YHWH's SABBATH DAY
The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word "Shabbat" and literally means "to rest". It is a fact that the Sabbath (commonly called saturday) is the 7th day of the week.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2:2 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.
2:3 And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Elohim created and made.
The second chapter of Genesis is where YHWH first blessed the seventh day Sabbath and set it apart. The fourth of the ten commandments deals with the seventh day weekly Sabbath...
Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it set-apart.
20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
20:10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of YHWH thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
20:11 For in six days YHWH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YHWH blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
This same command is found (using slightly different wording) in Deuteronomy 5:13-15. In the book of Yermeyahu (Jeremiah), it expounds on the idea of resting on YHWH's Sabbath Day...
Jeremiah 17:21 Thus saith YHWH,
"Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
17:22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
17:23 "But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
17:24 "And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me," saith YHWH,
"to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work therein;
17:25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain forever.
17:26 "And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of YHWH.
17:27 "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."
It is a fact that YHWH does not get tired, as it says in Isaiah 40:28...
Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting Elohim, YHWH, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
So, since YHWH does not get tired, why did He rest?
Exodus 31:12 And YHWH
spake unto Moses, saying,
31:13 "Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying,
'Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am YHWH that doth set you apart.
31:14 Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is set-apart unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, set-apart to YHWH: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days YHWH made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.'
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The seventh day Sabbath is also what is called a "set-apart gathering." In Hebrew it is "Mikra Kodesh" and it is a commanded gathering; in other words, YHWH's people are commanded to gather together, on the Sabbath Day, to praise and worship him. The weekly Sabbath is also the first of YHWH's feast days...
Leviticus 23:1 And
YHWH spake unto Moses, saying,
23:2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of YHWH, which ye shall proclaim to be set-apart convocations, even these are my feasts.
23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an set-apart convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of YHWH in all your dwellings."
Our attitude toward YHWH's Sabbath: we are to call the Sabbath a delight...
Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my set-apart day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the set-apart of YHWH, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own
pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in YHWH; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of YHWH hath spoken it.
We can either be obedient or rebellious concerning YHWH's Sabbath Day. If we are rebellious...
Ezekiel 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am YHWH that sets them apart.
20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my Sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
20:14 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
20:15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;
20:16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
20:17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
20:18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
20:19 I am YHWH your Elohim; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
20:20 And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am YHWH your Elohim.
20:21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my Sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
20:22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
20:23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
20:24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
The consequences for being rebellious is a curse, but if we are obedient...
Isaiah 56:1 Thus saith YHWH, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
56:3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to YHWH, speak, saying, YHWH hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
56:4 For thus saith YHWH unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
56:5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
56:6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to YHWH, to serve him, and to love the name of YHWH, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
56:7 Even them will I bring to my set-apart mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
We can see that if we are obedient to YHWH's command concerning his Sabbath Day, that we will be blessed. At least that is what it says in the old testament. Most of churchianity today claims that the seventh day Sabbath has been replaced by the first day Sabbath. But what is their excuse? Yahushua plainly says in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, he came, rather, to perform them. Churchianity claims that they observe the first day of the week because that is the day that the saviour arose from the dead (but that has also been disproven).
The scriptural fact is that Yahushua arose after 3 days and 3 nights, and it was before the first day of the week! We still have the seventh day Sabbath today!...
Hebrews 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And Elohim did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Hebrews 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of Elohim.
4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as YHWH did from his.
4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Concerning the seventh day Sabbath, there are those who go to the extreme in the opposite direction...
Mark 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
3:2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3:3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, "Stand forth."
3:4 And he saith unto them, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?" But they held their peace.
3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man,
"Stretch forth thine hand." And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
3:6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
Is the Sabbath a burden?...
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them,
"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
2:28 Therefore the Son of man is master also of the Sabbath."
Let's remember the definition of sin...
1John 3:4 Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.
We are expected to keep the whole law...
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For the last scripture, let us look at a prophesy concerning the Sabbath in the Millennium (the thousand year kingdom)...
Isaiah 66:22
"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me," saith YHWH,
"so shall your seed and your name remain.
66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me," saith YHWH.
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