Sabbath: What is the Meaning?

There seems to be something about the Sabbath day that men try to set aside. They go to great lengths to justify themselves and their traditions. They even try to believe that the Jews are responsible for the tradition of the Sabbath days. A little study of the scriptures will show the Jews have nothing to do with the authority of the Sabbath. The author is using The Scriptures published by Institute For Scripture Research. This translation does not translate the proper nouns. It uses the rule of transliteration to preserve the hebrew sounds. You can use the King James Version and the Strong's Concordance to verify the proper names.

Gen. 2. 1 - 4
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their array. 2 And on the seventh day Elohim completed his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart, because on it he rested from all his work, which Elohim in creating had made. 4 These are the births of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh Elohim made the earth and heavens.

This Scripture shows that the Sabbath is a creation of Yahweh and not of any man or group of people. They have no authority of the Sabbath as a traditional holiday.

The Torah (Law) is the instruction of Yahweh to his people. Let us observe…. Exo. 20. 8-11 8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart. 9 "Six days you labor, and shall do all your work, 10 "but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Yahweh your Elohim. You do not do any work--you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 "For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart. Yahweh had a purpose in mind when he instructed man to observe the seventh day.

First it was his way of identifying with man. Exo. 31. 12-17 12 And Yahweh spoke to Mosheh, saying, 13 "And you, speak to the children of Yisra'el, saying, My Sabbaths you are to guard, by all means, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, to know that I, Yahweh, am setting you apart. 14 'And you shall guard the Sabbath, for it is set-apart to you. Everyone who profanes it shall certainly be put to death, for anyone who does work on it, that being shall be cut off from among his people. 15 'Six days work is done, and on the seventh is a Sabbath of rest, set-apart to Yahweh. Everyone doing work on the Sabbath day shall certainly be put to death. 16 'And the children of Yisra'el shall guard the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. 17 'Between me and the children of Yisra'el it is a sign forever. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.' "

Second it is his way of creating his righteousness in you. The Sabbath day sets you apart from the rest of the world. Keeping the Sabbath is a test commandment to see if we are going to obey Yahweh or not. Read the Sabbath Covenant in Exo. 31.16 'And the children of Yisra'el shall guard the Sabbath throughout their generations as an ever- lasting covenant. 17 'Between me and the children of Yisra'el it is a sign forever. For in six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.' "

The only sign of YHWH setting us apart, the only sign of the everlasting covenant, is
his Sabbaths, one of them being the seventh day Sabbath. Read Eze. 20. 11 "And I gave them my laws and showed them my right-rulings, 'which, if a man does, he shall live by them.' 12 "And I also give them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and me, to know that I am YHWH who sets them apart.

There is a hint of wisdom in this verse, if a man will see it, that is you do not have to live by it. You will live if you truly try to live by the command and understand it. Did you see what he is trying to show you? Verse 11, 'and showed them my right-rulings.'

The children of Yisra'el failed YHWH and themselves because they rejected his right-rulings, they did not walk in his laws, and they profaned his Sabbaths. For their heart went after their idols. Is it any different to day? Has our society not turned to their idols, and seek their pleasure?

His promise is still true, he did not destroy Yisra'el in the wilderness. He did not make an end of them, and he has not made an end of us to day. He has an out stretched hand to lead us into his truth. His message is the same. His son is the fulfilling of that message. His death did not abolish his laws and right-rulings, only he paid the debt for sin. He did not make a way for us to keep on sinning. Do you see that wisdom?

He has given us his way to life. Remember he told the young man who asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. He said, 'keep the commandments.' Mark 10.17 Why is it so hard for men today to see that? Eze. 20. 19 'I am YHWH your Elohim. Walk in my laws, and guard my right-rulings, and do them. 20 'And set apart my Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between you, and me to know that I am YHWH your Elohim.

Then we find in the Renewed Covenant Scriptures (New Testament) the admonition to obey the commandments. Heb. 3.14 For we have become partakers of Messiah, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, "Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." --- 18 And to whom did swear that they would not enter into his rest, but to those that believed not? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter in because of unbelief. Notice how subtle that unbelief enters into a man's heart as he tries to justify himself by accepting the traditions and teachings that substitute the truth.

Messiah did not give us rest at this time. That will come later. Right now he is still testing us to see if we will obey him or will we follow the world. There is still a promise of that rest. Heb. 4.1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering in to his rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the Good News was brought to us as well as them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not having been mixed with belief in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter in to that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest…" and yet his works have come into being from the foundation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has said thus about the seventh day, "And Elohim rested on the seventh day from all his works," 5 and in this again, "If they shall enter into my rest…" 6 Since then it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly received the Good News did not enter in because of disobedience,
(Can you not see he is nurturing this generation along by these promises? This is the test that the world is failing. Messiah desires to create his righteousness in you simply by obedience to his word.)
7 He again defines a certain day, "Today," saying through Dawid so much later, as it has been said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Yehoshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath-keeping for the people of Elohim. 10 For the one, having entered into his rest, has himself also rested from his works, as Elohim rested from his own. 11 Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. A note to think about. Obedience is the fruit of belief, and disobedience proves that such an one does not truly believe.

The rest we have now is found in keeping his Sabbaths. Isa. 56. 1 Thus said YHWH, "Guard right-ruling, and do righteousness, for near is my deliverance to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. 2 "Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it, guarding the Sabbath lest he profane it, and guarding his hand from doing any evil. 3 " And let not the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to YHWH speak, saying, YHWH has certainly separated me from his people,' nor let the eunuch say, 'Look I am a dry tree.' " 4 For thus said YHWH, "To the eunuchs who guard my Sabbaths, and have chosen what pleases me, and hold fast my covenant: 5 to them I shall give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better that that of sons and daughters - I give them an everlasting name that is not cut off.

This study is designed to inspire you to do an in-depth reading of the scriptures on the subject of the Sabbaths of YHWH. Remember that the Sabbaths do not belong to the Jews. They are required to keep them and so is everyone else. If we are to please YHWH, we are going to have to listen to his words. YHWH is not impartial with his law. Exo. 12. 49 "There is one Torah for the native-born and the stranger who sojourns among you."

Let us finish with Isa. 58. 13 "If you do turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my set-apart day, and shall call the Sabbath 'a delight,' the Set-apart day of YHWH 'esteemed,' and shall esteem it, not doing your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words. 14 then you shall delight yourself 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!"

You are cordially invited to attend a service on the Sabbath. You will learn how the Sabbath reveals the salvation plan of YHWH.