What to Do During What Not to Do
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8 ESV
Sabbath – Followers of the God of Israel are Sabbath keepers. This ritual is the most conspicuous symbol of association with YHWH in all of the Tanakh. In fact, YHWH holds His people accountable for the sin of not keeping Sabbath. It is of utmost importance.
But keeping Sabbath presents us with lots of difficulties. You see, the explanation in the Tanakh of what it means to keep Sabbath is principally negative, that is, a list of things that you are not to do. For example, Deuteronomy 5:12-15 says you and your servants and animals are not to work (more on this in a minute). Nehemiah 13:15-22 adds that you are not to tread the wine press, bring in sheaves, load a beast of burden and Jeremiah 17:21 says you are not to perform heavy work. We could add a few more “don’t do this” items, but the problem is that there are no “Do this on the Sabbath” commandments. Other than “Remember” and “Keep it holy,” we are pretty much left in the dark.
Judaism adopts rabbinic interpretation to supply us with thirty-nine prohibited actions.[1] Jewish thought develops the difference between our ideas of work and the Hebrew idea of melakah. We think of work as expended effort. Therefore, it is “work” to get out of bed, to play tennis, to mow the lawn or to enter data in a computer. But melakah isn’t exactly about effort. It is about the application of skilled craftsmanship and the resulting benefits. The word is used to cover specific projects and routine work including one’s business because these tasks are creative. It also describes what is the result of the application of skills, for example, the work of Bezalel in the construction of the Tabernacle.
This distinction helps us understand what is prohibited and what isn’t prohibited on Shabbat. What is prohibited is any action that simulates or models the work of God in the creation, that is, the application of craftsmanship and skills that produces fashioned materials or projects. God ceased from such activity on the seventh day and so should we. God’s actions are creative. He makes things, fashions things, completes projects, conceives and delivers. To cease this kind of activity on the seventh day means that we put aside our creating, fashioning and making activities. We rest from these actions. It does not mean that we exert no energy. We get up. We read the Word. We pray. We spend time with family and friends. We eat. We walk in the park. We listen to music. We relax. We do those things that honor Him but do not produce or create something fashioned or new. So we don’t bake or sew. We don’t write a new chapter. We don’t answer emails. We don’t plant new flowers. We don’t build. We don’t take digital photo images. Scripture lets us determine what we do and don’t do according to the larger category of melakah. Shabbat is a day of “freedom” to find your pathway. Only the largest guideposts are provided.
Topical Index: Shabbat, Sabbath, melakah, work, Exodus 20:8
What a nice way to explain what has seemed so complicated in my mind. As I was reading this I began to think of the times Yeshua was doing these very things. Now these are the things I can put into practice! Just like religion to make resting complicated.
So it’s not skilled craftsmanship if I pop a can of cinnamon rolls and bake them? As a woman who works outside of the home, the whole cooking thing on Shabbat has given me huge stress….. how to get home after 5 on Friday nights and prep food for the next day before sundown. And forget it in winter. I know, do the prep earlier in the week but weeknights are a blur far too often. How do others handle this?
Suzanne, it creates a stir in many a heart that desires to be and to do HIS WILL.
All the way through as I see it; it is about grace and who the Author of Grace is.
All that HE has DONE and will DO ; He has called us into that REST that only HE can give and be.
I may be a nugget in the rough and may not speak any other language than English but the way I see it is that CHRIST is my REST and I am to REMEMBER that each and everyday as my Sabbath Day Rest.
I do not think changing a day to another or having a list of dos and donts is going to change me or conform me to HIS IMAGE as simply being aware that I am HIS and HE IS MINE and HE is conforming me as I believe HIM.
Others who have yet to enter into HIS rest may upon belief from where I am standing and seating.
Just a bit from my small corner of my world.
The most “godly” of G-d´s attributes are His creative abilities, and all creation begins with thought. On Shabat, we don´t imagine? We don´t dream? Those are creative acts. How does one pray without visualizing something different from what is?
“He makes things, fashions things, completes projects, conceives and delivers. To cease this kind of activity on the seventh day means that we put aside our creating, fashioning and making activities.”
The order of events is incorrect, conception is the beginning of the process, but that´s irrelevant if we are forbidden to engage in ANY part of the process. It really doesn´t make sense to me. We can´t meditate? Pray other than prescribed prewritten prayers?
I have struggled to keep Shabat for years, it is important to me to understand. I get Suzanne´s point, it is exhausting. And Suzanne, I don´t think the oven is allowed, so no cinammon rolls. But I have to admit I have become less agitated about it than I used to be, just doing the best I possibly can every week without making it too burdensome for me and my sons. But this idea of stopping at the genesis of creation, at conception – the imagination – that´s a bit too much for me.
Might we be fencing too much? Maybe the fence is so thick we can´t see the real meaning of rest.
Good point about creating actions. But then, what God conceives He creates. Thelma – Greek.
By the way, if anything Shabbat is not to be agitating. Agitation is not the same as confrontation and resolution. If agitation is involved, we’re probably on the wrong track.
I am just learning all of this along with the rest of you.
Suzanne, I hear your frustration…I was there myself. Part of the problem is understanding when the *day* (what Elohim called “the light” in Genesis 1:3-5 after separating it from the darkness) begins. (Scripture supports “days” beginning with light and ending when the light goes away.) Also, the command to keep the 7th day set apart by doing no work (“melakah”) does not include a command to prepare twice as much food on the 6th day. I believe there is confusion caused by melding the manna account in Ex 16 with the Sabbath commandment in Ex 20.
I agree with Skip that we often confuse our idea of “work” and what the Hebrew word is saying. My question though is does it really limit the kind of work to that of creation in nature? Buying and selling on the Sabbath appears to be prohibited according to Nehemiah, so it seems to extend beyond just the concept of creating something (unless I’m missing something, which is always possible!).
I tend to think the focus of the word “melakah” has to do with *employment* or *occupation*…for example, the work of creation was an employment for the Creator, and he ceased that employment on the 7th day. There were folks employed to do a job in fashioning the tabernacle/temple and its implements, but were commanded to cease that employment on the seventh day. Merchants are employed to distribute merchandise, they are to refrain from this on the 7th day. Servants and beasts of burden are employed to serve their masters with specific tasks, but they are to refrain from this employment on the 7th day.
That’s my current take on it, but I’m open to hear alternate understandings. Thanks for the article, Skip.
How very interesting but it makes total sense now that you say this, Skip. No creating or making something new. Of course that’s what God was talking about… but let me present you with a challenge:
I am debilitated with fibromyalgia (a word for “we don’t know what this dis-ease is, what causes this disease and we have no treatment or cure); my body is weak. (For those who are interested, visit my [ministry to the chronically ill] website: http://www.bittermansbanners.com.)
When you say “it doesn’t mean we exert no energy,” THAT’S HOW I SPEND MY LIFE… exerting no energy. I spend most of my “good” hours (meaning those hours NOT in excruciating pain, NOT in knock-me-down fatigue, NOT being tortured by the other 30+ symptoms I have) creating something. It blocks the pain, fatigue, itching, shortness of breath, etc +++ messages to the brain, at least for awhile.
When you suggest that we visit friends or go for a walk, etc, those things are actions I WOULD LOVE TO DO but this rapist of a disease prevents those things most of the time. On the days that I CAN walk and go, I do that… and then my house gets SERIOUSLY neglected because I’ve not been able to sweep, vacuum, bend over, walk, cook, etc or even get dressed. On the days when I HAVE A WORKING BRAIN (fibro has hit my brain and nervous system hard), I pray, study, take in the Word of God, your teachings, others’ teachings on Torah, etc. I work my website and check emails, including the Prayer Team that I put together and manage. When our kids are home, we force me to play pinochle or dominoes or whatever. However, I can’t “schedule” those privileges into my life because fibro is a cruel, demanding tyrant.
So, for me, “rest” means something very different than it does for you. I pray continually that God will show me how He desires to be glorified by this way defective body; He grows my faith continually. Without Him, I would most definitely have committed suicide by now (which, btw, is the #1 cause of death in fibromyalgia.)
Daria,
Like you, I have fibromyalgia maybe most of my life but intensely since 1991. I’m in constant pain, heavy fatigue, tingling, brain fog, memory lapses and I have two bulging disks in my lower back causing lots of issues, and recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I also have hypothryroidism and sleep apnea. My days consist of pushing, pushing, pushing, slogging and slogging! I’m 69 and I’m working 40 hours a week. I live alone in a big house with a big yard. My stamina is gone. I’m 15 years behind. Clutter everywhere. My mind gets so overwhelmed with I gotta do this…but no, first I need to do that. No, no — do this. Can’t make a decision! Little gets done because like you I have no energy, can’t bend or push, etc. Creating or thinking through a project literally gives me a headache. There’s always the distraction of pain. The fatigue is heavy and painful. How to walk from the LR to the BR? How do I stand long enough on a hard surface (slab foundation) to cook? A 10 minute walk in the neighborhood can be good at times but most likely it causes lots of leg and back pain. How to make time for friends? My friends reach out to me to do things but I often say no. I’m thankful for loving friends that don’t give up on me. My brain is so tired from dealing with spreadsheets and statistics all day that I find it difficult to pray. I have no help at home. My grown sons live in other cities. I seldom see them. Discerning how to observe the Sabbath and how to prepare for it is overwhelming. When I get off from work during the week I have no energy to run errands. Most Sabbaths I just stay in my pjs and read Torah. I’m venting on you because I know you understand and relate! Forgive me. Thank you. Bless you and yours.
Daria, And I’m adding stiffness to my long list of woes. I have to be careful about what kind of shoes to wear…they contribute to either well being or pain. But this week with the weather becoming less hot and nights a bit cooler my tempo has been upbeat. Really! 🙂
Darlene,
We need to get together (cyber connect if not physically.) Since I’m not sure we should give out our email addys here, you can go to my website, http://www.bittermansbanners.com, click on the “contact us” and I’ll reply! LET’S BUILD A FRIENDSHIP!
Thank you so very much for posting here and sharing that you are suffering with this same stinking “dis-ease” that robs and steals from us. I APPLAUD YOU that you are able to work full time at all, let alone in a BRAIN job. Wow.
Reading this conversation reminds me so much of my grandmother… I’m really sorry you all go through what you do… It is good that you study and learn Yahweh’s word, for your reward will be so great… Peace to you all.
Bessy, this is beautiful: “How does one pray without visualizing something different from what is?” THANK YOU. When I am in deep prayer, I feel “somewhere else, somewhere non-tangent”… if that makes any sense. I’ve been in that state when I’m “fellowshipping with THE LORD” since I was a very young child. I am definitely in a world “different from what is.” I am seeking His Face, His Touch, His Voice, His Desires.
Back to the Sabbath topic: NO NO NO NO LADIES AND GENTS, do not let the world, the flesh and the devil RUIN GOD’S GIFT TO YOU. Sabbath is GLORIOUS. It is a time when you can be in a world “different from what is.” No worrying about anything, no hassling with worldly stuff at all (we don’t shop or even surround ourselves with the things of this world on Sabbath. If we travel, which is precious, private time alone for just my husband and me, we play and sing praise music, listen to teachings on CD’s, passenger reads stuff to the driver, etc. It’s very cherished time for us… and, if we are traveling, it’s to go see our kids which is always something fun to look forward to!) If we are home (which is where we TRY to stay since he travels a lot for work), my husband, who is healthy, enjoys the peace and quiet. He spends most of his day studying and napping. He REALLY gets into “resting.” For me, Sabbath is a supernatural thing. It’s not about a checklist; it’s about being totally absorbed in God, waiting for His Voice. It’s the highest of His Holy Days, His Appointed Times, so it’s a lot like times when you would “fast and pray”… but instead of fasting from food, which is NOT TO HAPPEN ON SABBATH, you fast from the world, the craze, the man-made stuff, the grind of life.
It truly is a wonderful REST, a time to bathe in His Presence.
To Daria and Darlene,
I was reading your comments and it brought to mind what I have often suggested to a number of friends. If supposin’ were allowed, and I was doin’ it, I would expect that the position of “at the right hand” of the Messiah wouldn’t be given to an evangelist, apostle, or some other great doer of good deeds, but that it would rather be occupied by one whose infirmities were so great that they were in essence forced by lack of choice to do the only thing they were capable of. Praying, interceding and searching for God and His deliverance.
Please don’t think that I’m somehow demeaning your circumstances, I’m not. I only write this for your encouragement.
Interestingly enough, after I read what you wrote, I exited the site only to “by happenstance” return to the same blog only on the TW of August 02, 2013 entitled your wrath comforts me. After re-reading it I was convicted enough to return and offer you this encouragement. What struck me most was the ending phrase;
“God guides us to these dark places for a purpose. That purpose is so that we might know what it means to be alone. I have nothing to offer a man in an empty universe if I have never been there myself.”
Go back and re-read it yourselves, it’s kinda like lasagna. It’s always better the next day. 🙂
To be in a place that we all know we should go too, yet we far to often run from out of the fear of the pain we know is there. Tis indeed to be blessed (albeit backwards) to have attained it by natural affection.
YHWH bless you (richly) and keep you in His Peace.
Robert,
Thank you for your kind and insightful words. Skip wrote, “God guides us to these dark places for a purpose. That purpose is so that we might know what it means to be alone. I have nothing to offer a man in an empty universe if I have never been there myself.”
While I know this in my heart and mind and I’ve lived it and seen God and others be blessed through various trials that I’ve experienced in my life and that have been used by YHVH for the sake of others, “fibromyalgia” (myalgic encephalomyelitis??? Gulf-War Syndrome-like; vague malady), IS DIFFERENT. For many victims, it’s like having terminal cancer without dieing. I’m thinking that this sort of suffering is just as much a “teaching moment” for those who TRULY love us as it is for ourselves. It requires HUGE SACRIFICE to be truly engaged with us in our fight to hang on. Most Loved Ones and definitely casual friends bail. Even the doctors bail, shaking their heads and telling us they have no answers.
We who are debilitated by it and when we are in a “flare” don’t really focus on what we have to offer others. We focus on finding the strength to turn from one side to the other in bed. We focus on putting one foot down on the floor, then lifting the other and placing it in the right spot in front of the other foot, then repeating that action WITHOUT FALLING while trying to get to the bathroom.
If and when we are given a reprieve from this terror, we try to play “catch up” on the world that kept spinning while we were “elsewhere”: relationships, housework, outings etc. We shower, then we lie down. We go to our closets and try to put something besides pj’s on. (We are PLEASANTLY SURPRISED to find clothes in there we didn’t REMEMBER we had because we’ve lost ourselves in the torture.) We lie down again before getting dressed because standing in the closet is exhausting. We get dressed, with help and while sitting for most of the procedure. Then, we lie down. We groom ourselves, then lie down, we eat, take the zillion nutritional supplements and RX, then we lie down. MAYBE we finally are able to walk outside or get in the car or cook for our families or throw in a couple of loads of laundry, etc. Then, what do we do? We lie down.
And let’s not forget that WE’VE LOST OUR LIVELIHOODS and probably are denied disability through THE SOCIAL SECURITY THAT WE PAID IN TO!
I don’t mean to monopolize TW. Please just come visit my website and the links I’ve included, if you are interested in a disease that affects about 4 percent of the world population and could strike you at any moment for no apparent reason with no definitive treatment and no cure.
What about working to cook a meal. I don’t cook but I do go out and eat lunch at a restaurant after church. Somebody has to fix it. I am causing that person to work. That has brothered me for a long time.
L
Not a problem after church since “church” isn’t on Shabbat. 🙂
I don’t think you’re supposed to buy a meal, hire a servant, or leave your place (Ex 16:29 specifically) on the Sabbath… Do a study on this, though — prove it to yourself and don’t just take my word for it!
My wife and I first learned about the Sabbath more than 35 years ago. We’re no Hebrew scholars, so, brothers and sisters, correct us if we’re wrong, but we see the first word in the Fourth Commandment is “Remember.” There is a need to somehow differentiate this day from the others in the week. We also note that Yeshua said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a means to an end. Not the end itself. It’s God Who is to be worshipped, not the Sabbath. The Sabbath is like a present, a gift. And what did Yeshua mean when He said His Father is working, and He [Yeshua] is working also? (John 5:17) He said this on the Sabbath.
Sometimes people do indeed reason that since Yeshua is our rest, therefore, He is somehow our “Sabbath,” replacing the weekly Sabbath day. Yeshua is also the living Bread, and the Water of life, but we certainly continue to eat and drink. Yeshua being our Rest does not eliminate our physical need for a weekly time of remembering and resting. And besides, His practice was to keep the Sabbath.
THANK YOU. Great wisdom from many years of practice. How about some specific pointers too?
“The Sabbath is like a present, a gift.”
AMEN!
I would like some specific pointers from Tom Elsinger also, especially since I have visited and fellowshipped within his home and shared in some of his family’s journey of faith and faithfulness through the years. Kate
Shabbat shalom, Skip and Kate! God’s people are on a life-long journey of growing in grace and knowledge. Sabbath-keeping is part of that trip. Human beings are nothing if not creatures of habit, and traditions go a long way toward making the Sabbath a delight. I think each individual and each family has to sort out their lives and schedules and build traditions helpful to them, as guided by God’s Spirit. Over the years, some of our favorite ways of keeping Sabbath have been candlelight suppers in the winter on Friday evenings, calling brethren and distant family members, writing notes to those who need a good word, music–at the piano or on tape–and being outside, walking, hiking.
Now here’s the thing. I used to be one who, if I saw sunset coming (and, man, can that sun go down in a hurry!), I would be nigh unto a panic to hurry up and finish whatever it was I was involved in. (We have an acreage with stock and pastures and big gardens, and there is a lot of work.) Now I just go ahead and finish what I’m doing at a leisurely pace. Better to come to Sabbath in a right frame of mind–thanking God for the job at hand and the strength to do it–than to beat the sun with a sour disposition. And just try to be more organized next time.
God gives us two main reasons to enjoy the gift of His Sabbath. First, the Sabbath is a memorial to the Creator. Second, as Yeshua made plain in His work on the Sabbath, we have a duty to provide freedom and healing. Here are a couple of examples from our own lifestyle:
While I wouldn’t knowingly schedule hay-making on the Sabbath, there have been times when, if the weather is right, and bad weather is in the offing, and the hay is ready to go, I make it. Lives depend on that hay.
And while I wouldn’t plan to butcher our domestic livestock on Sabbath, I do go deer-hunting with my sons on Sabbath. Our children do not participate in any kind of organized religion, and we’re not sure just where they stand in matters of faith. But this much my wife and I do know–all of them have a deep admiration for God’s wilderness, the wonders of the wild. Like Romans says, His invisible attributes are plainly seen. And it’s a righteous thing to be able to share that with them.
Well, those are the “pointers” I could think of at the moment. Anybody else care to share their own?
Thank you Thomas — this helps me ever so much.
We’ve been attending a very small Messianic Congregation for the last 8 years so our practice is to attend Shabbat service on Friday night and then our congregation has Parashah reading and discussion on Shabbat morning. But lately, with the stress of my work and some on-going health issues, I have begun questioning what has become a frenzy of activity as the week ends.
And yet, I feel as if I’m disappointing our congregational leadership (who are my dear friends) when I miss the congregation activities. But I so desire the extended quiet time with the Lord that staying home on Shabbat gives me. There is no conflict with my husband on this, he is the first one to tell me to slow down. 🙂 And I have been in this frenzy of “service” before with my former “Sunday church” — something I don’t intend to be caught up in again, no matter how much I love the people of our congregation.
So thank you, everyone for your comments. I think you have helped me release some anxiety on this Shabbat morning that I stayed home. 🙂
Thank you ever so much.
This is an immensely helpful discussion. My husband and I are farmers and have a garden and livestock too. I can relate to you. There are just the two of us and we sometimes do the work of many!
You don’t by any chance live in Ohio do you?
Shalom
No, my wife and I live in northeast Iowa. Because of multiple chemical sensitivity, I am not able to socialize in public very much, so this online community has been a literal Godsend. I also have come to rely on the telephone as a source of friendship. I don’t know if Skip has a policy regarding posting of telephone numbers, but given my situation, I’m going to go ahead and give our number here–563-252-2093. Anybody who calls, my wife and I ask if we can call right back. It doesn’t cost us, and that way it won’t cost our dear callers either. I would welcome calls from you, Dawn McL, or anybody else from this group.
Or…if email suits you better, here is ours: stillhaveniowa@alpinecom.net
I do know that I’ve seen people on this site occasionally offer their email addresses.
Shalom
“I just go ahead and finish what I’m doing at a leisurely pace. Better to come to Sabbath in a right frame of mind–thanking God for the job at hand and the strength to do it–than to beat the sun with a sour disposition. And just try to be more organized next time.”
This is exactly what I’ve come to learn. We have a little hobby farm + we are self-employed. Nowadays, I start planning for Sabbath on the Sunday before so that I can soak in every single second of the sundown to sundown on that fabulous day! I even leave the curtains open on Friday evening so that I can watch sundown greet me and so that I can say on last “good-bye in thankfulness” on Saturday evening.
Another Day
~ For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust ~ (Psalm 103.14)
Life, in it’s essence is also a “tri-unity.” The trinity of (physical) life is diet, exercise and rest. It is important what we eat, it is important to get some exercise, and it is important to get some rest or shuteye, or sleep or “downtime..”
~ Six days shall you labor..~ Work is ordained by God (who Himself works endlessly, tirelessly on our behalf) and work is a privilege. Abad (in Hebrew) translates “work,worship,love, serve.” Work is sacred. As we live in community, we find painters, pirates, poets, plumbers and politicians- a great diversity of trades and skills and we learn that we are not dependent, but inter-dependent creatures. We need “one another..”
This opens up for us all the “one-another” verses in our Bible and also (hopefully) opens up for us our “dependence” upon God (our Provider) and upon the community in which we now live. I may be a man with skills, but my own skills are limited and no, – I do not know it all, and while I am not limited in my abilities to learn, I am limited by time and resources and training. I need a car mechanic. I need a doctor. I appreciate a good cook.. etc. Thank you God, there are men and women among us with skills! Some have skills to speak, or to write or to play a musical instrument. Some work. Some entertain. Some cook. But all have this one thing in common: WE all need rest!!
Work is… well… “hard work!” ~ by the sweat of your brow.. (Adams) you shall eat your bread! Do YOU have to work for a living? Are you a hard worker? Do you “work out?” We are, beyond any doubt, meant for movement! Get out there and rake and shovel or swing a mop! Work it! The greatest ability in life is what? Ability. To be able. To be able to rake leaves. To be able to fix a computer. To be able to get out of bed. To be able to pray. (What a privilege!!)
And then there is (hallelujah!) rest.. God gives the gift of sleep. Thank you LORD for a good night’s sleep! Thank you God for rest. Yes, TGIF and TGIS and TGISu and TGIM and TGIT and.. ~ this is the day which the LORD has made, -let us rejoice and be glad in it!! ~
So, (Carl) do YOU worship on Sunday or on Saturday? Yes. I do. But also on Monday, and on Tuesday and even on Thursday!! Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! AT ALL TiMES!!
The worship of YHWH is not restricted to a day! Neither is it restricted to a place or a time! We may (all of us may) worship the LORD our God… right NOW! Right now, right here, right in the place (wherever that place may be) where YOU are..
We do not have to wait until we are assembled together in a building, for what is this structure but a giant “sheep shed!” It is a place of (relative) comfort, safety and security where we may meet together (according to Biblical instruction) to worship Him. ~ For where “two or three” (one more than one!) are assembled together, there AM I in the midst of them! ~
We may meet Him together (publicly) or we may meet Him privately. Our Biblical instructions are to ~ pray without ceasing ~ Does this mean we have to wait for a special “day” or a special “place” to pray? No. We may pray to Him at all times and in all places!
We insist (I don’t know why) on dividing ourselves (specifically, the Jews and the Gentiles) by diet and by days. Diet is important, and ~ the life of the flesh is in the blood ~ . What we eat (physically) absolutely affects our blood! Good food will result in good blood which will feed our physical flesh. Thank you God again, for good food and for good blood! Don’t eat “junk!” Spend a little extra, and eat something good! You are what you eat, is not too far removed from reality! Daniel chapter 1 is an example of our “eating that which is good” and by a diet of (mostly) water and vegetables, (yes, mom was right again- eat your veggies!, Daniel and his friends proved themselves ~ fairer and fatter in flesh than their contemporaries who ate the king’s meat and drank his wine. Yes, on this we may all agree.._ eat good food!
It is not our diet that defiles us, but our diet will define us- there is a physical food for our bodies and a spiritual food for our souls! One bumper sticker I wish I still had read: Love Soul Food? Read the Bible!
Rest is so critical, and yet so elusive in this fast paced world in which we live. If only we would take Him at His word when He says, ~ Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest ~ (Matthew 11.28)
Who may come to the LORD Jesus? How many scriptures and how many songs are there with the invitation “come?” ~ ~Come, let us reason together says the LORD.. ~ and the Spirit and the Bride say “come!” Come, every soul, by sin oppressed, there’s mercy with the LORD!
I must confess.. I love old hymns and there has got to be a reason they have stood the test of time! This one, written in 1887 by William Sleeper is one of my (many!) favorites! Perhaps inspired by “Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O LORD?” (Psalm 130:1) Maybe written as a response to His invitation? “Come unto Me?”
Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessèd will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy throne,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
…For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.… (Hebrews 4.8-10)
Resting in my Savior as my “all in all,”
(still) standing on the promises of God.
I do really enjoy and gain from your insights which you post here on Today’s Word, Skip. But I would like to see more concerning these practical day-to-day things like Sabbath, the Feast Days, appearance, relationships etc. (maybe it is all here already; I’ve only been reading for a few months).
I’ve been trying to keep Sabbath for over 10 years now. I started when I was 16 and in high school. At first, I interpreted it to mean avoiding physical exertion, and thus did not participate in any weekend school activities. This was not acceptable at my school (South African schools are different) and I had to face the consequence of an after-school detention once a week as a result. But I was so convicted and passionate about Torah and Sabbath, I didn’t care.
In my early 20’s I began to realise that exercising was relaxing for me and I was less opposed to playing sports with my friends on Saturdays. But then I began to think that this was pursuing my own desires, and I felt guilty for it. Sabbath became a day when I did my best to resist all distractions and pleasures (TV, video games, sport on TV etc.) and focused completely on studying Torah and praying. But then I found myself becoming frustrated some Sabbaths and read the weekly Parashah just to get it over with.
As I entered the workforce, Sabbath started to take on different meaning. I began to see Sabbath rest as being relevant to circumstances. For example, I would spend all week sitting behind a computer, so when Sabbath came, it was my only opportunity to get out into nature and explore (which I love to do). Climbing a mountain was physical exertion, but in relation to what I was doing during the week, it was very relaxing and rejuvenating. I still believe that to be out in Abba YHWH’s unrestrained creation is to be close to Him.
I am now married with the responsibility of a child and running my own business; all of which can be very exhausting. Maintaining a yard and household is also very time consuming. I am struggling more than ever to keep Sabbath, and even after 10 years, I am still battling with the question of how to keep Sabbath correctly.
Even though there are many things I am uncertain of about Sabbath, there are some things I do know for certain.
1. The Sabbath is important and must be treated differently from the other days of the week. At least by refraining from our usual work, and at the very least, trying our best to do so.
2. Fellowship is important on this day, but personal time with the Father is just as important.
3. Torah study is important is important on this day, but prayer, meditation and reflection on Abba’s goodness are as important.
4. YHWH is merciful and understanding. Our desire to keep Sabbath is valued even when we are unable. But we must want to keep Sabbath and we must want to figure out how to do so.
Yeshayahu 58:13-14 – “13 If you do keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My set-apart day, and shall call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ and YHWH’s holy day ‘honourable,’ and shall honour/esteem it, not doing your own ways or speaking your own (idle) words, 14 then you will find your joy in YHWH. And I shall cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and feed you with the inheritance of Ya’aqob your father. For the mouth of YHWH has spoken!”
Hello!
When my husband first started keeping Shabbat, we struggled with so many of the “how’s” and “why’s” and “how come’s?” I remember cooking in my Seattle home, completely sleep deprived from being up with our newborn and wondering how this whole shabbat thing could be a blessing? I journaled that time and will spare you the reading but I share this because I recommend it as a journey share with others along the way. Here’s what I have learned- IT IS A BLESSING! I had to learn a lot and even more to unlearn. And I still am -which is the beauty of walking with a God much bigger than I can create in my own mind’s understanding.
During that same time, we had a bible study in our home, traveling through the book of Exodus one chapter a week. When we got to Exodus 31, I wrestled over the layout of this chapter. God basically reviews all that had He had said about building the mishkan and then right before handing over the two tablets of testimony, He says (in multiples ways) – KEEP THE SABBATH.
WHY WOULD THAT BE THE LAST THING HE SAYS BEFORE HANDING OVER THE TABLETS? This question perplexed me because I know God does everything for a reason.
I was cutting carrots when it struck me. I am not a Hebrew scholar, so PLEASE correct me if I am wrong BUT Keeping the Sabbath is the doorway to all the rest of the commands – its a litmus test that exposes our idols. This has been the truth for me. If I am honest with myself, the arguments I have for why I can’t rest are wrapped up in all of my idols: my cultural way vs God’s way (for example: “my house HAS to be sparkly clean BEFORE I can rest”), self-worship: Shabbat exposed that God is not a slave driver, I AM my own slave driver (my own pharoah), self-pity was another idol… You get the idea. All of the commandments expose our idols but the Sabbath is a constant one. I have never felt angry enough to want to kill someone and if anger is your stumbling block, I hope its temptation doesn’t occur as often as the Sabbath! Point is, if you are grumbling, ask God to show you the fences you’ve built around His fence built to enclose us in safety and give us abundant life.
I started a group on facebook called, “Sh’mamas.” We are a group of ladies from all over who are giving each other tips on how to delight in the Sabbath and God’s feast days, as well. We also just talk to each other about things we find – like this AMAZING WEBSITE! THANK YOU SKIP!!!! If any of you would like to join us, please let me know.
Here’s a quick tip I’ve found really can help – whenever I cook a meal, I try and make twice as much if its a meal that can be frozen. I put the frozen bit in the freezer to be pulled out for shabbat. Another tip is, have a cheese plate set up (takes minutes) and/or a vegetable plate as they make for great snacks. CROCK POTS ARE A BLESSING, as are PASTA SALADS, SOUP… We need to reject the notion that a special moment is created only by fancy fanfare, fine china and such. Friday has now become a day we call TGIFF (THANK GOD ITS FORGIVENESS FRIDAY). Before sundown my husband and I sit and look at each other and ask for forgiveness and offer forgiveness for even little things… we do this with our kids, too. It’s changed our marriage and our community. We sing and dance and play the tambourine on shabbat, we bless each other and our children. We laugh and play with our kids. I don’t have to worry about stopping in the middle of a game or walk to prepare food… and as a mama, I AM BLESSED! It took me a while to see this but God is faithful. Ask our good Papa and He will show you!
Last tip – my sister in law keeps shabbat with her family (she has 7 kids and is pregnant with #8 – and she homeschools them all) – she makes cinnamon rolls the night before… they are just as tasty cold as they are hot and steamy 😉
THANK YOU for the wonderful, personal assistance. I hope everyone reads it.
Are you still in Seattle?
Thanks to shabbat (not kidding) we left the city and became farmers on Camano Island, a little over an hour north of Seattle. I never imagined how listening to (obeying) God’s desire for us to rest would transform our lives. In less than 3 years, we went from city-dwelling-running-at-the-speed-of-light human racers to human “beings.” Yes. We farm. We tend sheep, goats, bees, garden, etc. We need less entertainment the world has to offer and long for more time to study. We spend less money and have so many fulfilling relationships. I suppose I bring this up because the one thing I forgot to mention in my above post was our mindset shift. If we focus on what we “can’t do,” we miss “THE Who.” We must not forget WHO is asking us and if you remember the WHO, you won’t be disappointed. We have fallen in love and when you’re in love, you can’t help but want to dress the way that person wants you to dress, or speak the way they want you to speak, or stop when they ask you just to stop (and smell the roses!). It becomes less of a game of “what can I get away with to keep the law” and more of, “you asked me to jump? How high?” It is not about getting it right, its about learning to dance and letting YHVH lead! We are ever learning and unlearning – its awesome!
Skip – I saw that WA is your old stomping grounds. If you and your family are ever around, we would love to host you for shabbat or have you come and speak with our small but alive bible study, or just hang out as family in Messiah 🙂 SHALOM!
Thanks Amanda for sharing so much. I find it extremely encouraging. I do not do any social networks so cannot participate in the FB page you mentioned. Do you have a blog by chance? I am past childbearing years and have one grown daughter but that doesn’t mean that I can’t find encouragement in what you have shared!
I have really enjoyed your past contributions to this blog a lot. You are one that I always look forward to reading!
We have much to learn about examining our selves and the fences we have created. They do get in the way of THE WHO in many instances. Sabbath is one that is front and center for me these days and I am learning to first remember to observe it and then put feet to that and do it! It IS a blessing.
I am on the opposite end of the country but it is pretty neat how values can be so similar even with great distance in between. We as Americans are very blessed in material things but this can be a great curse as well. I am sure you can relate.
So you have evolved into farmers?! We are farmers too although lifelong. It is a way of life that I feel makes one much more aware of the connection to the land and for me-God.
Hope your new life style is agreeing with you. We sure need more folks with that connection to the land. Agri-business is a very bad wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Shalom sister.
Hi Dawn 🙂
Oh I am so glad that sharing what God has done in our lives has brought some encouragement to you. We all need each other on this journey. I’ve been looking for an alternative location for our sh’mamas ladies to meet and will keep you posted. On the farming end.. my husband and I went to visit Paul Gautschi’s garden after watching his documentary called, “Back to Eden.” He has believers from all over the world come to tour his gardens. They truly testify that God’s ways are the best and least burdensome. While visiting with him, he told us that about 90% of the hundreds of people who come to his garden are Shabbat keepers. We found this curious!
I will be praying for you and your family – is there a way to get one another’s email on this website? Happy Farming! Happy Living! – Amanda
You can email me at dawnlaugh at frontier.com
We have that video; Back to Eden. It has its pros and cons. Paul seems like a very peaceful man and his gardens are pretty amazing.
For us, we can not use his methods for certain veggies like sweet corn and potatoes.
I really believe that keeping closer touch with the land is a big deal. It was a mostly agrarian culture back in early times. People had more respect for the land and now we have this thing called Agri-Business. It is a marketing creation and has not worked out to well for the land or for much connection to it.
It is cold here so no gardening right now. I like the change in seasons though. I have rest now and find myself looking forward to all the work of spring and summer! 🙂
Shalom
And this is where hoi Ioudoaoi, “the Jews”, got tripped up, as they construed the former-paralytic-now-healed-by-Yeshua to be ‘working’ while carrying his mat, thereby breaking the Shabbat (John 5:10). Now here’s where the text gets interesting. Once Yeshua found the now-healed man at the temple, the man was able to identify his Healer to “the Jews” (5:14-15). For “this” (touto—singular) reason “the Jews” persecuted Yeshua—because “these” (tauta—plural) [things] He “was doing” (poieō) on the Shabbat (5:16). Does the plural include Yeshua’s healing of the man?
The verb poieō has a range of meanings: do, make/produce, create, work. It is used quite a bit in the NT, a number of times in the infinitive with a noun or adjective (to do good, e.g.). John 2:11 evidences Yeshua’s “first doing” (epoiēsen archēn) of a “sign” (sēmeiōn). In fact every time sēmeiōn (sign) is used in John’s Gospel, it is coupled with poieō with one exception (“saw the sign” in 6:26). [I state this because John could have used the verb sēmainō (as a participle, as in “signifying”) instead; however, he reserves that verb strictly for Yeshua’s indication that He would be ‘lifted up’ on the Cross (12:33, 18:32)—the ultimate “sign”—as well as the method by which Peter would be killed (21:19).]
In His response to “the Jews”, Yeshua uses a different verb, ergazomai, which has a much narrower definition, meaning (BDAG): to engage in activity that involves effort, work; or, to carry out, do something through work. “My Father until now is working, and I am working” (5:17).
This incensed “the Jews”, who became even more zealous to kill Him, not ‘just’ because Yeshua was ‘breaking the Shabbat’, but especially that He was calling God His own Father, “making (poiōn) Himself equal to God”.
Yeshua responds by claiming the suprahuman ability to actually SEE the Father (and hear in verse 30), and to DO what He sees His Father doing: “…The Son by Himself can do (poiein) nothing unless He sees the Father doing (poiounta) it; for whatever the Father does (poiȩ̄), this the Son likewise does (poiei).” This is repeated in 5:30: “I am unable to do by myself”. Yeshua was also given authority “to make/do (poiein) judgment” (5:27) such that those who had done (poiēsantes) good will rise to life (5:29).
Yet Yeshua states that the Father will show Him (5:20) even greater erga (“works”)—the noun form (ergon) of the verb used in 5:17—such that they would be awe-struck, (thaumazēte, from thaumazō—see Sept 15, 2017 TW). These erga include: making/keeping alive (zōe + poieō: zō̧opoiei) to whom He wills (21), all judgment (22, 27, 30) in the form of eternal life in the then-present (24-25), and judgment at the eschaton/end of all things (28), to include those rising to life (zōes) and those rising to condemnation (29).
What does this all mean? Raymond Brown comments on this passage (The Gospel According to John I-XII, The Anchor Yale Bible; [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1974]):
Following is the verbiage from Rabbi Johanan in the Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anith 2a: (halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Taanith dot pdf)
Continuing in Brown:
Ergon is usually coupled with poieō (to do the work/s), with some of these referring to previously mentioned “signs”. By and large erga is used of the ‘work’ Jesus must do in His earthly mission, with the exception of a few verses: ones which speak of “evil works” (3:19, 3:20), the works Abraham did (8:39), and “You are doing the works of your father [the devil]” (8:40).
Some notable usages:
3:21: ta erga hoti en theō̧ estin eirgasmena
“The works that s/he who is in God has been working”
6:28: ti poiōmen hina ergazōmetha ta erga tou theou
“What should we do so that we would ‘work’ the works of God?”
Their idea was that they had to ‘work’ for it. In response, Yeshua responds (6:29): “This is the work of God: That you believe in the One He sent.”
9:4: “it is necessary to ‘work’ the ‘works’ (ergazesthai ta erga) of Him who sent Me.”