This is part three of a series called “The Backstory.” Parts one and two can be found here and here. Backstory is a reference to the sequence of events which form the backdrop to “The call of Abram” and the unfolding of God’s mysterious plan of redemption.
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. 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.
Gen. 2:2-3
Let’s look at the phrase, “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.” He did not bless any of the prior six days of creation. Was it because God was finally able to rest after a busy work week? Or is something more happening?
In an earlier study we looked at the two creation stories, but what connects the two stories together. I believe there’s a series of opposites which come together in Sabbath. Allow me to explain, in Creation Story One we have “heaven and earth” in story two we have “earth and heaven.” Also, in world one the creator is Elohim, but in world two he is YHVH Elohim. And lastly, in world one Adam is alone, but later in world two the woman is created from Adam. These pairs of opposites are reflections of each other and they have relationship.
Story Two – Does anybody know what time it is?
In Creation Story Two, what day is it? Creation Story One had clear delineations for the events of each day but what day is it in story two? I want to suggest that story two takes place on the seventh day (Sabbath) and the seventh day never ended. There is no mention of time in world two, it is timeless. For God, it is now always the seventh day. For it was on sabbath that he stopped creating; he then stepped into creation to live, walk, and talk with humanity, the objects of his creation.
At the end of the first creation, Sabbath was the time when the Creator stopped. A wise creator knows when to stop, just as an artist or sculptor knows when to stop designing so as not to diminish the completed work. The final act of creating was to stop creating, stop commanding, stop separating, stop dividing and stop judging. And that is what happened in world two, God stopped creating and began relating, connecting, and revealing. The heavy lifting of creation was done and for YHVH Elohim it was time to enjoy the finished work.
The message of Sabbath
Something happens to us when we are creating, when we are busy “doing” life. Our identity can become synonymous with what we do. Life becomes about our creations, performance, problems we solve, and name recognition. We live in this “works” cycle (world one) so much that it becomes normative, and we feel powerless to break from its’ clutches. Often the first question we ask a new acquaintance is, “What do you do?” Our identity comes from being a teacher, a doctor or a baker. Do we see the lie of identity this promotes?
Maybe the whole point of Creation Story Two is about Sabbath, a time to stop, rest and step away from a state of performance. Maybe this is a window into what it means to be a “human being” and not a “human doer.” Sabbath can help us from becoming disconnected and unbalanced. In Sabbath we take time to lay down the tools of work. We appreciate what God has allowed us to do and the gifts he provides for our enjoyment. It is time to reconnect with our source, our family and to enjoy the fruits of labor from world one.
There is an integration that comes together in Sabbath (our Eden in this world). Sabbath is the connection point for the finished work of world one and the dynamic and connected nature of world two. Notice how Adam is connected to the woman and all of life in story two, all made possible because of work that was completed in story one. Above I mentioned it can be a time to reconnect with our source, what does this mean? If we consider Adam, he was created from the ground and the breath of God. So his source is both earth and the Creator.
To apply this as a spiritual discipline, let’s ask ourselves, how I can reconnect with my spouse, my Lord, and the earth he has provided for me. I expect this will look different for each of us and will likely change over time. This exercise may seem awkward, so begin with a prayer asking the Lord, “How can I begin to integrate my life with all you have provided me?” A simple example may be to put down work for a day and take time for family. Recently, I bought hiking boots as motivation to spend time hiking local trails with my spouse. What steps can you take to begin a Sabbath practice?
A Continual Sabbath
From God’s perspective Sabbath never ended, there is no eighth day. God stopped creating at the end of day six and stepped into his creation on day seven. This is not to imply that God did nothing in story two, rather what he did was considerable. But it was relational, connected, and empathetic. I get a very different sense of the God of story one than what I find in story two. In story two his power and revelation are not in doing, but in being. Now, it’s always the seventh day for him. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews can say that a Sabbath rest is still available for the people of God. It’s still the seventh day!
….. his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
Hebrews 4:3-4
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Hebrews 4:9-10
Discussion questions
- How do I currently celebrate and enjoy Sabbath? Is it helping me reconnect with my source?
Please add your experiences in the comments section below. - What does it look like to enter his rest today? What works do I need to cease from?
- Have you had times in life when you were so busy that you lost yourself and became more robotic than human? How did you recapture your true essence?
Author
Good to see people waking up to the blessings God gives us in the Sabbath. It’s a sign of the times, that the Lord is at work. Is 58 is being fulfilled, the breach is being repaired. Thanks the Lord.
Just a reminder, folks: emperor Constantine practices Mithraism, a sun-worshipping religion with Sunday the most important day, Mithra birthday was December 25th. Jesus never asked for a celebration of his birthday, but instead He said: If you love me, keep the commandments. The emperor Constantine was baptised on his death bed; so much for the legend of his so-called christian life. Catholics practice, without knowing it, many useless pagan traditions borrowed from the Roman Empire.
For Easter : the 40 days of fasting and mourning was to remember the god Tammuz that was killed by a boar.; in his honour, as a revenge, people eat pork meat; the same traditional Easter Ham eaten by my relatives…. The favorite pet of the pagan god Tammuz; was a cute little white rabbit…
Please forget all about these pagan traditions, you do not need that to live a truly spiritual relationship with God.
Thank you Edith for your thoughts. This post is not about Constantine, Catholicism, Easter or Tammuz but rather what God established at the end of creation..
thanks
You would not need to teach about Sabbath if this man Constantine had not been so successful to create catholicism and erase sabbath; that was my point and history tends to repeats itself.
Just look at the new religion the pope (or the Vatican) would impose in the next years : Chrislam…,
Part of the point of teaching, is for people to understand the truth of God’s way, combating the philosophies of the age. Your comment is like saying, we wouldn’t have to teach about free will if Calvin hadn’t corrupted our understanding of free will. History is not quite as black and white as we like to package it. God reveals himself in the messiness of our existence.
The 7Th Day is THE LORDS DAY. The SABBATH OF THE LORD.. GOD BLESSED THE SABBATH DAY AND SANCTIFIED IT.. Many people make the mistake of referring to JESUS, as our SABBATH. They do this to make excuses to WORSHIP and Rest on another Day. NO, THE 7th DAY IS THE SABBATH OF THE LORD.
Hi Ekim, what do you think?
From God’s perspective, what day is it today?
What does it mean that he blessed it?
What does it mean that he sanctified it?
Well documented Post re the Sabbath a subject close to my heart. The Ruach- Holy Spirit started to show/reveal to me and my family about the Sabbath way back in 2003 . We were in a Sunday church where the word Sabbath was never really discussed. But thru a chance meeting with another church we started discussing the word Sabbath and want it truly means..
WE dived deep into the word from the account of creation- (Book of Genesis re God – Elohim rested on the seventh day. and it was the only day he separated from the rest ,sanctified and made it Holy. I believe this was to connect man; back to the Creator of ALL THINGS. and to rest and remember HIM- Worship the one True God.
It was a paradigm shift for us..and even our youngest son who was about six years of age @ the time(2003) . In Prep school one Sabbath had an Open Vision .. he was sitting on the floor in the lounge room with my husband ,I was in another room and he looked towards the corner wall of the room and remembers seeing two Angels as he described with Silver Trumpets.. and all of a sudden he saw a scroll rolled down & he said the words -writing was so beautiful . “‘He said Jesus is coming soon”” that was probably the only piece of the writing that he could remember for a young child of that age.
He would always come with us to Worship and ran forward @ an altar call for mostly adults and I believe was filled with the Holy Spirit – ( Ruach that very day) – Out of the mouth of a babe-. little child.
We will never forget what he saw 👀 .- thru the Spirit that day.. He is now 26 and still going strong for the Lord.. he has never wavered.
Sabbath is such a big subject and God -Elohim unfolds many things as you dive deep into the word from Genesis right thru the first 5 Books of the Old testament as most Christian believers call it. -Known in Hebrew as The Torah – God’s instruction & covenant for his people Israel – Including those of us who are grafted in thru the Blood of Jesus- Christ – Yeshua Ha Maschiach.
Sabbath still continues to be remembered and kept by Apostle Paul in the Book of Hebrews [which was Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews..]
Jesus Christ -Yeshua kept the Sabbath ..(thread) Right thru God’s word. Genesis to Revelation .( I believe)
( He even tried to witness to the Pharisees on the Sabbath day.. he went into the synagogue to teach about himself and witness to them that he was the Christ!- Saviour Lamb of God. – the son of the one & only True Living God. One of the scriptures reads Yeshua said the Sabbath was made for man,not man for the Sabbath and that he was Lord of the Sabbath.
That is how we come into God’s Sabbath rest now thru Yeshua- thru and by the Holy Spirit- Ruach.
For Yeshua to be the perfect Sacrifice – lamb of God he had to keep and fulfill ALL OF THE TORAH-first 5 Books.of Moses.; otherwise he could not have been that sacrifice for the redemption of man .As man/woman fell in the garden -and fell short of the Glory of Elohim.another word is missed the mark.That is where sin entered in.
For there is none made righteous except thru the blood of the Lamb. Yeshua said he did not come to do away with the Torah-(instruction/covenant: but to fulfill every jot & tittle of God- Elohims word. Old to New testaments -renewed covenant.
Isaiah Chapter 65 …..re ( Judgement & Salvation, New Heavens and a New Earth-read All verses.
& Chapter 66 – Judgement and Hope. -Isaiah 66 verse 22 reads As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me, “declares the Lord”, “”so will your name and descendents endure
Verse 23 And from one new Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all man-kind will come and bow down before me'” , says the Lord.
Verse 24 And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”‘
So the seventh day Sabbath that God made and sanctified is Important to HIm and involves our surrender to his will and purpose for our lives as True Believers. The number 7 represents Elohims Holiness -Hebrew word Kodesh. and the 7 seven Spirits of God’s- Elohim’s character. .. as seen in the menorah. 7 branched candlestick.
Yeshua is our Sabbath rest,- true 7th seventh day – (come to me all those who are heavily laden and he-Yeshua will give you rest for; His Yoke is Easy and His Burden is Light.) many other verses come to mind.
He also says in his word be still and know that He is God.
In Genesis chapter 1- a friend and mentor for me asked me a question last week- What day did God/Elohim create man ?? Genesis Chapter 1 verse 26 & 27.
verse 31 tells us it was the 6th day-.sixth
If we truly think about the no 6 -six, it refers to man …Elohim made us in his image;(a little lower than the angels) but in Genesis Chapter 3 It talks about the Fall OF Man. when sin entered in and Adam & Eve were tempted by the serpent. etc etc
Chapter 4 .Cain & Abel Chapter 5 From Adam to Noah. Chapter 6 The Flood. and then on & on Chapter 11 ) = Rebellion.The Tower of Babel etc..
Why do I mention this;? it is because I had the revelation that because man sinned;(fell/fallen short of God’s Glory) the no 6 mentioned in the Book of Revelation is also about the no 666 which Elohim says is the no. of a man and his number is 666.(Mark of The Beast spoken of in Book of Daniel also-Beast System)
The Beast / The Anti -Christ that will demand our worship in end times ( fast approaching.). we need Elohims mark which is the no 7 seven TRUE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH.. which equals = HOliness Unto The Lord.
Rome- Under Constantine changed the seventh day- day on the true Hebrew calendar – timeline from one new Moon to another etc.. and from one Sabbath to another- evening to morning. .>>> to the Sunday which was the venerable day of the sun -on the Gregorian calendar.
In God’s/Elohim’s account the days of the week in book of Genesis were numbered /named 1st day ,second day etc. up to 6th & 7 th day. Evening & morning were the 1 st day etc.
The naming of the days Monday-( =Moon’s day the counterfeit. ) , Tuesday, Wednesday= Woden’s day ,Thursday , Friday were so named after pagan god’s..- that is another study in itself that the world so readily accepted. Calendars included Julian & Gregorian which we keep today.
Lot to think about.-( there is also a book we read titled from Sabbath to Sunday back in 2003)
The Holy Spirit gives us true revelation of his word when we read, fast & pray and earnestly seek his Word From Genesis to Revelation for Truth.
God Bless sorry bit long.. but that si what came to me. as I typed.
Thank you Anne, yes I agree there are many things in Sabbath that are easy to miss and I think that is partly what the Lord is showing me of late.
thanks for your comment.