The word is derived out of a very similar primary Hebrew root meaning:
~to desist from exertion; to cause to, or let cease; to celebrate to keep (sabbath); to suffer to be lacking; to leave or put away and cause to rest, to be still.
Mentioned nearly two hundred times in the Scriptures, this 'Sabbath' mostly refers to the weekly Sabbath. It needs to be mentioned that there are seven other special 'set-apart' days during the year, which often occur during the week, which are also referred to as 'Sabbaths”, set apart days of rest, which are observed in the same way. Although the Sabbath is often mentioned, it does not often describe and clarify the details of the 'rules', 'guidelines', or 'wishes' of our Father in Heaven's Will, as to the 'observance' of the Sabbath. When it is described however, it is quite clearly done on those occasions found in Scripture.
The entire concept and origin of the Sabbath is mentioned right in the beginning of the Torah, in:
Genesis 2:2-3: “And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation.”
This is precisely from sunset, at the end of the sixth day, to sunset, at the end of the seventh day. To meditate on this origin is fundamental to understanding the very reason why Elohim has commanded His people to keep, and remember this day:
Exodus 31:13-17: "Say to the people of Israel, 'You shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. You shall keep the sabbath, because it is holy for you; every one who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign for ever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.'"
It is a remembrance of the incredible event of creation, and all the work that Ha'Shem did in bringing forth the gift of life. Mankind was created on the sixth day, and immediately entered into the rest of the seventh day. (see Genesis 1:26-31). God has given us a beautiful and perfect natural earth, within the universe, given us a body to dwell upon it, and imparted to us the gift of life.
Genesis 1:31a: “And Elohim saw all that He had made, and see, it was very good...”
He has asked us, to set one day in the week apart, to deeply remember this gift. But not only to remember it, but to rest and completely receive this gift. This acknowledgement God requires quite seriously according to His Word, throughout the Scripture, even punishable by death. And we have an example of this in: Numbers 15:32-36.
We are asked to:
- Remember; "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
(Ex 20:8)
and to abstain from:
- 'Servile work'; “you shall not do any work,”
(Ex 20:10) - even under pressure; “in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.”
(Ex 43:21) - kindling fire; “you shall kindle no fire in all your habitations on the sabbath day."
(Ex 35:3) - traveling; "If you turn back your foot from the sabbath,”
(Isaiah 58:13) - seeking our own will; “from doing your pleasure on my holy day”
(Isaiah 58:13) - gathering; “a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day... shall be put to death”
(Num 15:32,35) - bearing burdens; “to keep the sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden”
(Jer 17:27) - buying and selling; “...to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or on a holy day”
(Neh 10:31) - idle talk: “if you honor it, not going your own ways.... or talking idly;
(Isaiah 58:13)
But are encouraged to:
- honour and delight; “call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable”
(Isaiah 58:13) - rest; “on the seventh day you shall rest... may be refreshed.”
(Ex 23:12)
In essence, it is that simple. The actual commands of God do not go beyond that; no work, no kindling of fire, no travel, no buy, no sell, must rest.
Many Jewish traditions have however developed over the ages, surrounding this most iconic, and distinctive institution. These include special prayers and ceremonies, developed to welcome the onset of the Sabbath, as well as a host of additional rules and regulations defining that which constitutes; 'servile work', and that which does not etc,... what constitutes traveling, or how far you can walk before it does... etc.
In the New Testament, Yahshuah is often wrongly accused by the Pharisees, as having broken the Sabbath. Their judgment however is incorrect, for while he had very little regard for many of the traditions, he never broke any of the commands in the Scriptures. In the account where he and his disciples are walking through the grainfields on the Sabbath, found in Matt 12:1-13, Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-11, neither He, nor his disciples did break any command. Their picking of grain to eat, could not be constituted as 'gathering', nor the work of harvesting. In fact, He was demonstrating the Spirit behind the Sabbath day, in that Elohim created the earth, and the herb yielding seed, and the tree yielding fruit, for us to pick off and eat. This was how it was intended in the beginning, even prior to the need for toil and the work of the sweat of our brow. Entering true rest, in receiving what is provided by our Father in Heaven, by His finished work, not ours.
Yahshuah however further clarified that “The son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath” in Matt 12:8. He went on to explain that; “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” in Mark 2:27. He healed many people on the Sabbath, setting them free. Mankind was God's primary jewel in creation; “and Elohim created the man in His own image, in the image of Elohim He created him—male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27.
The Sabbath was to be a day to remember the gift of life, and life as the head of that which was created. The Sabbath itself is a gift, to be received with joy, to lay down effort and work, and without guilt, to rest and receive, without striving to gain.
This is a day where you can lay down your work responsibilities in this world, and do so with a clean conscience, when you can go for a peaceful walk in nature, or stay at home and sleep, with no reference to laziness. May all this be under the wings of the Spirit of YHVH, in prayer and remembrance, and as Yeshuah, taught us, to work for Him alone in the Spirit, just as the priests worked, and ministered on the Sabbath.
Yahshuah never spoke out against the Sabbath, but only against those imposing their own laws upon it, but had somehow missed the very point; the gift of freedom. To those who realize this, the Sabbath is a treasure, and a delight, a joy and a blessing. The truth of YHVH leads to life, but man-made control, often masked as religion, leads to oppression and bondage of spirit.
All of us face this internal challenge, and may the Holy Spirit guide each one of us. May we not judge one another.
One of the beautiful traditional Jewish ceremonies, which it is assumed that Yahshuah did keep; was the welcoming of the Shabbat at the end of the working week.
When the sun goes down at the end of the sixth day (friday afternoon, evening), the Sabbath begins. Candles are lit just before sunset, and in the family home, blessings are said on the bread and the wine, with prayers before a family meal together.
Though this is an ancient, good, and 'Godly' practice in welcoming the Sabbath with joy, it is not to be confused with “keeping” the sabbath.
Unfortunately, as Gentiles have grown interested in the Jewish roots of the ancient faith, believing in Yahshuah (Jesus) as the Messiah (The Christ), they are faced with sorting through very much information, and personal journey of dividing that which is relevant, from that which is not.
May we all seek peace and truth on this journey, as it is inevitable that there will always be strong differences of opinion. The Sabbath meal ceremony, however good it may be, is merely a tradition aimed at supporting YHVH's instruction to set apart the seventh day.
Those, who for example, have a Shabbat meal on the friday night, but then go shopping on the next morning, are not at all, even remotely “keeping” Shabbat. They are merely entertaining a ceremony to 'welcome' it, yet are not actually setting the day apart.
It is unfortunate, that just as in the times of Yeshauh, that an overload of tradition, has so clouded the understanding of people, that they often mistake the traditions (or commands of men) for the commands of YHVH. And as a result, entertain and fulfill a few ceremonious traditional activities, but completely neglect the essential basics, thereby, in the words of Yeshuah (on another topic); “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:13 (see also Matt 15:6)
Is there any point then in the Sabbath meal, if you are still to carry on with everything else in an ordinary way? Well as a start yes! But only as an introduction to learn, for the Spirit of God is very gently wooing us in love. So how beautifully does the lover of our soul, draw us unto Himself?
However, as we learn, we must mature, for He says; “if you love me, you will keep my commandments”. John 14:15.
May the Sabbath be a day when we can truly say; “not my Will, but Thine be done” Luke 22:42.
There is a blessing to be found in YHVH, if we keep the Sabbath, to those who are natural born of Israel, and to the foreigners, who hold fast to the covenant:
Isaiah 56:6: "And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, every one who keeps the sabbath, and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant...”
We have examples from the New Testament, that the disciples keep the Sabbath, even after the crucifixion and burial of Messiah in: Mark 16:1, and, Luke 23:56:
Further, the Torah is taught, and Gospel preached to the Gentiles on the Sabbath, throughout the book of Acts 13:14-15,27,42,44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2 & 18:4.
We shall close this topic here with a quote from the Epistles encouraging New Testament believers to keep the Sabbath and enter His rest:
Hebrews 4:1-11: “Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with faith in the hearers. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall never enter my rest,'" although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works." And again in this place he said, "They shall never enter my rest." Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he sets a certain day, "Today," saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, "Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later of another day. So then, there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God's rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience.”
