Warm hellos friends, brethren, co-workers, spiritual family, and scattered children of God from here on the Gulf Coast. My wife and I pray and hope this finds you doing well, and that again your week has been blessed.

Last Friday evening we began an interesting discussion from questions received on whether the Scriptures support a lunar Sabbath concept. We can agree that the Creator early on revealed a calendar system that corresponds to the lunar cycle. There are various ideas about the exact details of how the calendar was constructed and that is a separate discussion. It’s clear that both the existence and application of a lunar calendar is indeed a separate issue from the existence of the seven day weekly cycle. Let’s continue…

Genesis 7:11 refers to the seventeenth day of the second month. Genesis 8:4 refers to the seventeenth day of the seventh month. Genesis 8 also refers to other lunar months. The Hebrew word translated “month” is “chodesh” and can refer to the lunar month or to the new moon. Obviously the lunar calendar was established long before the Julian and Gregorian calendars. But so was the seven day week as we reviewed last time.

So, let’s examine more of the ancient biblical record that refers to a seven day cycle.

A seven day interval is mentioned several times in the flood narrative. Let’s look at Genesis 7:4 “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights. . .”

Then we find recorded, “And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.” (v.10) Did the waters of the flood begin to arrive on the seventh day or the day after the seventh day? Then we find recorded, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” (v.11) The end of the seven day period or possibly the day after, fell on the seventeenth day of the second month. If the seventh day was a Sabbath day, this would not fit with the “lunar Sabbath theory”. The supposed lunar Sabbath should have fallen on the fourteenth day of the month. The seventh day may have coincided with the sixteenth day of the month but not the fourteenth.

Genesis 8 twice mentions a seven day period. (v.10 and v.12) After the second seven days we find recorded, “And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth. . .” (v.13) If this event coincides with the seventh day, then it takes place on the first day of the lunar month, not the seventh day of the month. Again, the analysis rejects the “lunar Sabbath theory”. We might note that it is interesting that Noah and his family left the ark exactly 371 days, (or 53 seven day weeks), after they had entered it (compare verses 7:11; 8:3, 4; 8:14).

In Genesis 29, Laban told Jacob after Laban had substituted Leah for Rachel, “Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.” (v.27) Genesis 50:10 records the event of Joseph observing “seven days of mourning for his father.” These ancient references to the seven day week have no connection to a lunar cycle. I realize that the reference of seven days of mourning may not be a standard week, but it very well could be.

Next time we’ll examine several quotes from astronomers and other experts concerning the history of the seven day week. Some thoughts to consider as we near the end of another week, and look forward to God’s Sabbath.

Arms up friends! Our sincere prayers and thoughts are with you daily. Thanks in advance for your heartfelt prayers for us.