Journeying in Genesis: The Seventh Day Matters

“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."

Genesis 2:3

God will continue to teach through this seventh day as He institutes the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.

On it you shall not do any work,

you,

or your son,

or your daughter,

your male servant,

or your female servant,

or your livestock,

or the sojourner who is within your gates.”

Exodus 20:8-10

It’s a Sabbath to the Lord. It’s worship. Let me sidebar and say we do need rest! I also want to point out that when we walk in God’s ways, we bless those around us. When we disobey we make it worse for everyone around us whether children, people helping us or working for us, our animals, etc.

Lest we turn setting this day apart into legalism, Jesus said in Matthew 12:11b-12,

“Which one of you who has a sheep,

if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath,

will not take hold of it and lift it out?

Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!

So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then He let’s us know in Mark 2:27b,

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

And in Matthew 12:8, Jesus tells us that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Praise Him!

All of Scripture points to Jesus. The seventh day of creation did. The implementation of the Sabbath did. In our next post we will continue to dig into the truth of our ultimate rest.