Even modern Sabbath keepers admit that there is no command to observe the Sabbath throughout the book of Genesis. This is because God did not command the Sabbath to His faithful servants during that time, such as Adam, Eve, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Joseph. The word "Sabbath" was never mentioned even by these servants of God.
This fact alone should be enough for Sabbath keepers if they truly respect the word of the Lord, who warns us, “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6). Even Moses, who wrote the book of Genesis, was inspired by the Holy Spirit to issue a warning to everyone: “Do not add to or subtract from the word of God", so that it may remain intact (Deut. 4:2).
If Sabbath keepers themselves acknowledge that there is no mention of God commanding His faithful servants to observe the Sabbath in Genesis, why do they still believe that God commanded it?
Here are some common reasons we often hear from them, and how we can correct these misunderstandings:
ARGUMENT #1: “Genesis is not a book of commandments, but a book of origins.”
ANSWER:
If the book of Genesis is not a book of commandments, why do we read about God’s commands that are important to the faith of His servants? For example, God’s command to Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). Why did Cain sin in the eyes of God when he killed his brother Abel? Sabbath keepers even use this as proof that the Ten Commandments already existed during their time (Gen. 4:8-15). Another example is Joseph, who avoided adultery because he considered it a sin against God. Sabbath keepers argue that Joseph knew it was a sin because the Ten Commandments were already in effect during his time (Gen. 39:7-9). Similarly, Jacob commanded his household to get rid of their idols. How could he have done this if the Ten Commandments, which forbid the worship of other gods, did not yet exist during his time (Gen. 35:2)? If Sabbath keepers claim that the Ten Commandments were already present in Genesis, why was the Sabbath never mentioned even once?
In short, the argument that Genesis is not a book of commandments is false, as the examples above proved. For Sabbath keepers, the importance of the commands to Adam and Eve, Cain, Joseph, and Jacob should be as significant as the command regarding the Sabbath—if not more so. If this is the case, why was there never a mention of God commanding the Sabbath to them, even once? Isn’t this proof that the Sabbath did not exist during the time of these ancestors of the Israelites? Even Moses, who wrote Genesis, stated, “The Lord did not establish this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today” (Deut. 5:3).
It is clear that Genesis is not just a book of history or origins, as it contains commandments that express God’s will to strengthen His relationship with His faithful servants. If the Sabbath, which Sabbath keepers consider such an important command for the relationship between God and man, were truly that significant, why was it never mentioned or commanded by God to His servants in the book of Genesis? The reason is that the weekly seventh-day Sabbath as a command did not yet exist. It was only commanded to the Israelites after their deliverance from Egypt through Moses (Neh. 9:10-14; Ezek. 20:10-12).
According to the Apostle Paul’s interpretation in Galatians 3:17, the law, including the Sabbath, was only added 430 years after Abraham's time. This shows that the Sabbath was not commanded during the time of Adam, Eve, or their descendants until Abraham. Christians are on the right path if they follow Paul's interpretation, which shows there was no command regarding the Sabbath from Adam and Eve to Abraham because this is the truth.
ARGUMENT #2:“God blessed and sanctified the seventh day, so it is a special day.”
ANSWER:
According to Genesis 2, what God blessed and made holy was not the "Sabbath" (noun) but the "seventh day." The verse says: “On the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it He rested from all the work that He had done in creation” (Gen. 2:2-3).
The noun "Sabbath" is never used in Genesis, so it is a big mistake for anyone to interpret that the "Sabbath" (noun) was immediately blessed, sanctified, or rested by God in this book. The Holy Spirit did not choose the word "Sabbath" when Moses wrote Genesis 2, but "seventh day." This was God’s intention and the terminology He chose. We would be wrong to replace His inspired word.
This is yet another strong testimony from the Lord that the "Sabbath" did not yet exist for God’s servants mentioned in Genesis. Moreover, we do not read that it was commanded by God to them, and the term "Sabbath" (noun) is never used in Genesis. The term only began to be used after the nation of Israel was freed from Egyptian bondage (Exo. 16:23-27; Ezek. 20:10-12).
Sabbath keepers must also understand that in Genesis, the "seventh day of God" and the "seventh day of man" (Adam and Eve) are different. Here are the reasons:
1.) The “seventh day of God” is not a literal 24-hour day marked by “evening and morning,” which only applies to our planet Earth. Therefore, we should not be surprised that no mention is made of "evening and morning" on the seventh day (Gen. 2:1-3), because it was God who rested on the “seventh day,” not man. This is a unique seventh day of God, and Adam and Eve were not included in this rest. If Sabbath keepers insist that Adam and Eve were part of the "seventh day" of God's rest, then they should also acknowledge that Adam and Eve were co-creators and part of the creation process, resting alongside God, but that is not the case.
The writer of Hebrews understood that the “seventh day of God” is a long period of time, as it says: "For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'On the seventh day God rested from all His works.'... There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:4,9).
Hebrews 4:1, 3, 4, 7, 9 (NLT) "God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. . . For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’ ”even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. . . We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work. . . So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts. . . So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God."
It is clear that the “seventh day rest of God” is not a literal 24-hour day, as observed by the Jews and the Sabbath keepers today. Thus, it is incorrect to say that the "rest of God" is the same as the weekly Sabbath—a 24-hour day Sabbath.
2.) The “seventh day of God” was only the "second day" of existence for Adam and Eve on Earth. Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day (Gen. 1:27-31). Therefore, the seventh day for Adam and Eve was only their "second day" on Earth. Hence, it's not surprising that there is no mention of God commanding humans to observe the Sabbath in Genesis 2. First, the noun "Sabbath" is not used in this passage, and second, God's "seventh day" and humanity's "seventh day" are not the same.
ARGUMENT #3: “God Himself rested on the Sabbath day, and the reason for its observance was reiterated in Exodus 20.”
ANSWER:
We must be cautious with the statements of Sabbath keepers because they often misinterpret the Bible compared to what is actually written. Let us follow the example of the Berean Christians, who, according to Paul, were noble because “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). If we apply this to our topic, we must examine the Scriptures to see if Sabbath keepers' claims that God Himself observed the Sabbath are true. Let us return to Genesis 2 to check if we can find proof that God observed the Sabbath.
“And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done” (Gen. 2:3).
What did God sanctify according to Genesis 2:3? Was it the "Sabbath" or the "seventh day"? The correct answer is the "seventh day." We've already established that God's seventh day is eternal, unlike man's seventh day, which is limited to 24 hours, so they are different. It is also true that this was reiterated in Exodus 20:11: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
However, we should note that this verse does not support the view of Sabbath keepers for two reasons:
1.) The passage does not say that God "rested on the Sabbath day." Instead, it actually states that God "rested on the seventh day." We have already established that God’s seventh day is not a 24-hour day, unlike the assumption of the Sabbath keepers that it is merely a 24-hour earthly day.
2.) Sabbath keepers have misinterpreted the second part of Exodus 20:11, which says, "the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy," as though this "Sabbath" had already been blessed, sanctified, and observed by God since Genesis 2. However, this conclusion is incorrect. The key to properly interpreting this passage lies in understanding the entire sentence. Here is the complete second part of Exodus 20:11b: "Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." The phrase "therefore" signifies a cause-and-effect relationship, showing the result of a situation. For example: "He studied hard, therefore he passed the exam." In this sentence, "therefore" shows that his passing the exam was the result of his hard work.
In the same way, when Exodus 20:11b states, "Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy," it refers to the outcome following Moses’ introduction of God’s seventh day of creation week to the Israelites. Moses used God's non-24-hour, seventh day as the model for Israel's newly established weekly Sabbath at the foot of Mount Sinai. Thus, the statement "the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" is not about what happened in Genesis, but rather about the time when Moses introduced and instructed Israel for the first time on the pattern of God's own seventh day in creation.
This correct explanation is supported by the SDAs own Clear Word Bible:
“Because in six days, I, the Lord your God, created the earth, the sky, the seas and everything in them, and on the seventh day I rested in the joy of having made it all. That’s why I blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy, so you can rest and rejoice with me.”
CONCLUSION:
We understand from the testimony of the Bible that God’s faithful servants mentioned in Genesis were never commanded to observe the Sabbath. First, in Genesis 2, the word "Sabbath" was not mentioned in noun form. Second, Genesis is not merely a book of history or origins; it also contains God’s commandments to His servants during different periods, suited to their needs to maintain a good relationship with Him. If the Sabbath was truly a crucial part of worshiping God, why was it never mentioned? What does this imply? It means that the belief of Sabbath keepers, who continue to hold on to this false notion, does not align with the truth.
I pray that the Lord will use this reading to open their minds to the true teachings of the Bible, rather than to fabricated beliefs that attempt to show the Sabbath was already present in Genesis, even though it is not mentioned. They have to make assumptions and add to God’s word to justify their claims.
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