Comment on The Origin of the Sabbath and the 7-Day Week by Sean Pitman.
@Ken:
Re Sean’s Quote
“I’m not sure how the biblical language could have been made any more clear in this regard”
Hi Sean
Ok I’m happy to answer that my engaging friend. Jesus could have said: The Seven Days of Creation were made for man, not man for the Seven Days of Creation.
See the diffence? Implication of ommision by not mentioning the other six days?
In mentioning the Sabbath in Jewish culture, Jesus is automatically mentioning the seven-day weekly cycle (which his audience already knew from the reading of the Genesis account as well as from the Ten Commandments written in the Torah where the intended ideal purpose for both the Sabbath and the other six days of the week are very explicitly given – Exodus 20:8-11).
As I’ve already explained, the Sabbath, for the Jews, was defined by the weekly cycle as the seventh-day of each week since creation. Therefore, it would have been obviously redundant for Jesus to talk about the other six days in that setting. In claiming that God made the Sabbath for man’s benefit Jesus is automatically claiming that the seven day cycle of work and rest was itself made for our benefit. Again, he didn’t have to clarify for his audience that the Sabbath was in fact the seventh day of the weekly cycle. They already knew it.
I decided to do a bit of biblical research to see if I could come up with support for my supposition whether God created for his own pleasure, Lo and behold I came upon the little gem of Rev: 4:11.
And, as already noted, God finds his pleasure in serving others. We were made so that He could serve us and find pleasure in that service – in the joy we realize from His gifts of service. We were not made so that God could find pleasure in our service to Him alone. He needs no slaves to do stuff for him nor does He require our praise to stroke His ego. He finds His pleasure in bringing us happiness. As is the case with any good parent, in our own joy and pleasure He finds pleasure.
Why do most parents choose to have kids? – to produce slaves that serve and pay homage and stroke the ego of the parents? Of course not. The parents don’t (or shouldn’t) need any ego stroking. Rather, the parents find joy or pleasure in serving their children’s needs and helping them grow into fine upstanding independent adults who will contribute to society at large.
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
Sean Pitman Also Commented
The Origin of the Sabbath and the 7-Day Week
@ken:
No, since the God of the Bible called everything “Good” at the end of creation week – which he would not have done if predation of sentient creatures existed on this planet before the moral fall of mankind. After all, the God of the Bible is pictured as experiencing pain in sympathy with animal as well as human suffering.
Given this background, it is quite clear that the eating of the fruit was only symbolic of allegiance. God made the tree and the fruit on it after all. It had no inherent power of its own, outside of God’s will and creative power, to prolong life…
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
The Origin of the Sabbath and the 7-Day Week
@Ken:
I do not disagree that there are numerous factors involved, to include genetics and overall lifestyle. However, it is interesting to me that there are other healthy groups of people out there who are also ethnically diverse. Yet, Adventists, in particular, live the longest among such ethnically diverse groups of people (note that the Okinawans are not ethnically diverse).
Again, all I can suggest is to try it out for yourself and see if you don’t notice a difference in your own personal experience…
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
The Origin of the Sabbath and the 7-Day Week
@Ken:
Consider that I’m presenting three different arguments at the same time. One argument is that there appears to be this intrinsic genetically-coded rhythm in all living things that is based on a 7-day cycle. That, by itself, is quite surprising and non-predictable form a naturalistic perspective – but not from a Biblical perspective.
After all, it was only the Bible that proposed, long before the circaseptan science came on the scene, to explain the origin of this 7-day rhythm as a creative act of God. The Bible also tells us how to best take advantage of this 7-day pattern by working six days and resting on every seventh day (my second argument) and that this work/rest cycle was given to us for our benefit (“The Sabbath was made for man”). In addition to this, the Bible claims that the original order of the days is important to God as a symbol between him and his people of their allegiance to God and he promises an additional supernatural blessing on those who strive to keep holy the true Sabbath day of his original blessing (my third argument).
In my opinion, these are all testable statements. The weekly cycle, by itself, has been shown to have intrinsic elements or biorhythms within all living things (first argument). If certain things are done in accordance with this pattern, living things function better (to include a lengthening of life for different kinds of creatures). On top of this, adding a “Sabbath” day of rest every 7th day appears to be beneficial to mind and body regardless of the actual 7th day chosen for rest – be that day Sunday or Saturday or Friday or whatever 7th day is chosen (second argument). So far, I don’t think there is very much disagreement with these arguments – even within the scientific community at this point (given the new information on circaseptan biorhythms within humans and all other living things and the general benefits of resting mind and body one day a week).
But, beyond this, it seems to me, from my own personal experience and the experience of certain key individuals that I have known, that if one strives to keep Holy the Biblical 7th day in particular (i.e., the Sabbath of the Jews or Saturday), that God actually gives such an individual an additional supernatural blessing (third argument).
Now, I’m sure that many will scoff at my last proposal. But, don’t be too hasty if you haven’t tried it out for yourself… If you haven’t actually tried to keep the Biblical Sabbath, Saturday, holy as the Bible describes. I think that this element plays a role in explaining why Adventists, among all ethnically diverse peoples of the world (to include other groups of people who try to be religious, healthy, and even vegetarian) live the longest and are generally the most blessed ethnically diverse group of people in the world.
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
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