Genesis 2:1-3 tells us, “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.” 

Let us consider the fact that the creation of the world was truly an easy task for the Lord.  We read in Psalm 33:8-10, “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For HE SPAKE, AND IT WAS DONE; he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.” King David described creation like this, “When I consider thy heavens, THE WORK OF THY FINGERS, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.” (Psalm 8:3).  Here, we get the indication that the creation happened simply by the Lord pointing or waving His fingers. 

If we look at a couple of days of God creating the world, we get a sense of how easy it was for Him.

* Genesis 1:3, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

* Genesis 1:6, “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

* Genesis 1:9, “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.”

Each day of creation states similar actions…God spoke, and it was done!  In fact, it seems each day’s creation only took a few seconds for the Lord to accomplish. 

We are told in Genesis 2:2 that the Lord, “ended his work which he had made…”  The act of creation had been achieved.  All the Lord desired to create at that time had been done.  It was a finished work.

We then read “…and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”  It was on the seventh day that the Lord rested or ceased from His labor.  It is important to note that we do not read that the Lord was tired and NEEDED to rest.  No, He rested because His work of creation was done.  We read in Isaiah 40:28, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, NEITHER IS WEARY? there is no searching of his understanding.” The Lord never gets tired, and He never sleeps.  He never even takes a small nap.  “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4).

The Lord ‘rested’ or ceased from His labors of creation because His work was done.  The Lord Jesus, Himself, labored under the hand of a sin hating God to save the lost creation that had rebelled against Him.  He died for the sins of mankind so that all those who believe on Him, “shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). From the cross, we hear the loud, triumphant voice of the Lord Jesus as He declares, “IT IS FINISHED.” (John 19:30).  The work was over, and the Lord Jesus ceased from His labor.  He “gave up the ghost” and His spirit went to be the Lord as we read in Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”  Three days later, the Lord Jesus rose from the dead.  Romans 4:25 tells us that Christ, “…was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” 

There were two great works…one of creation and one of salvation.  Both were completed and labor ceased.  (438.2)