Shabbat
SHABBAT IS A COMMAND
“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, …” (Is 56:2 KJV)
We must not neglect the keeping of the Shabbat, it is one of the Ten Commandments of our God and is therefore likewise valid, as in, “You shall not kill” or “You shall honour Father and Mother”. In the Bible, in the Decalogue, we read about the two aspects of the Shabbat commandment: “Zachor” and “Shamor” – REMEMBER and KEEP.
A.) In Exodus 20:8 (at Mount Sinai): “Remember (Zachor) the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
B.) In Exodus 5:12 (in Moses farewell speech): “Keep (Shamor) the sabbath day to sanctify it, …”
The Jewish Sages explain the two formulas “Zachor” and “Shamor”, remember and keep, in such a way:
“Remember” stands for “remember, to do all, what was commended to you”. That means, this are the Do-Commands - we are supposed to do something.
“Keep” stands for “Keep from doing this and that”. In other words, a Do-Not-Command, thus forbidden on Shabbat.
We shall “remember – zachor”: What should man remember on Shabbat? The Creation and the Creator! There are 39 times 39 Commandments and Prohibitions of the Shabbat, that means God has instituted the Shabbat and He means it very serious.
God speaks about a punishment, for those, who do not keep the Shabbat: In Exodus 31:14, 15 it tells us: “Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, …. shall be cut off from among his people.” Yes, everyone “whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.” Even though Jesus took the Curse of death (of the Thora) onto Himself, God means it very serious with His Word and with the commandment of the Shabbat! See the story about the desecration of Shabbat Numbers 15:32-41.
SANCTIFIED BY GOD AND MEN, THEREFORE CALLED “SHABBAT-KODESH”
The people of Israel sinned and did not always follow the Shabbat commandment of their God: “Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.” So we read it in Ezekiel 22:8 (also in 20:13 + 16). The Hebrew word, which is used in the Bible for the Shabbat desecration, is Chilel and it comes from the word Chol, and that means ‘profane’ or ‘every other day’ (Yom Chol). That means, Israel was rebuked, because they had made the Shabbat to be a profane, a common day matter.
We see also, that there is no blessing on any work done on Shabbat – again, except saving life‘s physically or spiritually, because that is doing mercy (to that our Lord commands us too). God gets His unobserved broken holy Shabbats back through sickness or economic crisis, - so He did with the people of Israel! A second clear Command, which is not much known, is the ban, to light on Shabbat a fire. In Exodus 35:3 (KJV) ye shall kindle NO FIRE throughout your habitations (e.g. in Israel as also in the Diaspora) upon the sabbath day.” – this is an eternal law - CHOK OLAM!
SHABBAT AS A SIGN FOR ETERNITY
Even if many in the world and also in Israel don’t keep the Shabbat, I am consoled by the words from Isaiah:
“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh (Jews and Gentiles) come to worship before Me, saith the LORD.” (Is 66:23 KJV) The Shabbat will become in the end-time an universal day of Worship and Praise to our God. Thus the Shabbat is a foretaste for the World-to-Come, an eternal rest and fellowship with our Lord and God.
THE SHABBAT-PSALM
I will conclude with the Psalm 92, the Shabbat-Psalm. A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
- It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High,
- to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
- to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
- For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
- How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts!
- The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand,
“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 4:9 -10)
SHABBAT SHALOM!
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