Sunday: The Prelude to Rest
God was there at the beginning. The Lord God spoke, and it was. Light divides day from night; firmament, sky, and seas are spoken into existence on the second day; dry land and vegetation follow on the third. God forms the basic framework of time and geography, and then He fills it during the next three days. Lights govern the sky by day and by night.
Image © Bible Adventure Collection at Goodsalt.com
Different from the stories of most ancient cultures, the biblical Creation account makes it abundantly clear that the sun, the moon, or the stars are not deities. They enter into the picture only on the fourth day and are subject to the Creator’s word.
Moses’ description of days 5 and 6 (Genesis 1:20-31) is full of life and beauty. Birds, fish, land animals — they all fill the space prepared by God.
What does God’s evaluation indicate about Creation? Read Genesis 1:1-31.
This is not just any space that God has created; it’s a perfect place. Teeming creatures fill the earth. Like the refrain of a catchy tune, God keeps saying that it was “good” after each day.
What is different about the creation of humanity from the rest of the created world? Read Genesis 1.26-27 , Genesis 2:7,and Genesis 2:21-24.
God stoops and begins to shape mud. Humanity’s creation in God’s image and likeness is an object lesson in intimacy and closeness. God bends down and breathes life into Adam’s nostrils, and there was a living being. Eve’s special creation from Adam’s rib adds another important element to Creation week. Marriage is part of God’s design for humanity — a sacred trust of partnership between ’ish and ’ishshah, “man” and “woman.”
This time, when God looks at everything He has made on day six, the refrain sounds different: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, italics supplied).
| Think about how radically different the biblical Creation story is from what humanity, without the guidance of God’s Word, teaches. What should this tell us about how much we need to depend on God’s Word for understanding truth? |
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One of the problems we have when we study the Sabbath is that we fall into "brand protection mode". It is part of our name, part of our identity, and our "raison d'être". We spend a lot of time justifying our position to other Christians, and by inference, to ourselves.
We sometimes visit a relative of ours who is quite a good cook. Her food is absolutely delightful. It is all plant-based and it is really a couple of notches up the scale of the "healthy food" that some people produce. Her food looks artistic. Her flavours are often delightfully surprising. Her textures are satisfying. Yet, we hesitate to visit her because every time we go we get an earful of health food talk. This food is a good source of B12, the herbs used in this dish means that I don't need to use salt. There is no sugar in the dessert. The whole conversation is about the healthiness of the food. In the end you feel like shouting at her, "Just let the food talk!" (And just a note to those folk who have shared their meals with us this last year: No, it wasn't you!)
Is it possible that we are a bit like that about the Sabbath? Do we smother its goodness with protective talk?
It is my assertion that if we kept Sabbath the way God intended us to keep Sabbath, then maybe we would not have to spend as much time defending it. It has to be something more that time-shifted liturgy.
For those interested in digging deeper into today's lesson...
Ty Gibson has proposed that Genesis 1-2, Revelation 21-22 and Jesus's time on earth are the 3 points in the Bible that we have the most direct and accurate presentation - revelation - of the nature and character of God.
What do you see revealed about the nature and character of God in the activities of creation described in today's lesson, the way God carried out those activities, the motive for God carrying out those activities and the results of God's activity?
Which aspects of what you find most personally connect with you?
Thanks, Phil. It seems to me that Genesis 1 & 2 focuses on God's original act of creating humans in His image as social beings to commune with Him and to inhabit the home He made for them. Jesus demonstrated God's original creative design for humanity in His life on this planet, living in total dependence on the Father and demonstrating the self-giving love of the Father. And in Revelation 21 & 22, God shows us that His original plan of beauty, delight and happiness will finally be fulfilled in the earth made new, as He lives with them on this planet and one vast pulse of harmony connects His whole creation.
I would suggest at the very least to add Genesis 3 to that short list of Bible passages that most reveals the character of God. Without this critical detail of man's fall, the Lamb of God cannot be fully understood/appreciated. It is God's dealing with Adam's fallen race that convinced the unfallen worlds of the sinfulness of sin and the infinite magnitude of God's love.
Ty Gibson is not saying that the rest of scripture does not reveal the nature and character of God. Rather, Genesis 3 to Revelation 20 reflect God's nature and character in the course of accomodating and adapting to fallen creation - which correspondingly increases the risk of misperception of God's true nature and character.
For those who are interested in exploring the topic of the representation of God's nature and character across scripture, Ty's presentation in which he explores this topic can be accessed here: Obstacles to Faith, Part 3 - Genocide by God.
Sometimes, when we do not understand something or consider someone’s idea ‘way out there’, we say: “He/she must be living in another universe!” This is how far apart man can be from his fellow man when deciding to believe in being created vs. believing to ‘have come about’. Well, considering the 'Prelude to Rest, it is a good starting point to learn about the Creator.
Those who believe that God created the universe with/by His Word - a from the beginning, powerful, incredibly finely tuned, united force to bring into existence that which was not yet, but was present in the Creator’s perception as a potential existence -, can rest assured that He perfectly fitted us into His Creation; we are not an after-thought!
What truly amazes me is that the Creator CHOOSES everything; He creates deliberately! Part of my life is experiencing the joy of making the house a home, and the other being a small-time gardener and landscaper, choosing to select what I plant, where to plant it, the caring for it and watching it come to bloom or bear fruit – all carefully done in balance and harmony with everything else. It is an amazing journey to get to know my charge intimately, providing ongoing care to ensure that the work brings about the expected result; I think God does the same!
I see original creativity, expressed in all its forms, as an expression of His *Love*; a constant ‘forming’ to give the creative mind expression and to establish a bond with that which has been created. Man’s ability to know his Creator personally is incredibly empowering and humbling at the same time; man, the only creature of His Creation, has been given the privilege to recognize its Maker.
But how is it for someone who does not believe in the Maker’s existence, or being a creature of His purposeful creation? Our hearts, minds and bodies are the same, but we might as well say that we live in two separate worlds.
Without a Creator, man is without a teacher – he will need to teach himself from experience - success and failure -, and reason/learn from that; a very slow process full of failures.
With a Creator, we have a build-in Teacher, build into our being from the beginning to learn all we can learn about His Creation by faith, by believing that it is so; we get a head-start by resting - and this is just the beginning!
Thank you, Brigitte, for sharing your appreciation of our Creator and your own joy in creating beauty in your home and garden.
However, I want to comment on your last sentence:
Unfortunately, the path of error often lies close to the path of truth.
On the path of truth, the Apostle John told us that Christ is the true light that "enlightens every person." (John 1:9,10 NASB) In other words, every human born on this planet has access to the light of Christ through the Holy Spirit shining into his/her heart.
Believers in Christ have the privilege of allowing the Holy Spirit to be their Guide and Teacher. (See John 14:17, John 15:26 and John 16:13, including all the context of the three chapters) We need to be clear that this Light and Teacher comes from outside of us and is not "built in." Christ will live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit by our invitation. He is not "built in."
By contrast, on the path of error, spiritualism teaches that divinity is "built in" to humanity. Furthermore spiritualism also teaches that humans will eventually become equal to Christ in their spiritual progression. (By contrast, we believe that, while we may imitate the pattern of Christ and His character, we will never be equal to Christ who has humanity and divinity fully integrated in His Person.)
Can you see the difference? And can you see the danger of writing of a "built-in Teacher"? (That implies divinity built into humanity, as spiritualism does.) While you may not have intended to convey a spiritualistic teaching, your language appears to do that.
Again, thank you for sharing!
Inge - yes, thank you for assuring that I am being understood correctly. The 'build-in Teacher' is the Spirit of our Creator; we were made reflecting His Image. His Image is being formed again in us through the help of Christ Jesus' Holy Spirit in Word, deed and inspiration.
Thanks, Brigitte, but it seems you do not understand my concern. The Holy Spirit is not a "built-in Teacher," as you suggest for the second time.
Your statement that "we have a build-in Teacher, build into our being from the beginning" is a spiritualistic teaching. Spiritualism teaches that we have "divinity within" as part of us.
While it is true that we were made to reflect His image, it is not true that the Holy Spirit was "built into" humanity. What "spirit" that was breathed into Adam to make him a living soul was a "breath" that was a life principle. It was not the Holy Spirit, the mighty Third Person of the Godhead.
The Holy Spirit is God Almighty, the Comforter and Teacher whom Jesus promised to send in His stead. Just like Jesus was with the disciples, so the Holy Spirit is with us by our invitation, not by being "built in."
The Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and minds and when we consent and choose to live within the will of God, He gives us the power to obey and thus transforms our hearts an minds so that they again reflect the image of God.
But the Holy Spirit is always God, a divine Person close to us but separate from us and not "built in." Only Jesus Christ is both human and divine.
To better understand the Person of the Holy Spirit, please review our excellent resources in our Category Archives: Holy Spirit – Fundamental Belief 5.
To better understand the nature of humans, please review The Nature of Man – Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief 7
I noticed the slight difference between Genesis 1 & 2 descriptions of the creation of the animals. We concentrate on the fact that God formed Adam from the ground but the Word tells us He also formed the animals and birds from the ground. This tells me the LORD cares about the details and that it is not surprising to see design similarities as well as differences in all of His creation.
Gen 1:24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.
Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one.
I don't see the accounts of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 as different versions of the same creation sequence. Rather, I see Genesis 1 to Genesis 2:4 as the overview/summary of the whole creation process. Gen 2:4 is clearly a concluding sentence.
Then a new story begins that provides more detail, focusing particularly on the special garden God created for the first pair and on the creation of Eve.
The story gives a bit of background of conditions on this planet as God "planted a garden." He didn't need to transplant what He had already created. Instead He just made everything fresh for the garden home. Then He put Adam into this beautiful garden, noting that it was not good for man to be alone. Then the account goes on to tell us of God forming animals and bringing them to Adam to name. (Again, it seems He didn't call animals from outside the garden, but just formed them fresh.)In the process of naming these animals, Adam notices that they all come by pairs, but there is none suitable as a partner for him. He feels the need of a partner. It is then that God causes a deep sleep to fall on Adam and He creates Eve from a rib in his side, to indicate that she is to stand by his side as an equal.
This more detailed story needs to be integrated with the previous one to get the full picture. Notice that in Gen. 1:27-28, God says He created both male and female in His own image, and He gave them joint dominion over the planet.
I agree, Inge, I don't see Gen 1&2 as different versions of creation, I was fascinated by a detail about the 'forming' of the animals that I hadn't noticed previously.
I am intrigued by your comment that the LORD created additional plants and animals for the Garden of Eden. My assumption had been that He had just delineated a section of the earth as their new home.
To be honest, Shirley, I had not thought if it that way before either. Your comment nudged me in that direction when I thought of how I set up a new garden. I don't just fence off a section of property and call it a garden. I move in or raise the plants I want in the garden. It occurred to me that, since God is not limited as I am, He could just create the plants in place, and I now believe that's what the account says. Thanks for the nudge!
Why did God Create man on the sixth day??
My question is what is the "darkness" in Genesis 1:4?
this is statement in adult sabbath school lesson this week....
To get just a small idea of how unlimited God’s power is, let’s consider just one object in the heavens: the sun. Did God create the sun? Certainly. Genesis 1:14–16 tells the story of God’s creating two lights to rule the heavens: the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night. We exist on one of the planets that revolve around the sun. The sun produces more energy in one second than humans have produced in all their history. Take all the electrical power and all the energy produced by solar or coal or gas since the beginning of time, and the sun produces more in one second...
..the sun is not necessarily light. light predated the such. God is light and darkness disappears in His presence, literally and figuratively.
the statement in the adult sabbath school lesson - teachers edition is:
"At the conclusion of Creation week, Genesis 2:1–3 declares, 'Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made' (NKJV). God rested, but not because He was tired. He rested refreshed in the beauty and majesty of the world He had made. He rested as an example to us. The Sabbath is a weekly pause to praise the One who made us. As we worship on the Sabbath, We open our hearts to receive the special blessing He placed in this day that was placed in NO OTHER DAY (captialization is mine). What is the Blessing of The Sabbath, Shabbat, unique to the seventh day of the week???....thanks to all for your commentary....Mark E Marek, San Antonio, Texas USA
When the Pharisees afterward questioned Him concerning the lawfulness of divorce, Jesus pointed His hearers back to the marriage institution as ordained at creation. “Because of the hardness of your hearts,” He said, Moses “suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” Matthew 19:8. He referred them to the blessed days of Eden, when God pronounced all things “very good.” Then marriage and the Sabbath had their origin, twin institutions for the glory of God in the benefit of humanity. Then, as the Creator joined the hands of the holy pair in wedlock, saying, A man shall “leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one” (Genesis 2:24), He enunciated the law of marriage for all the children of Adam to the close of time. That which the Eternal Father Himself had pronounced good was the law of highest blessing and development for man. {MB 63.2}…Will there be marriage in The New Earth?
I see where you're going, Mark, but I wonder if marriage would have been a permanent part of the earth if Adam and Eve had not sinned. Since there would be no death, at some point the earth would be filled up. I suppose marriage could remain, but procreation would not. So it doesn't seem that marriage is inherently necessary for all humanity always. Also, consider that God never set things up so that everyone would have to marry. Many Bible characters appear to have been single, Jesus among them. If marriage was a critical part of being human, wouldn't Jesus have married?
On this earth, especially in our fallen state, our capacity to love is limited. But in the New Earth, these limitations will be gone and we will be able to have deep connections with everyone. And our ultimate connection will be with Jesus, and marriage on this earth points to that. So I don't believe there will be a need for marriage anymore. We won't need it for the closeness anymore and procreation will not be a factor anymore. As a single person, I am looking forward to that day as marriage, though wonderful for many, creates barriers for people like me. Single people are second-class even in the church. I pray that is not the case in eternity.
whynot procreation in Eden or in New Earth??
Mark, didn't Jesus answer your last question in Mark 12:25?
For Christina, what does God say concerning man's state in this life in Genesis 2:18? Also, why would Jesus marry while knowing what His purpose was in being the Lamb of God for this world, followed by His return to heaven in glory? This is not to say being single is being incomplete, but God did form man as "male and female" with a purpose as Mark mentions. Most prefer to not be alone, but Paul did encourage being single as an advantage for doing the will of God compared to being married to one who loves this world more than working for the kingdom of God.
I agree with you that in a sinless world which is finite in its size/capacity, populating would not have been the permanent ideal, but we will have to let God answer that question. I also don't believe that being single is 2nd class, no matter who does believe that. My late wife used to tell friends in dysfunctional relationships that "there are worse things than being single".
mark 12:25...that does answer the question about marriage in New Earth?...the answer is no.
Perhaps you might elaborate on your conclusion Mark? Do you have evidence from scripture to support your opinion?
mark 12:25 is very clear..."25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven."
seems to me that The LORD answers my question with His Statement.
The Lords day is the 7th day, this day is sactified & Holy. Remember the Sabbath & keep it Holy. This is the 4th commandment. Die to self & raise renewed, The Lord is the Law & he writes them in their hearts & on their mind. They desire to keep his commandments as his people, the Holy Spirit grows & grows in his people.
Hi Kendall. You are not the first person to be confused by the lesson title. It is actually the lesson for Sunday and its title is "The Prelude to Rest". It is not saying that Sunday is the prelude to rest.