James Wibberding

As you may know, I conducted a comprehensive study of the biblical Sabbath experience a few years ago and shared some of my findings in the book Sabbath Reflections: A Weekly Devotional. But, I just discovered a new insight. I’m not sure I know what all it means yet but maybe someone reading this does and will submit a comment.

The insight emerges from the structural patterns of Genesis 1:1-2:3. Biblical authors often arrange their telling of stories in specific ways to highlight or link ideas. The whole of this passage is written in a clear overarching pattern but it is the ends of the pattern that say something about Sabbath.

Genesis 1:1-2 and Genesis 2:1-2 form the beginning and end of the first telling of the Creation story. But, more than being bookends to the story, they have a great deal of similarity.

• Both sections contain exactly 17 Hebrew word units (word counting is common in Hebrew literature to show connections).
• Both sections start with a creation declaration:
  • “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.
  • “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them, were finished”.
• Both sections follow by giving the status of the work:
  • “The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep”.
  • “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done”.
• Both sections end by giving the status of God:
  • “And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters”.
  • “So on the seventh day God rested from all his work”.
• Both sections are followed by a Hebrew sentence of exactly 5 words:
  • “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light”.
  • “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy”.

The strong, and clearly intentional, parallel between these bookends of the story links the creation of light with the blessing and making holy of the Sabbath.

I shared this in last Sabbath’s sermon and a friend who heard it pointed out to me that with the introduction of light also came the formula for marking time (evening and morning). Since the sun and moon were not created until three days later, both light and time were coming from God himself. In fact, God created the sun and moon only the day before he began to create conscious life (animals and humans).

The fact that the biblical author links this idea of light and time emerging from God’s presence with the setting aside of Sabbath (the word for “made it holy” means to separate out) may explain why the formula of “evening and morning” is not mentioned regarding Sabbath like it is with the other six days. God’s presence is prominent again, so the sun and moon are insignificant. They matter the other six days as reminders that the day of God’s presence is coming again soon.

I haven’t connected all the dots yet but I think there is something profound here. Anyone have an idea?