God Rested on the Seventh Day?

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Le_Chiot_Noir

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In brief, I need a little help understanding what theological truth is revealed by the scriptural revelation that God rested on the seventh day. I know that God is omnipotent, and could have made the entire cosmos in a moment, but I’m drawing a blank as to the significance of an all-powerful creator needing to “rest”.

Your thoughts, or articles on it would be greatly appreciated. :3
 
Le Chiot Noir,
You are right in your opinion that God did not ‘need’ to rest. God was providing a model for mankind, as well as establishing the holiness of the Sabbath Day. Here are some sections from articles 2168-2173 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2168
The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: “The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD.”
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2169
In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls creation: “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.”
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2171
God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the irrevocable covenant. The sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the praise of God, his work of creation, and his saving actions on behalf of Israel.
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2172
God’s action is the model for human action. If God “rested and was refreshed” on the seventh day, man too ought to “rest” and should let others, especially the poor, “be refreshed.” The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.
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2173
The Gospel reports many incidents when Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath law. But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day. He gives this law its authentic and authoritative interpretation: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” With compassion, Christ declares the sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing. The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God. “The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
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II. The Lord’s Day
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This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
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Exodus 20:11 may make these thoughts more clear:
Ex 20:11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them, and rested on the seventh day: therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.
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rocketrob said:
Le Chiot Noir,
You are right in your opinion that God did not ‘need’ to rest. God was providing a model for mankind, as well as establishing the holiness of the Sabbath Day. Here are some sections from articles 2168-2173 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Exodus 20:11 may make these thoughts more clear:
Click to expand...
I have a Catholic relative who wants to convert to Seventh Day Adventists, are there any weblinks that give me some refutation of the SDA religion and where the Catholic doctrine is compared to theirs.
 
God did not get tired. This rest should be seen as the first in the cycle of covenants throughout the Bible. By establishing the Sabbath, God is making a covenant with His creation. Especially with all of humanity. The Sabbath is a sign of love.
 
Thanks for the answers! I will think on this for a while.
 
I think that the “Seventh Day” symbolically teaches that after God’s direct intervention in Creation, the last stage (i.e. day) was to let nature flow naturally. So by letting nature take its course we could say He “rested” because He wasn’t directly “working” (Creating)
 
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