The origin of the Sabbath has been debated by scholars with some that argue that the Sabbath originated at the time of Moses. A major reason why the question of the origin of the Sabbath has attracted much attention is because with it is bound the larger question of whether or not the principle and practice of seventh-day Sabbathkeeping is binding upon Christians. So we will look at this question at Creation and see what it has.
Genesis 2:1-4
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.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
Verse 1 and 4 makes clear when the origin happened, as it was after man was made and all the work of creation finished, which helps in understanding that the Sabbath was established by God at creation for the benefit of mankind, which would make its observance as a creation ordinance binding upon all, Jews and Christians.
if we look at verse 2 and 3 we find in the verses that the Biblical view of the origin of the Sabbath is unequivocal: the Sabbath, as seventh day, originated at the completion of the creation week as a result of three divine acts: God "rested," "blessed," and "hallowed" the seventh day.
Twice we see that it states that God "rested" on the seventh day from all His work. The Hebrew verb shabat, translated "rested," denotes cessation and not relaxation. Now in Exodus 20:11 the idea of rest is expressed by the Hebrew verb nuah, which is used, is as where the divine rest fulfills an anthropological function: it serves as a model for human rest. In Genesis 2:2-3 however, the divine rest has a lager function as it serves to explain that God was content to be the Creator of this world and did not need to proceed to further creations here on the earth, it ended at that point. To acknowledge this fact, God stopped or ceased.
Genesis 2:2 affirms that the Creator "blessed" (brk) the seventh day just as He had blessed animals and man on the previous day. Divine blessings in the Scripture are not merely "good wishes," but assurance of fruitfulness, prosperity, and a happiness in life. In terms of the seventh day, it means that God has promised to make the Sabbath a beneficial and vitalizing power through which human life is enriched and renewed. In Exodus 20:11 the blessing of the creation seventh day is clearly linked with the weekly Sabbath, and the same rest.
Exodus 20:10-11
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, 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.
The theological reasons given for the command to observe the seventh day Sabbath in verse 10 "to the Lord your God" is "for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" in verse 11. Notice it clearly repeats the same as Creation, God "rested," "blessed," and "hallowed" the seventh day.
Genesis 2:1-4
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.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
Verse 1 and 4 makes clear when the origin happened, as it was after man was made and all the work of creation finished, which helps in understanding that the Sabbath was established by God at creation for the benefit of mankind, which would make its observance as a creation ordinance binding upon all, Jews and Christians.
if we look at verse 2 and 3 we find in the verses that the Biblical view of the origin of the Sabbath is unequivocal: the Sabbath, as seventh day, originated at the completion of the creation week as a result of three divine acts: God "rested," "blessed," and "hallowed" the seventh day.
Twice we see that it states that God "rested" on the seventh day from all His work. The Hebrew verb shabat, translated "rested," denotes cessation and not relaxation. Now in Exodus 20:11 the idea of rest is expressed by the Hebrew verb nuah, which is used, is as where the divine rest fulfills an anthropological function: it serves as a model for human rest. In Genesis 2:2-3 however, the divine rest has a lager function as it serves to explain that God was content to be the Creator of this world and did not need to proceed to further creations here on the earth, it ended at that point. To acknowledge this fact, God stopped or ceased.
Genesis 2:2 affirms that the Creator "blessed" (brk) the seventh day just as He had blessed animals and man on the previous day. Divine blessings in the Scripture are not merely "good wishes," but assurance of fruitfulness, prosperity, and a happiness in life. In terms of the seventh day, it means that God has promised to make the Sabbath a beneficial and vitalizing power through which human life is enriched and renewed. In Exodus 20:11 the blessing of the creation seventh day is clearly linked with the weekly Sabbath, and the same rest.
Exodus 20:10-11
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, 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.
The theological reasons given for the command to observe the seventh day Sabbath in verse 10 "to the Lord your God" is "for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" in verse 11. Notice it clearly repeats the same as Creation, God "rested," "blessed," and "hallowed" the seventh day.
