know how to have enjoyment with God and how to enjoy God Himself, we shall not know how to work with Him. We shall not know how to be one with God in His divine work.Yes, we should work with God and even by God. But according to what the Bible reveals, it is not even sufficient merely to work with God. We need to be one with God in His work. This requires that we enjoy Him. If we do not know how to enjoy God and be filled with God, we shall not know how to work with Him, how to be one with Him in His work. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 1824-1825)
Man's obligation to God is not to work but to enjoy. The obligation of the work has been borne by God already. God's portion is to work and enjoy, but man's portion is simply to enjoy.
However, after the enjoyment there is a further work. After Adam had been created by God, he entered into the Sabbath, the first day to him, to rest and to enjoy. But after that day he began to work, to till the ground (Gen. 2:15). With God, work is first and enjoyment is second. With man, enjoyment is first and work is second. This is the vision of the principle of grace. God did the work and then enjoyed. We enjoy what God has done; then we work.
Not only with creation but also with redemption it is the same. The Lord has accomplished everything for redemption. After the completion of His redemption the Lord enjoyed the result. The Lord worked first and enjoyed later. We, however, enjoy first and work later. Concerning redemption and grace, we have nothing to do. Everything is finished. We simply enter into the Lord's accomplishment and have our rest. To receive the gospel is to enter into the work that the Lord has finished. Take it as the Sabbath, as your rest, and enjoy it with the Lord. But after you enjoy it, you have to bear some obligation to work. After our enjoyment we should offer ourselves to the Lord to do His work. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, "Spiritual Applications of the Tabernacle," p. 72)
The principal denotation of all the annual seasons (feasts) is for God's people to enjoy rest with God and with one another. Rest is thus the denotation of each of the seven annual seasons. Every annual feast, like the weekly rest, was a rest. The weekly rest lays the foundation for God's people to keep the holy feasts with God annually.
The weekly Sabbath was a complete, solemn rest. It was not something light or common but something quite holy, sacred, and important for God's enjoyment and His people's enjoyment. This complete rest signifies a genuine and thorough rest of God and with God for God's redeemed people to enjoy with Him and with one another.
On the Sabbath no one was allowed to do any work. This signifies that man needs to enjoy rest, not to labor....The Sabbath was "to Jehovah" [Lev. 23:3]. This signifies a rest for God's enjoyment, participated in by His redeemed people. In all the convocations, in all the festivals, we are resting before God and with God and one another. (Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 2, pp. 81-82)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, "Spiritual Applications of the Tabernacle," ch. 1