YEA Lesson Library
God Rested
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches that Sabbath was instituted at Creation as part of God’s plan for mankind’s well-being.
Scriptures
Genesis 1:31
Genesis 2:1-3
Leviticus 19:3, 30
Deuteronomy 5:12
Psalm 118:24
Isaiah 58:13-14
Ezekiel 20:10-20
Mark 2:27
Words to Know
ARBITRARY - based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or the intrinsic nature of something
ENCUMBERED - weighed down, burdened
The Lesson
When your dad took you in his arms for the very first time, was this the happiest day of his life? How do you think he felt when he realized that he had reproduced himself. He had given you, a human being, a chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He saw great potential in you. He could visualize you taking your first step, going off to the first grade, graduating from high school, and leaving home for college. He could see that this little wrinkled baby would someday be a beautiful bride in a white wedding gown walking down the aisle on his arm. Then it would be your turn to marry and have a family.
How do you think God felt when He looked at Adam and Eve and saw what He had created? He saw great potential in them. He told them to be fruitful and multiply. And He wanted their children to continue bearing children so that the earth would be populated. God would eventually have a very large family. He visualized Adam and Eve as His very own son and daughter. He could share in their pleasures and successes. He looked forward to them living with Him for all eternity. But for them to do that, they would be required to do what He said.
Is there a man anywhere who could devise such a wonderful plan and follow through with creating it? Is there a man anywhere who could do all of this so perfectly the very first time he tried? We all know that there isn't. So how can anyone think that the universe, solar system, animal and vegetable life, and man came about by accident? They were purposefully planned, designed, and created with a lot of love for God's children - you and me.
This had been an awesome week for God. Never has so much been accomplished in such a short period of time - just six days. "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning - the sixth day. "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. 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" (Genesis 1:31-2:3 NIV).
God's creative work was finished. It was totally effective, absolutely perfect, and "very good." Did God rest because He was tired? God is Spirit and isn't encumbered with flesh and bones that tire. But the Bible tells us that He was refreshed from His rest. Then why was He refreshed? There was so much to feast His eyes on and so much to enjoy. There was so much satisfaction in what He had created. He saw beauty, excitement, and tranquility beyond belief.
So how do you think God celebrated this first Sabbath day? It must have been cool watching young animals romp and play, graze, and drink. God saw the birds fly, make nests, mate, feed their young, and the babies learn to fly. There was no pollution, so streams were crystal clear. Fish of every kind could easily be seen swimming down stream to spawn. Yes, everything worked perfectly just as God had designed it to do. It was a great Sabbath day! And that was enough to refresh anyone.
Our Creator rested to commemorate the completion of a work that didn't have to be repeated, revised, or repaired.The seventh day is a memorial of creation that we celebrate every Sabbath. God gives us 24 hours each week to sleep, enjoy His awesome creation, allow our minds to feast on His Word, and to become just a little more like Him. We too can be refreshed every seventh day.
God didn't create the Sabbath day to put arbitrary restrictions on you. Out of love for you, He put in place a day of rest every seven days - the seventh day. We learned in lesson one that Jesus Christ was the One who created all things. He is "the Lord of the Sabbath" (Luke 6:5). He says: "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). It was made to give you 24 hours every week to set aside your work and your pleasures and to rest as He did.
Then how can we say that God hasn't put arbitrary restrictions on you? The guidelines He has given you are part of the plan and design He put into creation. It was done with a purpose. It was done with love for you. Keeping the Sabbath holy has long-term and short-term benefits for you. "If you keep the Sabbath holy, not having your own fun and business on that day, but enjoying the Sabbath and speaking of it with delight as the Lord's holy day, and honoring the Lord in what you do, not following your own desires and pleasure, nor talking idly - then the Lord will be your delight, and I will see to it that you ride high, and get your full share of the blessings I promised to Jacob, your father. The Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 58:13-14 TLB).
God also looked at you at your birth and saw another potential son to live happily. There are laws that govern happiness, and keeping the Sabbath holy is one of them. These laws were not based on, or determined by, individual preference or for God's convenience. They are in the nature of things and God's nature is love.
Are you tired of being low man on the totem pole or at the bottom of the pecking order. God promises that He will see to it that you will ride high, and get your full share of blessings, if you keep the Sabbath as He intends it be kept. The ball is in your court. What are you going to do about it?
Student Prayer
Dear Lord of the Sabbath,
Thank you for loving me so much that you gave me a day when I can rest, feast on your Word, and become a little more like you. Help me to always please you in the way that I celebrate your Sabbath day.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: Genesis 2:1-3
Monday: Isaiah 58:13-14
Tuesday: Mark 2:27
Wednesday: Leviticus 19:3, 30
Thursday: Deuteronomy 5:12
Friday: Psalm 118:24
Saturday: Ezekiel 20:10-20
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Discuss what the first Sabbath was like.
2. Make a commitment to keeping the Sabbath more like Christ would have them do.
3. Explain that the Sabbath was made for man; it's not an arbitrary law, but purposefully designed for their long-term and short-term benefits.
Topics & Themes
Adam and Eve
Creation
Garden of Eden
God’s Family
God’s Law
God’s Love
God’s Plan
Obedience
Rest
Sabbath
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA students and teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, songbook, CD or cassette tape, music player, markers, crayons, foil, light blue or aqua tissue paper, construction paper, scissors, glue, glitter or any other materials the students might use to create their mural
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening the class with prayer, tell the students that as a group, they are to brainstorm and create a mural portraying the first week on the paper you have secured to the wall. They can read Genesis I and 2 and use markers, crayons, tissue or foil paper, and any of the supplies that you have brought to do this. Allow the students about 15 to 20 minutes to complete their mural.
Debrief
Ask: What power did you use to create your mural? Where did you get this power? Ask the students to stand back and look at what they have created. Then ask: Can you say as God did when He finished creating the heavens and the earth that "this is very good?" Was your creation arbitrary or was it done with design and purpose? What things, feelings, and emotions were you trying to portray in your mural? What particular setting from creation were you trying to create? How was creating this mural similar to God creating the Garden of Eden?
The First Sabbath
Ask: What portion of God's creation do you think He focused on most on that first Sabbath? Why? (Probably the Garden of Eden because he had placed man, the crown of His creation there.) What do you think Adam and Eve did on that first Sabbath? How do you think the way Adam and Eve celebrated their first Sabbath was similar to the way you keep it? Do you think Adam and Eve looked upon the Sabbath day as being restrictive or a gift from God? Why do you think God gave man the Sabbath? Do you look upon the Sabbath as a love gift from God or a burden? Why? How does having nothing to do but rest, doing things that are pleasing to God, enjoying your friends and family make you feel? What are some long-term and short-term benefits from keeping the Sabbath? Ask one of the students to read Isaiah 58:13-14 aloud.
Change the mural?
Now look at your mural again. Do you see anything that you would like to change? If so, what would you like to change and why? What are some things that you would like to change about the way you celebrate the Sabbath? Based on what we’ve discussed in this lesson, will you change the way you keep the Sabbath? If so, how?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Have the students turn in their book to the thank-you note they wrote to God for giving them the Sabbath. Volunteer to read your thank-you note to God. As you read it, list the points on a newsprint pad that the Activity asked you to cover. Then ask for volunteers to read their thank-you note. If they are reluctant to do this, ask for things they would say for each point you have written on the pad. Ask: How do you feel this has helped you in writing a thank-you note when you receive a gift? How will this help you in thanking God for the many gifts He gives you, including the Sabbath?
REACH Activity
Memory Verse Spotlight
Look up the word “rested” - from Genesis 2:2. Write down the Hebrew word and its meaning. What does it mean “God rested”? God wouldn’t have gotten tired. So what does “rest” mean?
Then find three other Scriptures where this word is used. Then think about how you rest on the Sabbath day.
Where in the World? Sabbath
Where in the world would you find a scripture about keeping the Sabbath? What kinds of things does God say are good on the Sabbath? What should you not do on the Sabbath? Are there any exceptions to the rules? What about a verse that calls the Sabbath a delight? Are there any of those? Write down what you find in your Bible notebook.
They Did What Back Then? A Burden
Down through the ages, people have made laws to go around God’s laws to make sure that people didn’t get anywhere close to breaking God’s law. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote in one of her books that the children were expected to sit on a bench all day and study their Bible, memorizing verses. The Sabbath was not a delight.
Similarly, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day made the Sabbath a burden. There were so many regulations against what you could do. In fact, they were quite upset with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath! Imagine being angry over someone’s suffering being alleviated on the Sabbath!
What about you? Do you find the Sabbath a burden? A day of all the things you cannot do? Or is the Sabbath a delight, a day that brings great joy and anticipation each week?
If you’re somewhere in the middle, take heart. That’s where most people are. But it’s not where you should stay. Make a plan with your family to do something special on the Sabbath, to focus on God and all the blessings you have received from Him.
Making It Mine: Sabbath
You have been given life, air, food, a family and friends. You have been so blessed by the Creator. Now, He asks that you take one day a week - His holy Sabbath - and rest. Whoa! He doesn’t tell you to build a wall or clean the bathroom or wash the floor. He says to rest physically and learn to rest spiritually in Him. How are you doing with that? Is it hard for you to just rest on God’s Sabbath? Do you find yourself wishing the sun would set so you could go have fun? Does it help to know that God created the Sabbath as a blessing for you, to help you, not to ruin all of your fun? If you don’t like the Sabbath, write down why. If you do like the sabbath, what would make it more enjoyable? Think about how you can make the sabbath special to YOU - because, by making it special and set apart from the rest of your week, you are honoring God, your Creator. Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Worldview Collisions: Rest
A Biblical worldview says that God gave us the Sabbath as a rest so that when we rest physically and are refreshed, we learn to find spiritual rest and refreshment in Jesus Christ. A secular worldview says that you waste too much time and opportunity resting for 24 hours each week - and especially on Saturday. They would say you can’t afford not to be working and doing on Saturday. A Christian would say you can’t afford not to rest.
Find several scriptures which advocate resting on God’s holy Sabbath day. Write them down in your Bible notebook.
Questions
As you’re working through the YEA lesson, Daily Devotionals, doing the activity, or reading the Bible, be sure to write down any questions you have. That way you’ll remember to ask someone. Also remember to share the really interesting things you’re learning with family and friends.
Song
"The Lord of the Dance” is on page 12 of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Have the students form a circle and join hands. Start with yourself and go around the circle making one brief statement of how the Sabbath is a gift of love to you. Ask for a volunteer to lead in prayer thanking God for this wonderful blessing and asking for His help in keeping it as He wants them to.
Printable Pages
