Day 6, Friday, and the sixth day of 2012

Genesis 1:24-25  

²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, eachaccording to its kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 

From John Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament:

We have here the first part of the sixth day's work. The sea was the day before replenished with fish, and the air with fowl; and this day are made the beasts of the earth, cattle, and the creeping things that pertain to the earth. Here, as before, (1.) The Lord gave the word: he said, Let The earth bring forth - Let these creatures come into being upon the earth, and out of it, in their respective kinds. 2. He also did the work; he made them all after their kind - Not only of divers shapes, but of divers natures, manners, food, and fashions: In all which appears the manifold wisdom of the Creator.

Genesis 1:26-28  

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all^[a] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 

We have here the second part of the sixth day's work, the creation of man, which we are in a special manner concerned to take notice of. Observe, That man was made last of all the creatures, which was both an honour and a favour to him: an honour, for the creation was to advance from that which was less perfect, to that which was more so and a favour, for it was not fit he should be lodged in the palace designed for him, till it was completely fitted and furnished for his reception. Man, as soon as he was made, had the whole visible creation before him, both to contemplate, and to take the comfort of. That man's creation was a mere signal act of divine wisdom and power, than that of the other creatures. The narrative of it is introduced with solemnity, and a manifest distinction from the rest. Hitherto it had been said, Let there be light, and Let there be a firmament: but now the word of command is turned into a word of consultation, Let us make man - For whose sake the rest of the creatures were made. Man was to be a creature different from all that had been hitherto made. Flesh and spirit, heaven and earth must be put together in him, and he must be allied to both worlds. And therefore God himself not only undertakes to make, but is pleased so to express himself, as if he called a council to consider of the making of him; Let us make man - The three persons of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, consult about it, and concur in it; because man, when he was made, was to be dedicated and devoted to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That man was made in God's image, and after his likeness; two words to express the same thing. God's image upon man, consists,

In his nature, not that of his body, for God has not a body, but that of his soul. The soul is a spirit, an intelligent, immortal spirit, an active spirit, herein resembling God, the Father of spirits, and the soul of the world. In his place and authority. Let us make man in our image, and let him have dominion. As he has the government of the inferior creatures, he is as it were God's representative on earth. Yet his government of himself by the freedom of his will, has in it more of God's image, than his government of the creatures. And chiefly in his purity and rectitude. God's image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, Eph_4:24; Col_3:10. He was upright, Ecc_7:29. He had an habitual conformity of all his natural powers to the whole will of God. His understanding saw divine things clearly, and there were no errors in his knowledge: his will complied readily and universally with the will of God; without reluctancy: his affections were all regular, and he had no inordinate appetites or passions: his thoughts were easily fixed to the best subjects, and there was no vanity or ungovernableness in them. And all the inferior powers were subject to the dictates of the superior. Thus holy, thus happy, were our first parents, in having the image of God upon them. But how art thou fallen, O son of the morning? How is this image of God upon man defaced! How small are the remains of it, and how great the ruins of it! The Lord renew it upon our souls by his sanctifying grace! That man was made male and female, and blessed with fruitfulness. He created him male and female, Adam and Eve: Adam first out of earth, and Eve out of his side. God made but one male and one female, that all the nations of men might know themselves to be made of one blood, descendants, from one common stock, and might thereby be induced to love one another. God having made them capable of transmitting the nature they had received, said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth - Here he gave them,

A large inheritance; replenish the earth, in which God has set man to be the servant of his providence, in the government of the inferior creatures, and as it were the intelligence of this orb; to be likewise the collector of his praises in this lower world, and lastly, to be a probationer for a better state. A numerous lasting family to enjoy this inheritance; pronouncing a blessing upon them, in the virtue of which, their posterity should extend to the utmost corners of the earth, and continue to the utmost period of time.

That God gave to man a dominion over the inferior creatures, over fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air - Though man provides for neither, he has power over both, much more over every living thing that moveth upon the earth - God designed hereby to put an honour upon man, that he might find himself the more strongly obliged to bring honour to his Maker.

Genesis 1:29-30  

²⁹ And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. ³⁰ Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in whichthere is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.

We have here the third part of the sixth day's work, which was not any new creation, but a gracious provision of food for all flesh, Psa_136:25. - Here is, 1. Food provided for man, Gen_1:29. herbs and fruits must be his meat, including corn, and all the products of the earth. And before the earth was deluged, much more before it was cursed for man's sake, its fruits no doubt, were more pleasing to the taste, and more strengthening and nourishing to the body. 2. Food provided for the beasts, Gen_1:30. Doth God take care of oxen? Yes, certainly, he provides food convenient for them; and not for oxen only that were used in his sacrifices, and man's service, but even the young lions and the young ravens are the care of his providence, they ask and have their meat from God.

Genesis 1:31  

³¹Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

We have here the approbation and conclusion of the whole work of creation. Observe, The review God took of his work, he saw every thing that he had made - So he doth still; all the works of his hands are under his eye; he that made all sees all. The complacency God took in his work. When we come to review our works we find to our shame, that much has been very bad; but when God reviewed his, all was very good. 

1. It was good. Good, for it is all agreeable to the mind of the creator. Good, for it answers the end of its creation. Good, for it is serviceable to man, whom God had appointed lord of the visible creation. Good, for it is all for God's glory; there is that in the whole visible creation which is a demonstration of God's being and perfections, and which tends to beget in the soul of man a religious regard to him. 

2. It was very good - Of each day's work (except the second) it was said that it was good, but now it is very good. For, 1. Now man was made, who was the chief of the ways of God, the visible image of the Creator's glory, 2. Now All was made, every part was good, but all together very good. The glory and goodness, the beauty and harmony of God's works both of providence and grace, as this of creation, will best appear when they are perfected. The time when this work was concluded. The evening and the morning were the sixth day - So that in six days God made the world. We are not to think but that God could have made the world in an instant: but he did it in six days, that he might shew himself a free agent, doing his own work, both in his own way, and in his own time; that his wisdom, power and goodness, might appear to us, and be meditated upon by us, the more distinctly; and that he might set us an example of working six days, and resting the seventh. And now as God reviewed his work, let us review our meditations upon it; let us stir up ourselves, and all that is within us, to worship him that made the, heaven, earth, and sea, and the fountains of waters. All his works in all places of his dominion bless him, and therefore bless thou the Lord, O my soul.

Day 7 of the Week, Saturday, the Sabbath.

Genesis2:1-3  

¹ Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. ² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament regarding the Sabbath (Saturday, the 7th Day of Creation)


We have here, 

(1.) The settlement of the kingdom of nature, in God's resting from the work of creation, Gen_2:1-2. Where observe, 

1. That the creatures made both in heaven and earth, are the hosts or armies of them, which speaks them numerous, but marshalled, disciplined, and under command. God useth them as his hosts for the defence of his people, and the destruction of his enemies. 

2. That the heavens and the earth are finished pieces, and so are all the creatures in them. So perfect is God's work that nothing can be added to it or taken from it, Ecc_3:14. 

3. That after the end of the first six days, God ceased from all work of creation. He hath so ended his work, as that though in his providence he worketh hitherto, Joh_5:17. preserving and governing all the creatures, yet he doth not make any new species of creatures. 

4. That the eternal God, tho' infinitely happy in himself, yet took a satisfaction in the work of his own hands. He did not rest as one weary, but as one well - pleased with the instances of his own goodness. 

(2.) The commencement of the kingdom of grace, in the sanctification of the sabbath day, Gen_2:3. He rested on that day, and took a complacency in his creatures, and then sanctified it, and appointed us on that day to rest and take a complacency in the Creator; and his rest is in the fourth commandment made a reason for ours after six days labour. Observe, 

1. That the solemn observation of one day in seven as a day of holy rest, and holy work, is the indispensible duty of all those to whom God has revealed his holy sabbaths. 

2. That sabbaths are as ancient as the world. 

3. That the sabbath of the Lord is truly honourable, and we have reason to honour it; honour it for the sake of its antiquity, its great author, and the sanctification of the first sabbath by the holy God himself, and in obedience to him, by our first parents in innocency.

Day 5, Thursday, and the fifth day of 2012

Genesis1:20-23 

²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 

John Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament

Each day hitherto hath produced very excellent beings, but we do not read of the creation of any living creature till the fifth day. The work of creation not only proceeded gradually from one thing to another, but advanced gradually from that which was less excellent, to that which was more so. 'Twas on the fifth day that the fish and fowl were created, and both out of the waters.

Observe, 1. The making of the fish and fowl at first. Gen_1:20-21 God commanded them to be produced, he said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly - The fish in the waters, and the fowl out of them. This command he himself executed, God created great whales, etc. - Insects which are as various as any species of animals, and their structure as curious, were part of this day's work, some of them being allied to the fish, and others to the fowl. Notice is here taken of the various species of fish and fowl, each after their kind; and of the great numbers of both that were produced, for the waters brought forth abundantly; and in particular of great whales the largest of fishes, whose bulk and strength, are remarkable proofs of the power and greatness of the Creator.

Observe, 2, The blessing of them in order to their continuance. Life is a wasting thing, its strength is not the strength of stones; therefore the wise Creator not only made the individuals, but provided for the propagating of the several species, Gen_1:22. God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply - Fruitfullness is the effect of God's blessing, and must be ascribed to it; the multiplying of the fish and fowl from year to year, is still the fruit of this blessing here.

Day 4, Wednesday, and the fourth day of 2012

Genesis 1:14-19

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

John Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament 

This is the history of the fourth day's work, the creating the sun, moon and stars. Of this we have an account, In general, verse 14, 15. where we have, 

The command given concerning them. Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven - God had said, Let there be light, and there was light; but that was, as it were, a chaos of light, scattered and confused; now it was collected and made into several luminaries, and so rendered both more glorious and more serviceable. 

The use they were intended to be of to this earth. They must be for the distinction of times, of day and night, summer and winter. They must be for the direction of actions: they are for signs of the change of weather, that the husbandman may order his affairs with discretion. They do also give light upon the earth - That we may walk and work according as the duty of every day requires. The lights of heaven do not shine for themselves, nor for the world of spirits above, they need them not; but they shine for us, and for our pleasure and advantage. Lord, what is man that he should be thus regarded, Psalm 8:3-4. In particular, Gen 1:16-18, The lights of heaven are the sun, moon and stars, and these all are the work of God's hands. 

The sun is the greatest light of all, and the most glorious and useful of all the lamps of heaven; a noble instance of the Creator's wisdom, power and goodness, and an invaluable blessing to the creatures of this lower world. The moon is a lesser light, and yet is here reckoned one of the greater lights, because, though in regard of its magnitude, it is inferior to many of the stars, yet in respect of its usefulness to the earth, it is more excellent than they. 

He made the stars also - Which are here spoken of only in general; for the scriptures were written not to gratify our curiosity, but to lead us to God. Now, these lights are said to rule, Gen1:16, Gen1:18; not that they have a supreme dominion as God has, but they are rulers under him. Here the lesser light, the moon, is said to rule the night; but Psalm 136:9 the stars are mentioned as sharers in that government, the moon and stars to rule by night. No more is meant, but that they give light, Jer 31:35. The best and most honourable way of ruling is, by giving light, and doing good.

Day 3, Tuesday, and the third day of 2012

Genesis 1:9-13

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
    ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

John Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament

The third day's work is related in these verses; the forming the sea and the dry land, and making the earth fruitful. Hitherto the power of the Creator had been employed about the upper part of the visible world; now he descends to this lower world, designed for the children of men, both for their habitation, and their maintenance. And here we have an account of the fitting of it for both; the building of their house, and the spreading of their table.

Observe, 1. How the earth was prepared to be a habitation for man by the gathering of the waters together, and making the dry land appear. Thus, instead of that confusion which was, when earth and water were mixed in one great mass; now there is order, by such a separation as rendered them both useful.

 (1.) The waters which covered the earth were ordered to retire, and to gather into one place, viz. those hollows which were fitted for their reception. The waters thus lodged in their proper place, he called Seas; for though they are many, in distant regions, yet either above ground or under ground, they have communication with each other, and so they are one, and the common receptacle of waters, into which all the rivers run.

 (2.) The dry land was made to appear, and emerge out of the waters, and was called Earth.

Observe, 2. How the earth was furnished for the support of man. Present provision was made, by the immediate products of the earth, which, in obedience to God's command, was no sooner made but it became fruitful. Provision was likewise made for time to come, by the perpetuating of the several species of vegetables, every one having its seed in itself after its kind, that during the continuance of man upon the earth, food might be fetched out of the earth, for his use and benefit.

Day 2, Monday, and the second day of 2012

 ⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate
 water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water
 under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called
 the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—
the second day.
Genesis 1:6-8


John Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament

We have here an account of the second day's work, the creation of the firmament.
 In which observe,

1. The command of God; Let there be a firmament - An expansion; so the Hebrew word
 signifies, like a sheet spread, or a curtain drawn out. This includes all that is visible above the
 earth, between it and the third heavens, the air, its higher, middle, and lower region, the
 celestial globe, and all the orbs of light above; it reaches as high as the place where the stars
 are fixed, for that is called here the firmament of heaven,  and as low as the place where the
 birds fly for that also is called the firmament of heaven,

2. The creation of it: and God made the firmament.

3. The design of it; to divide the waters from the waters - That is, to distinguish between the
 waters that are wrapt up in the clouds, and those that cover the sea; the waters in the air,
 and those in the earth.

4. The naming it; He called the firmament Heaven - 'Tis the visible heaven, the pavement of
 the holy city. The height of the heavens should mind us of God's supremacy, and the infinite
 distance that is between us and him; the brightness of the heavens, and their purity, should
 mind us of his majesty, and perfect holiness; the vastness of the heavens, and their
 encompassing the earth, and influence upon it, should mind us of his immensity and
universal providence.

Day 1, Sunday, and the first day of 2012

Genesis 1:1-5

The Beginning

 ¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

 ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

John Wesley's Notes on the Old Testament

Genesis 1:1 

Observe here. 1. The effect produced, The heaven and the earth - That is, the world, including the whole frame and furniture of the universe. But 'tis only the visible part of the creation that Moses designs to give an account of. Yet even in this there are secrets which cannot be fathomed, nor accounted for. But from what we see of heaven and earth, we may infer the eternal power and godhead of the great Creator. And let our make and place, as men, mind us of our duty, as Christians, which is always to keep heaven in our eye, and the earth under our feet.

Observe 2. The author and cause of this great work, God. The Hebrew word is Elohim; which (1.) seems to mean The Covenant God, being derived from a word that signifies to swear. (2.) The plurality of persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The plural name of God in Hebrew, which speaks of him as many, tho' he be but one, was to the Gentiles perhaps a favour of death unto death, hardening them in their idolatry; but it is to us a favour of life unto life, confirming our faith in the doctrine of the Trinity, which, tho' but darkly intimated in the Old Testament, is clearly revealed in the New.

Observe 3. The manner how this work was effected; God created, that is, made it out of nothing. There was not any pre - existent matter out of which the world was produced. The fish and fowl were indeed produced out of the waters, and the beasts and man out of the earth; but that earth and those waters were made out of nothing.

Observe 4. When this work was produced; In the beginning - That is, in the beginning of time. Time began with the production of those beings that are measured by time. Before the beginning of time there was none but that Infinite Being that inhabits eternity. Should we ask why God made the world no sooner, we should but darken counsel by words without knowledge; for how could there be sooner or later in eternity?

Genesis 1:2  Where we have an account of the first matter, and the first Mover.

 1. A chaos was the first matter. 'Tis here called the earth, (tho' the earth, properly taken, was not made 'till the third day,  because it did most resemble that which was afterwards called earth, a heavy unwieldy mass. 'Tis also called the deep, both for its vastness, and because the waters which were afterwards separated from the earth were now mixed with it. This mighty bulk of matter was it, out of which all bodies were afterwards produced. The Creator could have made his work perfect at first, but by this gradual proceeding he would shew what is ordinarily the method of his providence, and grace. This chaos, was without form and void. Tohu and Bohu, confusion and emptiness, so those words are rendered,  'Twas shapeless, 'twas useless, 'twas without inhabitants, without ornaments; the shadow or rough draught of things to come. To those who have their hearts in heaven, this lower world, in comparison of the upper, still appears to be confusion and emptiness. And darkness was upon the face of the deep - God did not create this darkness, (as he is said to create the darkness of affliction, for it was only the want of light.

2. The Spirit of God was the first Mover; He moved upon the face of the waters - He moved upon the face of the deep, as the hen gathereth her chicken under her wings, and hovers over them, to warm and cherish them, as the eagle stirs up her nest, and fluttereth over her young, ('tis the same word that is here used) .

Genesis 1:3-5  We have here a farther account of the first day's work. In which observe,

 1. That the first of all visible beings which God created was light, the great beauty and blessing of the universe: like the first - born, it doth, of all visible beings, most resemble its great parent in purity and power, brightness and beneficence. 

2. That the light was made by the word of God's power; He said, Let there be light - He willed it, and it was done; there was light - Such a copy as exactly answered the original idea in the eternal mind.

3. That the light which God willed, he approved of. God saw the light, that it was good - 'Twas exactly as he designed it; and it was fit to answer the end for which he designed it. 

4. That God divided the light from the darkness - So put them asunder as they could never be joined together: and yet he divided time between them, the day for light, and the night for darkness, in a constant succession. Tho' the darkness was now scattered by the light, yet it has its place, because it has its use; for as the light of the morning befriends the business of the day, so the shadows of the evening befriend the repose of the night. God has thus divided between light and darkness, because he would daily mind us that this is a world of mixtures and changes. In heaven there is perpetual light, and no darkness; in hell utter darkness, and no light: but in this world they are counter - changed, and we pass daily from one to another; that we may learn to expect the like vicissitudes in the providence of God.

5. That God divided them from each other by distinguishing names. He called the light Day, and the darkness he called night - He gave them names as Lord of both. He is the Lord of time, and will be so 'till day and night shall come to an end, and the stream of time be swallowed up in the ocean of eternity.

6. That this was the first day's work, The evening and the morning were the first day - The darkness of the evening was before the light of the morning, that it might set it off, and make it shine the brighter.

Christmas 2011 on Resurrection remembrance day

Remember the days: 
Friday, the day we murdered Jesus; 
Saturday, the Sabbath, the day that got Jesus into so much trouble with the religious people of His day and the day He was in the tomb; and 
Sunday, the first day of the week, the LORD's Day, the day He was raised from the dead and the day, week after week, year after year, century after century, millennium after millennium, people have gathered to celebrate Resurrection. This year we celebrate His birth on His Resurrection day remembrance...what a celebration!
Remember the days.


I wish all the followers of my blog a blessed, Christ filled, joyous and peaceful Christmas.

[Read more about Biblical Timing and The Days here]

So Please, What Day Is It, Really (and does it really matter) Sabbath continued

 Sabbath

This is the next in a series of posts on Biblical Timing. Thus far I have concentrated mainly on Friday, Day Six of the week, the day the Lord made animals and then human beings, and the day on which human beings killed the Lord; and Day One, the first day of the week, the LORD's Day or Sunday.

In this post I want to have a look at the day that comes between the two, namely Day Seven, but of course better known as the Sabbath. In his book 'Sabbath', (buy it here) Dan B Allender points out that for many the Sabbath has somehow morphed into Sunday, the day of the resurrection and that it is fulfilled by attending a religious event called Sunday morning church service. He warns that "this is not a Sabbath, but that rather this is Sabbath breaking". Eugene Peterson [writing in Christianity Today vol 38, no. 4, in 1994, in an article called The Good-for-nothing Sabbath] warns of the danger of the bastard Sabbath, which he describes as a Sabbath which has become nothing more than a break.

I need to make clear right up at the start as we talk about Sabbath that too much discussion around the Sabbath gets hung up on what day it is, rather than concentrating on what it means to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. As Allender points out in his introduction, “Sabbath rest is not an option; it is a commandment” and “it is as wrong to violate the Sabbath as it is to steal, lie, and kill.”

Jesus did not abrogate, cancel, or annul the idea of the Sabbath and neither should we. Jesus points out that humans were not made for the Sabbath but rather that the Sabbath was made for humans. Sabbath is actually one of God's gifts to us. In fact Sabbath is one of God's gifts for all of His creation: male, female; slave, free; Jew, Gentile; believer, unbeliever; beast of burden, and the ground itself. Sabbath is important and necessary for all creation.

There is so much to write about Sabbath that this post is once again going to end up being a number of posts. My context, which is one of Biblical timing,is a context which seeks to point out how much we miss by neglecting the Bible's way (and of course, God's way) of timing. By conflating Sabbath with Sunday we lose out on much of the richness of the story of Jesus. Sabbath keeping was one of the main reasons for the Pharisees deep dislike, which became hatred, of Jesus. I do believe that if our God had really wanted us to conflate the Sabbath (Day 7) and  the Day of the Resurrection (Day 1), He would have raised Jesus on the Sabbath.

As we read the New Testament, the Sabbath is the one day of the week which is mentioned more than any other. For me this becomes an opportunity to say: “We know exactly which day of the week this event happened” and I then often meditate on different Sabbath events on the Biblical Sabbath, which is from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, and has been such for at least 3 000 years!
Another joy that comes from practising Biblical timing, is that one ends the week with Sabbath celebration (from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday) and perhaps even with Sabbath rest...and then one starts a new week on Sunday, Day One, with Resurrection celebration.
It's a way of timing that sets things in perspective.

Friday, the day humans killed THE HUMAN

It is no coincidence (and worth reflecting on) that Jesus, God the Son, God the human, is put to death on Friday, the very day that God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) had created humans. In my first post in this series (read it here) I discussed the blessing I have found in what I call "Biblical timing". As you read the Scriptures below (Good News Translation) you will see that Friday is 'animal' and 'human' day.

I thus often spend some time on Fridays reflecting on animals or humans or both [with the help of pictures, or just looking from my window, or from a coffee shop] and let the reflection go wherever the Spirit leads - this is really meditation, isn't it?

As this series develops, I will be posting pictures and Scriptures for you to use however you may wish, but the idea is just to get back into a "Biblical sense of timing". Today's is the first for Fridays so I publish a photo I took of the ugly hill at the Garden Tomb outside the Old City in Jerusalem which many think could be Golgotha, Place of the Skull. This is certainly close to the place where humans chose to kill THE HUMAN.

For Reflection
Humans (you and I) killed THE HUMAN on a hill outside Jerusalem

From the Scriptures
FRIDAY according to Gen 1:24-31 Then God commanded, "Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life: domestic and wild, large and small"---and it was done.
So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.
Then God said, "And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small." So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food"---and it was done.
God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came---that was the sixth day.

FRIDAY in Mark's Gospel: Mar 15:42 It was toward evening when Joseph of Arimathea arrived. He was a respected member of the Council, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. It was Preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), so Joseph went boldly into the presence of Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus.

So Please, What Day Is It, Really (and does it really matter)

This is the first in a series of posts on what might also be called: Scriptural Timing. I write it because I have been blessed as I have explored Scriptural concepts of time and applied them in my own life and I want to share that blessing with others. As I will show over the next few weeks, Scripture (both Old and New Testaments), but dare I also say God, has a different clock and calendar to the ones we have inherited from the Greeks and the Romans.

The timing I find in Scripture begins in the very first verses of Genesis where we read over and over, "...there was evening and there was morning - the first (second, etc) day." So this means.....a new day begins at sunset! So what, you might ask? Well, that is what I intend to explore.


Just for starters though, this helps me understand why people sometimes waited for sunset before going to Jesus (eg Mark 1:20). This reading will also lead us to explore the scriptural concept of Sabbath....but let me hasten to add that the important issue with Sabbath is not so much when you keep/celebrate it, but whether you in fact really keep/celebrate it at all. But, I get ahead of myself.

Hopefully you can see how interesting a subject this can be. As I write this, the sun is about to set behind Table Mountain and over the Atlantic Ocean here in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday, 5 November. A new day is about to begin, how wonderful that the Biblical day starts...with the promise of rest.

Friday is of course the day our LORD was executed, and about this time they were rushing about to get Him buried before the Sabbath started....at sunset. Those who were with Him (the women) would go home and mourn. On Saturday, their (the) Sabbath they would continue to mourn. Then, early in the morning on Sunday, the first day of the week, they would go to the tomb, find it empty and announce to the world that HE IS RISEN and soon that day (the day after the Sabbath) would become referred to in Scripture not only as the first day of the week, but as the LORD's Day (Revelation 1:10).....but I am getting ahead of myself.

A new day is about to begin and that means....it is time to get down and rest.