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 dont 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 the LORD 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 the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them
is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD 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 the lord. 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 ghost 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 23:32 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.
Gentiles get a special Blessing for keeping Sabbath
Isa.56
[1] Thus saith
the LORD, 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 the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly
separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry
tree.[4] For thus saith the
LORD 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 of the stranger, that join themselves
to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, 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.
So we can see that even when the stranger (which some of us once were) join themselves to the Lord, and serve him, and keep his sabbath even them will I bring to my holy mountain
Now, as to how to keep the Sabbath?
Isaiah 58:13-14
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing
thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the
LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding
thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; 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 the LORD hath spoken it
.
Here we see that the entire day is to be kept for the Lord. Not doing your own ways, or speaking your own words, or doing your own pleasure. Call the Sabbath a delight! Holy of the Lord! And honoring HIM! Now you may ask, what could possibly be wrong with that? The answer is that there is everything right with that. The Sabbath and not having idols are the two commandments most written about in the bible (2nd and 4th commandments). God does NOT change and Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh. Another point to remember is that Jesus and the apostles did not have the New Testament scriptures. They used the Old Testament scriptures (Tanakh) to prove the Messiah. The reason most people do not understand the New Testament scriptures is that they don't know, or read, the Old Testament scriptures. They do not contradict each other.
Now we will show you by scripture that you cannot buy or sell on the Sabbath which makes sense because other people would be working and not keeping the Sabbath holy.
Nehemiah 13 15-22
In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on
the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes,
and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought
into Jerusalem on the sabbath
day: and I testified against
them in the day wherein they
sold victuals.
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.
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?
Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring
all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel
by profaning the sabbath.
And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem
began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut,
and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some
of my servants set I at the gates, that there should
no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged
without Jerusalem once or twice.
Then I testified against them,
and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again,
I will lay hands on you. From
that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they
should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath
day.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
As we can see, it is EVIL to buy and sell on the Sabbath
and the people of Israel were punished many times for
not keeping HIS Sabbath. Because without the Sabbath, Gods people forget
him and their lives overtake them work, school, sports, entertainment, etc.
Makes sense doesn't it?
Even after there is a New Heavens and a New Earth, there will bw a Sabbath.
Isa.66[ 22] For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make , shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.[23 ] And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another , shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Have you read this verse in Luke 23:56?
There is still a Sabbath, a rest, and it is a commandment.
Luke.23[ 54] And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. [ 56] And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
The Sabbath was made for man by a God who knows his creation.
So as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 verses 12-14:
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many
books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear
God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with
every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
We also want to tell you another thing: Please do not use other books than the bible including the Talmud and other Jewish books to give you information on these matters. The bible is the only book you need to understand the Word of God. Ask the Lord for Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, and the Fear of the Lord and you will do well.
Shalom