The Israelites were thirsty and upset. They had been walking through the desert, without any water in sight. So they complained. And who could blame them? But when God looked back on that moment, He said: “They shall not enter my rest.”
Why would God say that about desperate, thirsty people? And what does it mean for you when you’re running on empty?
That’s what we’ll look at today. We’ll also go to Psalm 23, where I’ll show you a hidden link to those thirsty Israelites. And I’ll tell you how God once showed me my email inbox in a dream, at a time when I was pushing myself far beyond what He asked of me.
Welcome to Part 4 of Biblical Rest. So far we’ve seen the different ways in which we get tired, that resting in God means resting from works through faith in Christ, and how the enemy burdens us and wears us out. Today: how the Shepherd leads us to rest.
Watch or read the episode below:
Why exhaustion makes us grumble
When we are tired, we often become cranky, short-tempered, more emotional, and more negative. It’s similar to becoming “hangry.” We need energy fast, and we are looking for the shortest path to that energy resource. Everything else needs to move out of the way. With mental fatigue, something similar happens. Anything requiring additional energy is one thing too much. So, when someone demands something of us while we have nothing left to give, this can cause panic attacks, sadness, anger, avoidance, and so on. Anything to create distance between us and the person or situation that requires more than we can humanly handle. When I see this happening, I read it as a sign that someone has already ignored several boundaries to get to this level of fatigue. When this seems to be a pattern, this is something to tackle through, for example, coaching or therapy.
But although fatigue is a reason for our emotional response, it’s not an excuse to behave badly. We only have to read the story of Esau and Jacob to see what can happen when we make our exhaustion the lord of our lives. In his exhaustion, Esau sold his birthright in exchange for a bowl of lentil stew (Genesis 25:29-34). He lived for his flesh, and this sin cost him dearly.
There is another example in the Bible, one that immediately relates to missing out on God’s rest:
Why Israel never entered God’s rest
A large chunk of what we discussed in other episodes came from Hebrews 4. But when we dig a little deeper, we find that Hebrews 4 also quotes Psalm 95. There, David wrote, “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.’ Therefore I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” (Psalm 95:7-11, ESV). The Hebrew word used for “My rest” is menuchati (מְנוּחָתִֽי). But we’ll get back to that later.
You may remember that at Meribah the people quarreled and complained because they had no water (Exodus 17:1-7). In their thirst, they angrily grumbled against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt. Because they only saw the dry land, their trust and hope disappeared. This didn’t just happen once; it seemed to be a pattern (Numbers 20:2-13, 21:5). Even though God had proven Himself faithful before, this time, even Moses’s faith was shaky, as he struck the rock twice instead of following God’s orders and speaking to the rock. The first time they were in this very situation, he had to strike a rock, once. But that was not God’s assignment this time: He was doing a new thing, teaching them a new lesson.
I can’t prove it, but I imagine that Moses hit the rock once, like he did before, then nothing happened, and so he hit it a second time. God, by His mercy, still gave them water. Even though, instead of trusting in God and doing it exactly as He commanded, Moses followed his own plan. On top of that, he pointed to himself and Aaron and failed to give God glory when he said, “Shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10b, emphasis added). We can’t know how he meant that comment, but Psalm 106 describes it as speaking rashly with his lips (Psalm 106:32-33). So, in his disobedience, he didn’t treat God as holy (Numbers 20:12, 27:14; Deuteronomy 32:48-52). As a result, he didn’t make it into the Promised Land, where he would have found rest. So, in part, the people’s unrest cost Moses his rest.
So why did God tell a thirsty people that they wouldn’t enter God’s rest? Not because they were tired or thirsty; He gave them water. It was because they refused to have faith in Him.
This story demonstrates that we block ourselves from experiencing rest when we:
- Are in a state of faithless grumbling, quarreling, and complaining.
- Focus on the problems we see, rather than on God’s sovereign ability to solve them.
- And don’t listen to God’s commands carefully.
In the previous episodes, we already saw that the key to rest is faith. And that having a relationship with God is foundational to walking in His will. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, ESV). We do His will and follow Him out of love for Him.
But these people constantly wanted to see proof that God was present and able to fulfill their needs. So, they didn’t trust that God would and could provide, and became negative and irritable. The solution to their needs was right there in God, but all they saw was their problem: there is no water.
When our problems become so big that God doesn’t fit into the picture anymore, how can we listen to His guidance? How can we follow Him and find rest?
Living Water: the rest you can’t force
You may know that the water flowing from the rock in this event symbolizes the Holy Spirit. God provides us with Living Water, since He is alive and provides eternal life, so that we never have to thirst again (John 4:10-14; 7:37-39). It’s this Living Water that quiets our soul, that gives us peace and joy from the inside out (Revelation 7:17). It’s this Living Water that enables us to give beyond our human strength, as it becomes a spring in us that continues to well up (John 4:14). It’s this Living Water that enabled Jesus to resist the devil when He was tempted in the wilderness after forty days of fasting so that He returned recharged and empowered (Luke 4:1-14).
This also explains why Moses had to hit the rock in Exodus and speak to it in Numbers. The first symbolizes Jesus being struck for us, so that He could give us His Spirit (1 Corinthians 10:4). But He only had to die once to pay for our sins in full (Hebrews 10:10). Now we speak to Jesus to obtain Living Water. That is why striking the rock twice didn’t fit God’s plan and didn’t honor the holy, eternal sacrifice He would become.
Now, if we want Living Water, we ask in faith, and God grants it to us in His own time, in His own way. That brings Him glory. We can’t take it by force. If we want it our way in our time, we act like the boss of the Holy Spirit, as if we can decide when and where He acts.
That is why negative thinking, complaining, and quarreling can be symptoms of a deeper issue: that we are not resting in God through faith, but impatiently want things our way and in our time. Like little children who want candy and throw a tantrum to get it. But our Father in heaven has the bigger picture, the wisdom, the power, and the goodness to do things exactly right, at exactly the right moment.
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What Psalm 23 teaches about rest
The Psalm we just looked at points out that “we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” This is interesting because the Bible often compares us to sheep, and this comparison holds a key that helps us understand resting in God. Let’s go to Psalm 23 to find that key.
Many Christians know Psalm 23 by heart. Let’s read it together. 1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (ESV)
This Psalm is an amazing picture of what it means to remain in God’s rest. Jesus is our Good Shepherd: He laid down His life for us because He loves us (John 10:11-15). That means that He protects us no matter what. Let’s look at how the Holy Spirit explains this through David verse by verse:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want
Verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”: Being part of God’s flock, His people, means that we won’t have to lack anything we need. We have no reason to worry about anything, and the following verses explain why.
He makes me lie down in green pastures
Verse 2: “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” The Hebrew here reads: waters of resting. And although Hebrew has more than one word for rest, this verse uses the same word, menuchah, we saw in Psalm 95, where God referred to His rest. This is an important hint to understand the meaning of God’s rest. Because the rest the Israelites missed is the same rest which He leads you to.
The pastures He makes us lie down in are lush and green, perfect for His sheep to graze in and be re-energized from the long journey. The waters of rest connect back to the life- and peace-providing Living Water. Where God leads us, there is enough. There is no need to leave the flock and go searching for something already given. There is also no need to run ahead. A shepherd leads his sheep instead of driving them. That’s why our Good Shepherd is nothing like the slave-driver satan, who beats people to make them work harder and move faster. We looked at this in the previous episode. No, the Good Shepherd walks before us and gently leads and encourages us (John 10:4, 27). He keeps an eye on the needs of His flock, and so we can ask our Father for anything within His will; He already knows we need it (Matthew 6:8). There’s no need for striving or toiling. The only requirement: following the lead of the God we trust.
He restores my soul
When we follow Him, we will lack nothing to be fruitful, including restoration. Because the next verse says: “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” I believe these two sentences are inseparable: restoration of our thoughts and feelings happens through aligning them with the Truth of God’s Word. And for that, we need righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). Jesus is close to those with a contrite heart, who acknowledge their own brokenness, and He revives them (Isaiah 57:15, 66:2). He sees those who cannot lean on their own strength, who are humble, who know that they need God to be whole. The Good Shepherd lifts them up. He carries all who are wounded, weakened, or exhausted. Shepherds don’t push their sheep to go where they know they can’t follow. If the green pastures are in a hard-to-reach area, they will carry those who can’t make it there alone. Isaiah 40:11 says: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (ESV).
When I was recovering from surgery, I constantly worried about my ministry. I pushed myself harder to do work, afraid to leave my readers waiting. Each time I tried, I struggled with anxiety, severe brain fog, extreme tiredness, and physical pain. By pushing myself, I set myself back in the recovery process. God kept telling me to take it easy, but I found it super hard to obey, and discussed my worries with Him. One thing I worried about specifically was that I would have an enormous pile of emails waiting for me; that gave me so much anxiety that I didn’t even dare to look.
Then one day, He gave me a dream. In that dream, I saw my inbox and saw that it contained a long list of promotional emails. There was one email from a man with a specific name, and I was told that this was a follow-up email to another promotional email. I didn’t have to worry; God had me covered.
When I opened my inbox some time later, it looked exactly like my dream. Even the name of that man was there, and it was indeed a follow-up email to a promotional email sent by a colleague earlier that week, just as I was told. I was astonished. But that situation reminded me: God never pushes the wounded to do what they cannot do; instead, He helps them, carries them, and protects them. We push ourselves when we allow the enemy to drive us where God didn’t ask us to go.
Even though I walk through the valley
Verse 4 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” While we follow the Shepherd towards the green pastures, we also face challenges. There will be nightfall with dangerous predators lurking in the dark. There will be wolves that want to deceive and attack us in broad daylight. We may have to endure uncomfortable storms. There may be long stretches of dry land we have to cross before we reach the lush pastures to lie down in.
All of those trials don’t mean we have done something wrong. In those valleys, our faith is tested. If we stop listening to the Shepherd and go our own way, we will stumble and fall. At best, that leaves us wounded, at worst we die. But as long as we listen to Him, we have nothing to fear, even in the face of evil. Because a good shepherd protects his flock with his own life. That’s what Jesus did for us. And now His power and His Name will protect us, shield us even against the most vicious predators we encounter in the dark. Let these words encourage you: our Good Shepherd is always there. Just as shepherds keep watch over their flocks by night (Luke 2:8), God keeps watch over you and protects you even in the darkest of times (Psalm 121:3, 138:7). He is your Light in the darkness, guiding the way. He is always shielding you, helping you, comforting you, and loving you until you enter your complete rest in the Promised Land.
You prepare a table before me
The next verse reads: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” The image in this sentence speaks a thousand words. We are so safe with our Good Shepherd that we can peacefully sit and eat even when surrounded by our enemies; the wild animals lurking in the dark. And we are not just eating anything, we are enjoying what He prepared for us. The King of kings, serving us, instead of us serving Him! And He isn’t ashamed of it either: all His enemies may see that He is a King who serves His flock. He feeds them and anoints them. He sets us apart and fills us with the Bread of Life. He gives us so much of Himself that we overflow with His love.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
The Psalm ends with: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That is where our story ends, too. When we continue to follow the instructions of the Lord, everything turns out for our good, and we know we will be with God forever. Because “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28b).
So, to find rest in God, all we have to do is listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice in faith and follow Him wherever He leads us (John 10:27-30). Then we will experience true rest. The greater our trust in His guidance, the less we will worry, fear, or lack, and the less we will want to follow our own plan. Begin by asking yourself: Am I grumbling instead of asking? What am I trying to do in my own time instead of waiting on God’s timing? Am I running anxiously while God asked me to lie down in peace?
Next time, we will look at why Jesus sometimes leads us to desolate places, and why that may be exactly where you need to be to find rest. See you there.