The Vikings of Scandinavia achieved world-renown in the 8th century.
They were skilled navigators who didn't think twice about leaving their
homes for faraway destinations, and it was they who discovered Iceland,
Greenland, and even Canada, making landfall in Newfoundland!
Initially Viking voyages were peaceful in nature. They generally
traveled from Spring to Fall, trading for gold, silk, spices, and wine.
Unfortunately, peace is so easily forgotten. The Vikings eventually
gained renowned as bloodthirsty barbarians who had no respect for lives.
Why? Because the peaceful trading missions were not enough! In 793 A.D.
they plundered an English monastery, which provided them with unheard
treasures, and motivated them to continue their plunder all over Europe!
Even though the Vikings were considered barbarians, they were
actually quite sophisticated. Who else in Europe in those times washed
themselves at least once a week? At least they were less smelly than
most men in Europe!
God's creative work was also designed with
complete peace and rest in mind: "By the seventh day God had finished
the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his
work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it
he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." (Genesis
2:2-3, NIV2)
Even though man had just been created on the 6th
day, and thus had hardly no time to learn the meaning of the word "work"
(Besides, work in paradise is quite different from the stressful work we
know nowadays!), man's first day on Earth was spent in a day of rest
with His Maker.
Interestingly enough, unlike the first 6 days
where "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was
evening, and there was morning-the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31, NIV2),
there is no mention of any evening nor morning during this day of
Sabbath rest. Is it possible that God had planned for us a restful
"repose" (French for "rested", "completely relaxed") from that day
onward? This wouldn't surprise me at all, for God has fore-planned a
restful "repose" for us for eternity, once we reach heaven.
That
kind of rest is available even today. Jesus is truly our rest (See Matt
11:28). The only problem is that we often get in the way. We like to be
in control, and as long as we hold on to the reins, rest will be no more
than an unattainable vapor. It is often too late when we realize that we
are the most vulnerable when we are "in charge". But something happens
when we declare and fully endorse that Jesus is our Lord: We find
ourselves relieved from our burdens and our worries!
Speaking of
worries, the Viking problem was quite heavy on the minds of Europeans.
Plunder, rape and utter destruction is never fun. Our worries in our day
and age aren't exactly a "cup of tea" either. Why is depression on the
rise? Don't we all hunger for peaceful rest, for the removal of these
burdens that seem like boulders ready to squash us out of existence?
In Eden, worry was non-existent. God took care of all of His
creation. Unfortunately this peaceful and restful time was interrupted
when our original parents decided that their plans seemed much more
attractive than God's. Their ultimate rest was interrupted, and shame,
suffering and worry replaced what they once experienced as idyllic
"repose".
"He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was
afraid because I was naked; so I hid.'" (Genesis 3:10, NIV2)
That
day worry was born on planet Earth, and it is to remain as long as man
holds on to control. Did you notice that in Adam's response, he is no
longer referring to God, but he stresses the "I hid", and "I was
afraid"? We become estranged from the One we truly can give restful
repose when we insist on our own agenda.
God though didn't leave
Adam and Eve utterly hopeless. He gave humanity a promise of rest
restored when He declared: "And I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and
you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15, NIV2)
We will explore
that promise in the light of restful "repose", and we will explore how
to claim it even today. God's provisions are out of this world!
Oh no! Vikings ahead!
We have other options than anxiety and
worry. Discover God's wonderful promise of real rest! Even Vikings are
no match for God!
Rob Chaffart
The Day Worries were Born. Restful Repose, Introduction
Today's Bible Verse:
"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so
on the seventh day he rested from all his work." (Genesis 2:2)
The Day Worries were Born. Restful Repose, Introduction
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