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Instituted at Creation, January 25
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made;
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had
made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because
that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made.
Genesis 2:2, 3
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The great Jehovah had laid the foundations of the earth; He had
dressed the whole world in the garb of beauty, and had filled it with
things useful to man; He had created all the wonders of the land and of
the sea. In six days the great work of creation had been accomplished.
And God “rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had
made....” God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands.
All was perfect, worthy of its divine Author, and He rested, not as one
weary, but as well pleased with the fruits of His wisdom and goodness
and the manifestations of His glory.
After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart,
as a day of rest for man. Following the example of the Creator, man was
to rest upon this sacred day, that as he should look upon the heavens
and the earth, he might reflect upon God’s great work of creation; and
that as he should behold the evidences of God’s wisdom and goodness,
his heart might be filled with love and reverence for his Maker....
God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise.
He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of
the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God, and
meditate upon His power and goodness. He needed a Sabbath, to remind
him more vividly of God, and to awaken gratitude because all that he
enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator.
When the foundations of the earth were laid, ... then was laid the
foundation of the Sabbath. Well may this institution demand our rever-
ence: it was ordained by no human authority, and rests upon no human
traditions; it was established by the Ancient of days, and commanded
by His eternal word.
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