Sabbath

Sabbath

Genesis 2:1-3 (NKJV) “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2And on the seventh day Yahweh ended His work which He had done, and He rested [shabbated, shawbathed, sabbathed] on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3Then Yahweh blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested [shabbated, shawbathed, sabbathed] from all His work which the Mighty Ones had created and made.”

The word rested in these verses is Strong’s number 7673, the Hebrew verb shawbath, or shabbat, and means to “to repose, i.e. desist from exertion”. Yahweh invented and created the Shabbat for humans on earth about 2,500 years before He gave the Fourth Commandment on Mt. Sinai to Moses and the children of Israel. Therefore, Sabbath supersedes any of Moses’ written Torah laws. Remember, this was the first full day for Adam and Eve, and they spent the day in repose and rest with their Great Creator, Yahweh!! Notice that Yahweh did not bless or sanctify any other day of the week, only the seventh day is set apart for rest with Him.

The seventh day Sabbath is the first of Yahweh’s Feasts, as described in Leviticus 23. Leviticus 23:1-3 (NKJV) “And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. 3‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest [shabbaton, shabbawthone, a sabbatism or special holiday], a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings.”

The Sabbath is one of Yahweh’s WAYS. It’s His lifestyle, the first lifestyle demonstrated to Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were sabbatized with Yahweh on their first full day of existence. Do you think Yahweh was trying to make a point with them? My question to you today, dear Christian reader, have you been sabbatized with your Creator, Almighty Yahweh?

Hebrews 3:7-19 (NKJV) “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, 8Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 10Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ 11So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest [Shabbat, Sabbath].‘ “ 12Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living Mighty One; 13but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have become partakers of Messiah if we hold the beginning of our confidence [Sabbath in Yahweh] steadfast to the end, 15while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest [Shabbat, Sabbath], but to those who did not obey? 19So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:1-16 “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest [Shabbat, Sabbath], let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it [Shabbat, Sabbath]. 2For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3For we who have believed do enter that rest [Shabbat, Sabbath], as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest [Shabbat, Sabbath],’ “ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And Yahweh rested [shabbated, shawbathed, sabbathed] on the seventh day from all His works”; 5and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest [Shabbat, Sabbath].” 6Since therefore it remains that some must enter it [Shabbat, Sabbath], and those to whom it [Shabbat, Sabbath] was first preached did not enter [Shabbat, Sabbath] because of disobedience, 7again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” 8For if Joshua had given them rest [Shabbat, Sabbath], then He would not afterward have spoken of another day [Millennial rest, Eternal rest in Yahshua]. 9There remains therefore a rest [Millennial Sabbath rest, Eternal Shabbat rest] for the people of Yahweh. 10For he who has entered His rest [Shabbat, Sabbath] has himself also ceased from his works as Yahweh did from His. 11Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest [Shabbat, Sabbath], lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12For the word [Yahshua] of Yahweh is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 14Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Yahshua the Son of Yahweh, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

So what is our need for mercy and grace today in this maddening screaming-paced life? We need His mercy and grace to enter into His Sabbath rest, found 24/7 in His precious Holy Spirit, but especially on the seventh day. Take a day off, shut off the smartphones, the tablets, the computers, the internet, all the digital stuff, send all the pets to the neighbors, and sabbatize with Yahweh. It’s His lifestyle found in His character and wisdom, to rest one day out of seven. It’s one of the first of His ways found in the Scriptures. Our bodies, minds and spirits need that day of rest.

Sabbath, being one of Yahweh’s Feasts, is also a shadow and rehearsal of that other day spoken of in Hebrews above. It’s a rehearsal of the soon coming Millennial rest found in the reign of Messiah Yahshua on earth. Why do you think we look forward to the JESUS ADVENT 2.0? All of creation is tired, worn out, exhausted! We’re tired of being beat up by the devil.

Think about this. Here on earth in our fallen, broken down, dying bodies, we’re supposed to rest one day out of every seven, on the seventh day of the week. But in the Millennium and beyond, once we have our death defying, immortal bodies, we will rest ALL THE TIME!! Isn’t that odd? We could use our immortal bodies NOW, in this time, on this sin filled planet. So what gives, Yahweh? We’re still in the test tube; we’re still in boot camp. He’s still chipping away at our character, molding our new nature into the image of Yahshua. Bust off a little anger here, a little impatience there, dip us in a little humility over there, cut off some fleshy carnality under there. You know the drill, cut out our stony arrogant heart and replace it with the meek heart of Yahshua. He’s got to replace our sin nature with His righteous nature. We need that white robe of righteousness; we want it. But did you ever notice that in the Scriptures, the only folks with the robe of righteousness are folks in the heavenly realm, on the other side of death’s door?

So we walk with Him, up the mountains, down into the dark valleys, waiting to cross over and grab that white robe. We die daily to self, preparing for martyrdom, or whatever Yahweh has in His plan for us.

That word “rest” in the book of Hebrews is Strong’s number 2663, from the Greek root number 2664, meaning to repose, the same meaning as Shabbat, or rest, in the Old Testament. It’s one covenant message from the beginning of the book to the end. Yahshua is not only our peace, He’s our Sabbath rest. Matthew 11:28 (NKJV) “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [Shabbat, Sabbath].” Rest here is Strong’s number 373, meaning again to repose, with the added benefit of refreshing!! Yahshua is refreshing, like an ice cold clean glass of water!! Drink up.

Gene Benjamin II

February 10, 2013 CE