Garden of Aden

Garden of Aden

After God finished creating the heavens and earth, He rested on the seventh day. The rest that God took was not necessitated by weariness, but as an indicator to the completion of His creation. Hence, the seven-day week has existed since creation, and those who have tried to change it have reverted to it.

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. 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 (Genesis 2:2, 3).

The Sabbath day symbolizes the spiritual rest we receive from the sacrifice made on the cross. This day represents a time for reflection, rejuvenation, and connection with our faith. Therefore, individuals should not be judged based on their chosen day of rest or work.

 

Each person has their circumstances and beliefs, and it is essential to approach this topic with understanding and respect for diverse practices. Ultimately, the focus should be on the underlying principle of rest and renewal that the Sabbath embodies, rather than strictly adhering to a specific day.   

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

We are not under the law about the day of the Sabbath, but we cannot ignore the importance of rest. In addition, idling on any of the days is equally bad.

 

God does not need a day off from work but demonstrates that man can get the rest, and is required to take a rest. God's rest was not out of fatigue but a pointer, setting a divine pattern for humans to follow, as we are not limitless, and honoring rest is an act of trust and obedience.

But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working (John 5:17).

God taking a rest was symbolic that after work, there is need for rest, and ultimately, after all is said and done we need God’s rest.

 

Having appreciated that, God does not grow weary; He chose to rest on the seventh day, not out of His own need, but to set a divine example for humanity. In Christ, this principle reaches its fulfillment. There remains a deeper rest for the people of God, a rest from striving, from works, and from the burdens of self-righteousness. Just as God ceased from His works, so we are called to enter His rest by faith, ceasing from righteousness earned from hard work.

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His (Hebrews 4:9-11).

However, the rest that God gives is a choice that one makes, by trusting and choosing to walk in His ways.

 

God has always provided a path to true rest, first by modeling it at creation, then commanding it through the Sabbath, and finally fulfilling it in Christ. Jeremiah pleads with His people to walk in the good way, the timeless truths, and righteous paths that lead to peace, stability, and find rest for your souls.

Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it (Jeremiah 6:16).

Tragically, the people refused. This echoes the warning in Hebrews: the promise of rest remains, but not all will enter it, because of unbelief and disobedience. People often prefer the way that seems right to them, even if it leads to weariness and destruction.

 

In the first chapter of Genesis, the name Elohim is consistently used. The name Elohim underscores God's supreme power, transcendence, and sovereignty through creation. Elohim is the Creator-God, majestic and omnipotent, forming the cosmos with order and purpose.

This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4).

In the second chapter of Genesis, the name shifts to Yahweh Elohim often rendered "The LORD God." Yahweh (Jehovah): refers to the personal, covenantal name of God, revealing His relational nature, faithfulness, and moral perfection. Yahweh Elohim presents God as both a powerful, majestic Creator and a personal, covenant-keeping, and loving God. God must have revealed the history of creation to Moses, as no man existed at this time.

 

God causes the plants to grow and the rain cycle in terms of the wind, water rising and condensing, and so on. Nevertheless, God gives rain in His time. Plants do not grow by virtue of soil; God grants the plants to grow, and even the harvest.

... before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground (Genesis 2:5-6).

“I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered (Amos 4:7)

Initially, God had chosen to water the ground through mist and no rain. Yet, that mist was sufficient to water the ground and for plants to grow.