Why God Took the Day Off

In the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey recommends “sharpening the saw.” The idea is that every now and then you need to take some time off to refresh. This will make you more effective than if you keep sawing away and never take a time to recharge. It’s good advice with which I wholeheartedly agree. But it has nothing to do with God’s rest. 

God did not rest to “sharpen the saw.” God rested because he was finished. 

God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day (Genesis 1:31).

God rested not only because the job was done. God rested because creation was perfect. No further action was necessary. The seventh day is not a God’s day off. God would not need to pack a lunch and head back the job on Monday. The job was complete. That is why the seventh day never ends. It is the eternal state: perfection. 

What About the Fall?

“But wait!” you say. What about the fall? Didn't Adam and Eve destroy this perfection? Didn't God have to get out his tool kit and start all over? Sure, things were perfect for a blissful moment, but Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. It’s back to the drawing board. God had to move on to Plan B. Our world is a do-over and it’s far from done.   the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:12-14)

This is a description of the child to be born, the New Creation. It’s not the story of a God who loved a perfect world, but a God who redeemed a broken one. For there to be a new creation there had to be an old one. The transition from old to new is painful. We who are in the midst of this transition cry out, “How long, O Lord?” The glory to come will outshine the suffering and make it all worth it. 

Because of this, both of the following statements are true:

The world is not as it should be.

The world is exactly as it should be.

Our world not as it should be because the prodigals have not yet returned. It is exactly as it should be because they will. This is as certain as the death and resurrection of Jesus. We live in the seventh day, the day of rest, because the end is present from the beginning. 

This confidence makes it possible to avoid two extremes: apathy and fanaticism. 

Rest Is the Antidote to Apathy and Fanaticism

Many look at this world and throw up their hands in despair. As the Cat in the Hat put it, “This mess is so big And so deep and so tall, We cannot pick it up. There is no way at all!” Or, as an old friend used to be fond of saying, “It’s all gonna burn.” Given a world without God, apathy is inevitable. Even if by some miracle we survive our own stupidity, eventually the sun will go supernova and blow us to bits. Why recycle? Why save the whales? Why fight human trafficking? It’s all gonna burn. 

Fanaticism takes the opposite path. Our species is out of control! Our planet is dying! We have to fix this. Now! The problem is that the way to fix things is hotly debated. Democrats or Republicans? Capitalists or communists? Science or religion? We are distracted from the world we are trying to save by the ignoramuses who oppose our strategy. We forget about saving the world and turn to fighting each other instead. 

Redeeming love presents a third option. Not apathy. Not fanaticism. Participation. We participate in God’s work of new creation. We trust that God is at work in the world even though we often can’t see how. Jesus showed the way. 

People said a lot of things about Jesus but no one accused him of apathy. Neither was he a fanatic. Instead, he participated with a whole heart in the Father’s work of new creation. He welcomed outcasts, healed the sick, and forgave sinners.