Most of the arguments in support of the recent Supreme Court decision regarding same-sex marriage have been positioned in terms of “equality,” “justice,” “fairness,” and “non-discrimination.” And arguments opposed to the decision have often been framed by “not wanting to change what has been practiced for thousands of years.” But the most important argument has often been missing. That is, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision flies in the face of creation itself, as well as the Creator. Let me explain. The creation bond between God and humankind is embedded in two ordinances: Sabbath rest and marriage. They stand as two pillars that hold all of creation together. In this article, I focus on the importance of a Sabbath day of rest from work and labor. Next week, I will address marriage—and why it is rooted in creation itself. The Sabbath includes the essential rest from the labor that God intended for all humankind to embark on for survival. Long before Moses and Abraham, and even before Adam and Eve, God established the concept of the “weekend.” In Genesis 2:3, God blessed the day of rest—the Sabbath day—and sanctified it. In other words, rest at the end of the work week was God’s idea, not the labor unions’. By instituting and blessing the end of the work week, God demonstrated the importance of its impact on the world He had created. God established the end of the work week for the good of humankind. Jesus confirms that when, in Mark 2:27, He says: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Thousands of years after God created the day of rest, He gave Moses the command that His people should honor the Sabbath. God’s command was not just that all humankind should rest at the end of the week, but that all of His creation should. In Exodus 20:8-11, God institutes the end of the work week in order to prevent humankind’s enslavement to work, which would have resulted in its demise in a very short time. It would be hard for any of us to disagree with God’s wisdom in regards to the Sabbath. But imagine if the Supreme Court outlawed any break at the end of the work week—that somehow they decided it was preferable for all people to work seven days a week. “That would be absolutely unbearable,” you would say. And I would agree with you. That is because the Creator is the One who established the way the world works and the way our bodies work. He designed the Sabbath for the good of His creation. In His perfect plan, a true day of rest must follow a true hard-working week. That is the law of Creation. And to violate God’s law with impunity can only spell humanity’s demise. By instituting the Sabbath, God boldly proclaimed that labor is a blessing, not a drudgery, and so is the Sabbath rest. God wanted His created beings to enjoy life in the context of His creation—enjoy it by being creative during the week, and recreative during the end of the week. Here is the point: from the beginning, the Creator has been looking out for His creation. And it makes sense. Who could love creation more than the Creator Himself? Therefore, whatever God established is for the ultimate good of created beings. Governments or courts cannot dismantle this principle without dismantling a society that is designed for our good.
