So looking at our 6 days: 1 Sabbath correllation, do we see this period of rest coming?...continued
2Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
You bet there is rest coming, from what? All who trouble us. When? When Yeshua is revealed from Heaven!
Heb 4:1 We may fear, then, lest a promise being left of entering into His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short,
2 for we also are having good news proclaimed, even as they, but the word heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard,
3 for we do enter into the rest--we who did believe, as He said, `So I sware in My anger, If they shall enter into My rest--;' and yet the works were done from the foundation of the world,
I use the YLT here because I think it’s easier to understand in this passage. He says we may fear lest we fall short of entering his rest. Why? Because they heard the word and failed because they heard without faith. Because those that do believe, enter; but not the unbelievers (see 3:18)…they didn’t enter even though the work was already done.
Heb 4:4 for He spake in a certain place concerning the seventh day thus: `And God did rest in the seventh day from all His works;'
5 and in this place again, `If they shall enter into My rest--;'
6 since then, it remaineth for certain to enter into it, and those who did first hear good news entered not in because of unbelief--
It’s already done because it is written God rested from his work on the seventh day…does that mean he finished all his work back then? How did he, when Yeshua said the Father works even to the present (John 5:17). The writer adds “if” they shall enter because those who “did first hear the good news entered not…” The work is complete if we continue in belief. In other words, the promise is safe and secure. The promised land is waiting for us...all we have to do is continue in belief. God apparently keeps working because we do not all continue in belief. In other words, the Sabbath of rest could come if only we all believe.
Heb 4:7 again He doth limit a certain day, `To-day,' (in David saying, after so long a time,) as it hath been said, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear, ye may not harden your hearts,'
8 for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not concerning another day have spoken after these things;
9 there doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God,
10 for he who did enter into his rest, he also rested from his works, as God from His own.
David in Psalm 95 says “today” generations after Joshua brought them into the promised land says do not harden your hearts as your fathers did, why? Because he sware not to let them enter into rest because of their unbelief. David apparently sees this as an ongoing danger and apparently the writer of Hebrews agrees saying. “There doth remain, then, a sabbatic rest to the people of God…” Why? Because if we had entered that rest we would stop working just as God would and did.
The Sabbath is a prophecy of the span of man…or at least his first span. That as God rested after six, we rest on the seventh testifying that he did. And that is the sign that YHVH sanctifies us and thus like him when our six days are complete, like him we will rest.
When is this Sabbath, when is this completion that ends our work?
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
There is our Sabbath. We rest when evil is put down and Messiah reigns and we under him. And it gets even better! A new week!
Satan gets loosed for a little time, but God judges him. Notice there is no talk of our battling in a second Armageddon; God annihilates them himself. And then what?
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
What else do we know about this new Earth?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
After our coming Shabbat, we start on a new week on a resurrected Earth! So that’s what Sabbath is about. Do we see how singular it is? All of the feasts are, but the Sabbath especially because within the first seven days God had laid out the future of humanity’s first week!
Not all of this is well understood, after all there are many of the physical children of Israel who have not embraced Messiah, so there are many traditions based on interpretations of how to keep Shabbat sanctified. And that is what they all amount to, setting the Shabbat as holy from all other days.
We just set out to remember the Shabbat and encounter YHVH on that day. And I tell you what, when you do it makes a difference. Because you have the world going on and it doesn’t stop, it doesn’t even know what’s going on. “Shabbat? What’s that?” So when you take this time to repose, to do no work and say this day is not the same, its as if you’re stepping out of the world for a moment. In fact, it’s not just what you’re not doing (work, business) but when you really start to pursue God in this time, you feel that peace and when you don’t get it…say you let some function which really isn’t about God encroach on the time you’ve set aside, you feel it. It’s like “Where’d the Sabbath go?” You actually look forward to it.
And why is that? Because the Sabbath is a gift (Exo 16:29), the only sanctified day; the only blessed day; the only day that is a sign between you and YHVH that he sanctifies you just as he made the Earth by his word in six days and rested on the Seventh.
Mar 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
The Sabbath was not given to us because the Sabbath needed us, but because we needed the Sabbath.
Showing posts with label Sabbath feasts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sabbath feasts. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Feasts of YHVH: Sabbath pt 1
Sabbath
Moving on, we now have a basic context in which to understand these feasts. They are appointments to encounter God, appointments that he determined from the beginning of time. Where should we begin with these feasts?
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.
I read verse 5 to make a point. In verse 2, YHVH tells us that the subject are his feasts; what is the first thing he mentions? Sabbath or Shabbat. Then he goes on to say “These are the feasts which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” At which point he talks about Passover which is the ‘first’ appointed yearly day.
See the pattern? God says “I want to talk to you about the feasts…keep the Sabbath…pause…these are the feasts…” In other words the first feast we learn about is the Sabbath and yet at the same time God separates it from all the other feast days. It is as if God himself is saying “before we talk about the feasts, pay attention to my Sabbath.”
Consider this, in a Gregorian year there are 52 weeks, (in the biblical year there’s somewhere between 51 and 55 depending on if it’s a ‘short year’). In that 51-55 week there is only one Passover, one Unleavened Bread, One Ha’Bikkurim, even one day of Atonement…but there are 51-55 Sabbaths. In fact more often than not, there will be a Sabbath between those so-called ‘high holydays’ like Passover. For example, Passover is followed immediately by the first day of Unleavened Breads, but there must be a Sabbath between then and HaBikkurim (the wave of the sheaf of first fruits). A Sabbath must fall between the first and last day of Unleavened Bread. Also during the eight days of Tabernacles.
For these reasons, the Rabbis actually hold (not that they are always right), but they hold that Sabbath actually is more important than these other holy days including Yom Kippur/day of Atonement. If for example, one of these days falls on a Sabbath (which they often do), the synagogue leader would do whatever ceremonies are associated in their congregation with Sabbath before they would do those associated with another holy day).
If this seems like it would be an interruption, perhaps that’s because the word Shabbat means “intermission.” What is this intermission about? Why does it exist? In verse 3, we are told do work six days, the seventh is rest and a holy encounter; don’t work it belongs to YHVH in “all your dwellings.” Dwellings here is very broad and basically means anywhere you sit down. I say that to point to that God seems to be saying he will encounter you where you are. He summons to meet with you where ever you are. Just a repeat that the encounter is with God, not with other saints.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: 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:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Earlier than Leviticus, God enumerates his ten commandments or “Ten Words.” There’s several different ways to look at the ten commandments: Do they flow from most important to ‘less’ critical? Do they flow from between us and God to us and each other? Are they parallels: ie killing the image of God is the same as setting up a graven image of God; or adultery on a human level is the same as taking the name of YHVH in vain?
All of which may be true, consider how that might be applied? Well, if in order of importance; then God is saying remembering the Sabbath is more important than honoring your father and mother. If it has to do with God, how so? The answer to both could be found later. Fast forward:
Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
The last thing God tells Moses to tell his people before sending Moses down with the original Tablets is “keep the Sabbath.” And why? Because it is a sign (oth again) between YHVH and Israel for ever. In fact he said it earlier in verse 13, “it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.”
Eze 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Eze 20:20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
Of all the days in scripture, this is the only one that is called a sign; not Passover, or Yom Kippur, but the Sabbath is. In this case Sign (oth) seems to be best understood as evidence. In all cases it would be the same, a signal is evidence that something has happened or will happen. I say evidence here because it a sign that we can know A) YHVH sanctifies and B) YHVH is our God.
So is that more important than honoring Father’s and Mothers? Yes, because if YHVH is not sanctifying then what hope do we have of honoring Father and Mother? And if YHVH is not our God, then what does it matter if we honor? Not only that, it also fulfills the parallel interpretation: Remembering the Sabbath is equivalent to not being a false witness. How?
This Sign tells us that YHVH sanctifies us, it is a sign that he sanctifies. But why is it a sign? Because…
Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
God in six days made Heaven and Earth and rested, and was refreshed. What does that mean? Before Israel was even around, God followed the pattern of this sign in that he worked for six days on an enormous work and then rested; so by our working six days and resting on the Seventh day we are testifying agreement that he did create in six days and rest on the Seventh. That is the simple, or short answer. We do to be like him and we testify truly that he did in fact make the Heavens and Earth in six days.
We evidence by remembering the Shabbat that YHVH is our God and he sanctifies us. It’s like his thumb print or signature. Alisa and I discussed this the other day. The phrase “YHVH doth sanctify you…” What is the alternative to YHVH sanctifying us? Someone else sanctifying us.
The Sabbath is therefore the gospel. Notice it is not a sign that we are sanctifying ourselves, nor that any other god is sanctifying us. The Sabbath then is an acknowledgment that we need to be cleaned; we need to be helped; and by remembering it we are witnessing that it is YHVH doing the work in us.
Hold on to this idea of a sign, the idea that this is the thumbprint that our sanctification is God’s work in us. That is what the Sabbath is a sign of, but why does He associate this with creation?
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
This is a very special passage. Two things, the first, if you search through your bible you will find there is only one non-living thing that YHVH blesses. He blessed herbs, animals, man, groups of men, but He never blesses dirt, rocks, air, water…He blesses men in their work of the Earth, he blesses them in things but never blesses things.
There is one exception, the Sabbath. “God blessed the seventh day…” Just a question, but is the this the one exception or is the Sabbath in God’s mind alive?
Second thing; God pronounced many things good in the first six days of creation. But there is only one thing that God ‘sanctified.’ Again, the Sabbath; in fact there are many people sanctified by God, and YHVH sanctified by holy men, as well as men sanctifying holy things…but the Sabbath appears to be the only day that YHVH sanctified himself.
...continued
Moving on, we now have a basic context in which to understand these feasts. They are appointments to encounter God, appointments that he determined from the beginning of time. Where should we begin with these feasts?
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.
I read verse 5 to make a point. In verse 2, YHVH tells us that the subject are his feasts; what is the first thing he mentions? Sabbath or Shabbat. Then he goes on to say “These are the feasts which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” At which point he talks about Passover which is the ‘first’ appointed yearly day.
See the pattern? God says “I want to talk to you about the feasts…keep the Sabbath…pause…these are the feasts…” In other words the first feast we learn about is the Sabbath and yet at the same time God separates it from all the other feast days. It is as if God himself is saying “before we talk about the feasts, pay attention to my Sabbath.”
Consider this, in a Gregorian year there are 52 weeks, (in the biblical year there’s somewhere between 51 and 55 depending on if it’s a ‘short year’). In that 51-55 week there is only one Passover, one Unleavened Bread, One Ha’Bikkurim, even one day of Atonement…but there are 51-55 Sabbaths. In fact more often than not, there will be a Sabbath between those so-called ‘high holydays’ like Passover. For example, Passover is followed immediately by the first day of Unleavened Breads, but there must be a Sabbath between then and HaBikkurim (the wave of the sheaf of first fruits). A Sabbath must fall between the first and last day of Unleavened Bread. Also during the eight days of Tabernacles.
For these reasons, the Rabbis actually hold (not that they are always right), but they hold that Sabbath actually is more important than these other holy days including Yom Kippur/day of Atonement. If for example, one of these days falls on a Sabbath (which they often do), the synagogue leader would do whatever ceremonies are associated in their congregation with Sabbath before they would do those associated with another holy day).
If this seems like it would be an interruption, perhaps that’s because the word Shabbat means “intermission.” What is this intermission about? Why does it exist? In verse 3, we are told do work six days, the seventh is rest and a holy encounter; don’t work it belongs to YHVH in “all your dwellings.” Dwellings here is very broad and basically means anywhere you sit down. I say that to point to that God seems to be saying he will encounter you where you are. He summons to meet with you where ever you are. Just a repeat that the encounter is with God, not with other saints.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: 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:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Earlier than Leviticus, God enumerates his ten commandments or “Ten Words.” There’s several different ways to look at the ten commandments: Do they flow from most important to ‘less’ critical? Do they flow from between us and God to us and each other? Are they parallels: ie killing the image of God is the same as setting up a graven image of God; or adultery on a human level is the same as taking the name of YHVH in vain?
All of which may be true, consider how that might be applied? Well, if in order of importance; then God is saying remembering the Sabbath is more important than honoring your father and mother. If it has to do with God, how so? The answer to both could be found later. Fast forward:
Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
The last thing God tells Moses to tell his people before sending Moses down with the original Tablets is “keep the Sabbath.” And why? Because it is a sign (oth again) between YHVH and Israel for ever. In fact he said it earlier in verse 13, “it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.”
Eze 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Eze 20:20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
Of all the days in scripture, this is the only one that is called a sign; not Passover, or Yom Kippur, but the Sabbath is. In this case Sign (oth) seems to be best understood as evidence. In all cases it would be the same, a signal is evidence that something has happened or will happen. I say evidence here because it a sign that we can know A) YHVH sanctifies and B) YHVH is our God.
So is that more important than honoring Father’s and Mothers? Yes, because if YHVH is not sanctifying then what hope do we have of honoring Father and Mother? And if YHVH is not our God, then what does it matter if we honor? Not only that, it also fulfills the parallel interpretation: Remembering the Sabbath is equivalent to not being a false witness. How?
This Sign tells us that YHVH sanctifies us, it is a sign that he sanctifies. But why is it a sign? Because…
Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
God in six days made Heaven and Earth and rested, and was refreshed. What does that mean? Before Israel was even around, God followed the pattern of this sign in that he worked for six days on an enormous work and then rested; so by our working six days and resting on the Seventh day we are testifying agreement that he did create in six days and rest on the Seventh. That is the simple, or short answer. We do to be like him and we testify truly that he did in fact make the Heavens and Earth in six days.
We evidence by remembering the Shabbat that YHVH is our God and he sanctifies us. It’s like his thumb print or signature. Alisa and I discussed this the other day. The phrase “YHVH doth sanctify you…” What is the alternative to YHVH sanctifying us? Someone else sanctifying us.
The Sabbath is therefore the gospel. Notice it is not a sign that we are sanctifying ourselves, nor that any other god is sanctifying us. The Sabbath then is an acknowledgment that we need to be cleaned; we need to be helped; and by remembering it we are witnessing that it is YHVH doing the work in us.
Hold on to this idea of a sign, the idea that this is the thumbprint that our sanctification is God’s work in us. That is what the Sabbath is a sign of, but why does He associate this with creation?
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
This is a very special passage. Two things, the first, if you search through your bible you will find there is only one non-living thing that YHVH blesses. He blessed herbs, animals, man, groups of men, but He never blesses dirt, rocks, air, water…He blesses men in their work of the Earth, he blesses them in things but never blesses things.
There is one exception, the Sabbath. “God blessed the seventh day…” Just a question, but is the this the one exception or is the Sabbath in God’s mind alive?
Second thing; God pronounced many things good in the first six days of creation. But there is only one thing that God ‘sanctified.’ Again, the Sabbath; in fact there are many people sanctified by God, and YHVH sanctified by holy men, as well as men sanctifying holy things…but the Sabbath appears to be the only day that YHVH sanctified himself.
...continued
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