'Keeping The Sabbath'

Psalm 92 is titled 'A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath Day.' The psalmist says "It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, and to sing praises to your name, O most High." And that's just the beginning of the good things Yahweh has in store for those who keep His Sabbath. Yahweh's people want to keep Sabbath for two reasons: to receive the blessings that keeping it yields and also just to please Yahweh because we love him.

What was the first holy thing in the history of the world? A lamb sacrificed by Abel? A block of stone used for an altar? No, it was a block of time to be used by us - Sabbath! The first recorded observance of Sabbath is in Genesis 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day Elohim ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all His work which Elohim created and made." We learn a lot from just these two little verses. Yahweh did several things:

 
1. He worked for six days. He had a week of accomplishment which has yet to be matched. We don't know how hard that was for Him.
2. On the seventh day He set the work completely aside.
3. He blessed the seventh day. Nothing done by man in all of history could erase that blessing from Sabbath!
4. He sanctified the seventh day. Sanctified means he set it apart for special purposes related to Him and His activities.
5. The reason He set it apart is BECAUSE He rested, to be a period of time to remember the time when He rested after the creation.

The Sabbath commandments which are given in the scriptures tell us some other elements of keeping Sabbath. Here are the basic Sabbath commands together with where they may be found.

• The seventh day is the Sabbath. Exodus 20:10.
• Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8.
• A holy convocation [calling everyone together]. Leviticus 23:3.
• Six days shall you labor, and do all your work: Exodus 20:9.
• In the Sabbath you shall not do any work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: Exodus 20:10.
• On the seventh day you shall rest: in earing time and in harvest you shall rest. Exodus 34:21.
• You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day. Exodus 35:3.
• And remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh your Elohim brought you out from there with a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore Yahweh your Elohim commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:15.

Throughout the scriptures we may find examples of how Sabbath has been kept properly, broken, or kept wrongly. Let's review several of these to learn more about how we will keep Sabbath.

Who was the best Sabbath-Keeper ever? - Yahshua the Messiah!

He knew exactly what was right and wrong to do and what was the original purpose of the Sabbath.

There is no better way to do something right than to understand it and know the reason for it.

Lets see what we can learn about the Sabbath from Yahshua and His disciples.

Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

Luke 4:31 And [Yahshua] came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days.

You may see more examples of Yahshua being with Yahweh's people on Sabbath in Matthew 12:6, Mark 1:21 and 6:12, Luke 6:6 and 13:10 and John 5:9 and 9:14. It was his custom and we must follow Him in this as in everything.

Luke 23:54-56 And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also, who came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.

Mark 16:1 And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

Matthew 28:1 After the Sabbath, as it began to draw on toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the sepulchre.

After the execution of Yahshua the apostles were consistent in keeping the Sabbath. They were consistent with the ancient law, consistent with the practice of Yahshua, and consistent with each other. Consider these scriptures:

Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.

Acts 13:27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.

Acts 13:42 And when the Jews had gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles requested that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

Acts 13:44 And the next Sabbath day almost the whole city came together to hear the word of Yahweh.

Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time has in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.

Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was accustomed to be made; and we sat down, and spoke to the women who resorted there.

Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

Where was Yahshua on the Sabbath? Where were his disciples? They were assembled with Yahweh's people just as His disciples are today. In fact, the Sabbaths are still a sign between Yahweh and His people. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed, Exodus 31:17. Please also read Ezekiel 20:12-24.

We can learn most of what we need to know about Sabbath from these verses but there may be some questions about certain things not covered explicitly. Moses, Ezra, Nehemiah, Yahshua the Messiah and other leaders have had to answer questions in their days and more questions continually arise. The standard of interpretation about Sabbath has been provided for us in Colossians 2:16-17. "There fore let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an Holy Day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: (which are a shadow of things to come) but the body of the Messiah.

What is this 'body of the Messiah' which is to give the judgment rather than any individual man? It is the Assembly, as Paul explains in Ephesians 4:11-12: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying (teaching) of the body of The Messiah. . .

4:15-16 But speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, [even] The Messiah; from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effective working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.

The Assembly is given the responsibility of deciding any questions about the Sabbath. In other words; ask an Elder. Consider the same idea expressed in Romans 12:4 and 5: For as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in The Messiah, and every one, members of one another. Look at 1 Corinthians 12:27 too.

If you keep the Sabbath as our Savior and His disciples did, then you will receive the blessings as they did. You will also have another bond with them in keeping the ancient way intended as a sign of the bond between Yahweh and His people.

In the previous parts on Sabbath we reviewed many scriptural examples of Sabbath keeping and Sabbath breaking. We also learned a great deal from the Messiah. This time we shall look at just how a believer keeps Sabbath.

The difference in a Sabbath-keeper's life doesn't just start each week on the evening of the sixth day; it starts each week just after Sabbath ends, as the first day of the week begins. The first thing we must do to obey the commandment is to work for six days. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, Ecclesiastes 9:10. Those who work hard for the six days really appreciate the meaning of the Sabbath day of rest.

"The Sabbath as experienced by man cannot survive in exile, a lonely stranger among six days of profanity. All the days of work must be SPIRITUALLY CONSISTENT with the Day of Days." (Between God and Man by Abraham Heschel, Harper and Brothers, 1959, p226. Note the respect this Jewish writer has for Sabbath.)

In Exodus 16:23 we read, "And he said to them, "This is that which Yahweh has said, 'Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath to Yahweh:' BAKE THAT WHICH YOU WANT TO BAKE TODAY, AND BOIL WHAT YOU WANT TO BOIL. . ."

There are two things to learn from this. First, the concept of the day of preparation: When the fifth day of the weekends, the preparation day begins. It is a period of 24 hours devoted partially to getting ready for Sabbath. What ever you will need during Sabbath should be prepared then, on the Sixth day.

Second, there is to be no baking nor boiling on Sabbath. Any preparation which changes the form or consistency of the food such as frying an egg or cooking rice to make it soft should certainly not be done on Sabbath.

Especially in the home, Sabbath begins to have a greater effect beginning on Thursday evening, when the day of preparation starts. It may not seem like it, but even in the winter when Sabbath begins earlier, the day of preparation is still 24 hours long. Using this time properly is one key to keeping Sabbath properly and enjoyably.

All the food for Sabbath which needs to be purchased, cooked or baked must be prepared by the end of the Sixth day. The house should be put in order so that no distractions will mar the Sabbath. If you drive to services then the car should be filled with gas (you can't be fueling around on Sabbath).

One of the last things to do before Sabbath is to take a bath or shower. A person must be clean when he or she comes before Yahweh.

A man appreciates his good wife when the Sabbath begins smoothly with a nice meal ready, candles lit, all the children sitting happily around the table, waiting to thank Yahweh for the food and for the Sabbath.

When Sabbath begins, many families observe the occasion by reading the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 or Mark 12:28-34) and the Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17or Deuteronomy 5:6-21). Reading one or more Psalms is also very enjoyable. If any one has something to read or to talk about, Sabbath evening would be a good time to start the discussion. If there are young children the discussion should be kept short since they may be too tired to pay proper attention.

A good topic to discuss with your family may be "What is the difference between leisure time and Sabbath?"

The question is often asked by children or new Sabbath-keepers, "What is there TO DO on Sabbath?" Here's a list of some things:

• Go to bed early, get up late and/or take a nap Exodus 34:21.
• Dine together in an unhurried manner on somewhat nicer food.
• Quiet play for small children.
• Take a short walk with family.
• Tell the children a good Sabbath story.
• Prayer - lots of praise, few requests, I Chronicles 23:31, Isaiah 66:23.
• Worship with your family and others, bring a friend, Leviticus 23:3.
• Spread the Good News, Matthew 12:12, Acts 16:13, 17:2, 18:4.
• Write in your journal about the worship service.
• Write a letter to another believer.
• Visit a friend who is elderly or ill or lonely, Matthew 12:12.
• Spend time with family members talking about...
  • The news as it relates to Yahweh's laws or prophecies.
  • How to keep the Sabbath or other laws of Yahweh better.
  • Play Bible Trivia together.
  • Sing some songs together or read Psalms to one another.
  • Read the Bible all the way through again.
  • Mark a subject into your Bible.
  • Write out a Bible study on some subject. List all the verses you can, what they tell us and how this affects us.
  • Read some articles in a believers' magazine, Luke 4:31.
  • Do your regular job IF you save lives or guard prisoners or milk a few cows and then only do the minimum necessary. [Opinions of the Elders vary about that topic.]
  • Take care of an emergency that can't wait, Matthew 12:11.

  What NOT To Do:

  
  

  There could be a detailed list of many pages of things NOT TO DO on Sabbath. To give an idea of the principles involved here are a few things which we won't do if we want to keep Yahweh's Sabbath:

  • Buy a meal in a restaurant or buy anything else, Nehemiah 10:31.
  • Sell anything or talk about it or deliver it, Jeremiah 17:21.
  • Buy anything or talk about it or receive it.
  • Think or talk business or counsel about your job.
  • Start a fire, Exodus 35:3.
  • Cause someone to work for you or by your direction, Exodus 20:10.
  • Plan, make or repair some thing for yourself, Numbers 15:32, Mark 16:1.
  • Play golf, tennis or badminton, Isaiah 58:13.
  • Take a long swim, walk or bike ride, Acts 1:12.
  • Hard exercise, aerobics, weight lifting.
  • Have marital relations, Nehemiah 13:22, Leviticus 15:16.
  • Cook food, fry or boil an egg or bake a cake, Exodus 16:23.
  • Wash dishes that got dirty before Sabbath or aren't needed.
  • Gossip, quarrel, bicker or party, Isaiah 58:13.
  • Watch TV. Believers mostly keep the TV off throughout the Sabbath.
  • Play a video game, Isaiah 58:13.
  • Say to yourself, "When will the Sabbath be over so I can do what I want to do?" Exodus 16:28, Amos 8:5.
  This is what Yahweh says; "Stand in the paths and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it and you shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16.

 

May Yahweh bless you as you do. . .

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