God is omnipotent. Why did he rest on the 7th day of creation?

[tonychanyt]

Ge 2:

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

What does it mean for God to rest on the last day if he’s omnipotent?

Right. It doesn't mean God was tired, but rather that he had completed his work of creation.

God set an example for humans to follow, leading to the Sabbath tradition. Ex 20:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Aside from anthropomorphic language, God works all the time. Jn 5:

16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

God stopped working on the 7th day to show the completion of creation. The number 7 was used later to symbolize completion.

 

[Clare73]

Ge 2:

What does it mean for God to rest on the last day if he’s omnipotent?
Right. It doesn't mean God was tired, but rather that he had completed his work of creation.
God set an example for humans to follow, leading to the Sabbath tradition. Ex 20:
Aside from anthropomorphic language, God works all the time. Jn 5:
God stopped working on the 7th day to show the completion of creation. The number 7 was used later to symbolize completion.

God rested on the seventh day to show his completion of, and our rest in, the finished work of salvation in Jesus Christ, our full-time Sabbath rest (Heb 4:3-10).

 

[SuperCow]

Ge 2:

What does it mean for God to rest on the last day if he’s omnipotent?

Well, first off there is two problems to this question. First, the concept of omnipotence is an oxymoron. If he can do anything, can God make 2+2=5? Can he make something impossible for himself? Can he choose to not know the future? Essentially, if nothing is impossible, then creating a paradox is also not impossible, but then it is not a paradox.

Second, the Bible does not say God is omnipotent. Nowhere does it describe what unlimited power means. He created the Heavens and the Earth. He created life, both intelligent self-aware life and life that solely acts on instinct, and various levels of consciousness in between. He is able to do things that defy our understanding of physics. He can resurrect people or cause their death in an instant. It is clear that our existence is at his mercy. But any limits, if there are any, are not defined.

Mark 10:27 quotes our most authoritative voice where it says "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”. But if we are hyper-literal and think this means omnipotence, then we already have a contradiction with Hebrews 6:18 where it says "It is impossible for God to lie."

Generally, what we know about God's power is interpreted by man.

Right. It doesn't mean God was tired, but rather that he had completed his work of creation.

I agree. God finished creation on this planet to the point where it was suitable for a human pair, and now it was time to watch it proceed on auto-pilot for a while. You take the sabbath off, but you can still eat or read a book or go to church (or a synagogue), though some sects are more strict than others about what is acceptable.

God set an example for humans to follow, leading to the Sabbath tradition. Ex 20:

Also true.

Aside from anthropomorphic language, God works all the time. Jn 5:

God stopped working on the 7th day to show the completion of creation. The number 7 was used later to symbolize completion.

Even if he did nothing for a period of time, it would be because it was not necessary.

 

[tonychanyt]

the concept of omnipotence is an oxymoron

See Is God omnipotent? and follow up there

 

[Grafted In]

He created the sabath for man.

 

[ChristinaL]

Well, first off there is two problems to this question. First, the concept of omnipotence is an oxymoron. If he can do anything, can God make 2+2=5? Can he make something impossible for himself? Can he choose to not know the future? Essentially, if nothing is impossible, then creating a paradox is also not impossible, but then it is not a paradox.

Second, the Bible does not say God is omnipotent. Nowhere does it describe what unlimited power means. He created the Heavens and the Earth. He created life, both intelligent self-aware life and life that solely acts on instinct, and various levels of consciousness in between. He is able to do things that defy our understanding of physics. He can resurrect people or cause their death in an instant. It is clear that our existence is at his mercy. But any limits, if there are any, are not defined.

Mark 10:27 quotes our most authoritative voice where it says "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”. But if we are hyper-literal and think this means omnipotence, then we already have a contradiction with Hebrews 6:18 where it says "It is impossible for God to lie."

Generally, what we know about God's power is interpreted by man.



I agree. God finished creation on this planet to the point where it was suitable for a human pair, and now it was time to watch it proceed on auto-pilot for a while. You take the sabbath off, but you can still eat or read a book or go to church (or a synagogue), though some sects are more strict than others about what is acceptable.



Also true.



Even if he did nothing for a period of time, it would be because it was not necessary.

Scripture affirms God's omnipotence by saying that God does whatever he is pleased to do (Psa 115:3; cf. Isa 55:11 and Jer 32:17). Nothing is too hard for him (Gen 18:14). His word is never void of power, so when he speaks, everything in creation obeys him (Isa 55:11).

 

[SuperCow]

Scripture affirms God's omnipotence by saying that God does whatever he is pleased to do (Psa 115:3; cf. Isa 55:11 and Jer 32:17). Nothing is too hard for him (Gen 18:14). His word is never void of power, so when he speaks, everything in creation obeys him (Isa 55:11).

Psalms 115:3 - "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him."

- Lots of humans do whatever pleases them too.

Isaiah 55:11 - "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

- He's honest and trustworthy to us. We can count on him doing what he promises.

Jeremiah 32:17 - "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

- Sure, his power is beyond our imagination. Someone who can create and control the universe can obviously do whatever we think to ask or expect from him.

Only the Jeremiah scripture supports your argument, due to the fact that the literal word "Nothing" is written in the form of a hyperbolic absolute certainty. But then in the same vein, Hebrews 6:18 clearly states something God cannot do - "It is impossible for God to lie." If you argue against the literal meaning in Hebrews, then you must accept the same possibility in the Jeremiah scripture.

Also, we can use scripture to suggest that God makes mistakes:

Genesis 6:6 - "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
1 Samuel 15:11 - "I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions."

I am not suggesting that God makes mistakes, but the literal reading of these scriptures indicates that. Also, we can suggest that God can be surprised:

Jeremiah 3:6,7 - "During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it."

I am not saying that God is not powerful beyond our ability to reason it. I am suggesting that it is possible that being all-powerful to our universe, does not necessarily mean there are not any limitations anywhere in any realm outside of it.

 

[ChristinaL]

Psalms 115:3 - "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him."

- Lots of humans do whatever pleases them too.

Isaiah 55:11 - "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

- He's honest and trustworthy to us. We can count on him doing what he promises.

Jeremiah 32:17 - "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

- Sure, his power is beyond our imagination. Someone who can create and control the universe can obviously do whatever we think to ask or expect from him.

Only the Jeremiah scripture supports your argument, due to the fact that the literal word "Nothing" is written in the form of a hyperbolic absolute certainty. But then in the same vein, Hebrews 6:18 clearly states something God cannot do - "It is impossible for God to lie." If you argue against the literal meaning in Hebrews, then you must accept the same possibility in the Jeremiah scripture.

Also, we can use scripture to suggest that God makes mistakes:

Genesis 6:6 - "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
1 Samuel 15:11 - "I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions."

I am not suggesting that God makes mistakes, but the literal reading of these scriptures indicates that. Also, we can suggest that God can be surprised:

Jeremiah 3:6,7 - "During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it."

I am not saying that God is not powerful beyond our ability to reason it. I am suggesting that it is possible that being all-powerful to our universe, does not necessarily mean there are not any limitations anywhere in any realm outside of it.

Sigh....really very simple.......if God is not omniscient and omnipotent then he is not God. You make Him out to be a flawed fallible being.

Psalms 115:3 - "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him."

- Lots of humans do whatever pleases them too.

Isaiah 55:11 - "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

- He's honest and trustworthy to us. We can count on him doing what he promises.

Jeremiah 32:17 - "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

- Sure, his power is beyond our imagination. Someone who can create and control the universe can obviously do whatever we think to ask or expect from him.

Only the Jeremiah scripture supports your argument, due to the fact that the literal word "Nothing" is written in the form of a hyperbolic absolute certainty. But then in the same vein, Hebrews 6:18 clearly states something God cannot do - "It is impossible for God to lie." If you argue against the literal meaning in Hebrews, then you must accept the same possibility in the Jeremiah scripture.

Also, we can use scripture to suggest that God makes mistakes:

Genesis 6:6 - "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
1 Samuel 15:11 - "I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions."

I am not suggesting that God makes mistakes, but the literal reading of these scriptures indicates that. Also, we can suggest that God can be surprised:

Jeremiah 3:6,7 - "During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it."

I am not saying that God is not powerful beyond our ability to reason it. I am suggesting that it is possible that being all-powerful to our universe, does not necessarily mean there are not any limitations anywhere in any realm outside of it.

Benson Commentary Gen 6:6

(I like posting stuff like this as it expresses responses better than I can


Genesis 6:6. It repented the Lord, it grieved him at his heart — Properly speaking, God cannot repent, Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:11-29; for he is perfectly wise and unchangeable in his nature and counsels, Malachi 3:6, and James 1:17. Neither is he liable to grief or disappointment, being constantly happy. But this is spoken of God after the manner of men, by the same figure of speech whereby eyes, ears, hands, and feet are ascribed to God, and must be understood so as not to reflect on his immutability or felicity. It doth not imply any passion or uneasiness in God; for nothing can create disturbance to the eternal mind: but it signifies his just and holy displeasure against sin and sinners. Neither doth it speak any change of God’s mind, for with him is no variableness; but it signifies a change of his way. When God had made man upright, he rested and was refreshed, Exodus 31:17, and his way toward him was such as showed him to be well pleased with the work of his own hands; but now that man was apostatized, he could not do otherwise than show himself displeased: so that the change was in man, and not in God.

Ellicott's commentary on 1 Sam 15:11

(11) It repenteth me . . . —“God does not feel the pain of remorse (says St. Augustine in Psalms 131), nor is He ever deceived, so as to desire to correct anything in which He has erred. But as a man desires to make a change when he repents, so when God is said in Scripture to repent, we may expect a change from Him. He changed Saul’s kingdom when it is said He repented of making him king.”—Bishop Wordsworth.

All this comes from biblehub.com

 

[prodromos]

God is spirit and does not get tired. "Rest" pertains to the flesh, so God resting on the 7th day prefigured God come in the flesh, resting in the tomb on the 7th day after His crucifixion.

 

[SuperCow]

Sigh....really very simple.......if God is not omniscient and omnipotent then he is not God. You make Him out to be a flawed fallible being.

Conversely, if God is omniscient and omnipotent, then we have no free will. There is no other philosophical position that is not a paradox. (Though there's several threads here where people have tried to take this paradoxical position.)

Benson Commentary Gen 6:6

(I like posting stuff like this as it expresses responses better than I can

Genesis 6:6. It repented the Lord, it grieved him at his heart — Properly speaking, God cannot repent, Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:11-29; for he is perfectly wise and unchangeable in his nature and counsels, Malachi 3:6, and James 1:17. Neither is he liable to grief or disappointment, being constantly happy. But this is spoken of God after the manner of men, by the same figure of speech whereby eyes, ears, hands, and feet are ascribed to God, and must be understood so as not to reflect on his immutability or felicity. It doth not imply any passion or uneasiness in God; for nothing can create disturbance to the eternal mind: but it signifies his just and holy displeasure against sin and sinners. Neither doth it speak any change of God’s mind, for with him is no variableness; but it signifies a change of his way. When God had made man upright, he rested and was refreshed, Exodus 31:17, and his way toward him was such as showed him to be well pleased with the work of his own hands; but now that man was apostatized, he could not do otherwise than show himself displeased: so that the change was in man, and not in God.

Ellicott's commentary on 1 Sam 15:11

(11) It repenteth me . . . —“God does not feel the pain of remorse (says St. Augustine in Psalms 131), nor is He ever deceived, so as to desire to correct anything in which He has erred. But as a man desires to make a change when he repents, so when God is said in Scripture to repent, we may expect a change from Him. He changed Saul’s kingdom when it is said He repented of making him king.”—Bishop Wordsworth.

All this comes from biblehub.com

Let's pull out a couple of tidbits from this commentary:

Neither is he liable to grief or disappointment, being constantly happy.

Sounds like he is saying that God has no emotions at all, other than being happy all the time. And if you're happy about everything that happens on this planet, then you are a psychopath.

Let's check into God's range of emotions:

Anger
Exodus 4:14, 15:7, Leviticus 11:1, Numbers 25:3, 2 Samuel 24:1, 1 Kings 14:15 ... and many others

Jealousy
Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 6:15, Joshua 24:19, Nahum 1:2 ... also many others

Love
Jeremiah 31:3, Hosea 11:1, John 3:16, Romans 1:7
(also compassion and mercy and forgiveness examples abound.)

Sadness
Genesis 6:6, Isaiah 63:10

Happiness is actually one of the most difficult emotions to find related to God. (There's plenty about God wanting mankind in general or particular individuals to be happy.) The closest you come is where it says God was pleased about some particular person or event. 1 Chronicles 28:4, 1 Corinthians 1:21, Galatians 1:15, etc.

God cannot repent, for he is perfectly wise and unchangeable in his nature and counsels

Despite the fact that the text literally says he repented or felt regret, there are other examples of this too.

Exodus 32:10-14 - Here Moses changes God's mood from anger and in verse 14 it says "Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." Literally read, Moses changed God's mind from killing thousands of people. (Who admittedly possibly would have deserved it.)

Also, changes his mind on other occasions 2 Samuel 24:16, Jonah 3:10.

But all these things are good, and are examples of God's mercy.

Jeremiah 18:8, 9 also falls into this category, but one must ask themselves, if God is omniscient then he already knows what people will do, and decrees like this are useless.

So my point is that all of the commentaries on this subject trying to prove omniscience here or omnipotence there mean nothing, because the real truth is, they don't know. They have a preconceived idea they believe and they twist themselves into knots trying to explain away any scripture that contain words that contradict them.

I prefer to follow a God that has not predetermined my life, but allows me to serve him willingly, not wiring my brain, environment, and external experience in such a way that he knows everything I'm going to do, and therefore predestined whatever it is I do happen to do with my life. God may be all-powerful, but if he can't make 2+2=5, it doesn't lessen his power.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

We don’t need to guess God tells us

Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 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.

There was nothing man could add to God’s Creation. God worked 6 days and rested on the seventh day as an example for man. God commanded us this same weekly cycle. Work 6 days Exo 20:9 but keep the seventh day Sabbath holy by resting from our works and labors Exo 20:8-11 like God rested on the seventh day since we were made in His image to follow and serve Him. The Sabbath is a memorial to God when we keep, so we know who created us and where we came from. Keeping the Sabbath shows we trust in God, He is our Creator Exo 20:11 and our God Eze 20:20, the only God who has the power of Creation and the power to sanctify us Eze 20:12, keeping the Sabbath the way God commanded shows complete faith and trust in Him.

 

[eleos1954]

Ge 2:


What does it mean for God to rest on the last day if he’s omnipotent?

Right. It doesn't mean God was tired, but rather that he had completed his work of creation.

God set an example for humans to follow, leading to the Sabbath tradition. Ex 20:


Aside from anthropomorphic language, God works all the time. Jn 5:


God stopped working on the 7th day to show the completion of creation. The number 7 was used later to symbolize completion.

True ... but additionally He blessed the 7th day and made it Holy ... holy means to be set apart ... so in that regard He made the 7th day to be set apart from all other days.

He set-aside time to enjoy the wonders of Him and His creation. Now ... we can indeed do that every day ... but He created a special day for His people to meet with Him and enjoy HIs creation with Him.

God created the Sabbath as a gift to give people time to rest, reconnect with God, and appreciate His creation

(*There is a specific forum for discussion about the 7th day Sabbath ).... but ... we can not discard or ignore the fact that He blessed the day and made it Holy ... that is an important aspect of the 7th day Sabbath ... that is .... it's more than just showing the completion of creation.

*so I will leave this here

Omnipotent means having unlimited power or authority ,,, only God has the power and authority to bless and make something holy because He is the creator.

 

[Yarddog]

True ... but additionally He blessed the 7th day and made it Holy ... holy means to be set apart ... so in that regard He made the 7th day to be set apart from all other days.

He set-aside time to enjoy the wonders of Him and His creation. Now ... we can indeed do that every day ... but He created a special day for His people to meet with Him and enjoy HIs creation with Him.

God created the Sabbath as a gift to give people time to rest, reconnect with God, and appreciate His creation

(*There is a specific forum for discussion about the 7th day Sabbath ).... but ... we can not discard or ignore the fact that He blessed the day and made it Holy ... that is an important aspect of the 7th day Sabbath ... that is .... it's more than just showing the completion of creation.

*so I will leave this here

Omnipotent means having unlimited power or authority ,,, only God has the power and authority to bless and make something holy because He is the creator.

The 7th day, God's rest, is the state of righteousness. The 6th day, is Good Friday, the day which God, Jesus Christ, was finished with all the works his Father had given him to accomplish. The Gospel of John tells us that as Jesus was dying he said, "It is finished". He then rested on the 7th day

 

[Winterleaf]

If I tried to create an entire universe, I'd be pretty exhausted after 6 days, with nothing to show for it.
If I did normal work for 6 days, I would be clamouring for some rest.
Anyway Jesus did rest at times while he was on earth, so it isn't impossible God was a bit tired.

 

[David Lamb]

If I tried to create an entire universe, I'd be pretty exhausted after 6 days, with nothing to show for it.
If I did normal work for 6 days, I would be clamouring for some rest.
Anyway Jesus did rest at times while he was on earth, so it isn't impossible God was a bit tired.

Psalm 121 talks of a God Who doesn't slumber or sleep:

“3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Ps 121:3-4 NKJV)

Also, the words of Elijah to the prophets of Baal imply that the true God does not sleep:

“And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he [is] a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, [or] perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."” (1Ki 18:27 NKJV)

 

[eleos1954]

The 7th day, God's rest, is the state of righteousness. The 6th day, is Good Friday, the day which God, Jesus Christ, was finished with all the works his Father had given him to accomplish. The Gospel of John tells us that as Jesus was dying he said, "It is finished". He then rested on the 7th day

"It is finished". He then rested on the 7th day

Right ... Genesis He finish and rested from all His works of creation ... Jesus rested in the tomb for His finished work of salvation. We are to rest on the 7th day to worship and rest in all HIS works.

 

[Yarddog]

Right ... Genesis He finish and rested from all His works of creation ... Jesus rested in the tomb for His finished work of salvation. We are to rest on the 7th day to worship and rest in all HIS works.

God's rest isn't about a day. It is eternal rest for those of faith.

 

[Diamond72]

First, the concept of omnipotence is an oxymoron.

We are warned not to add words that are not in the Bible.

If he can do anything, can God make 2+2=5? Can he make something impossible for himself? Can he choose to not know the future? Essentially, if nothing is impossible,

God can choose not to remember. Hebrews 8:12. There are a lot of things that God can not do. He can not lie, cheat, steal, be unfaithful, contradict Himself, contradict his nature and so on.

 

[David Lamb]

We are warned not to add words that are not in the Bible.

Which word in SuperCow's sentence are you saying he/she was adding to the bible?

 

[SuperCow]

We are warned not to add words that are not in the Bible.

God can choose not to remember. Hebrews 8:12. There are a lot of things that God can not do. He can not lie, cheat, steal, be unfaithful, contradict Himself, contradict his nature and so on.

Then perhaps people shouldn't suggest that omniscience and omnipotence, even in concept, are in the Bible, when you yourself contradict that idea in your own last sentence above.

You can believe what God's nature is, how he exists, what his abilities are, but you can't know for sure. People should admit that there's some things we don't know. All we know is that his power is beyond our capabilities or understanding. And it shouldn't matter, because we have faith that whatever he can or cannot do, is enough for our salvation.