09/04/2026
Why Did God Create the Sabbath?
God designs that the Sabbath will direct our minds to His created works. The beauty that clothes the earth is a token of God’s love. The everlasting hills, the lofty trees, the opening buds and delicate flowers, all speak to us of God. The Sabbath, pointing to Him who made them all, invites us to open the book of nature and find in it the wisdom, power, and love of the Creator.
Our first parents were created innocent and holy, but they were not placed beyond the possibility of wrongdoing. God made them free to think and decide for themselves. They could choose whether to obey or disobey. But before they could be eternally secure, their loyalty must be tested. At the beginning of human existence God placed a check upon self-indulgence, the fatal desire that lay at the foundation of Satan’s fall. The tree of knowledge was to be a test of the obedience, faith, and love of our first parents. They were forbidden to taste the fruit of this tree, on pain of death. They were to be exposed to the temptations of Satan; but if they endured the trial successfully, they would be placed beyond his power, to enjoy unending favor with God.
—Beginning of the End, 14