Genesis 2:3
Verse
Context
Sermons
B.H. Clendennen
Brian Edwards
Bob Phillips
Zac PoonenZac Poonen
Keith Daniel
F.B. MeyerSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
And God blessed the seventh day - The original word ברך barach, which is generally rendered to bless, has a very extensive meaning. It is frequently used in Scripture in the sense of speaking good of or to a person; and hence literally and properly rendered by the Septuagint ευλογησεν, from ευ, good or well, and λεγω, I speak. So God has spoken well of the Sabbath, and good to them who conscientiously observe it. Blessing is applied both to God and man: when God is said to bless, we generally understand by the expression that he communicates some good; but when man is said to bless God, we surely cannot imagine that he bestows any gifts or confers any benefit on his Maker. When God is said to bless, either in the Old or New Testament, it signifies his speaking good To man; and this comprises the whole of his exceeding great and precious promises. And when man is said to bless God, it ever implies that he speaks good Of him, for the giving and fulfillment of his promises. This observation will be of general use in considering the various places where the word occurs in the sacred writings. Reader, God blesses thee when by his promises he speaks good To thee; and thou dost bless him when, from a consciousness of his kindness to thy body and soul, thou art thankful to him, and speakest good of his name. Because that in it he had rested - שבת shabath, he rested; hence Sabbath, the name of the seventh day, signifying a day of rest - rest to the body from labor and toil, and rest to the soul from all worldly care and anxieties. He who labors with his mind by worldly schemes and plans on the Sabbath day is as culpable as he who labors with his hands in his accustomed calling. It is by the authority of God that the Sabbath is set apart for rest and religious purposes, as the six days of the week are appointed for labor. How wise is this provision! It is essentially necessary, not only to the body of man, but to all the animals employed in his service: take this away and the labor is too great, both man and beast would fail under it. Without this consecrated day religion itself would fail, and the human mind, becoming sensualized, would soon forget its origin and end. Even as a political regulation, it is one of the wisest and most beneficent in its effects of any ever instituted. Those who habitually disregard its moral obligation are, to a man, not only good for nothing, but are wretched in themselves, a curse to society, and often end their lives miserably. See Clarke's note on Exo 20:8; See Clarke's note on Exo 23:12; See Clarke's note on Exo 24:16; and See Clarke's note on Exo 31:13; to which the reader is particularly desired to refer. As God formed both the mind and body of man on principles of activity, so he assigned him proper employment; and it is his decree that the mind shall improve by exercise, and the body find increase of vigor and health in honest labor. He who idles away his time in the six days is equally culpable in the sight of God as he who works on the seventh. The idle person is ordinarily clothed with rags, and the Sabbath-breakers frequently come to an ignominious death. Reader, beware.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
blessed and sanctified the seventh day--a peculiar distinction put upon it above the other six days, and showing it was devoted to sacred purposes. The institution of the Sabbath is as old as creation, giving rise to that weekly division of time which prevailed in the earliest ages. It is a wise and beneficent law, affording that regular interval of rest which the physical nature of man and the animals employed in his service requires, and the neglect of which brings both to premature decay. Moreover, it secures an appointed season for religious worship, and if it was necessary in a state of primeval innocence, how much more so now, when mankind has a strong tendency to forget God and His claims?
John Gill Bible Commentary
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,.... A day in which he took delight and pleasure, having finished all his works, and resting from them, and looking over them as very good; and so he pronounced this day a good and happy day, and "sanctified" or appointed it in his mind to be a day separated from others, for holy service and worship; as it was with the Jews when they became a body of people, both civil and ecclesiastical: or this is all said by way of prolepsis or anticipation, as many things in this chapter are, many names of countries and rivers, by which being called in the times of Moses, are here given them, though they were not called by them so early, nor till many ages after: and according to Jarchi this passage respects future time, when God "blessed" this day with the manna, which descended on all the days of the week, an omer for a man, and on the sixth day double food; and he "sanctified" it with the manna which did not descend at all on that day: besides, these words may be read in a parenthesis, as containing an account of a fact that was done, not at the beginning of the world, and on the first seventh day of it; but of what had been done in the times of Moses, who wrote this, after the giving of the law of the sabbath; and this being given through his hands to the people of Israel, he takes this opportunity here to insert it, and very pertinently, seeing the reason why God then, in the times of Moses, blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it, was, because he had rested on that day from all his works, Exo 20:11 and the same reason is given here, taken plainly out of that law which he had delivered to them: because that in it he had rested from all his work, which God created and made; which shows, that this refers not to the same time when God blessed and hallowed the seventh day, which was done in the times of Moses, but to what had been long before, and was then given as a reason enforcing it; for it is not here said, as in the preceding verse, "he rested", but "had rested", even from the foundation of the world, when his works were finished, as in Heb 4:3 even what "he created to make" (e), as the words may be here rendered; which he created out of nothing, as he did the first matter, in order to make all things out of it, and put them in that order, and bring them to that perfection he did. (e) "creavit ut faceret", V. L. "creaverat ut faceret", Pagninus, Montanus.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
2:3 The first six days of creation involved separation (light from darkness, day from night, water from dry land). The last act of creation separated what is ordinary from what is holy, thus laying the foundation for Israel’s worship. It also anticipated a coming age of rest (Heb 4:1-11; 12:2; 13:14). • The absence of the usual “morning and evening” reflects the Creator’s willingness to enter into unending fellowship with humankind.
Genesis 2:3
The Seventh Day
2And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Holiness and Revelation
By B.H. Clendennen3.3K40:02HolinessGEN 2:3EXO 3:4ROM 3:20ROM 7:7In this sermon, the preacher discusses the concept of entering into a new life through faith in Jesus Christ. He explains that initially, one must pass from death to life by accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. However, once a person is saved, they face the challenge of breaking away from their old environment and living according to their new life in Christ. The preacher emphasizes that being born again is more than just a verbal confession; it requires a genuine transformation. He also highlights the importance of understanding the holiness of God, which reveals both His infinite distance and His infinite nearness to humanity. The preacher encourages listeners to study the Bible, particularly the first five chapters of Genesis, to gain a deeper understanding of God's principles.
Praying for Revival
By Brian Edwards2.4K49:54Revival PrayingGEN 2:3EXO 15:11DEU 29:24DEU 30:2DEU 30:13JER 2:19In this sermon, the speaker discusses the downward spiral of faith in four generations. The great grandparents of the present generation believed in the Christian faith but were indifferent to their belief. They knew the stories of the Bible but did not truly care about them. The speaker emphasizes the need to hold God before us and care about our faith. The psalmist's prayer in Psalm 77 is highlighted as an impertinent prayer, challenging God with questions and accusations. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of remembering God's mighty deeds in the past and how they have led to revival in different parts of the world.
Blood Covenant - Part 1
By Bob Phillips2.3K58:47GEN 2:3PSA 25:8PSA 25:10MAT 6:33ROM 8:12CO 10:5EPH 2:6In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of listening to the entire series of tapes in numerical order to fully understand the teaching. The speaker references Psalm 25:8, highlighting that the Lord instructs sinners and leads the humble in justice. The paths of the Lord are described as being filled with loving kindness and truth. The speaker then discusses the consequences of not repenting and how it can lead to a broken love relationship with God, resulting in attempts to cover up sin and justify it. The sermon concludes with an invitation to repeat certain phrases and a reminder to proceed to the next tape.
Darkness and Accusation
By Zac Poonen2.2K1:05:45AccusationGEN 2:3JER 1:7MAT 6:33JAS 3:1REV 12:10In this video, the preacher discusses the influence of Satan in the world and the importance of not allowing his characteristics to be present in our lives. The preacher refers to the book of Revelation, specifically chapter 12, to highlight the power of Satan as the ruler of darkness. The sermon emphasizes the need for individuals to overcome the spirit of accusation and blaming that originated from Adam and Eve. The preacher also mentions the significance of the authority of Christ and the kingdom of God in overcoming the accuser of the brethren.
(Genesis) - Part 3
By Zac Poonen2.1K1:01:08GenesisGEN 1:1GEN 2:1GEN 2:3MAT 11:28HEB 4:4HEB 4:10In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the first two chapters of Genesis and draws parallels between the creation of the earth and the process of sanctification in believers. He emphasizes that just as God remade the earth in stages, God also works in us gradually to transform us from our fallen condition. The preacher highlights the importance of putting God first in every aspect of our lives and encourages daily self-examination of our actions, thoughts, and motives. He contrasts the grace of Jesus with the law, emphasizing that in grace, we are justified and forgiven before we even begin to serve God.
The Four Warnings of God
By Keith Daniel1.8K1:02:41WarningGEN 2:3GEN 3:22GEN 6:3ISA 40:9REV 20:11In this sermon, Brother Denny discusses four gripping moments in the Bible where God looked and warned humanity. Firstly, God warned mankind during the creation, urging them not to harden their hearts. Secondly, God warned mankind when corruption entered the world and led to their separation from Him. Thirdly, God warned mankind about the importance of accepting salvation through Jesus Christ. Lastly, God warned mankind about their ultimate destination, as described in the book of Revelation. The sermon emphasizes the urgency of seeking God and accepting His gift of eternal life while there is still time.
Heart Rest
By F.B. Meyer0Rest in GodInner PeaceGEN 2:3MAT 11:28F.B. Meyer emphasizes the profound concept of 'Heart Rest' in his sermon, illustrating that true rest is not merely the absence of work but a deep, serene peace found in God. He draws from Genesis to highlight that God's rest is eternal and accessible to all who seek it, encouraging believers to embrace this rest amidst life's trials. Meyer contrasts the initial rest given through Christ's sacrifice with a deeper, ongoing rest that many Christians overlook, urging them to actively seek this peace. He reassures that this rest is available to those who are weary and burdened, inviting them to take on His yoke for true tranquility. Ultimately, Meyer aims to guide his listeners into a state of heart rest that transcends external circumstances.
The Gospel a Law of Liberty
By J.H. Newman0GEN 2:3MAL 3:10MAT 5:19LUK 22:19ACT 2:42ACT 16:151CO 5:132TH 3:6TIT 3:10HEB 10:25J.H. Newman preaches about the ecclesiastical system in Scripture, emphasizing that the Bible teaches matters of faith essential for salvation rather than detailed discipline. He explains that the Gospel is a Law of Liberty, treating believers as sons who love God, and challenges them to show their love for Christ as Lord and Savior. Newman highlights that while the ecclesiastical system is faintly traced in Scripture, it aims to guide believers on what is most likely to please Christ, often through examples, implications, and comparisons of passages.
The Lord's Day
By Andrew Murray0SabbathHolinessGEN 2:3EXO 31:12JHN 20:19REV 1:10Andrew Murray emphasizes the significance of the Lord's Day as a divine gift for communion with God, highlighting its purpose to sanctify and bless humanity. He explains that God desires to fill us with His holiness and that the Sabbath serves as a reminder of His rest and finished work. Murray encourages believers to view the day as a time for personal fellowship with God, away from distractions, and to embrace the rest that comes from faith in Jesus' resurrection. He stresses the importance of making the day holy and dedicating it to God, allowing Him to work within us. Ultimately, the Lord's Day is a call to experience God's presence and to be transformed into His likeness.
The Glory of God's Sabbath
By T. Austin-Sparks0The Gospel of GraceGod's SatisfactionGEN 2:3EXO 31:13LEV 25:10ISA 61:1LUK 4:17ACT 2:1ROM 3:22EPH 1:13EPH 6:191TI 1:11T. Austin-Sparks emphasizes the significance of God's Sabbath and the gospel of grace, illustrating how the year of Jubilee symbolizes liberation and God's satisfaction through Christ. He explains that the gospel is not merely a message of salvation but a proclamation of God's glory and satisfaction, fulfilled in Jesus, who embodies the ultimate rest and freedom for believers. The sermon connects the historical context of Israel's captivity and return to the spiritual liberation offered through Christ, highlighting the Church as the dwelling place of God's glory and righteousness. Sparks encourages believers to experience and proclaim this rest, as it reflects God's nature and the essence of the gospel. Ultimately, he calls for a deeper understanding of Christ's role as both King and Priest, which empowers the Church against the enemy's schemes.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
And God blessed the seventh day - The original word ברך barach, which is generally rendered to bless, has a very extensive meaning. It is frequently used in Scripture in the sense of speaking good of or to a person; and hence literally and properly rendered by the Septuagint ευλογησεν, from ευ, good or well, and λεγω, I speak. So God has spoken well of the Sabbath, and good to them who conscientiously observe it. Blessing is applied both to God and man: when God is said to bless, we generally understand by the expression that he communicates some good; but when man is said to bless God, we surely cannot imagine that he bestows any gifts or confers any benefit on his Maker. When God is said to bless, either in the Old or New Testament, it signifies his speaking good To man; and this comprises the whole of his exceeding great and precious promises. And when man is said to bless God, it ever implies that he speaks good Of him, for the giving and fulfillment of his promises. This observation will be of general use in considering the various places where the word occurs in the sacred writings. Reader, God blesses thee when by his promises he speaks good To thee; and thou dost bless him when, from a consciousness of his kindness to thy body and soul, thou art thankful to him, and speakest good of his name. Because that in it he had rested - שבת shabath, he rested; hence Sabbath, the name of the seventh day, signifying a day of rest - rest to the body from labor and toil, and rest to the soul from all worldly care and anxieties. He who labors with his mind by worldly schemes and plans on the Sabbath day is as culpable as he who labors with his hands in his accustomed calling. It is by the authority of God that the Sabbath is set apart for rest and religious purposes, as the six days of the week are appointed for labor. How wise is this provision! It is essentially necessary, not only to the body of man, but to all the animals employed in his service: take this away and the labor is too great, both man and beast would fail under it. Without this consecrated day religion itself would fail, and the human mind, becoming sensualized, would soon forget its origin and end. Even as a political regulation, it is one of the wisest and most beneficent in its effects of any ever instituted. Those who habitually disregard its moral obligation are, to a man, not only good for nothing, but are wretched in themselves, a curse to society, and often end their lives miserably. See Clarke's note on Exo 20:8; See Clarke's note on Exo 23:12; See Clarke's note on Exo 24:16; and See Clarke's note on Exo 31:13; to which the reader is particularly desired to refer. As God formed both the mind and body of man on principles of activity, so he assigned him proper employment; and it is his decree that the mind shall improve by exercise, and the body find increase of vigor and health in honest labor. He who idles away his time in the six days is equally culpable in the sight of God as he who works on the seventh. The idle person is ordinarily clothed with rags, and the Sabbath-breakers frequently come to an ignominious death. Reader, beware.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
blessed and sanctified the seventh day--a peculiar distinction put upon it above the other six days, and showing it was devoted to sacred purposes. The institution of the Sabbath is as old as creation, giving rise to that weekly division of time which prevailed in the earliest ages. It is a wise and beneficent law, affording that regular interval of rest which the physical nature of man and the animals employed in his service requires, and the neglect of which brings both to premature decay. Moreover, it secures an appointed season for religious worship, and if it was necessary in a state of primeval innocence, how much more so now, when mankind has a strong tendency to forget God and His claims?
John Gill Bible Commentary
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,.... A day in which he took delight and pleasure, having finished all his works, and resting from them, and looking over them as very good; and so he pronounced this day a good and happy day, and "sanctified" or appointed it in his mind to be a day separated from others, for holy service and worship; as it was with the Jews when they became a body of people, both civil and ecclesiastical: or this is all said by way of prolepsis or anticipation, as many things in this chapter are, many names of countries and rivers, by which being called in the times of Moses, are here given them, though they were not called by them so early, nor till many ages after: and according to Jarchi this passage respects future time, when God "blessed" this day with the manna, which descended on all the days of the week, an omer for a man, and on the sixth day double food; and he "sanctified" it with the manna which did not descend at all on that day: besides, these words may be read in a parenthesis, as containing an account of a fact that was done, not at the beginning of the world, and on the first seventh day of it; but of what had been done in the times of Moses, who wrote this, after the giving of the law of the sabbath; and this being given through his hands to the people of Israel, he takes this opportunity here to insert it, and very pertinently, seeing the reason why God then, in the times of Moses, blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it, was, because he had rested on that day from all his works, Exo 20:11 and the same reason is given here, taken plainly out of that law which he had delivered to them: because that in it he had rested from all his work, which God created and made; which shows, that this refers not to the same time when God blessed and hallowed the seventh day, which was done in the times of Moses, but to what had been long before, and was then given as a reason enforcing it; for it is not here said, as in the preceding verse, "he rested", but "had rested", even from the foundation of the world, when his works were finished, as in Heb 4:3 even what "he created to make" (e), as the words may be here rendered; which he created out of nothing, as he did the first matter, in order to make all things out of it, and put them in that order, and bring them to that perfection he did. (e) "creavit ut faceret", V. L. "creaverat ut faceret", Pagninus, Montanus.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
2:3 The first six days of creation involved separation (light from darkness, day from night, water from dry land). The last act of creation separated what is ordinary from what is holy, thus laying the foundation for Israel’s worship. It also anticipated a coming age of rest (Heb 4:1-11; 12:2; 13:14). • The absence of the usual “morning and evening” reflects the Creator’s willingness to enter into unending fellowship with humankind.