Creation Sabbath and the Sabbath Commandment
A. Gen 2:1-3 and the Sabbath
According to the biblical creation narrative the Sabbath originated
at the end of creation week as an expression of the divine will (Gen
2:1-3).
It is common among Protestants to argue that Gen 2:1-3 does not contain a
commandment addressed to humans but that it simply describes what God did
on
the seventh day. The argument is that the Sabbath as a commandment was
given
to the Israelites through the covenant; it is a Jewish law. Here we agree
with Dies Domini: "If the first page of the Book of Genesis presents God's
'work' as an example for man, the same is true of God's 'rest.'"[3] That
conclusion can be sup****ted on several different grounds.
1. Humans as the Image of God and the Sabbath
The creation narrative describes humans as unique intelligent
creatures within a world brought into existence by God. That singularity
is
located in the fact that they were created in the image of God (1:27).
They
were to reflect the actions of God, the character of God and to represent
Him within the rest of creation. The idea that God rested from His works
ascribes to God a human need in order to demonstrate to humans how He
planned to supply it for them.[4] The anthropomorphic language clearly
points to God's concern for humans who do not only need to work but also
to
separate a particular time to enjoy deep personal communion with the
Creator. The divine action-God's rest-reveals His willingness to join
humans
in fellow****p during the seventh day. It is the Creator, not the creature,
who determines the time of rest.
Adventist theologian Hans K. LaRondelle stated, "Without the divine
communion and fellow****p on the seventh day, without man's entering into
God's rest on that day, the whole creation would be cut off from its Maker
and necessarily have to find its purpose and sense in itself. Then God's
rest indeed would rather be the cryptic indication of God's return to the
aseity (the absolute self-existence) of the inner glory of His being and
existence, leaving man and the world to themselves." He adds, "God's rest
then means His ceasing the work of creation in order to be free for the
fellow****p with man, the object of his love, for the rejoicing and
celebration of His completed work together with his son on earth, the
imago
Dei, his festive partner."[5]
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