Does God Get Tired?

It’s one of the verses unbelievers use as a “gotcha” verse to challenge believers. It comes very early in the Bible:

Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:3 (NIV)

God resting is what they see as the gotcha in the verse. If God is all powerful, how can He grow tired? If He rested, he must have needed a breather after all that creating, right? Not so fast. Pay special attention to this: “…God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” What does that mean? The Pharisees, a Jewish ruling sect, got this wrong in Jesus’ time on earth.

They were well aware of God’s call to observe the Sabbath, but they came to see it as a chore, an obligation, or a rule to follow (The Pharisees were really good at that. So are many believers today).

23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:23-28 (NIV)

The Pharisees were condemning Jesus for allowing his students to “harvest” grain on the Sabbath because they were hungry. (The streaming series “The Chosen” depicts this beautifully)

What did Jesus mean when he responded to them: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath?” You Version recently had a commentary on this verse that I think nails it:

“Consider how parents teach children to brush their teeth, reminding them morning and night. That child might only appreciate the chore years later, as they grow into adults and experience expensive and uncomfortable dental work. It’s then that a dull tooth-brushing routine feels valuable. What a shift in perspective! We weren’t made to serve a strict toothbrushing schedule, but toothbrushing was made to help maintain healthy teeth.”

Likewise, God didn’t give us Sabbath as a rule to obey, but as a blessing from Him. The Sabbath is Holy because resting on the 7th day is a model God blessed us with. He is reflecting on the goodness of His efforts. Sabbath isn’t a command. He is teaching us the importance of rest. This is why Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” We keep it holy by remembering who He is and the promises He made. I also have a suggestion.

God used the sabbath to survey all He had done. My wife Ramona and I take every opportunity on our Sabbath to get outside and enjoy His creation. We might play cribbage, do a Bible study, or just walk. We reconnect with each other and then together we reconnect with God. God didn’t create humanity so it could obey the rule of Sabbath. God created Sabbath, because He knew we would need it. And God knew that in the hyper-paced world of the 21st century that we would need it more than ever. What a good God!

Pastor Jerry Bader

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1 Comment
  • June Sroka
    Posted at 15:51h, 17 June Reply

    You nailed it!!

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