Sabbath as creation care

Abstract

The priestly account of creation in Gen 1:1-2:3 provides the basis for the weekly Sabbath, centering the command to rest in God’s creative activity. The Ten Commandments not only require that servants be allowed to rest but also extend this requirement to those animals that are dependent on and work for humans (Exod 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15), connecting the Sabbath to both social justice and creation care. The Sabbath principle is connected to care for the poor in laws that extend the pattern of rest from days to years. After 6 years of work, slaves are released (Exod 21:1-6; Deut 15:12-18), debts are forgiven in a universal seventh year (Deut 15:1-11), and fields are left fallow for the poor of the land and the beasts of the field every seventh year (Exod 23:10-11). The Holiness Code (Lev 17-26) uses the Sabbath principle as an organizing factor in Israel’s life and calendar. For the Holiness Code, the Sabbath year is a Sabbath of the land. The Sabbath Year is a call to creation care for the earth itself, and, should humans fail in their duty, God asserts that the land will be allowed its Sabbaths without humans.