Here begins a lengthy section on the Sabbath, even longer than Nichol’s opening treatment of the continuing obligation of the Ten Commandment law.
Objection 20: Seventh day Adventists declare that the seventh day of the week was set apart as a Sabbath by the blessing and sanctification of God at the creation of the world. They thus seek to prove that the Sabbath preceded the Jewish race and applies to all men. But Genesis, which contains the record of God's resting upon and blessing the Sabbath, was written by Moses two thousand five hundred years after creation, or about the time of the Exodus. Moses simply set down in that Genesis reference to the Sabbath a statement of what God actually did for the seventh day at Mount Sinai.
First, please note that this objector has admitted a very important fact: that the Genesis record of God’s blessing of the Sabbath at the creation is an extremely powerful argument for the universal applicability of the Sabbath.
Also note that the objector purports to have a remarkably intimate knowledge, to say the least, of how Moses wrote his history. How did the objector gain such knowledge? He has access to no other sources of knowledge than those known to all Bible students. And such students, including eminent commentators, have always held that Moses, in the book of Genesis, is narrating, or believes he is narrating, the historical record of creation week when he mentions the blessing of the Sabbath day. And they have held this view despite the fact that they were Sunday keepers. But, in all honesty, what else could they do but hold this view? Let us examine the facts.
1. What is the nature of the book of Genesis? It is plainly, from beginning to end, a book of history. It sets forth a narrative, in chronological order, of events from the creation through the death of Joseph. Therefore, in the absence of clear evidence to the contrary, we should consider the various parts of it, the accounts of what men said and did, and likewise the accounts of what God said and did, as being historical incidents occurring at the time indicated in the narrative. The account of God's resting on the seventh day of creation week and blessing and sanctifying it fits as naturally into the historical sequence as do any other incidents mentioned in Genesis. There is nothing in the context to suggest otherwise.
2. The fact that the book of Genesis was written some twenty five hundred years after creation has no bearing on the matter whatsoever. All books of history are written after the events described, and obviously any historical work that recited twenty-five hundred years of history would have to have been written at least that long after the beginning of the story narrated. To say that a history writer projected back into the year one an event occurring in the year 2500, or thereabouts, is to charge the author with fraud and deception. Why should we be willing to charge Moses with fraud?
3. But note the point at which the objector claims the record ceases to be historical and becomes a throwback from an incident that occurred twenty-five hundred years later. He carries the narrative through the creation week, including God's resting on the seventh day from all His work. (Gen. 2:2) At this point, the objector declares, the break comes, and the immediately following words are a throwback: “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it lie had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Verse 3.
Now why should God rest? Not because He was weary. His resting, which is faithfully recorded by Moses, must have had a meaning. The next verse reveals the meaning. The resting was the reason for the blessing. He blessed and sanctified the seventh day “because that in it He had rested from all his work.” Verse 3. And what reason is there for contending that God rested on the seventh day of creation week in order to provide the occasion for blessing it, and then waited twenty-five hundred years to pronounce the blessing? None whatever.
4. The blessing of the seventh day, or Sabbath day, is not the only blessing in the creation narrative. Let us note all the blessings that are recorded in the creation narrative:
Fifth Day:
“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly.” Gen. 1:20.
“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply.” Verse 22.
Sixth Day:
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature . . . Let us make man in our image.” Gen. 1:24-26.
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply.” Verse 1:28.
Seventh Day:
“And he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” Gen. 2:2.
“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” Verse 2:3.
The objector is willing to agree that the blessings upon the acts of the fifth and sixth days follow immediately the events described. Parallel literary construction and the complete absence of any suggestion of a break in narration require him to agree that the blessing of the seventh day follows immediately upon God's resting on that day.
5. Now let us examine how God describes the Sabbath commandment when he is giving it to Israel in the wilderness at Mt. Sinai. Does he say, “I am now going to bless the Sabbath”? No he says, “Remember the Sabbath day.” The meaning of “remember” is to call to mind a past event or experience of some kind. Israel was commanded to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8. Why? Because God was now going to bless it? No, God tells Israel to “remember” the Sabbath because God had already blessed it, long ago. What could possibly be more obvious?
The other actions of the Fourth Commandment are also in the past tense:
a. “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth.”
b. “And rested the seventh day.”
c. “Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Note the four verbs, all in the past tense: “made,” “rested,” “blessed,” and “hallowed.” The rationale, the basis, for the Fourth Commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 is what happened during the creation week. This is why the history of the creation week is being recited in Exodus 20.
With these facts before him the reader should have no difficulty in deciding the question in controversy.