Thoughts about Genesis (11)

Genesis 2:1-3
¹ 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 first thing I would like to point out is the triple parallel structure of these 3 verses.

1.  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.

There are several things to notice in verses.

1.  God rested - this does not suggest or even imply that God permanently rested - it was a temporary rest on the seventh day.
2.  The rest involved the rest from creating the world and environment suitable for life on earth. Again, there is no hint that this rest was permanent as confirmed by John 5:17 where God is declared to be always working.
3.  The rest is specifically designated as a rest from the work of the original creation of the world, not a rest from either creative acts nor a permanent rest from creativity and diversity.

These 3 points point to the fact that God was finished for the moment. He is always active and at work in his creation.

On the seventh day, God introduced the concept of the Sabbath. When God introduced the Law in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy, He would go into more detail about how to observe the Sabbath. It is interesting that of all the Mosaic Laws that Israel had to obey, keeping the Sabbath would prove to be the most difficult and also get them into the most trouble.

Day 7 does not start with the familiar phrase, and God said, and does not end with and there was evening, and there was morning, the (xx) day. It is entirely different than the other six days. For instance, it starts completely backward from the other six days. It begins with the end. The day starts with what day it is, whereas days 1 through 6 ended by telling us what day it was. Days 1 through 6 start with the phrase, and God said, followed by what He spoke into existence. But on day seven, there is no record of God saying anything. (If God used any words when he blessed the 7th day, they are deliberately not recorded. Since anything God says is important, the implication is that God spoke no words. We know that day seven began with the end of day 6, but when did it end?

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens (שָׁמַיִם - shamayim) and the earth (אֶרֶץ - erets) were finished (כָּלָה - kalah), and all (כֹּל - kol) the host of them (צָבָא - tsaba).

The words heavens (Strong’s H8064) and earth (Strong’s H776) were discussed in detail in the lesson about Genesis 1:1 (lesson 2), so I will not cover them again for this verse. The word finished (Strong’s H3615) means to be complete, to end. The phrase gives us the impression of finality; that it cannot be reversed. There is no going back, creation can only go forward.

The phrase the host of them is the word צָבָא - tsaba (Strong’s H6635) means armies, an organized body that moves and operates as a single unit.¹ In the Old Testament, the word hosts is often used in a military context, especially concerning the angels (who are frequently referred to as hosts.) Genesis 2:1 expresses the fundamental way God organized the universe: as a wholly integrated system or many smaller systems that in turn consist of smaller systems. This type of organizing can go from galaxies down to the sub-atomic level. As you can see, translating this picture down to a single word is challenging. The main point to catch is that the creation is organized. There is no random chance of happening. Nothing was created by accident or due to coincidental chance. It was all planned. The verse tells us that God finished everything down to the smallest detail. Nothing was left incomplete.

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh (שְׁבִיעִי - shebii) day (יוֹם - yom) God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) finished (כָּלָה - kalah) his work (מְלָאכָה - melekah) that (אֲשֶׁר - asher) he had done (עָשָׂה - asah), and he rested (שָׁבַח - shabath) on the seventh (שְׁבִיעִי - shebii) day (יוֹם - yom) from all (כֹּל - kol) his work (מְלָאכָה - melekah) that (אֲשֶׁר - asher) he had done (עָשָׂה - asah).

On day 7, God indicated that everything was completed (finished) and that there was nothing left to do. He was satisfied with the completed product. His craftsmanship was impeccable, and everything was operating smoothly and in perfect harmony with Himself and each other. (I wonder if he smiled as he looked upon his creation.)

The word finished (Strong’s H3615) means to bring a process to completion with a sense of a successful conclusion to purposeful labor.² The word כָּלָה - kalah has the prefix י (y), and the subject of the verb is third person, masculine, singular – he will finish. The word also contains the prefix ו (v), means and, but also reverses the tense of the verb – and he finished. In the Hebrew Bible, kalah, with its prefixes, looks like this: ויכל.

The word work (Strong’s H4399) means work, craftmanship, duties, deeds, and acts.³ In the Old Testament, the word work carries the connotation of an occupation or job one does to earn a living.⁴ The craftsmanship involved in the creation process is beyond what we are capable of understanding. God poured his creativity, meticulous attention to detail, and loving care into the creation process. He was now satisfied that everything was complete. Nothing more needed to be created.

The word done (Strong’s H6213). is in the verb form that denotes completed action. In other words, as soon as God spoke, it happened. Asah means to make, to fashion, or do. When used in the sense of make or made, the emphasis is on the fashioning of the object.⁵ In Genesis, the words bara (create) and asah (make) are closely related. The context of Genesis, indeed the whole Bible, indicates that both bara and asah in Genesis 1 are virtually instantaneous acts. This similarity, however, does not mean that the words are interchangeable. The word asah, in this context, means that everything God had created with words had happened.

The word rested (Strong’s H7673) is the word Sabbath. It means cease, desist, rest. What does it mean that God rested? On His Sabbath, God stopped performing the labor of the preceding six days, during which He created everything. God did not rest to regain his energy. Isaiah 40:28 informs us that God does not get tired or weary. Instead, God was leading by example. God knew that human beings needed a day off, so he showed us how it was done.

What is the sabbath? God disclosed the special status of this seventh day to the Israelite people in the episode of the manna in the wilderness. God supplied each day’s need of manna for five days; on the sixth, a double portion was provided to last through the seventh day, when no manna appeared. Correspondingly, the Israelites were commanded not to go out but to remain home on the seventh day. Thus, they learned that the seventh day was a sabbath of the Lord, which they must honor by ceasing their daily food-gathering labor.

In today’s day and age, we take the five-day workweek for granted. We don’t even like the idea of working six days a week. In ancient times, however, that was not only a radical concept but inconceivable. The concept of the Sabbath had no parallel in any other ancient civilization. There was no such thing as a day of rest. In ancient times, leisure was only for the wealthy and the ruling classes, never for the serving or laboring classes. Other civilizations would have viewed the Israelites as lazy because they insisted on having a “day off” every seventh day.

In Exodus 20:11, after instituting the Fourth Commandment, God referred back to Genesis 2:3. By resting on the seventh day and sanctifying it, the Israelites remembered and acknowledged that God was the creator of heaven and earth and all living things. They also emulated God’s example by ceasing from their work on the seventh day, as God did.

What was prohibited on the Sabbath? The Bible specifically mentions two activities. But around 300 to 200 B.C. the religious leaders expanded these 2 up to 39 classifications and from there to hundreds of activities. Of course, there were good motivations behind these expansions. No one wanted to accidently violate a Sabbath law so everyone wanted to know the details. These details are included in the oral Old Testament law, eventually written down in rabbinic material. This process tells us something about the culture we encounter when we read the Bible, particularly the New Testament. Jesus often used the phrase You have heard it said, but I say… The oral law of the religious leaders greatly expanded (added to) the written law of Moses.

According to Exodus 20:8-11, work was to cease on the seventh day in order to give slaves and draft animals rest, which was also to be observed even during the critical plowing and harvest seasons. Question: How many Sabbath laws did give to Moses? Take a guess. The answer is two. The two original law were:

1.  No work. Exodus 23:12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed. According to the letter of the law, work could include everything from getting dressed, to eating, to feeding the animals, etc. Those who go by the spirit of the law claim the prohibition was related to farming, herding, or business ventures. In other words, no working in the fields, no moving the herds to new pastures, and no buying or selling.
2.  No fire. Exodus 35:3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day. To get around this, they lite the fire on Friday and make sure they had enough fuel to get them through the Sabbath. Jewish scholars debated for centuries whether or not this applies to a fire used for heating, or only to cooking fires. According to the letter of the law, God doesn’t care if you freeze to death or not, no fire means no fire. Those who go by the spirit of the law claim the prohibition was for cooking only, that God wanted his people to be warm in the winter.

The Pharisees and Rabbis multiplied the two laws into 39 sometime after the exile between 300 - 200 B.C. In case you’re curious, here they are:

By the time Jesus entered the scene, this list has grown to over a hundred. Modern Sabbath laws include:

•  No using electricity or any device that requires electricity to function (computers, lights, elevators, etc.).
•  No driving.
•  No use of phones (any type).
•  No watering plants.
•  You must pre-tear your toilet paper on Friday, or you won’t be able to use it on the sabbath (I’m not even going to comment on that one).
•  No handling of any type of money.
•  No cooking.

Jesus attempted to teach the Pharisees several overarching themes—among them, He was the Son of God and, therefore, Lord of the Sabbath. But the lesson they misunderstood, which we must understand, is that the Law cannot save us. The Pharisees thought that if Israel broke the Sabbath laws, God would severely judge them again as he had in the past. They had no idea that their works did not redeem them. No matter how hard we try to keep it, we will always fall short of God’s Law. No one can attain the righteousness they seek by their own works. When the Pharisees imposed rigid laws on the people, they hoped to build a fence around the original 2 Sabbath laws to prevent people from breaking them. Their actions probably turned away more people than they attracted. The incredible amount of Sabbath laws the religious leaders invented only acted as a chain around the necks of the people.

Genesis 2:3
So God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) blessed (בָרַךְ - barak) the seventh (שְׁבִיעִי - shebii) day (יוֹם - yom) and made it holy (קָדשׁ - qadash), because (כִּי - ki) on it God (אֱלהִים - Elohim) rested (שָׁבַח - shabath) from all (מִכָּל - mikkal) his work (מְלָאכָה - melekah) that (אֲשֶׁר - asher) he had done (עָשָׂה - asah) in creation (בָּרָא - bara).

The word blessed (Strong’s H1288) is a verb in the piel form. In Hebrew, the piel form intensifies the verb. Blessed means to kneel and present a gift.⁶ Another definition explains it as to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etcetera.⁷ This is not the first time we see God pronouncing a blessing on his creation. On day 5, God blessed the aquatic and avian life he had created. On day 6, God blessed the animal kingdom and humanity. But God had not blessed a specific day up to this point. In verse 3, God blessed the seventh day. What was God’s gift to the seventh day? He made it holy.

The word holy (Strong’s H6942 - qadash) means to consecrate, to sanctify, to set apart, to be cleansed, to dedicate to God.⁸ It is an invitation to separate ourselves (from something) and draw near to God. Consecration (qadash): to make clean, sanctify, and dedicate to set apart. God set apart the 7th day for us to draw near to him. There’s just one problem; the word qadash should not be translated as holy.

The word for holy is a slightly different word, qodesh. The word used in verse 2 is qadash. Qadash is spelled קדשׁ, and qodesh is spelled קדושׁ. (Notice the extra letter.) Holiness (qodesh) is literally defined as being separated unto God. Holiness is to be separated from all that is sinful and profane. When tells us to be holy (Exodus 19:6, Leviticus 21:8, 1 Peter 1:16), he is telling us to separate ourselves from sin and anything that may draw us away from Him. Both consecration and Holiness are based on the concept of being set apart:
Consecration is a separation to God rather than a separation from the world.
Holiness is a consequence or result of consecration (separateness).
These things describe relationships, define Holiness, and produce good works. Why did God consecrate or set apart the 7th day? Because on that day, God sabbathed rested from all his work.

As mentioned in verse 2, The word work (Strong’s H4399) means work, craftmanship, duties, deeds, and acts.⁹ In the Old Testament, the word work carries the connotation of an occupation or job one does to earn a living.¹⁰ The craftsmanship involved in the creation process is beyond what we are capable of understanding. God poured his creativity, meticulous attention to detail, and loving care into the creation process. He was now satisfied that everything was complete. Nothing more needed to be created. This type of work emphasizes effort that involves skill and benefits, such as running a business. The Israelites were farmers and herders. As their towns and cities developed, some would operate businesses, but on the whole, farming was their business. Farming, herding, and business operations were, therefore, to cease on the Sabbath.

So, what does observing the Sabbath mean for God’s people today? Are Christians supposed to observe the Sabbath? And if so, how? Why would we keep the commandment to remember the Sabbath if we don’t have to live by the other Old Testament laws? Jesus reminded the people of God’s original intention for the Sabbath: unity with God, creation, and each other. Jesus taught that the Sabbath points to him, the one the prophets promised would come to restore the rhythm of all creation mercifully.

When followers of Jesus observe the Sabbath, we live as if this restoration has already occurred. We take a break from the broken rhythms of hustle and hardship to set aside time to honor Jesus’ rule, enjoy his presence, and extend rest to the world around us. When we trust God’s invitation to come to him and truly rest, we become places where his presence can dwell. The Sabbath is like having a reset button that gives us a pause that refreshes.

As followers of Jesus, God does not expect us to live by Old Testament laws. However, the wisdom of these laws remains, and the law of the Sabbath is rich and significant for us today. Sabbath is not a commandment we are bound to; it’s a promise we’re invited to enjoy. Sabbath rest is an invitation to practice for eternity in God’s presence. It is when we stop working we can truly rest in God’s presence. When we practice this purposeful pause, we allow God to reside in our individual lives and communities. And when we do this, we participate in the new creation story, setting the stage for God to make his dwelling place again on Earth.

© 2024 by Steven P. Wickstrom, all rights reserved.