Missions

Creation and the Sabbath Day

"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth...
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."

Psalms 33:6-9.

The fifth and sixth day.

On the fifth day of time, "God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good"

(Genesis 1:20-23). On the sixth day of time, "God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good." Thus, the earth, having been adapted for the purpose, was filled with every kind of living creature, while the air and the waters abounded with animal life.

To complete this noble work of creation, God made man to rule over the earth and sea, and all that existed in them. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). After breathing life into man, God planted a beautiful garden, in which there were all kinds of trees; also there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, whose fruit man was forbidden to eat. Finally, God created Eve, the mother of all the living.

The work of the Creator was now complete. The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Adam and Eve were in paradise; the tree of life flourished in the earth; sin had not entered our world, and death did not exist, for wickedness had not yet come here. "The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). Thus ended the sixth day.

Questions for discussion.

1. Who was God speaking to when He said: "Let Us make man..."? Genesis 1:26.

"Then God said: Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

2. In whose likeness was man created? Genesis 1:27.

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

3. How did God regard His work when He finished it? Genesis 1:31.

"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

4. What prohibition did God place on man, and what would happen if he disobeyed? Genesis 2:17.

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

5. How is the woman created for Adam described? Genesis 2:23.

"And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

On the seventh day.

The seventh day was made memorable in a very different way. "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done" (Genesis 2:2). In even stronger language it is written: "on the seventh day He ceased and RESTED" (Exodus 31:17).

God did not need to rest; however, He rested to set us an example. Then He blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. To sanctify means: "to make holy; to consecrate; to set apart for a holy use." In Leviticus (chapter 8, verse 30) we are given an example of sanctifying, when Moses sanctified Aaron, his sons, and their respective garments.

Questions for discussion.

  1. How did God observe the seventh day? Genesis 2:1,2.

"Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."

2. After resting on the seventh day, what did He do next? Genesis 2:3.

"Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."

3. What is the meaning of to sanctify?

In the biblical context, the word sanctify (from the Hebrew qadash) means to set apart for a sacred use. It is not simply a state of purity, but an act of distinction. When something is sanctified, it ceases to be "common" and becomes something dedicated exclusively to God or to a divine purpose.

4. What does the statement that after resting on the seventh day, God sanctified it or set it apart necessarily imply? The work of the Creator was finished; each of the six days had been distinguished by the work of the Creator, but the first week of time had not yet been completed.

The fact that God sanctified the seventh day after resting implies several fundamental points:

  • A distinction of character: Unlike the other six days which were blessed by the activity of creation, the seventh was blessed by the presence and rest of God. This makes it a monument in time.
  • The institution of rest: By sanctifying it, God was not only resting Himself, but was establishing a sacred destiny for that time. It implies that the seventh day has a different "status" from the others; it is a time that belongs to God in a special way.
  • A gift to humanity: Since the work was finished, the sanctification of the day was not necessary for God (who does not grow weary), but was set apart as a space for human beings to enter into communion with their Creator, free from the tasks of the previous six days.

The culmination of the first week

The week was not complete at the end of the sixth day. This is because the seventh day is the seal of creation:

  1. The Complete Cycle: The seven-day week does not exist because of any natural astronomical cycle (such as the lunar month or the solar year); it exists solely because God added the day of rest to close the creative cycle.
  1. From Work to Relationship: The six days focused on doing (preparing the home for man), while the seventh day focused on being (enjoying the relationship between the Creator and the created).
  1. Perfection: Without the seventh day, creation would be only a work of engineering. With the sanctification of the seventh day, creation becomes an act of worship and purpose.

5. Give two examples of the use of the word "sanctify" that confirm this. Exodus 19:12,23; Joshua 20:7 (KJV marginal notes).

Sanctify as "Setting Bounds" (Exodus 19:12, 23)

In this passage, God prepares to descend upon Mount Sinai. The instruction is to sanctify the mountain.

  • The act: Moses did not "cleanse" the mountain of sin, but rather set bounds around it.
  • The meaning: To sanctify the mountain meant that that portion of land was forbidden for common use (grazing or transit). It became an "exclusive" space for the meeting with God.
  • Confirmation: Verse 23 says explicitly: "Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it." Here, sanctify is synonymous with fencing off or restricting for God.

2. Sanctify as "Designating" or "Appointing" (Joshua 20:7)

This text speaks of the "Cities of Refuge," places where someone who had committed accidental manslaughter could find protection.

  • The act: The text says: "Then they appointed Kedesh... Shechem... and Kirjath Arba." (In the King James Version it is often translated as "appointed" or "designated," but the Hebrew root is the same as sanctify).
  • The meaning: Sanctifying these cities implied setting them apart from among all the other cities of Israel for a specific legal and protective function. Once "sanctified," that city was no longer just a place of residence, but an official refuge under the law of God.
  • Confirmation: The marginal notes of the KJV (King James Version) often clarify that this term implies an official dedication or appointment (appointed).

6. What is the name of the seventh day? Exodus 20:10.

"But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates."

The Sabbath and its relationship with Christ.

"The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." These words are full of instruction and comfort. Since the Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord's day. It belongs to Christ. For "all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." And as He made all things, He made the Sabbath also. By Him it was set apart as a memorial of the work of creation. It presents Christ as the Sanctifier as well as the Creator. It declares that He who created all things in heaven and on earth, and through whom all things exist, is the head of the church, and that through His power we are reconciled to God.

The Desire of Ages, p. 288, E.G. White.

Questions for discussion.

1. For whom was the Sabbath made, and what relationship does it have with Christ? Mark 2:27,28.

"And He said to them: The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

2. Whom do we honor by keeping the day of rest, and by not keeping it, whom do we dishonor?

By keeping the Sabbath, we honor God as the Sovereign and Creator of the Universe. The Sabbath is considered the "Seal" of God's law. By keeping it, we acknowledge that our life and the world are not the product of chance, but of divine design.

We honor the Father (the Source of all things) through obedience to His commandments, and we recognize the work of His Son in creation. It is an act of loyalty that distinguishes those who follow human traditions.

By not keeping it, we directly dishonor the Author of the Law (God).

By observing a different day, one is inadvertently honoring a human or ecclesiastical power that presumed to change the law of God.

We dishonor the character of God by ignoring the monument He Himself established so that we would remember His works. It is considered putting human convenience above divine holiness.

3. If Christ created the heavens and the earth, who must have made the day of rest?

If we accept, based on passages such as John 1:3 ("All things were made through Him") and Colossians 1:16, that Christ was the executive arm of the Father's creation, then He is the one who:

  1. Rested on the seventh day.
  1. Blessed the seventh day.
  1. Sanctified it (set it apart).

This is the basis for understanding why Christ said in the Gospels that "the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28). He did not claim authority over the Sabbath to abolish it, but because He Himself was the one who instituted it in the week of creation in Eden.

We have already learned from Christ that "all things were created through Him and for Him"; therefore, He must have made the Sabbath. Then, He "is Lord even of the Sabbath." This does not exclude the Father from the creation and the making of the Sabbath day. God made the worlds through His Son. Both were united in creation, as they are in everything; and so men "should honor the Son just as they honor the Father." When the day of rest is not kept, both the Father and the Son are dishonored.


Questions for discussion.

  1. What is the great purpose of the Sabbath day? Ezekiel 20:12.

"Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them."

2. How does the Sabbath serve as a "sign" to make us know the true God? Exodus 31:15,17.

"Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed."

3. What is the distinctive characteristic of God? Psalms 96:4,5; Jeremiah 10:10-12.

"For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens."

"But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. Thus you shall say to them: The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens. He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion."

4. What is the difference between God and men? Psalms 100:3; Isaiah 40:15,17; 55:9.

"Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture."

"Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales; look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless."

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

5. Then, was the Sabbath day designed for the benefit of men?

"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27)


The Sabbath was designed to be a continual reminder of the greatness of God,

and of our dependence on Him, and of our duty to serve Him with humility.

Remember! The Sabbath day is special; it is a sign between the

Creator and us, to participate in the process of sanctification.

Do you want to honor the Lord?

Keep His commandments!


Lesson 3 (Coming Soon)

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