Sabbath

The Sabbath ("Shabbat" in Hebrew) is the 7th day of the week set apart by YHVH (God) for His people to rest and focus on Him fully without the cares of daily life encroaching upon it. It is special date, made by our Creator for our benefit. It is such a beautiful thing for those who embrace it. I have collected resources below to share with you about what the Scripture says along with the history of church and how it we have branched into so many different ideas about it.  We are purposefully providing resources that are not affiliated with others believers in our circles, so that we are not mistakenly associated with any other denomination of "groups" teachings.  Rather we want to offer unbiased resources that show facts.  There is much more to be retrieved if one hunts, however we are trying to keep it within a reasonable length.   

What does Scripture say about Sabbath? *
^{(In the 10 Commandments)  Exodus 20:8} “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

^{Exodus 31:12} And the Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. ¹⁴ You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. ¹⁶ Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. ¹⁷ It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’"

Read this next one very carefully.  If you have been taught the Sabbath is "only for the Jews" or that is has been done away with:

Isaiah 56

Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
    and my righteousness be revealed.
² Blessed is the man who does this,
    and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
    and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

³ Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
    “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
⁴ For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose the things that please me
    and hold fast my covenant,
⁵ I will give in my house and within my walls
    a monument and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
    that shall not be cut off.

⁶ “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
    and holds fast my covenant—
⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain,
    and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
    for all peoples.”
⁸ The Lord God,
    who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
    besides those already gathered.”

 Luke reminds us that Jesus was indeed Jewish and did not only keep the Sabbath, but went to Synagogue on a weekly basis.  

^{Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.} 

There was a dispute among Paul and the earliest apostles about how former gentile (non Jewish) believers in Messiah should behave, and to what standard should they be held.   This dispute arose nearly 2 decades AFTER Messiah's earthly ministry.   The conclusion was that since the Law of Moses (The Torah) was being taught in a methodical way at every synagogue in the world, the new followers would learn the standard bit by bit as they kept the Sabbath and studied the Scriptures.   There was no need to force them to live to the highest standard immediately in order to prove or earn  their salvation, nor should men act radically religious to appease MAN's outward religious standards.  

^{Acts 15:19} Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, ²⁰ but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

For those of us who were taught that Paul preached against the Sabbath or any other part of the Law of Moses, they accused him of that in his own day!  But here is his own defense of that accusation:

^{Acts 25:6} After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷ When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove. ⁸ Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” ⁹ But Festus,wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” ¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. ¹¹ If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

Any of the advice that Paul gave to the early Church in his epistles that SEEMS to be preaching against the Law of God (including the Sabbath) must be re-examined since Paul is clearly denying the  claims of his detractors (both of his day and OURS).

^{What does Jesus (Yeshua) say about Sabbath?
Matthew 12:6 (Yeshua/Jesus said)}  I tell you,something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.⁸ For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

^{Matthew 12:9 (Yeshua/Jesus said)} He went on from there and entered their synagogue.¹⁰ And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. ¹¹ He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then he said to the man,“Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

If you are not aware of this, there were many religious (man-made) laws applied to Sabbath (and other parts of the Scriptures) that Jesus spoke very strongly against.  The religious leaders were trying to trap him in breaking one of these man made laws, so they could find fault in Him according to THEIR rules/ways.  This is what is happening in both of these instances above in Matthew 12.  While Jesus may have been doing things THEY didn't like..he was still obedient respectful and upholding the righteous Law of God (with little concern for the rules of man).  If you have been taught that The Old Testament doesn't apply today and that the Law is done away with, please consider the words or our Savior.  We need to understand the difference.

^{Matthew 5:17 (Yeshua/Jesus said)} “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Below, Yeshua tells us of a future event, in the end of days, that still has not yet happened.  He mentions the Sabbath's relevance and also false prophets and false messiahs and other warnings.  If the Sabbath is done away with, why would Yeshua mention it as important in the end of days?  It is worth praying about isn't it?

^{Matthew 24:15 (Yeshua/Jesus said)} “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house,¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

What do the Catholic and Protestant Churches say about Sabbath?  
While the actual scriptures are very clear and consistent regarding the Sabbath, the historical thread of MAN's changes to GOD's command is very chaotic.  Once a believer gives any human the power to override law or invent new ones, we are suddenly on the slippery slope the church remains on today!   Here are some of the most dramatic declarations from the Catholic church that Protestants rarely protest.   

Constantine 321 AD:  "On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.^"

Council of Laodicea (Canon 29)  AD 364

"CHRISTIANS must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ."  Read the entire Canon here:  http://reluctant-messenger.com/council-of-laodicea.htm

Cardinal Gibbons affirmed Sunday Sabbath as a sign of the Roman Catholic Church's sufficiency as guide:

Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe, nor do they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice. Not to mention other examples, is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify. —Faith of Our Fathers, Cardinal Gibbons, p. 72

What is "The Lord's Day" or "The Day of the Lord" according to Catholic and Protestant Churches?

Here are some informative historical links that quote and explain.  History speaks for itself.  Instead of asking pastors defend their position - let history reveal it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord's_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday

What is "The Lord's Day" or Day of the Lord according to The Bible?
Here are great summaries that can get you started:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Lord

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remember_the_Sabbath_and_keep_it_holy


Is it idolatrous to NOT keep the Sabbath?
This struggle to understand the Sabbath, more specifically the struggle to choose between our own desires, traditions, and ways, and HIS desires for us and HIS ways is a normal part of being a follower of Messiah and a worshipper of the Father.  So often we think idolatry is simply praying to statues...but it is so much more than that.  It applies to anything we put before God's ways.  How can we behave like called-out, set-apart, Holy, and otherwise "peculiar" people if we are simply following the masses?   Here is Joshua's admonition to the earliest "church", our Israelite forefathers.   

Joshua 24: 14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” 19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

If you are like I was, you may say,  "That is not ME, I do not serve other Gods!  I serve, love and know Jesus!"  Please consider this:  The Scripture tells us very plainly one thing about the Sabbath - but the churches many of us attend and tithe to and serve in, are preaching and teaching another thing that is contrary to The Word of God.  They do this by bending The Word here and there, not because they intend to deceive you personally or because they are intentionally wicked.  Rather, we believe your pastors love and want to serve you.  We use to be in leadership in the church leading people in what we thought was the Gospel, but later realized it was the apologetic of our (non-denominational) church. Like we did, they are just teaching you what THEY were taught.  Their eyes have been been colored by the theology of their fore-fathers and seminaries, so it goes on.  This continues from generation to generation - until it gets so ingrained in us that we don't even question it when we come across the contradiction in our very own Bibles.  We want to say we have a strong heart for pastors and church leadership and the responsibility they bear!!!!  We have many friends who were pastors who have come to the truth and we personally know and love other pastors/leadership/missionaries who have not yet.  These people are have committed their lives to Jesus more than most....we share their passion and commitment.  

^{Deuteronomy 12:29} “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, ³⁰ take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ ³¹ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. ³²  “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

IF this is you, please pray...pray that nothing but the truth be IN you and that you may worship Him fully.  IF you ARE His child, bought for a price by Our Savior's Blood and you are willing to submit all you are and all you have ever known that could be false..and lay it down for the truth;  He will make it known clearly to you..without a doubt..that what we have shared with you today is true and of Him.

We want to leave you with Jesus/Yeshua's words of rebuke against the religious leaders of His day - we believe very firmly that this word is for ANY church or collection of people that have "modified" The commands of the Father.  Even Yeshua declared that He did/would not!

Traditions and Commandments

Mark 7 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, ² they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly,holding to the tradition of the elders, ⁴ and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) ⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶ And he said to them,“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹ And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and,‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— ¹² then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, ¹³ thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

May we all walk more richly in lives of honest Worship to your Father and King!

In The Name of Yeshua Ha Moshiach (Jesus The Christ),
Ben and Pamela

* There are many more Scriptures about the Sabbath!  We tried to choose a few that were pretty straight forward commands from the Father.  For a comprehensive study on the The Sabbath, we would encourage you to search the word "Sabbath" in a free keyword search in www.BibleGateway.com or other Bible program.  Or you could use the Naves Topical Bible or other similar resource to help find all the Scripture on the Sabbath.  The Feast Days are also called Sabbaths..but that is another topic for another day.

HERE IS A POST ABOUT OUR TESTIMONY REGARDING OUR PROTESTANT CHURCH AND SUNDAY "SABBATH"