Shabbat Shalom!
The Sabbath
Sabbath Teaching Introduction
We celebrate The Almighty’s other appointed times, His feasts, according to His reckoning of time (the moon); however, we observe and celebrate the Sabbath, His most precious day, according a civil calendar created and instituted by man. Could this be considered mixed worship? We moved from sun worship to the worship of a planet; we moved from the “Sun’s” day to “Saturn’s” day. Who authorized this change? Who authorized or instructed the people of YeHoVaH to change how and when we are to worship on His holy day? If we are to keep the Sabbath holy as mandated in Exodus 20:8-11, then why is it faithfully observed on a day that’s dedicated to honor the Roman deity, Saturn? If His day is set-apart, shouldn’t the method in which we calculate the seventh day be set-apart also? Why do we mix that which is holy with that which is profane? In the Torah, we commanded not to mention the names of other mighty ones (Exodus 23:13).
We, as teachers of His Word, are instructed to teach the difference between the clean and unclean, between the holy and profane, but we have failed in this area as well:
“Her priests have done violence to My teaching and they profane My set-apart matters. They have not distinguished between the set-apart and profane, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean. And they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned in their midst.” (Ezek 22:26, The Scriptures).
What is the Sabbath?
It is a mandated day of rest, as commended in Exodus 20:8-11:
8“Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart.
9“Six days you labour, and shall do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of YeHoVaH your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
11 “For in six days YeHoVaH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore YeHoVaH blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart.
This means we must abstain from any and all physical and mental exertion (whether work or play)
- You are to have a set-apart gathering (Lev 23:3)
- It is a day of prayer and communion with YeHoVaH
- It is a day to seek a prophetic word or godly counsel (2 Kings 4:22-23)
- It is a day to refrain from commerce (Amos 8:5 / Neh 10:31)
- It is a day to refrain from doing your own pleasures and speaking of and participating in activities you would normally do the remaining 6 days (Isaiah 58:13)
- It is a day of delight (Isaiah 58:13)
- It is a day of study
- It is a day of worship
- It’s a day to be refreshed (Ex 31:16-17)
- It is a covenant sign between us and YeHoVaH to set us apart (Ex 31:16-17):
16 ‘And the children of Yisra’el shall guard the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant.
17 ‘Between Me and the children of Yisra’el it is a sign forever. For in six days YeHoVaH made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”
Hebrews 4:9-11
9 So there remains a Sabbath-keeping for the people of Elohim.
10 For the one, having entered into His rest, has himself also rested from his works, as Elohim rested from His own.
11 Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience (see Ezekiel 20:11-20). – The Scriptures
Here, the word Sabbath-Keeping (or “rest” in the King James Version) is the Greek word Sabbatismos (Strong’s No. G4520 σαββατισμός {sab-bat-is-mos’}, which is derived from Strong’s No. G4521 (Sabbaton), meaning Sabbath.
