Genesis 2:1-3

2006.May.03 16:02

Day of Rest

Read Genesis 2:1-3 | Full Chapter

So God completed all this crazy creation stuff in six days. Of course, we get another story after this, but more on that later. On the seventh day, he rests. God does not really need rest, I assume, but he rests anyway because he desires to, and he sanctifies the seventh day as one of rest. On the other hand, one of the things I’m going to ponder the week after next (next is a sidebar), is how much physical creation took place in “the week”.

To the point, though, God blesses and sets apart the seventh day. Here he adds the distinction between labor and rest, and the concept that times of rest are and ought to be set aside and times of blessing. However, he does not disdain his labor nor the time spent on it, which he calls very good. It is the combination of these two, of activity and reflection/refreshment that he designs as a desirable circumstance.

God values both my labor and my rest, and because I am made in his image, I can know that such a combination will best suit me. Neither alone will be satisfying but to consider both good increases me and my joy in God.