Did God get Tired after Creation?

A Biblical Theology of Rest, Part 1

Photo by Jessica Lewis 🦋 thepaintedsquare on Unsplash

The “Problem”

In Genesis 2:1-3, following the creation week depicted in chapter 1, the Bible says that God rested on the seventh day. So what exactly does that mean?

Well, I don’t think it means that God was physically exhausted. So if that’s not it, then what is it? My thought is that its got a lot to do with the concept of God’s cosmic temple and the forces of chaos He abolishes to establish it.

From the Waters… A Temple

I’ve written here previously about how the creation narrative in Genesis 1-2 is replete with temple imagery. Here are two quick examples. First, the words in Genesis 2:15 to describe Adam’s job to “work” (av’ad) and “keep” (sha’mar) the garden are the same ones used to describe the role of the priests in Numbers 3:7-8. Second, the cherubim which guard the way to the tree of life in Genesis 3:22-24 are the same creatures which were stitched into the curtain blocking access to the holy of holies (Exod. 25:18-22, 26:31; 1 Kings 6:23-29). These, among other literary clues within the Pentateuch¹, reveal that God made the earth to be a cosmic temple where we could enjoy His presence and reign with Him as bearers of His image (Gen. 1:26-28).

But here’s a crucial question: How does the Bible depict the way God goes about building this temple? The answer is…

Through acts of separation.

Genesis 1 begins with God’s Spirit (ru’ach) hovering over the waters, which are described as “without form and void” (toh’hoo va voh’hoo). And what did He do with these waters? He separated them (verse 6). Then, following the initial acts of separation, the way is prepared for their to be land and sky and sea and animals and, as the pinnacle, people.

But an ancient Hebrew would’ve picked up on more that what we see.