This article provides a biblical, logical exploration of the pattern God established during Creation week, with clear application to understanding the Sabbath’s ongoing significance.
At the end of the first day of creation, God declared, “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” He repeated that same phrase — changing only the day number — for five more consecutive days, making a total of six days in which He used that expression.
God’s consistent use of this phrase clearly defines each day as a literal, complete day, marked by “evening” (the start) and “morning” (the close), laying the foundation for:
- A literal six-day creation.
- The seventh-day Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3).
- The biblical understanding of a day beginning at sunset (see also Leviticus 23:32).
The Six Days of Creation
“And the evening and the morning were the [first/second/third/etc.] day.”
Day 1 — Genesis 1:5 Day 2 — Genesis 1:8 Day 3 — Genesis 1:13 Day 4 — Genesis 1:19 Day 5 — Genesis 1:23 Day 6 — Genesis 1:31
The Seventh Day — A Day Unlike the Others
God did not say, “And the evening and the morning were the seventh day.” Why? Because the seventh day was not marked by additional creative work. Instead, it was set apart as a day of rest and blessing.
Genesis 2:1-3 (KJV) says:
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
The absence of the familiar phrase emphasizes the unique nature of the seventh day. It was not created through labor but through God’s act of rest, blessing, and sanctifying the time.
The Sabbath — Created Without Work:
God’s work of creating, both the visible and invisible, was completed within six days. As Genesis 1:31 declares:
“And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
On the seventh day, however, no new creative work was done. Instead, God rested, establishing the Sabbath as a divine memorial of His finished work of creation. The Sabbath was not created by labor but was “created” in the sense that God designated, blessed, and sanctified this special period of time.
The Sabbath Represents Relationship, Not Just Time
The Sabbath is about more than marking time. It is an invitation to enter into communion with God. The omission of the closing phrase draws attention to the relational, spiritual nature of the seventh day.
Creation week was a complete seven-day period. Yet the seventh day stands apart — not created through labor but through God’s rest, blessing, and sanctification. As Jesus Himself declared:
“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”
(Mark 2:27-28, KJV)
Quick Notes for Sound Doctrine
The Sabbath was established without work — through rest, blessing, and sanctification (Genesis 2:2-3). Calling the Sabbath the Lord’s Day is consistent with Exodus 20:10 and Isaiah 58:13, though some modern Christians misuse that term for Sunday. In Bible-based understanding, the Lord’s Day refers to the seventh-day Sabbath. God didn’t “create” the Sabbath as a material object but designated, blessed, and sanctified a recurring 24-hour period of time.
Conclusion
The phrase “And the evening and the morning were the day” marked each of the six days of creation, closing each day of God’s work. But the seventh day had no such closing phrase because it represents something greater — God’s invitation for humanity to rest, worship, and enter into relationship with Him, in remembrance of His completed work of creation.
The Sabbath is a divine gift, established without work, blessed for all people, and set apart as holy from the very beginning of time.
R Scott Holder writes on spiritual topics for OUTLOOK magazine.
