I do not know why the person(s) who divided the books of the Bible into chapters decided to put the account of the first Sabbath (Gen. 2:1-3) into Genesis 2 rather than leaving it connected to the account of the other six days of creation recorded in Genesis 1. That decision creates the possibility of Bible readers not observing the connection between the six days and the seventh.
There is a link between the rest of creation and the sabbath. We are told that ‘on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done’, a statement that should cause us to ask what he made on the seventh day. The answer is that he made the sabbath.
Each of the things that he created on the previous sixth days were designed to last as long as the creation would last. The same can be said for the sabbath. It was not intended as a temporary provision by God.
The description in Genesis 2:1-3 tells us what God wanted to happen on the sabbath. It was a day for resting. God did not rest because he was tired after a hard week’s work. None of what he had made was a difficult task for him. His rest was one of enjoyment in what he had created.
In doing this, God set the pattern for sabbath-keeping. It is a day for thinking about God’s activities, for considering the range of his creative abilities. Of course, we know that we must think about the activities of Jesus and what he has done and is doing to bring about the restoration of creation. Doing this each Sunday will give us rest and recuperation.
