The Seventh Day

Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done

There are three aspects to God’s resting. 1. It was a rest of satisfaction. It was done and it was good. The earth didn’t need anything else to make it perfect. 2. He blessed His creatures in His rest. He enjoyed His creatures and His people enjoyed God’s blessing. Blessing is to be made happy by God’s goodness and God’s person. 3. God sanctified his rest day. Meaning He set it apart. From this time on God intended for man’s week to be divided into six days of work and one of rest. And the rest day would be set apart for rest and for man’s enjoyment of God’s blessing.

There’s something we need to consider about the seventh day.

There’s a difference between “seventh day” and Sabbath. The seventh day is not the “Sabbath” given later in the Law of Moses. (Exodus 31:13-16 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

¹⁴ “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. ¹⁵ For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.”)

 The Sabbath was commanded. In the creation story there is no command. It was after sin came into the world that the Sabbath became a law.