Wednesday: The Creation Completed
After the Creation was completed in six days (we will study the creation of humanity later), we find the first mention in the Bible of the seventh day.
Read Genesis 2:1-3. Notice especially verse 1, which emphasizes the
Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com
The Hebrew word for rest in this text is shabath, which is closely related to the word for Sabbath. It indicates a cessation of labor upon completion of a project. God was not weary and in need of rest; He was finished with His work of creating and so He stopped. God’s special blessing rests on the seventh day. It is not only “blessed” but also “sanctified,” which carries the idea of being set apart and specially devoted to God. Thus, God gave special significance to the Sabbath in the context of the relationship between God and humans.
Read Mark 2:27, 28. What did Jesus say was the purpose of the Sabbath?
Notice that the Sabbath was not made because God had a need but because man had a need for which God made provision. At the end of that first week, God rested from His acts of creation and devoted His time to relationship with His creatures. Humans needed the communion with their Maker in order to understand their place in the universe. Imagine the joy and wonder that Adam and Eve experienced as they conversed with God and beheld the world that He had made. The wisdom of this provision for rest became even more evident after sin. We need the Sabbath rest in order to prevent us from losing sight of God and getting caught up in materialism and overwork. God commands us to give one seventh of our lives to the remembrance of the act of Creation. What should that tell us about the importance of the teaching? How can you learn to have a deeper and richer experience with the Lord through resting on the Sabbath as He Himself did?
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This online study section of the website is enriching my understanding so much better on why God did what he did in the order in which he did it. Thank you everyone.
Imagine, God devotes time to His relationship with us.....
That shows how our GOD cares and loves us.
Reminding ourselves of God's work in creating the world helps us to know our place, our role, our identity and our worth. Taking a seventh of my life to contemplate the creation, care and love that God has for us keeps me. Meditation on this theme helps me maintain ballance in my mind and life. Then, this thinking helps me deal with others the way I should, and take care of the animals and natural environment.
What an owesome God we worship! There is non like Him. How thoughtful is He to His Creatures. He never and will never abandon His Creation.
When you come to think about it, before Man was brought into existence, the Wonderful God had to provide all that Man would need to make his life pleasurable and comfortable. Beyond that, He did not leave him to wonder as to how he was going to live.The Lord was there to provide counsel and guidence.
For you and me, What more should we need to bring to memory after a hectic 6 day of labour apart from the Sabbath. We should indeed call it a delight! Read Isa 58:13-14. Sabbath be a day
Where we should revive our hoplesss lives in this world. Sabbath should be a day that brings hope, joy, courage, strenghth, love and above all acknowlegement that our existence and sustainance come from no other than the Lord of the Sabbath.
This lesson is right on poing with clarifying some misconceptions. I have heard some refer to the Sabbath as returning to God one day out of seven that he as given to us, as if God needed, required, or would be hurt if we did not give him back this day of rest in worship. To the contrary, it is for the benefit of man to rest that day and as the lesson reminds us, to understand our place in the universe. After suffering the three major curses that have made it so miserable, I wonder how one finds purpose living in this earth without a clear understanding God's purpose for us within the universe. I am delighted to know that we have a God that reaches out to us. A God that is 'down to earth'! After reading again about his majesty during the creation, how coud I not embrace his holiness? Thank God for the Sabbath
thank god for his mercy toward us
I guess by now you know how AMAZING our God is. He set aside time to get personal with man. Wow! I'm so blown over! God doesn't need to rest because He never gets tired but He wants us to have a meaningful relationship with Him. So by giving us an example, His glorious example we can pattern our lives after Him. I feel so special... a great powerful God wants a feeble person like me to spend quality time with Him. In His presence there is fullness of joy....and pleasures forevermore!
It must have been a wonderful and exciting experience for Adam to sit and talk with his Creator about about his future and what God's plan for him,to listen God tell hi m about his creation. I can hardly imagine the excitement in heaven, for the redeemed, when we hear the stories of the things we have wondered about. We have so much to look forward to in heaven. Praise God for his love for us and for his salvation.
Hello, could somebody tell us what exactly are we allowed to do and what not on the holy Sabbath day? Could you please give us some examples? Could you confirm your statement with some bible texts?
Further, does anybody have ideas how the most blessed sabbath could look like? Could you please confirm your statement with some bible texts? Thank you very much, God bless, Renata
What "are we allowed to do" is a rather interesting way of asking for guidance. The first thing we need to be clear on is the fact that "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mk. 2:27 NKJV) so it really is not a matter of what we are allowed to do but rather how can we get the most benefit out of it. That really is the purpose of the Sabbath. God is not on a ego trip, everything He has done and will ever do is for the good of His creation including His own sacrifice on the cross.
As for specifics, I am afraid you will be somewhat disappointed. The ancient Jews of the first century tried to mandate a set of rules for the Sabbath and failed. Instead of making "the Sabbath a delight" (Isa. 58:13 NKJV) as the Lord wanted they ended up making it a grudging burden loaded down with rules and regulations. The whole point of the commandment is for us to use the day that God set aside to think about things other than on the embellishment and worship of self. It is suppose to be an anti-sin day of sorts where we can enjoy what God has given us and in contemplating the fact that we have such a profoundly good, benevolent God who delights in seeing His people full of joy (consider the miracle at Cana, Jn 2).
Jesus had a very different understanding of the Sabbath than what the Jewish leaders had which He demonstrated when His disciples plucked grain to eat on the Sabbath.
Jesus was even criticized for healing on the Sabbath:
Along with healing the man with an infirmity for 38 years (Jn 5:5-11) and the woman with an infirmity for 18 years (Lk 13:10-16), all done on the Sabbath. The Jews simply didn't know what the Sabbath was really about - to them it was a day of don'ts and negative, reclusive thinking.
You see technically all of these things including a pastor's sermon is work but is not considered to be in violation of the command because they benefit man which is what the Lord made the Sabbath for. Things that relieve burdens and give people joy over the Lords day are in the spirit of the day. That is why many Seventh-day Adventists prefer to think of the day as a celebration rather than a day to consider what not to do.
Now that doesn't mean that we turn the day into a free-for-all and do all the things we shouldn't do as Christians but it should be a day that we can enjoy. A special day that we set aside to worship the one who gave us the day in the first place.
Thank you, Tyler.
Renata, the list of things that we are allowed or not allowed to do on the Sabbath is like making a list of things that you do for your husband, wife, children, parents, etc.. It may contain things that you would always do, regardless. It may also contain things that you would never do. But such a list puts us in mood of duty instead of friendship. If your neighbour’s house went on fire on Sabbath morning, you would stop praying and go to help in any way possible, but if the fire brigade comes to the rescue, you would go to church. You would not offer to do sound mixing at a stadium on Sabbath, but if it was adventist congregation and no one would hear anything unless someone could operate a mixer, you would do it with all your heart (if you knew how). Priests are breaking the Sabbath yet remain without guilt (Mt12:5), or no one could praise God if the door keeper refused to work on Sabbath and did not open the door. The overall idea is to make all preparation for the Sabbath during the week, do only necessary things on the Sabbath, so as to spend the most time with our best friend Jesus.
Please let me know if you need more examples. I have a few articles on my blog that deal with this issue. If you need more info, I may try to help.
Friday is called the preparation day in the bible. On this day, GOD instructed the Israelites to prepare for the sabbath. They had to cook whatever they wanted to cook, bake and seethe in preparation of the sabbath. Exodus16:23. This command was coming from God not from Moses, so in other words, every sixth day we must prepare for the seventh day. When they went to look for manna, the LORD said, how long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws. Exodus16:28.the spirit of prophecy teaches that in cold weather you can warm your food that you cooked the previous day and you can seek treatment on the sabbath. Besides not cooking on the sabbath we are also not suppozed to buy on the sabbath unless in cases of emergency. Nehemiah10:31. we must devote all our time on the sabbath to worship but the examples you were given above serves to teach that you cannot leave someone dying and say that it is a sabbath. am not taking anything said before me, they made brilliant explanations from the bible...
I love this online study its ready bless my heart. It make me now how powerful god is to all mankind is this universe.
Many thanks to everyone for their answers, explanation, comments and bible samples. You have helped us and you have made my day. God bless, Renata