The latest arguments from my SDA friend, made me see that the Sabbat was indeed set before Creation.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the eventh day from all his work which he had made.3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. ” Gen 2:1-3
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exod 20:11
There are two ways of interpreting the above passages
God rested on a seventh day after six days of creation. Afterwards He declared all the future Saturdays as holy.
Now since the Sabbath was made before sin it cannot fallout due to the Cross. How can the Cross replace an institution made before there was sin ? How can it replace an institution that has nothing to do with humanity's depravity or sin ?
God by laying that first Saturday aside for his rest, was sanctifying that first Saturday. (Remember that to sanctify something is to set it apart for God's use.)
This understanding does not demand that we believe that God was declaring all Saturdays holy before Moses came.
As for the view that God just blessed the first Saturday and not all Saturdays my friend asked a very real question: Was God tired that he should need rest on a seventh day ?. Was not God doing this for our example ? I NOTICED THAT NON OF US COULD CHALLENGE MY FRIENDS 'ARGUMENTS.
Now this opens a new dimension of thought in this debate. If God set a Sabbath before sin or the Fall then the Cross which is a sin solution has nothing to do ith it's sanctity.
The latest arguments from my SDA friend, made me see that the Sabbat was indeed set before Creation.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the eventh day from all his work which he had made.3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. ” Gen 2:1-3
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exod 20:11
There are two ways of interpreting the above passages
God rested on a seventh day after six days of creation. Afterwards He declared all the future Saturdays as holy.
Now since the Sabbath was made before sin it cannot fallout due to the Cross. How can the Cross replace an institution made before there was sin ? How can it replace an institution that has nothing to do with humanity's depravity or sin ?
God by laying that first Saturday aside for his rest, was sanctifying that first Saturday. (Remember that to sanctify something is to set it apart for God's use.)
This understanding does not demand that we believe that God was declaring all Saturdays holy before Moses came.
As for the view that God just blessed the first Saturday and not all Saturdays my friend asked a very real question:Was God tired that he should need rest on a seventh day ?. Was not God doing this for our example ? I NOTICED THAT NON OF US COULD CHALLENGE MY FRIENDS 'ARGUMENTS.
Now this opens a new dimension of thought in this debate. If God set a Sabbath before sin or the Fall then the Cross which is a sin solution has nothing to do ith it's sanctity.
Here is the Young's literal translation of Genesis 2:2,3 It might help you make sense of God's rest:
2and God completeth by the seventh day His work which He hath made, and ceaseth by the seventh day from all His work which He hath made. 3And God blesseth the seventh day, and sanctifieth it, for in it He hath ceased from all His work which God had prepared for making.
God rested, or ceased on the seventh day. Hebrews 4 puts it this way:
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."
The Sabbath command given to the Israelites both looked back to God's sanctifying His seventh day, continuing rest from creation, and forward to our rest from our works.
9So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Notice the sabbath that remains is the perpetual, continuing rest that God started on the seventh day of creation with no morning or evening.
Why would one wish to deceive himself that the Genesis account was a eyewitness account? Are we that desperate to support our dogma? What value could the Sabbath have in a world without sin?
The Sabbath is a memorial of creation not a remedy of sin.
The BIble says the Sabbath command given to Israel is both a reminder of creation and of them being freed from Egypt.
Do you see that God "resting" meant ceasing of His creative work, and thus was not necessarily done for an example for everyone to keep it perpetually on a weekly basis? (the premise of your OP).
According to Hebrews, God's rest on the seventh day was and is indeed an example, that of the rest from our works (perpetual).
The Sabbath is a memorial of creation not a remedy of sin.
Why would the Creator need a memorial? Who would He be trying to impress or convince? You have reduced the Creator to a simple human ruler who wishes to elevate Himself above everyone else. The problem you have is that there is no one else who can challenge the Creator so He needs no memorial of the creation than the creation itself.
Ricker and Sentipente can you please elaborate on the issues of "Perpetuality" ? I am not getting you.
BFA, welcome back.
In general I was presenting my friend's argument which is very simple yet you seem guys to avoid. Let me re-iterate it. Since God does not need to rest (He wearies not, nor tire), why did he rest ? Common sense says, The only reason was that He rested was to set an example for us.
BFA, Sabbath was also a sign of Israeli deliverance ? Again you are avoiding the Gen 2 argument raised by my friend. That is whilst the sabbath had a historcal, feastial ignificance it also has permanent value traced in Gen 2.
dragNdrop, the error you make is in changing the text from "resting from" to "resting." All the writer is saying is that when there was nothing more to be created the act of creation stopped. Your version suggests that God rested then began creating again. If you took into consideration the time when Genesis was written the problem disappears. Your friend's argument fails.
dragNdrop, the error you make is in changing the text from "resting from" to "resting." All the writer is saying is that when there was nothing more to be created the act of creation stopped. Your version suggests that God rested then began creating again. If you took into consideration the time when Genesis was written the problem disappears. Your friend's argument fails.
Thank you. I thought posting Young's literal translation of Exodus 2, and also Hebrews 4 would convey this thought, but you put it much more succinctly.
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