The First Sabbath Keeper
Scripture Reading — Genesis 2:1-3
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
—Genesis 2:3
When we hear the word “Sabbath,” many of us think of the Jews—as if the concept of Sabbath began with them. When others of us hear the term, we might think of Protestant Reformers—as if the idea of Sabbath somehow started in the 16th century.
But the origin of the Sabbath is with God, the very first Sabbath keeper.
Today’s reading says that on the seventh day God “rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” The first six days of creation were filled with a flurry of activity. As God released his creative energy, planets were born, stars were set in place, and the earth began teeming with life. But on the seventh day, the Creator rested.
It was God who first started the rhythm of six days of work followed by one day of rest. He is the one who established the pattern in the very beginning.
And because we have been made in his image (Genesis 1:27), that pattern is built into the very fabric of who we are.
Our lives, in order to reflect the life of the Creator, are to follow that same “six-and-one” pattern of work and rest.
Father in heaven, on the seventh day of creation you looked out over all that you had made and declared it good! May we too follow the pattern of work and rest that you began. Amen.
About the author — Shawn Brix
Rev. Shawn Brix has served as pastor in several Ontario churches. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children.
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