In the Beginning: Rest

 

In the Beginning: Time to Rest

 

Genesis 2

 

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

 

In Genesis Chapter 1 God created everything.  A hard week of work and now God Rests.  His creation has been completed and now we begin our story.  Will it end in sadness or joy only we can decide that.  God has given us free will. The ability to decide for ourselves the path we wish to travel.

But today, the seventh day, God Rests.  God blesses this day and sanctifies it making it a holy day forever. 

The Jewish people must have really loved this especially when the day of rest was placed in the ten commandments.  These people were agrarian and nomadic, had been slaves of the Egyptians working seven days a week.  Now God gives them permission to rest.  He gives us permission to rest. 

The seventh day is a holy day because of God resting and sanctifying it. 

Exodus 20

8	¶ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Ex. 16.23-30 ; 31.12-14
9	Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10	but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, Ex. 23.12 ; 31.15 ; 34.21 ; 35.2 · Lev. 23.3 thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11	for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. Gen. 2.1-3 · Ex. 31.17

 

Here, within the 10 Commandments and part of them he gives us the order to rest. We need to remember to thank our God that he gave us a day of rest and praise him. 

Thank you, God for your day of rest. We know without you we would not be. May our faith grow stronger each day and please bless us in every way. Amen.