Genesis 2:1-3

Some people work too much. Some people work too little. Some people work just right. Genesis chapter 2 speaks of God resting on the seventh day. God never works too little, He never works too much, and He never needs to rest. The seventh day was created for mankind.

God created the seventh day that it might be a blessing to mankind. The idea that we should rest at least one day a week does make many people happy. For workaholics, not so much. What makes the seventh day so special is not found in the resting, but in the holy. God desires it to be holy.

What is a holy? The word translated holy is also sometimes translated other. When the word is associated with God or the spiritual it is translated holy. To be made holy can therefore be understood as being made spiritually other. God intends that one day in seven be spiritually other than the remaining six.

On the seventh day we can engage in spiritual activity. We can spend time in Christian fellowship. We can gather together and spend time in communal worship and praise. We can find a quiet place, and spend time alone with the Lord. We can also choose to ignore the spiritual importance of the seventh day, and simply make it a day of pleasure and relaxation. We determine whether the seventh day will be the blessing to us that God intended. We choose by the way we spend it. Will the seventh day be a holy “spiritually other” day, or just another day?