The Bible tells us that after God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in them in six days, He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3). This has led many to wonder, what does it mean that God “rested” on the seventh day? As God is all-powerful and never grows weary, He certainly did not need to rest in the human sense of recovering energy. However, the concept of God resting on the seventh day carries important implications about the nature of God, the order of creation, and the design of the weekly Sabbath.
God’s Rest as Completion of Creation
The primary meaning of God resting on the seventh day is that He ceased from His labors of creating after finishing the work of creation. The Hebrew word translated “rested” in Genesis 2:2 is “shabath” which means to cease, desist, or stop working. On the previous six days, God brought into being the universe and everything in it. Then on the seventh day, He stopped this work, as creation was now complete. Genesis 2:1 states, “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.”
God’s rest marked the completion of His creative work. It was not because creating the infinite universe caused God to grow weary. Rather, He stopped simply because the work was done; there was nothing more to add. God’s rest meant He was satisfied with what He had made and delighted in it (Genesis 1:31). His cessation from labor did not imply any inadequacy, but rather the perfect sufficiency of what He had accomplished.
God’s Rest as Basis for Sabbath
God’s rest on the seventh day after the six days of creation set the pattern for mankind’s cycle of labor and rest. Exodus 20:8-11 and other Bible passages roots the command for humans to observe the Sabbath day in the rhythm of work and rest established at creation. As God labored for six days and then ceased on the seventh, so God called man to labor for six days and then rest on the seventh.
When God instituted the Sabbath, He designed it to be a special day for humanity to enjoy the completion of His work. By resting from their own labors on the seventh day, humans were called to trust that God would provide for them while they ceased from work. Observing the Sabbath would strengthen their faith through remembering how God provided for all their needs through His complete work of creation. Honoring the Sabbath would regularly remind them of their Creator and their trust in the sufficiency of His provision.
God’s Rest Demonstrated He is Self-Sufficient
An important truth highlighted by God resting on the seventh day is that He did not need to create the universe or mankind for His own benefit. Unlike the pagan gods of the ancient Near East, the God of the Bible had no needs or deficiencies. His creation flowed out of His almighty power and for His glory, not because He lacked anything.
God’s ability to cease from labor displayed His complete self-sufficiency. He was fully satisfied within Himself even before creating. God’s rest revealed that while the entire universe owes Him everything as Creator, yet He Himself is independent. He created by the overflow of His infinite goodness, not to serve Himself. This insight underscores God’s magnificent greatness above all His creation.
God’s Rest and His delight in what He Made
When Scripture states God rested on the seventh day, this indicates He took great delight and satisfaction in what He had brought into existence. The completion of creation was not the end of God’s involvement with what He had made. Instead, He rejoiced over His handiwork, called it “very good” and found refreshing rest in communion with His creation (Genesis 1:31).
The Lord’s rest means He embraced the world and mankind with His steadfast love and faithfulness. His ceasing from labor did not indicate any cold detachment, but rather a joyful presence with what He had fashioned by His wisdom and might for His glory. This idea of God resting in loving fellowship with His creation provides the context for mankind experiencing the blessing of rest in communion with their Creator.
God’s Rest Foreshadowed a Greater Rest through Redemption
The rest God entered on the seventh day also pointed forward prophetically to a fuller experience of rest He would one day accomplish. After mankind sinned by breaking God’s command, creation was corrupted by the curse of sin. Entrance to God’s rest was then barred because of humanity’s rebellion. However, through God’s work of redemption in Christ, an even better rest was made available. As Hebrews 4:9 states of God’s people, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.”
Those who trust in Christ’s finished work experience God’s rest in Him from the burden of sin and futile works. They also look forward to an eternal rest in the new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells and God’s people will experience God’s presence without any hindrance. So the first Sabbath rest at creation began a rhythm of labor and rest pointing to the spiritual rest from sin that Messiah Jesus would accomplish.
God’s Rest Highlights His Attributes
Several key attributes of God are manifest through His rest on the seventh day of creation. It displayed God’s:
- Sovereignty – His supreme authority and control over all creation
- Power – His limitless ability to accomplish anything He desires
- Wisdom – His perfect orchestration and completion of His purposes
- Holiness – His complete separation from all sin and moral corruption
- Faithfulness – His commitment to fulfill what He promised
- Goodness – His selfless benevolence and generosity
God did not need to rest because of any imperfection in His nature. Rather, He chose to rest on the seventh day as a testament to the flawless completion of His work and to set aside a sacred day to commune with man. His rest displayed the glorious perfection of His being.
Conclusion
In summary, God’s resting on the seventh day of creation had great significance. It marked the completion of His perfect work in establishing the heavens and the earth. It set the foundation for the human pattern of labour and rest. It demonstrated God’s complete self-sufficiency and satisfaction with what He had made. And it pointed to a greater rest that God would one day accomplish through Christ’s redemptive work. As we observe the Sabbath each week, we honor the significance of God’s first Sabbath rest at creation.