One in Messiah Congregation
How do I Keep
the Sabbath?
This is a common question that we are asked, and as usual, the answer is in the Word of God.
First we will start by showing where the Sabbath originated:
Genesis Chapter 2 verses -2, 3
Sabbath is not a Jewish tradition. Here in Genesis 2:2,3 there were no Jews or an Israel. Sabbath is a commandment.
Gen.2 [ 2] 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.[ 3] 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.
So we can see that God blessed and sanctified the 7th day in Genesis. If you don’t know what the 7th day of the week is, look on your calendar. It is Saturday . Since the time of Yeshua / Jesus (and Jesus kept the Sabbath), the days in a year, and the days in the month has changed, but not the days of the week.
The Commandments of God are located in Exodus Chapter 20 and Deuteronomy Chapter 5. The 4th Commandment of God is to keep HIS Sabbath:
Exodus 20: 8-11
Remember the sabbath day, to keep
it holy.
Six
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of Yehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou,
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days Yehovah made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Did you remember? Here we can see that God tells us to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. This tells us that they had known about the Sabbath before. We can also see that the entire day is to be kept holy to Yehovah. No work is to be done by anyone in your entire household.
Now you may have more questions, but again they are answered by the Word of God
Remember that Yeshua / Jesus is the Word of God manifest in the flesh. He is the one that made this commandment and it has a real purpose for his people. Yeshua / Jesus said in Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath He is saying that He made the Sabbath FOR man.
He knows that if we don't spend at least one whole day reading his word, praying, and taking the time to know him - we will forget him. If we are honest, we can see the result. Christians go to church on Sunday for an hour or so, go out to lunch, mow the lawn, watch the ball game etc…...
God starts His day in the evening, as said in here:
Gen.1[5] And God called the
light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning
were the first day. You see the day starts in the evening.
They do not keep the commandment as God
said (Saturday- all day) and the result is that many Christians do not know the
word of God today and probably can't even tell you what his commandments are.
Also, by the way, God's day is from evening to evening (sunset to sunset) which makes more sense than the day changing in the middle of the night. In God's day there is 12 hours of night and then 12 hours of day. In the bible where the Holy Spirit came to the apostles on the day of Pentecost, the 3 rd hour of the day would be around 9:00 in the morning (the third hour of sunlight). So God's Sabbath starts Friday night at sunset and ends on Saturday night at sunset.
Lev 23: [3] Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of Yehovah in all your dwellings.
Within your gates - in all your dwellings
[32] It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
Now for more detail, I shall again define a few words for you:
This is how simple it is:
Gen.2
[1] Thus the
heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
[2] 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.
[3] 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.
The Sabbath is the 4th Commandment of the covenant given to us at Mount Sinai in the 3rd month, Sivan
Ex. 20 [8] Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
זכר Remember
zâkar - zaw-kar' - A primitive root; properly to mark (so as to be recognized), that is, to remember; by implication to mention; make mention of, be mindful, recount, record (-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance…
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yehovah thy God:
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John says:
Rev.1 [10] I was in the Spirit on Yehovah's Day - (The Sabbath
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Back to Exod. 20:10
in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy (your) gates:
[11] For in six days Yehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
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Isa. 58 [13] If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy (your) pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of Yehovah, honourable; and shalt honour him,
1 - not doing thine (your) own ways,
2 - nor finding thine (your) own pleasure,
3 - nor speaking thine (your) own words:
[14] Then shalt thou delight thyself in Yehovah; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of Yehovah hath spoken it.
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Lev. 23 [3] Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an "holy convocation"; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of Yehovah in all your dwellings.
Dwelling מושׁב
môshâv - seat, assembly, dwelling-place, dwelling, your situation, location, (at) time of dwelling
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The Sabbath is a "holy convocation"
מקרא miqra: convocation, convoking, reading, a calling together, sacred assembly, something called out, that is, a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal
קדשׁ Kodesh: a sacred place or thing; consecrated, dedicated, hallowed, holiness, saint, sanctuary, apartness, sacredness, separateness, holiness
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Buying and selling is evil on the Sabbath
Neh. 13 [16] There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
[17] Then I contended with the nobles of
Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day?
[1] Thus saith
Yehovah, Keep ye judgment,
and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be
revealed.
[2] Blessed is the man that doeth this,
and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from
polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any
evil.
[3] Neither
let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to Yehovah,
speak, saying, Yehovah hath utterly separated
me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
[4] For thus saith Yehovah unto the eunuchs
that keep my sabbaths,
and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
[5] Even unto them will I give in mine
house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of
daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that
shall not be cut off.
[6] Also the
sons (and daughters) of the stranger, that join themselves to Yehovah, to serve him, and to love the name of Yehovah, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from
polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
[7] Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
That’s it!
Shalom