Sabbath Shibboleth
Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath and holds fast My covenant; Isaiah 56:6 NASB
Foreigners – Let’s look at this just one last time. Should you and I keep the Sabbath? The answer given by the Christian church for the last 1700 years is “No.” But maybe we need to re-examine the reasons given for this change and the biblical expectation. First let’s clear up the translation. We know the Hebrew phrase here is oovnei ha-nekar (sons of the stranger). God speaks through His prophet Isaiah, exhorting and blessing the Gentiles who have attached themselves to Him and honor His Sabbath. Examine the verse. Aren’t we the ones who have joined YHWH (notice it does not say “joined Israel”), desire to serve Him, love Him and be His servants. We who have Christian backgrounds do pretty well on these four actions. But then we read “who keeps from profaning the Sabbath.” Are we ready to say that all those Christians who ignore the Sabbath are actually profaning it? It certainly seems that Isaiah’s declaration of YHWH’s words considers the replacement of the Sabbath by Sunday worship is a form of profaning Sabbath. And a bit of history actually confirms this conclusion. Take a look here.
There is significant historical evidence that followers of Yeshua kept the Sabbath well into the fifth century, even while the Christian Church was rewriting the practice. There is also evidence that the Roman Church legislated the change from the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday in order to distinguish Christianity from Judaism. There is no doubt whatsoever that Yeshua and the Apostles kept the Sabbath. The question we must ask, if we are followers of YHWH and desire to be His servants, is really very simple: Why do we worship on Sunday rather than on the day that is the only day of worship ever mentioned in the whole of Scripture?
Can I suggest that if you can’t answer this question, you need to find out? Can I suggest that worshipping on Sunday just because you have always done it is not a sufficient reason, especially if God thinks otherwise?
We are Gentiles (at least most of my readers are). God has a heart for us. Since the time of Abraham, God has invited us into His family. But most of us came with a mistaken understanding about what it means to be in His household. Maybe it’s time to start acting like His people by keeping the fourth commandment. Eleven times the Tanakh warns against profaning the Sabbath. The prohibition is applied to everyone in the community regardless of ethnic origin. Ignoring this commandment always brings grief and chastisement. Do you think we are the exceptions to the rule? I don’t.
Topical Index: Sabbath, foreigners, oovnei ha-nekar, Sunday, Isaiah 56:6
Skip, I have to say, I agree with you although this is not a popular option to those who think is ok to “fudge” little because God understand and loves us anyway…after all He knows our hearts. Transparently speaking, I personally struggle with this. And to complicate matters, not being in fellowship with like-minded believers seems to intensify the struggle.
I actually began questioning why the church I “belonged” to chastised my SS teachers for teaching and promoting outreach ministry outside the control of the elders. This actually opened a lot more questions as to why certain activities seemed to go against the obvious teachings of Scripture.
I guess now I wonder why there are sympathizers without being followers, and so-called citizens making up their own rules. And may I add, I question which one of these categories I best affiliate with?
As an example, one needs only to look at many of the sovereign nations today and their attempts at inclusivism, the constitutional battles are raging and drastically changing the cultural landscape for the citizens in order to accommodate the immigrants. Being kind to the alien does not mean different rules, at least not according to Scripture.
Brother Skip (and all), “as for me and my house- we will serve (avad) the LORD” seven days a week. This is not to say, there is no “day of rest.” The Sabbath was made for man. The Sabbath was made (given as another gift of G-d) for me and for you. Why? Because we carbon units are fallible human beings made from a substance known as flesh. We are not machines, we are beings who are human. We need rest.
Life (physical life) is a three-legged stool. Diet, exercise and rest, the “trinity” of life. We see this same “three-ness” in our spiritual lives as well. “Man shall not live by bread alone- but by every word that issues forth out of the mouth of G-d.” (Deuteronomy 8.3)
Do we eat once a week? (whether Sunday or Saturday?) Do we rest once per week? (whether Saturday or Sunday?) If we sleep an eight hour sleep during the course of a twenty-four hour day, we see once again, approximately one third of our lives is spent resting.
We again are enjoined in the G-d’s word to “rest in the LORD and to wait patiently for Him.” (Psalm 37.7) Is this to be done once per week or is this a daily, moment-by-moment practice?
There is a Sabbath-rest (Hebrews 4.9) that remains for the people, the children of G-d. This is the promised rest we must “labor” to enter into. We do not have to wait for Sunday or wait for Saturday to “rest in the LORD.” Saturday (the Sabbath) is the gift of G-d, given to some for rest. Why do I say “for some?” Because, not all will enter into the rest provided by G-d. Some are willingly ignorant. And again, according to G-d’s word- “But those who still reject Me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt.” (Isaiah 57.20) In contradistinction to this we read in Psalm 46.10: “Be still, and know that I AM G-d.” There is much to say and much value (and worth!) in this “stillness.”
Hear the witness of “two.” “Peace and quiet.” Have we noticed, -these are traveling companions and tend to be found next to each other?
“Today” is the gift of G-d. Even as I work and labor and sweat, there is within me, “the rest, the strength, the comfort of G-d.” The blessed gift of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Breath, reminding me, teaching me, instructing me from G-d’s words: “He is the Way, follow Him.”
If Saturday is a day of worshiping Yeshua, I’m all for it. If Sunday is a day of worshiping Yeshua, I’m all for it. If Tuesday is day of worshiping Yeshua,- I’m all for it. “If it glorifies Jesus- do it!” Do our activities, whatever and wherever they may be, glorify and magnify the risen Savior? “Blessed is the name of the LORD.” Baruch Hashem ADONAI.
Whether Jew or “non”- the question for all is this: Are we “in Christ?” It is impossible to be fully Torah -obedient until we first are knowingly “in Christ” and have been washed in the blood of the Calvary’s LAMB, for He has said, (are we listening?)- “I AM the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing..” (John 15.5) This “abiding in (the crucified,buried and now risen) Annointed ONE” is our Sabbath-rest, whether Saturday, Sunday or Tuesday..
When a Jew attends his (or her) place of worship on Saturday, do they hear these words proclaimed?
“For what I received from the Lord is just what I passed on to you – that the Lord Yeshua, on the night He was betrayed, took bread; and after he had made the b’rakhah He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this as a memorial to me”; likewise also the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant effected by my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, as a memorial to me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11.24)
Or are these words from the (very Hebrew) book of Leviticus studied,proclaimed, or read? For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. (Leviticus 17.11) Or these prophetic words from the book of Matthew 27.24,25? “And all the people answered and said, “His blood be upon us and on our children.”
Or these words from Peter (chapter 1)
From: Kefa, an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah To: God’s chosen people, living as aliens in the Diaspora – in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bythinia – chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obeying Yeshua the Messiah and for sprinkling with His blood: Grace and shalom be yours in full measure. Praised be G-d, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who, in keeping with His great mercy, has caused us, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead, to be born again to a living hope, to an inheritance that cannot decay, spoil or fade, kept safe for you in heaven. Meanwhile, through trusting, you are being protected by God’s power for a deliverance ready to be revealed at the Last Time. Rejoice in this, even though for a little while you may have to experience grief in various trials. Even gold is tested for genuineness by fire. The purpose of these trials is so that your trust’s genuineness, which is far more valuable than perishable gold, will be judged worthy of praise, glory and honor at the revealing of Yeshua the Messiah. Without having seen him, you love Him. Without seeing Him now, but trusting in Him, you continue to be full of joy that is glorious beyond words. And you are receiving what your trust is aiming at, namely, your deliverance. The prophets, who prophesied about this gift of deliverance that was meant for you, pondered and inquired diligently about it. They were trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of the Messiah in them was referring in predicting the Messiah’s sufferings and the glorious things to follow. It was revealed to them that their service when they spoke about these things was not for their own benefit, but for yours. And these same things have now been proclaimed to you by those who communicated the Good News to you through the Ruach HaKodesh sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things! Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed. As people who obey God, do not let yourselves be shaped by the evil desires you used to have when you were still ignorant. On the contrary, following the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in your entire way of life; since the Tanakh says, “You are to be holy because I am holy.” Also, if you are addressing as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person’s actions, you should live out your temporary stay on earth in fear. You should be aware that the ransom paid to free you from the worthless way of life which your fathers passed on to you did not consist of anything perishable like silver or gold; on the contrary, it was the costly bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah, as of a Lamb without defect or spot. G-d knew Him before the founding of the universe, but revealed Him in the acharit-hayamim for your sakes. Through Him you trust in G-d, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory; so that your trust and hope are in G-d. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you have a sincere love for your brothers, love each other deeply, with all your heart. You have been born again not from some seed that will decay, but from one that cannot decay, through the living Word of G-d that lasts forever. For all humanity is like grass, all its glory is like a wildflower the grass withers, and the flower falls off; but the Word of ADONAI lasts forever. Moreover, this Word is the Good News which has been proclaimed to you.
Skip,
I also struggle and agree with Mary. I also have been teaching the same message thru my Revelation studies. It clearly say, that “ALL the world would WORSHIP the beast”, the same one that changed “times and laws”. Let’s not be deceived any more!
Skip,
Was Sabbath a day of worship or a day of rest? Or both?
How many people attending any worship service fully hear, because in most religion something is always left out? Most people only hear half of the Word anyway. And expects his neighbour to do it.
I think it is dangerous to imply that YHWH cannot speak to someone in a Synogue. My God is so great, He can use anybody, being it a Catholic Priest, a Rabbi or a donkey to speak through. It is the audience that does not OBEY.
I believe the Sabbath is on the seventh day, BECAUSE YHWH says so!( took me a long time to read, believe and do).
Gen 2: 2,3
YHWH created a Sabbath, like He created the MAN. Everything He created stands as evidence and cannot be moved around so that it fits me.
The Sabbath was good enough for Him to rest, so it should be good enough for me.
The Sabbath is mostly between me and YHWH. I do what He wants me to do, being it rest, healing, or resurrecting people from the dead.
He blessed and set the Sabbath apart as Holy. The Sabbath is sanctified time. Time cannot be moved around. When it is past, its gone. I cannot make it holier, but only profane it. If I don’t value this gift of God, then Holiness does not mean anything to me.
Like the tabernacle the Sabbath is part of YHWH’s design. It is the building block of all the appointed times. If I know to keep the Sabbath, but does not, some part of the Tabernacle is missing and it falls apart. And I am to blame!
All appointed times are female words(I think?): the Bridegroom’s gifts to the Bride. But each Sabbath is the test to see if the Bride is faithful the her Bridegroom.
The Lord of the Sabbath rules now and will rule in the future Kingdom. If I expect Him to invite me to His millennium Sabbath, I surely must have invited Him to my Sabbath table first?
I believe in practicing to keep Sabbath. It is the same idea that Skip had for becoming human and getting married. I do Sabbathing(verb) . If we have to do school hockey, then we plan ahead and don’t buy stuff. If it is swimgala on Friday evening, then we have wine, bread and candles on the lawn next to the pool.(one of the best with lots of questions being ask)
My Father knows the intentions of my heart. And I pray that the Messiah will give us a new willing, stirred and wise heart to be ” the revelations that follow the Shepherd’s staff” = kahal.
Every time that YHWH gathers His people, He reminds them of Shabbat. There must be a good reason for that.
And ever since I have tasted the blessing of a Sabbath, I crave for more. Double portion rest, double portion soulfood! From day one, I can’t wait for the seventh! And of course the husband is suppose to “remember “( zakar) the Sabbath.
Dear Skip,
I have so enjoyed learning a bit of the Hebraic perspective in the short time I have subscribed to your site. I have a picture of a tall blue jug oozing…even groaning with the golden depths of GOD.
We may have a mistaken understanding of what it means to be in His household…yet the Holy Spirit that Jesus left for us is alive and real and available for relationship even without all the Hebraic perspective. He did not abandon us despite the misinterpretations of certain men and denominations. I do not know all the Hebraic jargon yet, but I agree with Carl about living each moment in the rest and peace of the the Lord. The Holy Spirit has been teaching me, “To make holy the common things of life.” Now the emphasis for my life is on meditating on the WORD day and night. I treasure what I have learned from you just as I treasure what I have learned from the Holy Spirit. And I take these truths to church with me and share them…in small groups…with family…with friends…for how will they know if we don’t tell them?
How beautifully stated Kathy!
Yes and Amen. Most of us, including me, have come to this point through the “misinterpretations of certain men and denominations.” God pays no attention to our feeble distinctions when He is on the hunt. There is no doubt that the Spirit is able to overcome even the most pretentious theological systems in order to drag us to the Father. I am certainly living proof that God can reach anyone, even the most arrogant of theological minds. Nearly all of my readers are people whom God is drawing to Himself through their connections with formal Christian organizations.
On the other hand, once God begins to pull us toward the truth of Scripture, we soon discover how little we know and how far we are away from His path. This becomes the desire of our hearts – to serve Him as He requests. He puts that desire within us so that we will continue to search the Scriptures without the rose-colored glasses of our traditions. In the process, all those questions that we pushed aside become important once again and we see things in a new light. There is continuity in our beliefs and in our heritage. We become a part of a very old family – the family of Abraham. That puts us in conflict with many whom we love, especially those who hold on to the traditions of men found in the theological constructs of doctrine. We long for the Garden, a place of transparency and fellowship. Our lives become testimonies of return. As we live according to His word – all of it – we become what He intended in the covenant with Moses – signposts of righteousness in the dark world. And signposts only work when they stand out from the background. Distinctive difference is the hallmark of Torah but it is not difference for the sake of being different. It is difference for the sake of being magnetic attractions to the one true God. We live His way. He brings others to Him because they see something they can’t find anywhere else.
I have been reading with much interest this article and the attached document about Gentiles and the Sabbath which have left me with a much bigger question: To whom have we been offering worship Sundays? because clearly is not to the God of creation. Please when possible answer me I am very concern about it because in my country, Dominican Republic, only the Pentecostal churches keep the Sabbath.
God Bless you always, Benny de Brugal
Those who in ignorance intend to worship the true God but mistakenly assembly on a day not designated by Him are, I believe, not held accountable for their mistake – until they become aware of the ritual transgression. At that point, Leviticus offers God’s path of forgiveness. Nearly everyone I know began outside the fence of sabbath. Overcoming centuries of theological error is a difficult, and at times nearly impossible, process. But now you know. Now you must decide – and help others through this maze.
Re your doo-hickey … I just received a gift of a sweatshirt that says, “Computers to do damage your thinker thingy.” So there. We are okay.
OOOps. It says “Computers do not damage your thinker thingy.” Must be wrong. Mine is obviously defective.