Opening comments 

Hello, welcome to the podcast, Bible Wisdom Today. My name is Stan Watkins.

The Bible has always been an important foundation for my personal faith, leading me to complete a Bible degree and enter Christian ministry, ultimately going with my wife and family to Europe for 6 years. There I served in the areas of Bible teaching and music. Since returning to the states, I have supported my local church as I have had opportunity, but now I would like a more regular outlet for teaching God’s word.

Understanding the Bible is not simply a matter of belief that it is God’s word. The Bible was written long ago, in a foreign language, within an alien culture, using unfamiliar literary styles. Today’s Bible student must overcome each of these obstacles. This podcast is for those willing to think deeply to discover God's wisdom for life today.

In our last episode, we saw God transform the chaos of the primeval world into a functioning universe. The author of Genesis uses the format of six days to provide a literary structure for his narrative. During the first three days God forms the world, establishing its basic functions and structure; during the second three days he fills the world with heavenly bodies, creatures, and people. Through this compositional framework he emphasizes the superiority of a God who creates by his word over the so-called gods of the surrounding cultures who brought order through struggle. He also demonstrates that his account is logical but not necessarily chronological.

Today, we come to the seventh day of creation where we read that God rests. You may have encountered this story before and wondered why God would need rest. Was the all-powerful God exhausted after all his work of creating? If we think that, we demonstrate that we are modern people, far removed from the original audience of this book. We will spend an extended time in this episode examining the ancient cultural context to understand the real meaning of God’s rest. When we do, we will find great irony. When God rests, it does not mean that he is relaxing. Rather, the ancient reader would understand that now God is working, ruling the universe he has made and receiving the worship of His people. This is a radical mind shift for us, but we will find greater meaning in God’s continuing work of managing his world and our opportunity for worship.

The seventh day

Let’s begin by reading this short Bible passage, Genesis 2, verses 1-3.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 
 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 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 2:1-3

It is unfortunate that a medieval archbishop placed a chapter division before the account of the seventh day. This is not the beginning of a new section, but the end of the story from chapter 1. When we read, “thus the heavens and earth were completed in all their vast array,” this is a summary of the preceding narrative. “Their vast array” refers to the sun, moon, stars and all the living inhabitants of the earth from days 5 and 6.

The description of the seventh day has a completely different character from the previous days. It does not contain any of the familiar formulas, since God does not create on this day. Instead, the author mentions the seventh day three times, drawing attention to its distinctiveness. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Days 1-5 were good, day 6 was very good, but day 7 was holy.

These first three verses of chapter 2 are parallel with the beginning two verses of chapter one. Together, they become an outer frame for the 6-day panel construction which we discussed in our last episode. With this outer frame, we see that what began as chaos has now become a well-ordered, functional universe. In the beginning, the spirit-wind of God hovered over the waters; at the conclusion God came to rest in the cosmic temple he had created.

Our biblical author marked this outer frame by the repetition of important words, which may be more obvious in Hebrew than in translation. In the beginning verses we encounter three important words: “created…God…heaven and earth” using their order in Hebrew. In Genesis 2:1-3, we see the same words: “heaven and earth…God…created.” The repetition of these key words in reverse order nicely rounds out this opening hymn.

The ancient Hebrews, along with other ancient cultures, were particularly interested in numbers, not just for their usefulness in counting, but also as carriers of conceptual meaning. The number seven often connotes the meaning of perfection or completeness. We easily see the prevalence of the number 7 throughout the account of creation. In addition to the seven days of creation, there are seven words of fulfillment (“and it was so”), seven words of execution (“and God made”), seven acts of divine naming or blessing, and seven pronouncements of approval (“and it was good”). In addition, there are several multiples of 7 which can only be seen in the original Hebrew. Genesis 1:1 is 7 words in Hebrew, Genesis 1:2 is 14 words (an obvious multiple of 2 x 7), and our passage for today, Genesis 2:1-3, is 5 times 7, or 35 words. 

The two key words in our section for today are “work,” which is the ordinary word used for human work, and “rested,” which has the basic meaning of ceasing. We read, “God…finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested.” God can now cease his work because He established safety, security and stability in the previous six days. The Hebrew word for “rested” is “shabat.” This term became the name for the Jewish Sabbath, instituted in Exodus 20.

In ancient Mesopotamia, certain days of each lunar cycle were considered unlucky, the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th as well as the 19th, since it was 49 days (or 7 x 7) from the beginning of the previous month. It is possible that God established the Israelite Sabbath as a deliberate disruption of this cycle. The weekly sabbath is independent of the phases of the moon and blessed by the creator. It is not unlucky.

When God ceases his creative work, he rests. To understand what the author of Genesis meant, and what the original audience would have understood by the term “rest,” we must take a long excursion into the ancient world by examining the literature surrounding temple dedications.

Understanding Genesis through ancient near eastern literature

Ancient temple literature

The role of the temple in the ancient world was not to provide a place for people to worship, but to provide a place for a god to dwell. The temple was the home of a deity, his or her headquarters, their resting place. The temple was the only place where a divine being might rest. When a god entered the temple, he rested on his throne and took command. 

In the ancient near eastern mind, the temple was a mini cosmos. The close relationship between creation, temple building and rest are seen in the Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elish, among other texts. The ancient people viewed the universe as a building. This viewpoint is reflected in the Bible, as well. For example, we read in Proverbs 3:19,

By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, 
 by understanding he set the heavens in place (Prov. 3:19)

In the Bible, the universe was thought of not just as a building, but the temple of God. In Isaiah 66 we read,

This is what the Lord says:
 “Heaven is my throne, 
 and the earth is my footstool. 
 Where is the house you will build for me?
 Where will my resting place be?
 Has not my hand made all these things, 
 (Isaiah 66:1-2)

In the ancient literature of Israel’s neighbors, narratives concerning temple construction projects often describe it as six days of similar activity followed by a change on the seventh day. An example of this extremely common pattern is seen in the so-called Baal Cycle[1], an ancient text found in the city of Ugarit in northern Syria, which describes the temple of Baal being established in one week’s time. I will read a portion to you describing this week of temple building. It begins with a metaphor about fire, which suggests that they were smelting precious metal. Quote:

Fire is set to the house,

 Flame to the palace 

Lo, a day and a second

Fire feeds on the house,

Flame upon the palace. 

A third, a fourth day, 

Fire feeds on the house,

Flame upon the palace.

A fifth, a sixth day,

[more fire and flame]

There, on the seventh day

The fire dies down in the house,

The flame in the palace.

The silver turns into blocks, 

the gold is turned into bricks

…Baal exults:

My house have I builded of silver;

My palace, indeed, of gold” (KTU 1.4 VII)[2]

In seven days, the chief Canaanite deity set up his temple, the same length of time as the biblical God took to complete his creation. This pattern of a seven-day temple construction was a literary model well-known to the author of Genesis and his readers.  

Ancient near eastern temple literature devotes more space to the construction period than the dedication phase, but for our purposes, understanding the dedication ceremony will be the most helpful for our interpretation of God’s rest on the seventh day. The dedication ceremony made the temple functional, climaxing with the people’s god inhabiting the statue that they had built. The various rituals in this dedication transformed the temple from an ordinary building made with human hands into a “cosmic home for the gods.[3] We have many references to ancient near eastern dedication ceremonies, often conducted over seven days. The most detailed reference is the dedication of the temple of Ningirsu in 2100 BC. 

The stages of ancient dedication ceremonies were detailed in an academic paper by Dr. Peter Dubovsky of the Pontifical Biblical Institute presented to the College de France in Paris in 2022. You can find the complete citation in the transcription of this episode on the podcast website BibleWisdomToday.com.

Dubovsky outlines the dedication service in seven stages[4] First was the final preparations. Before the dedication ceremony could begin, the temple building must be completed and inspected to make sure it was appropriate for divine habitation. Were the materials costly and grand? Was the craftmanship of the highest quality? The city also must be at peace. They couldn’t carry out an intricate ceremony while simultaneously defending the city. Finally, the people were gathered, the offerings prepared, and preliminary prayers and rituals completed.

The second stage of the ceremony was a procession into the new temple. At this point the statue of the god or gods began their journey from the site of manufacture to the temple. Singers, priests, assistants and important nobles led the way. The king led the procession, guiding the god into his new home by holding his hand. They frequently stopped to make sacrifices, so the procession could last several days.

Following the procession came the induction ceremony. At this time the gods, represented by their statues, entered the temple. The gods did not enter by their own power, of course but they were carried in by the priests and then seated on their appointed platforms. This was a required element of the ceremony.

Next came various rituals and offerings, mostly concerning the divine statue. The most important was the “washing of the mouth,” which transformed a handmade idol into an object inhabited by a god. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that the ancients believed that their idols were gods. They knew very well that they were fashioned from stone or wood, since they had made them, but they believed that these manufactured images could become the dwelling place of a god through rituals and ceremonies. This same concept applied to the temple at large. The building had been constructed by human supplicants, but it could become a divine temple when it was indwelt by deity. These rituals were led by the king and other celebrants using various physical gestures, such as raising hands or kneeling, as well as dance and song. Another required element was prayers and speeches, which might accompany various stages in the program. 

The culmination of the dedication ceremony was the most important of all, the approval of the god. All the human work was useless unless their deity accepted it as an appropriate place to dwell. This approval is never directly described in the ancient literature, only related through metaphor. When the gods decide to dwell in the temple, they bless the people with abundant rains, crops and fertility. This was the sign of acceptance.

The dedication ceremony finally ended with a great feast.

This is the basic format of a temple dedication celebration, but we can see the details of just such a ceremony in the Bible’s record of the dedication of King Solomon’s temple. Building the temple took seven years (1 Kings 6:34-38), but it was only a building until God came to live there and the priests could perform religious rituals. It was the dedication ceremony which transformed the material building into a divine temple. The dedication of Solomon’s temple took seven days followed by a 7-day feast. 

In his dedication prayer, Solomon announced the functions of the temple (1 Kings 8:31-45). 

·        It would be a place for seeking forgiveness and swearing oaths;

·        A place for petition for victory and supplication when defeated.

·        It would be a place for prayer when faced with drought/famine/blight, 

·        And a place for the alien to seek God.

We can see several similarities between the dedication of the Jerusalem temple under Solomon and the temple dedication from Israel’s surrounding cultures that we have just discussed.[5] The Biblical author distinguishes between the time of construction and the dedication of the temple. The dedication begins with a vivid procession, bringing the ark of the covenant into the temple accompanied by countless sacrifices. The service was led by a pious, wise king, predestined for this purpose, who gathered the elders and priests and led the ceremony with prayers, offerings and ritual gestures, such as raising hands, standing, and kneeling. Some elements of Solomon’s prayer are similar to that found in other ancient literature, such as asking for mercy, asking for prayer to be heard, praying for the king and his dynastic continuity, and praying for rain, abundance, and defeat of enemies. At the high point of the ceremony, the glory of God, who had led the children of Israel by a cloud in the wilderness, came to fill the temple, demonstrating the divine entrance into the temple and his acceptance of this space for his dwelling. Following the dedication, the people celebrated with a feast for 7 days.

As in every comparison, there also are differences[6] between the dedication of the temple of Yahweh under Solomon and the dedications of the surrounding peoples. Most strikingly, there is no induction of an image of God into the temple, since Yahweh does not countenance any graven image. There is, however, the installation of the Ark of the covenant into the temple. We read in 1 Kings 8,

The priests then brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary
 1 Kings 8:6-8

Additionally, the gods of the surrounding nations showed their approval of the temple which their devotees had made, but we are never told exactly how they indicated their approval. The biblical record of God’s approval of the temple constructed under Solomon is absolutely clear. At the high point of the ceremony, the glory of God, who had led the children of Israel by a cloud in the wilderness, came to fill the temple, demonstrating his divine acceptance of this space for his dwelling (1 Kings 8:10-11).

Among Israel’s neighbors, temple dedications were sometimes reenacted on a yearly basis. We have literature from the time, such as the Sumerian Temple Hymns which may have been part of that liturgy.[7] One of the most well-known examples was the Akitu festival in Babylon, reinstalling the deity in the temple and reasserting the king’s selection. The Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elish was read on this occasion.[8] There is debate whether Israel celebrated similar enthronement festivals, perhaps connected to the New Year celebration, recalling creation, God’s continued presence, and the divine election of the king. While the biblical evidence is not clear, there are some positive hints, particularly in the book of Psalms. If Israel did have such a celebration, we should not be surprised, since it would have been common in the prevailing culture. This opening passage of Genesis would have served very well as part of the liturgy.[9] 

Value to our Biblical interpretation

Whether or not this creation account was used for this purpose, we now can identify the literary genre of this opening overture as a temple dedication hymn. What does this conclusion mean for our interpretation?

First, we can come to a final conclusion regarding the meaning of the days of creation. Traditionally Bible interpreters have assumed these were historical days in chronological order. After the near unanimous consensus of scientists around the evolutionary theory of origins, some biblical scholars have suggested that the days of creation are actually long periods of time, perhaps multi-millennia long, in order to allow time for evolution to work. This day-age view has always been weak, since there is not really any biblical evidence and it clearly is an attempt to make scripture fit with science. In our last episode, I suggested that the literary framework of Genesis 1 provides strong evidence that the biblical author was using the 6 days of creation plus one day of rest as a narrative framework symbolizing perfection. This is still true, but understanding this account as temple dedication literature provides the capstone argument. The days of creation were not only a literary framework created in the fertile mind of an accomplished author, but this was a standard format, known widely from Egypt to Babylon. The original recipients of this text which would have recognized it immediately. If we are really going to understand the meaning of this passage for us, we need to see it with their eyes.

When we understand that Genesis models this account after the traditional temple dedication ritual, it also helps us understand what God meant when he said, “Let us make mankind in our image.” This statement quickly passes unexplained in the narrative but endless ink has been consumed in its illumination. As we saw in our retelling of the dedication of Solomon’s temple, one element that is distinct from the surrounding nations is that Yahweh was not represented by a temple image. God does not allow any graven image because he has already prepared an image of himself. Surprisingly, you and I are that image. God created us to show his compassion, wisdom, and love to the world around us. I say surprisingly, because I know myself. I know that, in myself, I am not god-like, but that is the point. Just like the ancient pagan worshippers imagined that their gods came to indwell their lifeless temple image, God intended a real connection with us as his image. Thank God! I need his love to demonstrate true compassion, I need his power to display real wisdom, and I need the consuming fire of his spirit to become a pure image of his grace.

Lastly, realizing that the creation account is a temple dedication hymn offers a richer understanding of God’s seventh-day rest. In a traditional interpretation of Genesis 1 as the creation of a material universe in six days, day seven seems a bit pointless. God has already made everything; now he just lounges around at leisure. When we view the six days of creation as an announcement of the functions of the cosmic temple, however, day seven becomes the climax of the sequence. This is the day when God comes to live in his temple. God has resolved the crisis of chaos; He has achieved stability and established normal routines. Now, God can begin to engage with his worshipers.

When God through Moses established the sabbath as a weekly holy day for his people, he did so to provide dedicated time on a weekly basis to focus on their relationship with God. Like them, when we come to God in worship, we find that God is active, engaged, ruling the universe and blessing his people. Ever since day seven, God has been working, which means we can rest and worship. When Jesus walked about on this earth, the Jewish leaders persecuted him because he performed miracles of healing on the sabbath day. In his defense, Jesus said to them in John 5, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:16-17).

What does God’s creation mean to us?

As we draw near the end of this third episode in our study of Genesis, how can we summarize the meaning of this creation account for us, today? Throughout the Bible, God reveals himself to those who seek him. He does not immediately give us a completed portrait of himself, but these opening words of Genesis begin to sketch out the basic picture of who God is. The first thing we can see is that…

God is real

Genesis does not try to prove that God exists, it simply assumes that God is, and that he is eternal. Our text describes the first light, the first land, and so on, but it does not tell of the beginning of God. The universe, with all its orderliness, was created by God’s word. “Let there be…And it was so.” When God speaks, things happen. The Psalmist understood this when he said in Psalm 148,

Praise him, sun and moon;
 praise him, all you shining stars…
 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
 for at his command they were created,
 and he established them for ever and ever—
 he issued a decree that will never pass away.
 Psalms 148:3-6

What does this mean to us? Simply put, since God is real, we never have to worry. When we face problems that seem impossible to us, we remember that we worship a God who created all things. Nothing is impossible with him. When you feel overwhelmed with the problems of life, remember God still speaks. He first spoke with power at the dawn of creation, and He still speaks into your life today.

The second element of God’s portrait that comes into focus is that…

God is wise

Our God is a God of order, design, and purpose. Light is absolutely essential for life and God proceeds from this natural starting point in an orderly fashion. He calls into being the sun, moon, and stars to mark time and to give light to the earth. He causes land to rise up from the surrounding waters in order that he may make animals to move about on it, including the crown of his creation, you and me.

Since God is wise, we are never irrelevant. Just like the nation of Israel, we are called by God for his purpose. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” [declares the prophet Jeremiah on God’s behalf,] “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
 Jeremiah 29:11

The apostle Paul touched on this same truth in his letter to the Philippians,

he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
 Philippians 1:6

God can see the future and your part in it. When you feel unimportant, remember that God still knows His plans for you.  He first demonstrated His wisdom in His world and He continues to show His wisdom in your life.

The third important idea captured in this divine drawing is that…

God is good

This is a repeated refrain in Genesis 1. This does not mean that God tried his hand at creation and was relatively pleased with the result. No, it was good because it was flawless. This world is good because its creator is perfectly good. This planet is custom-designed for you and me with water to drink, air to breathe, and plants and animals for food. All this was for our benefit. The children of Israel experienced God’s good provision in the desert and were assured that the land they were yet to receive was good, flowing with milk and honey, because God had made it.

We also have that same assurance. Since God is good, we are never outside His care. This was on the Psalmist’s mind, when he said in Psalm 37,

I was young and now I am old,
 yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken 
 or their children begging bread.
 Psalms 37:25

When you feel pressed in by the needs and concerns of life, God still cares. He first showed His goodness by creating this world for your benefit and continues to demonstrate his goodness by providing all your needs.

Another basic silhouette we see in this sketch of God is that

God is personal

He is not a mere force, but a person; not distant, but personal. He took personal delight in the good world he had made, and blessed the sea creatures, blessed the sky creatures, and blessed mankind. The climax of God’s involvement with his creation is shown by his personal command, “let us make mankind in our image,” rather than the impersonal command, “let there be.” God wanted to have a personal relationship with his people.

Since God is personal, we are never strangers to His love. Both ancient near eastern creation myths as well as modern science see humans as no different from the rest of the animal kingdom. The Bible, however, teaches that we are unique creatures. We are the ones God loves. “This is how God showed his love among us,” the apostle John says in his first letter. “He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him (1 John 4:9).” When your self-image is low and you feel as if you have no value, remember God still loves you. He created you in his own image, and He continues to lavish His love on you.

The final insight we find in this portrait of God is that…

God deserves praise

The writer of Genesis does not try to explain how the world came into being, but rather to evoke wonder at the majesty of the creator. The majesty and mystery of God is seen throughout this account, but specifically on the seventh day. God came to rest in the temple he had made for himself. He blessed the seventh day and made it holy. There is no concluding evening and morning formula on this day. Since God continues to rest as God in his temple, we continue to live in holy time. The goal of God’s creative work is human worship continuing throughout history.

Since God deserves praise, we always delight in him. We offer our worship back to God for him to enjoy. When we enjoy his created world, we fellowship with the creator. Our Bible begins with this hymn of praise and concludes in a similar manner in its final book

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
 to receive glory and honor and power, 
 for you created all things,
 and by your will they were created
 and have their being.”
 Revelation 4:11

In this opening hymn, the author of Genesis has given us a remarkably detailed picture of who God is and what that means for us. We see that…

• Since God is real, we never have to worry
• Since God is wise, we are never irrelevant
• Since God is good, we are never outside His care
• Since God is personal, we are never strangers to His love
• Since God deserves praise, we always delight in Him

Closing comments

In our episode today we have come to the end of the opening movement of Genesis, this majestic hymn to the creator. By comparing Genesis to ancient near eastern literature we found that our author used an established literary form, the temple dedication liturgy, to provide structure for his account. While the surrounding cultures built human temples where their gods might rest, the creator God is so great that no manmade temple could contain him. He built a temple for himself, since he was the only one who could build a universe. Then he came to rest in his temple. He came to dwell with us, his image bearers.

In our next episode we will come to the first installment in mankind’s earthly history. God creates the first man, places him in a beautiful garden, and then creates the first woman as his companion. I look forward to examining this intriguing story with you.

 If you have found this podcast helpful, I would appreciate your help in expanding its reach. One of the best ways to assist is by recommending it to your friends. The easiest way to do this is to go to the podcast website, biblewisdomtoday.com, copy that link and then share it with your friend, along with your comment. Your personal recommendation is powerful. I look forward to spending time again with you, soon, along with your friends. Thank you for your help in growing this Bible Wisdom Today family.

[1] Schaser, N. (n.d.). Why Did God Create in Seven Days?. https://israelbiblecenter.com. https://lp.israelbiblecenter.com/lp-biblical-studies-content-why-did-god-create-in-seven-days-en.html?via=f76abda&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email_lead_standalone_content_why-did-god-create-in-seven-days_2022-12-28#:~:text=In%20ancient%20literature%20of%20Israel’s,that%20symbolizes%20completeness%20or%20perfection
[2] Pritchard, J. B. (Ed.). (1969). Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (H. L. Ginsburg, Trans.). Princeton University Press.
[3] Walton, Lost World of Genesis One, page 90
[4] Dubovsky, P. (2025, October 11). Dubovský, peter. “when a building becomes a holy place: Mesopotamian and biblical dedication ceremonies.” Semitica 64 (2022): 343-370. Academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/97788168/Dubovsk%C3%BD_Peter_When_a_Building_Becomes_a_Holy_Place_Mesopotamian_and_Biblical_Dedication_Ceremonies_Semitica_64_2022_343_370
Presented at College de France Paris, February 4-5, 2022 (Sacred Spaces in the Ancient Near East: Between Reality and Utopia)
[5] Dubovsky
[6] Dobovsky
[7] Walton
[8] Walton
[9] Walton