Living Micah 6:8 starts with rest

Genesis tells us that after six days of creating, God rested. So God is not obsessive-compulsive (surely some of the plants could have stood some trimming!), nor is he manic. God is not desperate, not worried, not a handwringer. God gives creation extraordinary freedom, which is soon squandered, and still God rests. Nowhere is there a suggestion that God had second thoughts about that day off—If only I hadn't rested, maybe Adam and Eve . . .

In fact, God later called Israel to mirror this priority. The Lord commanded them to rest (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Every seven days they were to rest. God's call to Israel to practice sabbath living was given so they would never be more than six days away from laying down the implements and practices of their own productivity in order to acknowledge that human life was set within a limited boundary of time, place and responsibility. This sabbath practice was meant to be an exercise in human freedom and liberty.

Acknowledging these boundaries sets us free to be human. The message is this: prepare for the sabbath; go to sleep and wake up knowing that your life and the world do not belong to you or depend on you; worship God, and remember with his people the One who made you and the world, and called you his own; don't work; don't rely on your provision; then live this out today and every other day of the week, including doing justice.

Mark Labberton, The Dangerous Act of Worship (pp. 95-96)