Genesis 2:1-25 continuing…
For some reason there are some who read chapter two of Genesis and see contradiction. I suppose that it because they want to find contradiction within God’s Word. However, there is none. When you come to Scripture with a hatred for God and anything He might say it will be a very biased look. There have been many cases of avowed athiest who have ventured into the journey of reading God’s Word to prove it is full of errors, contradictions, and that it is only the words of men to only find the truth of Jesus Christ and trusted Him as their Lord and Savior. One of those is Lee Strobell, and another is Josh McDowell. Both of these men are now devoted Christian men and great apologist for the Word of God.
What I find in this chapter of Genesis is a further explanation of the Creator’s creation. It is a greater clarification of the creation of man, and his place and ministry on the earth.
We also find here the first mention of the Seventh day, or Sabbath day as a day of rest; it is the day God rested from creating. According to the Deist God created all that is and then left it with us and does not intervene into the affairs of men. It seems to me that the rest of Scripture quickly puts this thought to silence. We will see, very quickly, in the text that God walked with Adam in the garden. That does not sound to me like He distanced Himself from His creation.
In veres 1 – 3 we find the FIRST SABBATH. This is actually a continuation of the creation events of chapter one. God had created everything that was necessary to sustain life on earth. In particular to sustain, benefit, beautify, and fulfill the lives of the creation which is made “In our [God’s] image,after our [God’s] likeness”.
After making all things for man’s physical well being He teaches us a wonderful lesson. A lesson of rest and also for us a lesson of worship. Was God exhausted from all the work He had done? Not hardly. Did He take a leave of absence and leave the world and His whole creation on its own? Again, not at all.
His rest shows a completion to all that He began; “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ…” Philippians 1:6. It gives us promise and hope that as His New Creation in Christ He will complete what He began.
If we are genuinely resting in Him we will have times of personal, individual fellowship with Him. We will also seek every opportunity to learn more of Him His power and glory, His Son, His Spirit, His Word, and His work in our own and other’s lives. We do this through God’s institution of the local church.
We cease from our own laboring to please God and our own way, and rest in His arms of grace. We realize all our efforts, works and “…righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), and only His will suffice.
The Sabbath – a day of rest – is for our enjoying the benefits of a week long job and work well done, and especially for the worship of God Almighty, who made it all. That Sabbath rest is fulfilled in Christ Jesus, and He arose on the first day of the week, having finished the works of the Law. On the Eighth day, which is the First day of a brand new week we worship the One who rose again. The law was completed in Him.
The Fire and Hammer 
Shelly,
The day of worshipping Jesus Christ was the first day of the week as established by His resurrection from the dead. That was on the beginning of the new week. The law fulfilled. It is also referred to by Paul as being the day to set aside the offerings as they came together for worship; “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. You will find the Jewish believers still going to the synagogues on the Sabbath, and meeting with the other Christians on Sunday the Lord’s Day. You find all the gentile believers meeting always on Sunday, but if you really look closely at the early church they met every day.
When we are the children of the Lord it will not matter whether we meet with others on Saturday or Sunday or Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday, etc.
We just love to meet together to worship Him. Remaining faithful to Him through all this world throws at us.
God bless you.
Tim A. Blankenship
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Thank you Tim, I believe you are a true Christian as you didn’t get angry at me for my comments. I just want to run this all by you one hundred miles an hour, because I don’t want to keep emailing you, so I will do it all at once 🙂 But I will try to make it short.
I believe that Christ kept all the Commandments of God, because the Bible says that He did no sin (Heb. 4:15), though He came in the likeness of our sinful flesh, the God/man, our human-Divine Mediator. He set the example for us in our humanity as to how we are to live, reflecting His character, which is the character of the Father. We can only reflect, we cannot be the source as He is.
Therefore, I believe that Christ did keep the Sabbath fully as humanity must keep it. He had the Spirit of the Law, and if you have the Spirit of the Law, you will also have the works of the Law. Many people have the works and no spirit, and we cannot be saved by the works of the Law. We must be born again, following the Spirit and not the carnal flesh. Christ did the works of the Law, but that was because He was full of the Holy Spirit, and He loved the Law. Psalm 40:8.
Therefore, Christ fulfilled His own and the Father’s Ten Commandment Law, as well as the biblical statutes and judgments which explain the Law, living it fully and joyfully, showing that sinful humanity when connected to divinity by Faith in Christ their Saviour, can keep the Law of God, though He was perfect, and we can only strive towards perfection. He also fulfilled the ceremonial system, not that we are to keep it, no, but that He might show us its purpose and meaning foreshadowing His work of saving us from sin. He is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, John 1:29, who was slain from the foundation of the world (via sacrficial system, and now memorialized in Communion), Revelation 13:8. He was sacrficed once for us, bringing an end to the sacrificial system, for that was only a shadow of the reality, Jesus Christ. Col. 2:14-17. The yearly feast days, holy yearly feast sabbaths (not seventh-day Sabbaths) and sacrifices and offerings were no longer necessary, for they all pointed forward to Christ.
The weekly Sabbath is a memorial of our Creator, and identifies Him and His position: the Lord God who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is. Exo. 20:8-11. The weekly Sabbath is also a memorial of His creative power to make us new Creatures in Him. He was the Redeemer who brought us out of Egypt, out of slavery to sin. So it memorializes that He is the one who is sanctifying us, making us holy and victorious over sin. ‘We cannot overcome sin without Him. The Sabbath is His sign to His true people who have the Law written in their hearts, that He is the Lord who is sanctifying them. See Exodus 31:12-17 and Ezekiel 20:12, 20, etc. The Sabbath therefore is the sign of the New Covenant. Hebrews 8:8-12. It surpasses Sunday which is a man-made holiday established by the papacy, not being commanded by God in the Bible. The Lord’s Day of the Bible is only found to be the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Unfortunately one has to go to the traditions of the so-called early Church Fathers (who are not inspired of God) to find reason to make Sunday the Lord’s Day.
I praise the Lord for His truth and creative power to work in us through the Holy Spirit.
God bless and thanks again for your good reply. I hope these biblical truths will catch like wildfire, to God’s glory.
Shelley Senner
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This is the email response I sent to Shelly;
Shelly,
Thanks for your comment on Fire and Hammer. I also appreciate your questions. I had to stop and do some thinking about “Where does it say that Christ fulfilled the law?”. Jesus Himself said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Matthew 5:17ff. Fulfilling does mean to finish, but not to put and end to it. As Christians we are still get to obey the law, but it is not burdensome it is with joy that we are able to do so, and that by the power of the Spirt of God.
I believe you are also correct in thinking that to fulfill means “to keep fully”. And yes we still must continue to pick up the mail, or do our weekly and daily tasks.
Thank you Shelly, and I hope my answers have helped. If I can help you further please email me.
Tim A. Blankenship
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Where does it say that Christ fulfilled the Law? Does fulfill mean bring to an end or finish? I thought it meant “to keep fully” or some such thing. Like if I fulfilled my weekly duty of picking up the mail, then I did what I was supposed to do, and I don’t have to do it again that week. But when next week rolls around, should I not pick up the mail? Please email me. Thanks ss
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