Fruitfulness Through Rest

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one remaining in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from Me you are able to do nothing.” Jn. 15:5

Last week I introduced the idea that there were three responsibilities—rest, work and keep, given to Man in the garden which directly correlate to the Commands God gave in Genesis 1:28: be fruitful, multiply, fill and subdue the earth. In a sense, if later is the “what”, the former is the “how.” For example, rest will produce fruitfulness.

These three distinct responsibilities are very important, for they outlined man’s function in the earth while he still existed in perfect relational homeostasis with God, himself and creation. Essentially, this was his job before the Fall.

Of course, things changed quite drastically after that, and although the Commands remained in effect and were still theirs to complete, Adam and Eve were never able to truly function in their original responsibilities. The whole enterprise became troublesome and futile, unfortunately. How could anyone succeed at completing a goal without authority, resources and capacity to do so?

“…cursed is the ground on your account, in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life, and thorn and thistle it will cause to grow for you, and you shall eat the vegetation of the field. By the sweat of your nose you shall eat bread…” Gen 3:17-19

The Commands became an impossible goal because the very abilities needed to fulfill them were stripped from them. Any effort made in that direction was met by toil, trouble, and pain.

That day, Man lost more than just access to the Garden. He lost his ability to do what he was made to do, and the rights and privileged responsibilities originally accorded to him were retained by YHVH, and the position was held vacant until the right time when someone worthy enough would come along and take them up again. That someone, of course, was Yeshua.

The Son of God’s work on the Earth did many things, but one of the most significant was the restoration of man’s original responsibilities. Rest being the first and most important. Most important, because the second and third, to work and to keep, flowed out of the first—enforcing and validating it.

Rest is also uniquely different in another way. Whereas the other two responsibilities requires direct action from us, rest requires the Father act on our behalf in order for us to exist in a divine state of rest.

The Hebrew word for rest, nuach (נוח), helps to explains this. Most often interpreted as “rest”, it can also mean to settle, repose, or dwell, as in settling down in a place or dwelling in a land.

Looking at the Living Letters that form this word, we can see the mystery of rest being revealed:

• Nun - the picture of a seed, which symbolizes a son or heir. It also means to continue, like the continuation of generations.

• Vav - the picture of a tent peg or hook, and symbolizes the securing or establishing of a person, place or thing. It also means to add to something or increase.

• Chet - is the picture of a tent wall, and it symbolizes the dividing or setting apart, separating out one thing from another, like the inside from the outside.

Combining these letters provides the following understanding then: the son and heir being securely established and increased by separating out and setting apart.

When it says, “And YHWH God…caused him to rest in the garden of Eden” it implies that the Father took Man—set him apart, and securely established him in the garden of fruitfulness. In truth, He designed the Garden to be His resting place. A place perfectly situated for man to move, live, and breathe according to his divine design.

Therefore, Adam’s capacity to rest came from the Father’s effort. Not his. The only effort required of him was to dwell daily in that gifted place—to remain where he was put, to recognize his perfect situated estate, and say yes to the life-breath He received every day from his Father. His responsibility was to make the simple conscious effort to “rest” in the Garden. To remain.

Adam and Eve’s conscious effort to dwell in the Garden directly affected their ability to live fruitful lives. By choosing to dwell where He “put” them, they were also positioning themselves to receive His blessing, and thereby fulfill the commandment to be fruitful.

And here’s an important thing to understand. Of the all the commands given to Man in Gen. 1:28, the fulfillment of fruitful was wholly dependent upon the actions of God Himself. Adam couldn’t make it happen no matter how much effort or will-power he applied to it. The only requested response was to say “yes” and affirm it by positioning his whole being (spirit, soul, and body) to live under the fruitfulness His Father showered upon him.

It was the Father’s promise and responsibility to make him fruitful. This was the agreement. As long as Adam & Eve agreed to dwell in the Garden—to remain in their established estate, then Father was able to make them forever fruitful.

This relationship between rest and fruitfulness doesn’t stop in Genesis. Even after the Fall the Father established it with many others throughout the Old Testament, but the strongest example of this comes from the Father’s promise to the Children of Israel.

“You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD. If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments, I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit…

You will have your fill of food to eat and will dwell securely in your land. And I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to fear…

I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you….”

Leviticus 26 clearly echoes this garden agreement. YHVH, once again, confirms His promise to Man: “If you will keep My Sabbath—My rest, then I will cause you to experience the rains of my blessing, and I will make you fruitful.”

Again, when we choose to dwell in the established place of rest secured for them by their Creator, then heaven and nature respond in kind to the Father’s commanding principle of fruitfulness and release great blessing upon us.

But greater than Old Testaments types and shadows that illustrated fruitfulness through rest, we have Yeshua’s own words and deeds as our preeminent testimony. A critical part of His ministry on earth was the demonstration of a Son choosing to rest and abide in the place of His Father’s love and experience the fruitfulness of that divine relationship.

All the signs and wonders he performed—all the amazing works of His hands, were the direct manifestation of fruitfulness in a Man who chose to dwell in the place that God put Him in.

But more than that, as I mentioned at the beginning, His choice to remain in the rest of His Father, was a restorative work. By doing so, He initiated the restoration to our origin estate—the established place of rest in the Father, and invited us to join Him there.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one remaining in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from Me you are able to do nothing.”

We have been invited to become branches dwelling securely in our place in the Vine. In so doing, He makes us fruitful, once again. Not by any might or strength of our own, but by His own Spirit are we made fruitful—simply by choosing to rest in the place He has put us.

Rest is wholly a gift from our Father that comes from Ruach Hakodesh, who causes us to nuach—to rest in Him. Fruitfulness is His response to our “yes.”

Until next time, may you learn to find the established rest and fruitfulness He has for you as you continue to discover the “you” He designed you to be!

Shalom.