[Note: All Scripture references are from the English Standard Version.]
Paul’s Curious Claim
The apostle Paul makes a curious claim in his letter to the church in Rome. He writes in chapter 1:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:18-23).
Verses 19 and 20 are of particular interest:
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
One can imagine that God’s eternal power could be clearly perceived in the things that have been made. That’s easy. But his “divine nature”? How would his divine nature be perceived in the “things that were made”? How could Paul make such a claim?
Eternal Power and Divine Nature at Creation
“God said . . .” and things that were not, come into existence. Surely Genesis 1 is a tour de force display of the “eternal power” of God that Paul talks about in Romans 1:19, 20. God “says” and whoosh, zap, poof it happens.
During the first six days of creation God “made” – “created” – all the things we experience in our material world. During those six 24-hour days God made things of space, material things that occupy space. God made “things.” And God looked at all of this and said that it was good, even very good. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” (Genesis 2:1). That is power in action! But where do we see any hints about God’s divine nature in the things that have been made?
The heavens and earth, and all the host of them, were finished, but God wasn’t done creating. There was day 7 to come!
“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:2, 3)
God was still creating on the seventh day. The record does not say that he finished his work on the sixth day. It says he finished his work on the seventh day.
During the first six days he made things. After the heavens and the earth are established, one might expect a holy place to be created where a sanctuary would be established. That is not what happened. On the seventh day of creation, God made (created) holiness in time. God created a grand Cathedral in Time!
This act of creation, of the making of holy time was not just good, or very good – this act of creation was uniquely different from the first six days – it was blessed. But why, why did God create holy time? Could it be that it was created so that his divine nature could be clearly perceived as Paul wrote in Romans, chapter 1?
Made for Man, the Key to Why?
Matthew, Luke, and Mark each record the occasion when Jesus and his disciples were passing through the grain fields on the Sabbath. All three of the accounts record the part of Jesus’ response to the Pharisees where he said, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."
Mark, however, includes what Jesus said immediately before the “lord of the Sabbath” response. Here is the full passage from Mark 2:
23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath " 25And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:23-28)
Mark includes the words in bold font that are missing from Matthew and Luke’s accounts.
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)
This simple statement is the key to understanding why God created holy time.
Made for Man
The first thing to note is that the Sabbath was “made”. It had a beginning; it did not always exist. It began at the creation (Gen 2:3): “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, . . .”
Second, we will note that it was “made for man.
In verse 27 of Mark 2 where it says that “The Sabbath was made for man”, the Greek word that is translated “man” is the word, anthropos (anth’-ro-pos) which means “man-faced, i.e., a human being”. We are familiar with the word anthropology, which is the study of humankind.
Jesus, the “Word” through whom all things were made, said in a simple, declarative sentence that he made holiness in time for all humankind.
Not Man for The Sabbath
Sabbath is associated with worship of the creator. Did God create man because he had an unsatisfied need for worship? This portion of the verse would point us to a conclusion that God did not create us just so he could have our worship. We were not made for the Sabbath – it was made for us.
The Sabbath and God’s Divine Nature
God wants to be known, and not just known about. He wants to be really known. Jeremiah 9:23, 24 informs us of this:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’"
Hosea 6:4-6 echoes the same sentiment. The Living Bible translation captures verse 6 particularly well:
“I don’t want your sacrifices—I want your love. I don’t want your offerings—I want you to know me.”
God wants us to know Him, to really know Him. He wants us to “clearly perceive” His “divine nature”. We were created for friendship with God! Pause a moment and take that in, if you can.
Paul wrote that God’s divine nature can be clearly perceived in the things that He made. This is the purpose of God’s grand Cathedral in Time that He created for us on that seventh day of creation. The Sabbath is good news!
What Makes the Seventh Day Holy?
Genesis 3:8 says that “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” By this point, sadly, they had already messed up and that is why they were hiding, but we can note from this passage that Adam and Eve had the privilege of walking and talking with God anytime. They could apparently converse with God on all days of the week.
One of the “omni” characteristics that Christians assign to God is that He is omnipresent, that is, He is everywhere. David asks in Psalms 139:7, 8
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
God is everywhere, all the time. He is accessible all the time. So, what makes something holy? What makes the 7th day holy? God’s Word will give us the answer to the question.
Moses
Moses was taking care of the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro in the desert and he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Moses sees a bush that appears to be on fire, and so it was. Moses looked, and although the bush was on fire, it was not burning up. So, he thought, "Why isn't this bush burning up? I must go over there and see this strange sight." We read in Exodus 3:4, 5:
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
God was everywhere Moses went in that desert. But when Moses came to the burning bush he was on holy ground because at that time, God was uniquely present there in the burning bush.
Joshua
The experience of Joshua, Commander of the Lord’s Army, further illustrates this reality. Joshua was leading the Israelites in their initial conquest of the Promised Land. The mana had stopped, and they are now eating crops from the land of Canaan. Joshua 5:13-15 picks up the story:
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
God was everywhere Joshua went in the Promised Land. But when God was uniquely present, Joshua was standing on holy ground.
Sinai
God and Moses had a mountain top meeting at Sinai, and when God was uniquely present the mountain smoked and trembled. At any other time, it was just Mt. Sinai. God is omnipresent, He is everywhere. But when he is uniquely present somewhere; that somewhere is holy.
Sabbath Good News
The practice of anchoring Sabbath in the Ten Commandments could lead to the perception that it is a legalistic requirement. It’s even better than that.
The Sabbath is better served by anchoring its presentation in its Creation history context. Sabbath is then seen and understood as a demonstration of God’s divine nature, a God who wants to know and be known. A God Who wants to spend special, unique time with us.
The seventh day of each week is holy—because God is uniquely present in those hours, a day of his own choosing, in a way that he is not on any other day. His unique presence in the 7th day of each week is his invitation for us to join him in his Cathedral in Time; his invitation to come into his unique presence to discern and perceive his divine nature.
God uniquely enters his Cathedral in Time on his appointed 7th day; and that makes it holy. This is Holiness in time.
When introduced and taught from the Creation perspective, Sabbath will be seen and understood as an essential element of the good news of the Gospel. The Sabbath declares the good news of what God is like.
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Len Cornwell graduated from Mountain View Academy in 1965, and received a B.S. in Aeronautical Maintenance in 1971. He received an M.B.A. in 1991 from Portland State University. He retired from his position as Coordinator for Safety, Emergency Response Planning, and Security at a large wastewater treatment plant in 2012. He currently lives in Ryderwood, WA.