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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, August 20, 1867

Infidel Objections to the Bible Answered. No. 9.

God is Tired, and Rests.—For in six days the Lord made Heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Ex. xxxi, 17. I am weary with repenting. Jer. xv. 6.

God is Never tired, and Never Rests.—Hadst thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? Isa. xl, 28.

The Infidel here makes a contradiction by assuming that the word, rested, as applied to God, means that he rested from physical exhaustion. Unless it does mean this, there is no contradiction between the passages. But it does not mean this, as is shown by the following clear and pertinent remarks of Prof. Bush; and hence the infidel's objection vanishes. It is hardly necessary to remark in passing that the expression in Jer. xv. 6, expresses not bodily weariness, but simply the conviction on the part of God that it was useless to longer grant mercy to his professed people, in the vain hope that they would turn from their sins. Prof. Bush says:—

“Rested on the seventh day. Heb. shabath, ceased. Taking the term ‘rest’ in its ordinary acceptation, this is obviously applying to the Most High language which is strictly to be predicated only of his creatures. ‘The Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary,’ nor can he stand in need of the refreshment of rest. ‘Ceased’ would undoubtedly have been a better rendering, as the original is not opposed to weariness but to action. It is true, the idea of rest is closely connected with that of cessation from action, but they are still distinct, and it is important that the distinction should here be kept in mind, to prevent the impression that the rest spoken of was repose from fatigue rather than a ceasing to create. From the original ‘shabath’ to cease, comes our English ‘sabbath’ a cessation, i. e., cessation from the ordinary secular work of the week. There is nothing, therefore, in the genuine import of the term to imply that a total inaction is enjoined on that day, but merely a desisting and consequently resting from secular occupations. The most industrious and even laborious performance of religious services may be perfectly compatible with the rest, properly understood, of the holy Sabbath. It is not to be a day of mere indolent repose to body or mind, but a resting from the concerns of this world, in order to an active devotement of ourselves to things spiritual and eternal, things connected with the duties of worship and the highest interest of our own souls and the souls of our fellow men. Thus the Most High now ceased from multiplying the objects of creation, yet in another sense he still continued active, as our Saviour says, John v, 17, ‘My Father worketh hitherto and I work.’”