Why did God rest on the seventh day?
In Genesis Chapter 2, we read that God rested on the seventh day. However, we know that God will never be tired. So why did He rest on the seventh day? In this post, you will discover that it was the perfect love of our heavenly Father for mankind that cause God to stop work and rest for a specific purpose.
Read on..
Why did God rest on the seventh day?
In Genesis 2:1-3, we read that God rested on the seventh day. Did God rest because He was tired? Absolutely not! God will never be tired (Isaiah 40:28).
There are two main Hebrew words for the word “rest” in the Bible. The first is shabbat which means to stop working. The other Hebrew word for rest used in the Hebrew Scriptures is nuakh. This means to “dwell” or “settle.” It refers to spending time with a loved one.
Hence, on the 7th day, God rested from work (shabbat), and then He dwelt (nuakh) and enjoyed the time with Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 1 we read that after God had created Adam and Eve on the 6th day, God blessed them to be the master of all His creation. It was like a father holding his newborn child, full of joy and pride and wanting his child to inherit the kingdom he had built.
Similarly, in Genesis 2, God, our heavenly Father was taking leave from His work to enjoy the time with His children — Adam and Eve. Just like any new father would take leave to take care and enjoy his newborn baby.
Therefore, there is another reason God set apart the 7th day for Adam and Eve, that is, to bless them. In God’s presence, Adam and Eve were made holy and all blessings abound to them. It pleased God greatly to see Adam and Eve being blessed, celebrating and resting in His perfect love.
If we analyse Genesis Chapter 2, it is all about how the LORD God prepared the garden of Eden, a matrimonial home for Adam and Eve and how He orchestrated the love between Adam and Eve. In other words, the 7th day was a joyous day, a wedding day celebrating the marriage of Adam and Eve and celebrating all of God’s finished work, created for mankind.
Hence, on the 7th day, God rested from work (shabbat), and then He dwelt (nuakh) and enjoyed the time with Adam and Eve. The 7th day was a joyous day where Adam and Eve was enjoying all that God lavished on them, all His provision, the kingdom, the home and marriage that God had created for them. It pleased God greatly to see Adam and Eve celebrating and resting in His perfect love.
Can you see your worth?
When you can understand that the 7th day was a day where God stopped work and spent time with mankind, you will understand what the Psalmist meant in Psalms 8:3-4, what are we that God, the Creator of this universe, should be mindful of us? It describes a perfect Father who loves us so much and places us at top priority that He should stop His work on the universe to give us His time.
When you can understand how much God loves you, you will understand what is your worth. You are everything to the Creator of this universe. You are His beloved child. He loves you just as He loves Jesus (John 17:23).
My child, if today, you feel alone in this world, know for sure that your heavenly Father is always waiting for you to spend time with Him. You are everything to Him. Never doubt God’s deep love for you and His mighty power to work in you. As you rest in His love, God will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request and your most unbelievable dream. Human’s imagination is limited but not God’s. If you learn to rest trusting in His love, God will exceed your wildest imagination. Whatever you can imagine, God will outdo them all. If you find yourself in a state of waiting for God to answer a prayer, to provide for a need, rest in His love and let His miraculous power energizes you as you wait upon Him. In the meantime, give praise to God in Christ Jesus and bless His holy name.
If you are not yet a believer, you can pray this prayer to receive Jesus into your life:
“Dear LORD Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God and that you love me so much that you left your throne in Heaven to come into this world to suffer on my behalf. You chose to die for my sins so that I can be restored back into the presence of God and enjoy the perfect love of my heavenly Father. I pray that You come into my life and be my LORD and Saviour. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can lead a victorious life. I believe that from this moment on, I am a new creation. Help me to walk with you each day so that I am able to enjoy the rich and satisfying life that God had planned for me when He formed me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
If you have said the above prayer, you are born again by the Holy Spirit. Write down this date so that you will never forget this new birthday. You are now a child of God, you are a new creation. You have the Kingdom of heaven to inherit. You have a new life, you are called a Christian. Look for a church near you, start reading the bible everyday and walk with Jesus. You can turn to Jesus with all your cares and worries. He is with you always and He will guide you. You will be amazed as you walk this new journey.