It’s early in the Scripture that we first read about rest. It was on the 7th day that God rested (Gen 2:2,3). And later, he commanded it (Ex. 20:8).
Of course, this “rest decreed in order to honour the day dedicated to God is not at all a burden imposed upon man, but rather an aid to help him to recognize his life-giving and liberating dependence upon the Creator, and at the same time his calling to cooperate in the Creator's work and to receive his grace.”
God did not rest for himself; He rested for us. That we might have time to “fully discover” ourselves as created in His image. It’s “something "sacred", because it is man's way of withdrawing from the sometimes excessively demanding cycle of earthly tasks in order to renew his awareness that everything is the work of God.”
Written by Christine Cooney