The Significance of the Sabbath (Shabbatt)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2. Importance of the Sabbath to Israel
6. Sabbath and the early Church
Gen
1 - ch2 v 4
The
Sabbath was a special day to the Lord right from creation.
Exodus
35 v 1 - 3
It
was a special sign, like circumcsion separating God's people.
For
generations it has played its part as a core part of Jewish worship, community
and identity.
Not
keeping the Sabbath was one of the key causes of Israel going into captivity:
Jer 17 v 19-27
2CHR 36 v 1 - 21
The
'Sabbath' of the land from disobedience.
The
Lord had His Sabbaths
It
was important to re-establish the Shabbat on the return of the exile :
Neh 10 v 28-31;
Neh 13v16-22
The
fourth commandment is the keeping of God's special day. The seventh day is the
day of rest. It was a special sign,
like circumcision separating God's people.
It
was a time to remember and rejoice in their freedom.
For
generations it has played its part as a core part of Jewish worship, community
and identity.
The
keeping of Shabbatt was key in both the
exile and restoration of the Jews.
LEV 26
Sabbath
Day One day in seven to rest and
worship
Sabbath
Year (every seventh year)
Sabbath
of Sabbaths (every 50th year)
The
'Sabbath'of the land from disobedience: 2CHR 36 v 1 - 21
Psalm
92 (see intro)
Sabbath
day was for famiiles and communities to rest and draw near to God and His word.
Isa
56 v 1-8
Isa
58 v 1 - 14 Sabbath in
restoration/revival
Isa
66 v 8 - 24 Keeping of Sabbath will be
part of the restored kingdom
Eze
46 v 1 - 3
By
the time of Jesus (as today) the spirit of the Shabbat had been marred by all
the legalistic practices and traditions that had added to its meaning, and took
away its true liberty.
In
fact there is very little said in Scripture (The Torah) about how Shabbat
should be kept, but only establishing the principle of complete rest on that
day, and it importance in reverence for the Lord and the freedom that he has
given them.
This
is part of the problem with religion and works:
ROM
9 v 30-33
MARK 7v9
This
is also reflected in Isaiah:
ISA 1 v 13 - 20.
So religious outward observance, without the love for Him is not keeping the Sabbath nor the Law.
It is the letter without the Spirit!
Healing
on the Sabbath:
Mark 2 v 18 - 28; Ch 3 v 1-1 (story
repeated in Matt )
Luke 13 v 10 - 17 : The
woman with a spirit of infirmity
John 5 v 5-24 :
Healing of the
lame man and the following discourse
John
7 v 22-23 If you circumcise on the Sabbath so should you heal !
It
is worthwhile remembering that the Gentile Church has over generations come up
with its own religious practices by tradition and not from the Word of God.
So we cannot point a finger at Judaism with regard to legalism and tradition
without considering our own position.
There
is evidence that the early (Jewish)
church kept Shabbat well into the 4th Century.
Many
remained as devout Jews (some may have been Essenes).
Disciples
used the Shabbat to teach in the synagogues.
In
fact the essential issue of the day was what to do with the Gentile believers
and the whole issue of circumcision!
Acts 15 v 1 - 29
This
has similarities to B’nai Noach which in Jewish law accepts non-Jews as
believers.
Increasing
Gentile influence in the Church and rising anti-Semitism eventually caused the
movement to Sunday, as well as the replacement of the other Jewish feasts, with
dates often having pagan associations, such as Christmas.
For
example the Council of Nicea (325AD) quotes:
"The Old Law is
surpassed by the Gospel; the synagogue is no longer a sacred place ....
circumcision is replaced by baptism ... Jewish Easter of 14 Nisan is realised
in the Easter of Resurrection... the old Israel is now the Church and the
source of salvation are the sacraments."
The
tables had seem to be turned !.
Isa
66 v 8 - 24 Keeping of Sabbath will be
part of the restored kingdom.
Note
that this will be for all nations. SO here we do see that it is a
rule both for Jews and Gentiles.
Eze
46 v 1 - 3 The temple open for the Prince to offer thanksgiving and for worship
But
note that at the end of time there is
no need for a temple (and presumably Sabbath) as the work is truly complete and
we abide continually in the presence of God.
We
also saw that The Lord has keeping of the Shabbat in the millennial kingdom,
and this will be for all nations!
So it is on His heart!
Keeping of Shabbatt did not form part of the requirements for Gentiles as laid out in the first council in Jerusalem.
Acts 15 v 28-29
28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:
29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
Col 2v 6-CH3 v 4 Paul’s warning to those being
pressurised to be circumcised
(remember
that we have since created our own special days, events and icons !)
There are many discussions
and controversies over Shabbat and Sundays, but in either way the importance is
the principle of what Sabbath tells us.
What
is important is that we honour the Lord in all that we do, and trust (rest) in
Him, and do all to the Glory of God
Do not despise others who
want to keep Shabbat. We should keep to the principles laid out in Romans 14 - ch 15v6
Jewish
Believers
We
should join in and support Messianic believers who hold good a tradition and in
the words of Jesus .... as often as you do it do it unto me.
We
should not expect Messianic believers to become Gentiles, any more than they
are to expect Gentiles to become Jewish.
This was the essence of the early Church.
What
is good, particularly at this time in history is to really support them in
love, and that may mean acknowledging and even participating in Shabbat and the
biblical festivals.
Friday/Saturday
or Sunday
Sunday
has become the traditional day of rest or 'the Lord's day' in the Gentile
Church. This not the same as Shabbat,
but has the same principle.
The
move to Sunday did start when many believers met together on this day (may be
because Shabbat was still celebrated). It became official as part of the
distancing of the church from its Jewish connections, especially after Bar
Kochba revolt (AD135), and the Byzantine period. In some respects it has been
the result of anti-Semitism. After a
while it actually became illegal for any Christian to celebrate Jewish feasts !
But the Law is In us:
Jeremiah
31 v 31 - 34
31 "Behold,
the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
32 "not according to the covenant that I
made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband
to them, says the LORD.
33 "But this is the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My
law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and
they shall be My people.
34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will
forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
As those grafted in we should
have the Shabbatt rest in our lives.
The Yoke of Jesus
The
Lord wants freedom for His people
LEV 26 v 13
ISA 58 v 6
Matt 11 v 27-30
Jesus
has taken away the burden and condemnation that comes from the law, but as we
take up His yoke
Gal
5 v1
This
also means not taking the other yokes, such as ‘Performance Orientated Faith’.
The enemy and our flesh can be very subtle and we can claim to not be under
Law, but yet we are not truly under Grace either!
We
may not be required to keep the rite of Sabbath, but as new creations under a
New Covenant we keep the law from the inside out (Jer
Our
'Shabbat' includes:
Sanctifying the Lord in our hearts
Entering into His rest, ceasing from
our own works
Worship and delighting in Him
(making melody in your heart (EPH 5 v 18-20)
Thanksgiving for the Freedom we have
in Christ
Meditating in His Word
Trust
Acknowledging every good thing we
have in Christ (Philemon)
HEB
4 v 1 – 11 Enter into His rest
JOHN
15 v 1 - 12 Abiding in Him
Enter
into your rest and trust in the Lord can be a battle,(endeavour/be diligent to
enter .....)
Shabbat
requires the 'sacrifice of rest' and learning to trust completely in Jesus ..
even (and especially) for our righteousness
PHIL
3 v 8/9:
......
that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my
own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which is from God by faith;
PSA91
v 1-4
Resting and trusting in the Lord
Sabbath
(Shabbat) is important to the Lord.
For
the Jew it is a key part of sanctifying the Lord, and giving Him the time due
to Him.
It
also requires:
Trust in His provision
Be sacrificial as a devotion to Him
Resting
For
us remember:
1. Sanctify the Lord in your hearts
God
is Holy, but we also need to make Him holy in our lives.
2. The importance of finding time to
rest in Him and to worship Him. To sit at His feet.
(remember
Martha and Mary).
Luke19v
38-42 ...... Sitting at the feet of
Jesus
ISA
40 v 28-31 Those that wait upon the
Lord shall renew their strength
PSA
1
PSA
27 v 4-6
PSA
62 v 5-8
If
we take the Shabbat principle then a seventh of our time should be taken up
with being 'at His feet' ...though we
are not under Law.
We
must worship in Spirit and in Truth so what is really important here is the
Spirit of Shabbat that gives life.
Should
we keep the Sabbath? Yes
In the way we live our lives
In ensuring we make time to come aside
to HIM
To support and keep the Sabbath with
our Jewish believers where there is opportunity
If you are so led do it as a love and
sincere reverence to the Lord.
Rev 21/22: This is our place of rest when all things are completed !