Genesis 2:1-3 English Standard Version
The Seventh Day, God Rests
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
After creating the heavens and the earth, God gave us the example of taking a rest, and he blessed the seventh day of the week as holy.
Does that mean God was exhausted like we can be at the end of a week of work?
No, God has infinite power and energy; he doesn’t need rest as we do. Psalm 121
God paused because he was finished creating.
We are limited and finite in our power and energy, however, so we all need to rest from our work.
To help us, God built into the rhythm of our world the gift of a day of physical and spiritual rest.
Does God’s gift of a day of rest mean that we can use this rest for whatever purpose we like?
No, at the very heart of taking a day of rest is the deliberate pause to confess that God is our Creator, sustainer, and provider.
The fourth commandment reminds us that we depend on God to provide rest for us.
However, if we use that day of rest merely for our own delight, we act as if the day belongs to us because we have earned it.
When we honor God’s gift of rest as the commandment directs us to, we acknowledge that only in God do we find authentic the rest we truly need.
Sabbath rest is very deeply rooted in the biblical narrative, beginning with the creation account and extending through the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.
The Sabbath is a day set apart for rest and worship, serving as a sign of the covenant between God and His people.
Creation and the Sabbath
The origin of the Sabbath is found in the creation account in Genesis.
After six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day, sanctifying it as a day of rest.
Genesis 2:2-3 states,
“And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing, so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation He had accomplished.”
The Sabbath in the Mosaic Law
The Sabbath was codified in the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Exodus 20:8-11 commands,
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
The Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel.
As written in Exodus 31:16-17 :
“The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it as a lasting covenant for the generations to come. It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”
Sabbath Observance in Israel
In ancient Israel, the Sabbath was a day of rest and worship, marked by the cessation from labor and a focus on spiritual matters.
Violations of the Sabbath were taken seriously, as seen in the account of a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath in Numbers 15:32-36, who was put to death for his transgression.
Prophetic Insights and the Sabbath
The prophets often called Israel back to proper Sabbath observance, linking it to social justice and spiritual renewal.
Isaiah 58:13-14 emphasizes the blessings of honoring the Sabbath:
“If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Jesus and the Sabbath
In the New Testament, Jesus’ approach to the Sabbath was revolutionary.
He emphasized the spirit of the law over the letter, challenging the Pharisaic interpretations that had burdened the people.
In Mark 2:27-28 , Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus performed several healings on the Sabbath, demonstrating that acts of mercy and necessity were in keeping with God’s intent for the day.
His actions highlighted the Sabbath as a time for restoration and refocusing, aligning with the deeper spiritual rest that He offers.
The Crucifixion, the Creation, and the Meaning of Sabbath Rest
As we consider those events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus, there is a moment that regularly gets overlooked. That moment is Saturday, the Sabbath day, and it is easy to miss because nothing really happens on that day.
Yet the fact that nothing happens is exactly what makes it beautiful and worth our attention.
So Much Work, So Little Time
In our 24/7 world, there is pressure to squeeze productivity out of every second.
We have a task-based mindset that pushes us to do more in less time so that we can do more later in the time we have now freed up.
It seems that the technology we use to make our lives easier and more efficient only creates new tasks to be done, leaving us frazzled and stressed.
Not only that, but the ability to ‘unplug’ from the world has become more and more difficult.
Working from home, once considered unusual and ineffective, has become the norm even for those who go to a building to work.
School is done over the internet virtually.
Even when we are ‘off,’ our devices and the internet are calling to us and reminding us there are more tasks to be done, more that needs our attention.
Yet God sets Genesis 2:2 squarely in front of us to deal with.
This pattern of rest, established and practiced by God Himself, is not in the Bible as a ‘maybe’ statement, but a resounding command, life-defining rhythm echoing throughout the centuries and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Saturday: The Day God Rested, Again
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. – Luke 23:56
Most of us are familiar with the events of Holy Week, the week starting with Palm Sunday and leading to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
The crucifixion was Friday, the resurrection was Sunday, but what happened on Saturday?
Well, nothing really. Jesus was laid to rest before the beginning of the Sabbath and rose again after the Sabbath. So on Saturday, nothing happened, or did it?
God’s timing is never a mistake.
Everything Jesus did was a fulfillment of prophecy, including his crucifixion in relation to Passover, his resurrection on the feast of first fruits, and it is not surprise that the ‘Silent Saturday’ in between is filled with purpose as well.
Just as God ‘rested from the work He had done’ after the creation of the world, it makes perfect sense Jesus, following the rhythm established by the Father, also ‘rested’ after the ‘work he had done’ in securing a new creation and the redemption of humanity.
Even as Jesus laid in the tomb, prophecy was being fulfilled and the ordinances of God satisfied.
Why We Must Learn to Wait and Rest
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! – Psalm 27:14
This Silent Saturday echoes the moment of rest from Genesis.
The work was done, it was finished, and then came a day of quiet.
Because the work is finished, we too can rest in Christ.
When Jesus died, the hope of his followers was also on the verge of death.
From their perspective, the one who they followed and believed in had died like a common thief.
Yet when it seemed nothing was happening, things were happening, things had happened:
“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city, appeared to many”. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”’- Matthew 27:51-54.
In our waiting, God is working.
He is working in ways we will never see nor know, and give us rest in him as we prepare for what is to come, and as we seek to focus on him and him alone.
This day of silence between the crucifixion and resurrection, this Sabbath day of rest, was to be followed by the most important event in history.
The Roman guards were put in place to make sure that the tomb of Jesus stayed closed and that no one would move the stone from the outside.
In the quiet, in the Saturday silence, they could never have anticipated that its ‘dead’ occupant was soon to be living fully capable of opening it from the inside.
The Sabbath in the Early Church
The early church grappled with the observance of the Sabbath, especially as Gentile believers joined the predominantly Jewish community.
The apostle Paul addressed this issue in Colossians 2:16-17 , stating,
“Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.”
The shift from the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) to the Lord’s Day (Sunday) in the Christian practice reflects the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred on the first day of the week.
This transition underscores the new creation inaugurated by Christ’s victory over sin and death.
Theological Significance of Sabbath Rest
Theologically, the Sabbath rest points to the ultimate rest found in Christ.
Hebrews 4:9-10 speaks of a “Sabbath rest for the people of God,” indicating that believers enter into God’s rest through faith in Jesus.
This rest is both a present reality and a future hope, as Christians anticipate the eternal rest in the presence of God.
The Sabbath rest, therefore, is not merely the cessation of physical labor but a profound spiritual reality inviting believers to trust in God’s provision, reflect on His creation, experience the peace, restoration coming from abiding in Him.
Talking about It …
- What do you think it must have been like for the disciples the day after Jesus died? Now, 2000 years later, what would it be like for us to live in the moment?
- Why is it so difficult for us to wait on God when we know that he is faithful and his promises are true?
- What are some ways that we can rest in Christ? Should take our rest in Christ?
- How can we be at peace when we can’t see, know what God is doing behind the scenes?
- What steps can we take this week to make sure that we are studying, praying the Scriptures, about our following God’s rhythm of Sabbath rest in our life?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Amen
Praying …
How Great Are Your Works
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.
92 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
7 that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever.
9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me[a] fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
15 to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 