（出31）效法主作工 (Exodus 31) Imitating the Lord in Work

(Translated from Chinese by ChapGPT, 中文在后面）

Exodus 31:15-17 – “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”

Here, the Bible teaches that the Creator’s people should imitate the Creator in their weekly cycle of work and rest, remembering His deeds.

Imitating the Creator is a fundamental biblical principle because humans were created in the image of the Creator. Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”

This principle is acknowledged by both Jews and Christians.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_of_God

In the Christian New Testament, Ephesians 5:1 clearly teaches: “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

There are many aspects of imitating the Lord. For example, the Bible says:

Matthew 5:48 – “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Luke 6:36 – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

In Jewish tradition, Talmud Sotah 14a https://www.sefaria.org/Sotah.14a?lang=he-en quotes Deuteronomy 13:4 – “You shall follow the Lord your God” – as a commandment to imitate the Creator, giving specific examples, such as:

Clothing the naked, just as the Lord clothed Adam and Eve.
Visiting the sick, just as the Lord visited Abraham after his circumcision.
Comforting the bereaved, just as the Lord blessed Isaac after Abraham’s death.
Burying the dead, just as the Lord buried Moses.

Working for Six Days is Imitating the Creator

Exodus 31:15-17 teaches that working for six days is also an act of imitating the Creator.

The Hebrew word for “work” here is מְלָאכָה (melachah), which refers to creative labor. This is the same word used in Genesis 2:2-3 to describe the work of creation by the Creator.

This word melachah also appears earlier in Exodus 31:3-5, referring to the craftsmen building the Tabernacle:

The Lord says, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of work (melachah), to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to carve wood, and to engage in all kinds of work (melachah).”

Thus, the Creator made humans in His image, giving them creativity. Humans should imitate the Lord by using their God-given talents to complete creative work (melachah) for six days.

The root of melachah is related to malach (מַלְאָךְ, “angel” or “messenger”), implying that human creative labor is the work of the Creator’s messengers. Human inventions such as electricity, mobile phones, and artificial intelligence are all extensions of the Creator’s creative work.

Serving for Six Days

In addition to creative work (melachah), the Bible also mentions serving work (avodah). This appears in the Fourth Commandment:

Exodus 20:9 – “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”

Here, “labor” (taavod, תַּעֲבֹד) is related to the Hebrew words for servant (eved, עֶבֶד) and service (avodah, עֲבוֹדָה).

Humans are both messengers and servants. No matter whom we serve, we should see it as serving the Creator.

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

According to the New Testament, serving others is also imitating the Lord.

Philippians 2:5-7 – “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. Rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Before leaving this world, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and said:

John 13:14-15 – “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

Thus, imitating the Creator by working diligently for six days—both in creative work (melachah) and service (avodah)—is a fundamental responsibility of humans made in the image of God.

（出31）效法主作工

出埃及记31:15-17 “六日要作工，但第七日是安息圣日，…，因为六日之内耶和华造天地，第七日便安息舒畅。”

这里，圣经教导造物主的子民，在每周的工作与休息的方面效法造物主，记念祂的作为。

效法造物主，是一个圣经的重要原则，其根本原因是人是按造物主的形象被造的。创世记1:27说，“神就照着自己的形像造人，乃是照着他的形像造男造女。”

效法造物主，这是犹太人与基督徒都承认的原则。https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_of_God

基督徒的新约以弗所书5:1明确教导，“所以你们该效法神，好像蒙慈爱的儿女一样。” 主的作为有很多方面，例如提到圣经马太福音5:48说“所以你们要完全，象你们的天父完全一样。”，路加福音6:36说“你们要慈悲，象你们的父慈悲一样。”

犹太人塔木德Sotah14a https://www.sefaria.org/Sotah.14a?lang=he-en& ，则引用申命记13:4“你们要顺从（原文是跟随的意思）耶和华你们的神”，来教导效法造物主，并给了很多具体的例子，包括：

给赤身露体的人衣服穿，就像主给亚当夏娃衣服穿，

访问病人，就像主访问刚受割礼的亚伯拉罕，

安慰遗属，就像主在亚伯拉罕去世后祝福以撒，

埋葬逝者，就像主埋葬摩西。

出埃及记31:15-17这里教导我们，我们六日作工也是在效法造物主。这里的“工”字，希伯来文叫melachah，是创造性的工，与创世记2:2-3形容造物主创造的工所用的词一样。这个“工”，也与出埃及记31:3-5提到的以色列人的工匠造圣所的工所用的词一样，主说，“我也以我的灵充满了他，使他有智慧，有聪明，有知识，能作各样的工，能想出巧工，用金，银，铜制造各物，又能刻宝石，可以镶嵌，能雕刻木头，能作各样的工。”。所以，造物主按祂的形象所造的人，也有创造性，也应该效法主，六日使用主所赐的才能，完成具有创造性的工作melachah。melachah这个词的词根，与malach（天使或使者）一样，表示我们六日所做的创造性的工，是造物主的使者的工，是在奉造物主的差遣作延续祂所开启的创造性的工。人类所发明的电灯，手机，人工智能，等等，都是造物主创造之工的延伸。

六日当作的工，除了创造性的工（melachah），还有服侍的工（avodah），这在十诫的第四条提到：（出埃及记20:9）“六日要劳碌作你一切的工，” 这里的劳碌，taavod，希伯来语词根仆人（eved）和服侍（avodah）有关。我们又是使者，又是仆人。不管我们为谁服务，读应该是认为在服侍造物主。歌罗西书3:23“无论作什么，都要从心里作，像是给主作的，不是给人作的。”

按新约的教导，作服侍的工，也是在效法主，因为腓立比书2:5-7说“你们当以基督耶稣的心为心。他本有神的形像，不以自己与神同等为强夺的。反倒虚己，取了奴仆的形像，成为人的样式。” 耶稣离世前为门徒洗脚，并说：（约翰福音13:14-15）“我是你们的主，你们的夫子，尚且洗你们的脚，你们也当彼此洗脚。我给你们作了榜样，叫你们照着我向你们所作的去作。”

效法造物主，六日尽本分，作好创造性的工和服务性的工，这是按主形象被造之人类的一种基本责任。