In the previous blog we noted that the idea of Sabbath is rooted in the pattern of creation when God rested on the seventh day after his work of bringing the heavens and the earth into being on the previous six day.

Today we explore how the idea of Sabbath relates to our calling as humans to partner with God and work for his purposes in the world. An important place to begin this relfection might be the recognition that despite humanity’s tendency to think that we are the centre of the world and that everything revolves around us, the climax of the creation story is not our arrival on the scene on day six, but day seven when God rested from his labours after completing all his work! It is the seventh day that is the final day in this great drama of creation and if we pay careful attention we will note that it is not like the other six days for it stands alone outside of the regular pattern and doesn’t have the same repeated phrases such as ‘God said’, ‘God’ saw’, ‘morning and evening’ etc.

This is not to deny that humanity have a unique and important role to play in the world for according to Psalm 8, God crowns humanity with glory and honour within his creation and gives them dominion over the work of his hands (8:5-6). But note that it is first and foremost his power, wisdom, creativity, plans and purposes that we get to enjoy and work with in creation and not our own: we have dominion over the work of his hands. This is a high calling indeed and stands in stark contrast to some of the other creation stories from Israel’s neighbours that saw humanity created from the slain body of a defeated god and created as slave labourers to toil and work on behalf of the other gods.

But note that in Psalm 92, which, as a celebration of the Sabbath, speaks of the delight of the humanity in the calling that God has given them. It says…

For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
At the works of your hands I sing for joy.
How great are your works, O'Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!

Humanity’s call to partner with God, to work in the world by subduing it and exercising dominion over it is a holy and righteous call but it begins and flows from a place of trust and rest in God. In fact, humanity’s very first experience of life and existence within God’s good world is one of rest and not of work for having been created on the sixth day the very next day was God’s sabbath rest!

‘On the Sabbath we are reminded that we are not human doings but human beings’

Rob Bell

It is only after sin has entered into what was a a good creation that humanity work becomes difficult and toilsome and it this that we will engage with in the next post.