God knows the abilities and limitations of the human body and of animal bodies, for He created them.

Therefore, He told Israel,

“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed” (Exodus 23.12).

Even those who seem to work endlessly, still take time to rest, for they eventually fall asleep, usually everyday.

With Israel, the Lord wanted them to take a whole day off every week! They took the day off to rest, and from that the text reveals, that they could then be refreshed, as the body gathers itself back together again, and it would also be a time for reflecting on the things of the spirit.

While we cannot find in the New Testament, the Lord commanding Christians to rest on the seventh day, yet, we know from our own experience that we need it.

Since the church does not live in a society as Israel did, that was built entirely around the teaching of Scripture, but the church goes out into all the nations, the Lord has not told us to keep such a day.

However, be sure to take time, daily and weekly, to cease the work of your body and to focus on the spirit.