Sabbath - Tactical Perspective
In continuing this discourse on the Sacred Shabbat there should be no lingering doubts of confusion with respects to the relevance, importance and glory in the Shabbat … especially when we introduce the perfection of Shabbat within the auspices of Yeshua HaMashiach. But let us look beyond the mind boggling ethereal aspects of Shabbat and consider what it means for us in tactical terms.
Shabbat is in no way shape or form a “tradition” or “remembrance” only for Jewish people. Yes it came to the Jew first but now equally and without bias to the Gentile. Shabbat, ordained by The LORD to be a Holy Mo’ed for all time, is designed to serve as the key stone in any believer’s life cycle. If one believes in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ) then Shabbat is for you! Yeshua cannot be separated from G_D or The Word which of course is Yeshua himself. How can one separate something that is eternally inseparable? It is impossible!
On Shabbat believers gather to rest and hope in the promise still yet to come while giving thanks and praise for what has already been given. Shabbat represents the promise of a time when believers will be completely made whole and reconciled to G_D through Yeshua by the glory of HaRuach Kodesh (Holy Spirit). In the meantime Shabbat is minimally the means of laying down the burdens of this temporal world (Olam hazeh) with all its defilement on a weekly basis. Shabbat is the means of renewal and re-committing oneself to The LORD. Shabbat is the time when believers gather in fellowship to worship, adore, ponder and rejoice in the unified G_D through Yeshua the eternal High Priest (Kohen HaGadol)
But let us wait one moment … was it not just declared that Shabbat serves as sort of an escape … a rest from Olam Hazeh? Yes it was declared … however the Israelites were not separated from Mitzrayim to go play and have fun; they were separated to go into the wilderness to serve and worship The LORD … the living G_D!
Israel was separated (freed) … set apart and made holy (kadosh) for the good will of The LORD to serve him and be purposeful. Israel was set apart so that they would indeed simply labor for six days but most assuredly this labor was to be “avad’im - holy service”.
So what then does this reveal to us about Shabbat and the other six days? It reveals for one thing that our six days are not meant to be simply surviving the onslaught of Olam hazeh … this in no way is purposeful holy service! No … we are meant to labor for six days as his bond servants … making sure that we work for the propagation of his kingdom! We are not set apart to survive … we are set apart to thrive; in power and Spirit (Ruach)! We are set apart to be a peculiar and different people.
And if this be the work of six days then Shabbat is less about escaping Olam hazeh as opposed to a celebration for overcoming Olam hazeh! Ultimately beloveds …. What do we all want to hear? Of course it is those wonderful words from Yeshua: “well done good and faithful servant”! Well how can we receive these words if we spend six days simply coping with Olam hazeh on its terms and on the seventh day we escape? … Where then is the service? Shabbat is not labor … it is a festival day! This is not a game of our survival, this has already been secured by Yeshua’s most precious body and blood … it is about his kingdom and how we as part of the realm serve our King!
Additionally … the Shabbat as declared is our holy appointment to come before The LORD! This is not a “come as you are affair” … the unfortunate fellow who did come to the wedding feast in this manner was sent packing … with teeth gnashing! As such the six days of holy service is designed to prepare and clothe us so that we can be sanctified before The LORD! Do not for one moment think the wedding feast to be anything less than Shabbat … and our celebration … our jubilee … our Yeshua! Do not think Shabbat to be anything less than the bride of Mashiach coming before him and being presented … and certainly no bride is ready without meticulous preparation in order to be found beautiful, pure, joyful and passionate!
Shabbat is then of course the greatest of all Mo’adim and believers should realize that when viewed in the perfection of Yeshua HaMashiach “it doesn’t get much better than this”!
Remember that believers have been granted liberty from the defilement of olam hazeh and observing Shabbat allows us in faith to cast away the things of this world and rest in The LORD. Shabbat mandates putting away oneself so that Yeshua can emerge in great and mighty Ruach!
Despite the liberty and freedom graced to believers by The LORD it must be understood that Shabbat is still an appointed time or “Mo’ed’”. As such it should not be profaned and mingled with the common (unhallowed/unholy). What this means is that we as people are not at liberty to change The LORD’s appointed time or cut it short for the sake of convenience.
Consequently the celebration of the Christian Sunday Mass or First Day Worship Service really does not stand up to The LORD’s commandment. Given the definition of a day, revealed in Genesis to be sundown to sundown, there is no wiggle room around what a Shabbat consists of in time. It is roughly a 24 hour period …. end of debate. As far as the 7th day being a Saturday vs. any other day … we must consider only the following: The record of Hebrew Scriptures is essentially Hebraic (the oracles of G_D) and as such the determination of the 7th day was always left to the determination of the Hebrews. We also know that Yeshua himself never raised an issue regarding the day and celebrated this 7th day as he did all Mo’adim in perfect faith and obedience. So it would seem apparent that Shabbat was … and … remains sundown Friday to sundown on Saturday. It was good enough for the LORD and Master Yeshua so it surely is good enough for his bond servants.
Let’s consider the ramifications … wow ….. “talk about a killer” one might say at grasping the magnitude of this Shabbat reality. For everyone married to this world the mere thought of celebrating the true Shabbat would probably create great discomfort. Shabbat for the people of this world would constitute the elimination of the weekend as it is traditionally viewed around the world or most certainly in Western Culture. It can easily be understood why Shabbat observance would be viewed negatively by most people. People would in fact have to really turn away from this world and most of the personal things in which they delight. Observing Shabbat undoubtedly would be a profound and life changing decision! A whole new meaning to “living for the weekend”!
But then again perhaps this is what The LORD has in mind. Remember it is for the believers’ benefit that The LORD is obeyed. What might seem like a real bummer from the initial perspective really must be viewed as the ultimate blessing. In Shabbat, The LORD not only allows believers the best kind of rest in and through Yeshua but also coincidentally schedules it at the time when people are most likely to be getting into trouble. A time when Egypt is at play …. a time when people are letting their hair down and blowing off steam! Essentially The LORD is optimizing all believers’ time! He actually commands believers away from the most tempting of times while at the same time draws people near to himself. Shabbat most assuredly was made for man!
Embracing Shabbat for a believer then is a very real and tangible means of identifying with the chosen people Israel as well. It must be remembered that all faithful believers in Yeshua are part of Israel. First there were the sons of Ya’akov (Jacob) and then there were Gentiles (other nations … a.k.a. Goy’im). Well it would seem to make sense that as part of Israel (having been grafted into the root which is Yeshua) one can be identified and affiliated with Israel via honor and observance of Shabbat. It says in the Scripture where “all Israel will be saved” so it should be noted that the true believers in Yeshua will be united be they Jew or Gentile. As such it should be noted that Shabbat was and is one of the most identifiable features of the Israelite culture. There is probably no better way of aligning with Israel than to cleave to Shabbat through G_D’s chosen people. In fact the case can be made that observance of Shabbat is the most identifiable halakhic (religious practice) tradition affiliated with the Hebrew faith and is supported by this quote from the Jewish Talmud: “In the law of the Sabbath is thus to be found the quintessence of Judaism.”
Expanding upon the subject of Israel it should also be noted that with the Messianic Jewish movement emerging from under the cloud cover of 2,000 years, there is no longer any excuse for believers to miss out on the Hebraic experience. Believers in Yeshua (Jesus) no longer have to dream or conjecture as to what it must be like to experience Shabbat as it was done in the days of old … how Shabbat was experienced by Yeshua himself.
Today it is possible for all peoples to recite and chant prayers that date back to the Exodus from Egypt. Today it is possible for all peoples to bask in the glory that is G_D’s Word and have it tied together from promise (Tanakh a.k.a. Hebrew Old Testament) to fulfillment (B’rit Chadasha a.k.a. New Testament). Today it is possible for all peoples to recapture the spirit, truth and traditions practiced by Yeshua and his very own disciples during the 1st century. Today it is possible for all peoples to experience true Hebraic Biblical celebration … aka -Messianic Judaism … aka HaDerech (The Way) which was the legacy gifted from Yeshua himself. In fact Yeshua was and forever more will be the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest) of the one true faith.
So the news must be shouted far and wide: “all believers in Yeshua come home, the tent of the meeting has been opened up once again!” The children of Jacob’s seed are having their hearts transformed and with open arms accept the faithful coming out of Babylon (confusion). The children of Israel are being blessed with mighty RUACH HaKODESH (Holy Spirit) to lead the nations back to The LORD. For all who have an ear listen: Sh’ma Yisrael ADONAI ELOHEYNU ADONAI Echad! (Hear oh Israel the LORD is our G_D, The LORD is ONE)
Ultimately it must be concluded that ideally every day would be Shabbat and when Heaven and Earth are re-created this could indeed be the case. Until that time however there is only one weekly Mo’ed ordained by The LORD and upheld by Yeshua; the Seventh Day. Through Yeshua believers have been gifted with the hope of a new creation and freed from the bondage of death. Let all believers make sure then that honor and blessings are given to The LORD through Mashiach in the right mind set, at the right time and in the proper manner. Let all Israel honor the Son as LORD of Shabbat and do so on the yom kadosh (holy day) named and hallowed above all others by The LORD. Anything less than this would be unfaithful and unfortunately will not result in the blessings and benefits promised with the gift that is Shabbat!
Worse yet Scriptures (HaDabar – The Word) declare that a loss of blessings will be the least of one’s concerns when we consider that The ONE WHO can kill both body and soul is The ONE WHO declared that people who fail to uphold HaShabbat shall be put to death! So if for no other reason at all … observe HaShabbat with yirat G_D (fear of G_D) … yes beloveds … if nothing else at all consider this last advice to be true and worthy of acceptance!
So now that we know we must uphold the Shabbat … and just how important Shabbat is for us people … let us consider what it means to guard the Shabbat!
Guarding/Keeping Shabbat
Interestingly the 4th Commandment is repeated in Deuteronomy: "Keep The Sabbath Day "for holiness" as thy G_D has commanded unto thee! The word "shamor" translates as: guard; trust; treasure; protect; watch-over.
A deeper Hebraic understanding of “guarding” the Shabbat translates as “treasuring Shabbat” and making sure that our observance is genuine, passionate and in keeping with the mandate to put down one’s own matters to pursue separation and rest in The LORD.
What this really means then for us people is that we do our utmost to clear the slates so that Shabbat is ushered in properly. This does not mean by any implication that we ignore life … or that we fail to uphold Torah for instance by looking the other way when others may personally need us. As Yeshua taught us … it is good to do good on Shabbat … but this of course does not abrogate Shabbat … it simply means that if The LORD presents us with either a test or opportunity on Shabbat that we accord ourselves appropriately.
Ultimately it is imperative to remember as believers that our true calling is to be worshipping servants. Of course this may not sound all that appealing to most purported believers but at the end of the day Shabbat represents our calling … our right to rest, worship and cement our relationship with The CREATOR. So … are we worshipping at the right time and in the right way? … If so than Shabbat is joyfully a foundation stone in our lives and further yet a promise of our destiny!
Hopefully the review of Shabbat, from a Messianic Hebraic perspective, has left the reader with no doubts as to the richness and fullness of The LORD’s greatest of all Mo’adim within the auspices of Yeshua HaMashiach! Shabbat is indeed awesome!
But … as we were readily able to see … the Shabbat in a Hebraic perspective is deeply integrated with the: Torah, Everlasting Covenant, Sacrificial System and Mishkan. As such … if indeed all things are gathered unto Yeshua …
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Mashiach, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians: 1:9-10)
… Than most assuredly we should be able to find within Holy Scriptures a profound relationship between Yeshua and Torah … the Everlasting Covenant … the Holy Service … and the Mishkan!
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