Food for Thought
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This section is a collection of brief odds and ends to stimulate some ideas about the Sabbath life.
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Humanity's Fall, where Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3, is the undoing of the Sabbath atmosphere that God climaxed the Creation with. The consequences of the Fall starts with hiding from God, due to fear, because they found out they were naked and became ashamed. verses 9-11. They immediately lost their rested mindset. Now there was strife between the snake and humanity, resulting in battles that would wound both. So humanity lost some of our dominion, ending the restful relationship between humanity and animal, launching a war-like atmosphere in our existence. verse 15. Women would now have childbearing pain, and drop from an equality with man role to a subservient approach, craving a male headship in her life. So she lost the equality with man, producing endlessly stressful relationships. verse 16. Men would now work hard to grow food from the ground, a cursed ground, rife with thorns and thistles. This would be the condition until death. A restless labor, leading to the pain of death. verses 17-19.
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We can see a lot of lessons in this story. It conveys the true riches of the Sabbath condition we were created to live in. It shows us the consequences that stem from saying no to God's leadership, and launching out on our own. The clarity of Sabbath goodness enriching all that it touches.
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Weekly we observe the Sabbath because God is instilling in us this contrast. Jesus' ministry and quality of life stemmed from living in the Sabbath atmosphere. This is what God wants for us too. We saw this in the original apostles. Our weekly Sabbath observance is to grow in the Rested approach towards life, carrying the Sabbath mindset into all areas of our life. Live saturated with God's lessons built into the 4D Sabbath until they permeate your heart's thought life.
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The more I take a rest approach in life, the more things line up like they do in Scripture. This allows me to see and think more Scripturally.
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In Hebrews 4 we are told to, "labor to enter into rest, to avoid falling into unbelief." The Greek word for 'labor' means, 'eager, make every effort, do ones best with diligence.'
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One of the reasons that the Sabbath is on the 7th day of the week is that God set an example for us on how to approach life. Creation is a work in progress, a goal to be accomplished. Whether it is the original creation, the Exodus creation, the resurrection creation, or the Kingdom creation - they all occur at the end of a fullness of the course of events that expose the empty brokenness in humanity's situations.
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The resulting Sabbath is the message: in this too God brings salvation's rest to you.
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We live in a time when humanity has gutted the true message of the Gospel, reduced faith to wishful thinking, and made salvation's Sabbath as the start of the week, pretending we are striving to maintain a 'everything's done, I'm happy in Jesus' mindset. This is too shallow to handle life's depths. It takes a creative approach to handle the complexities of life. That's why we are made in God's image. He started our existence at the peak of His creative prowess. He could have started our existence at another time, to high-light a different message as the most important thing He could show us. But he didn't - creativity was his most important message to us, our life's purpose.
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This is a more creative approach. In Hebrews 4 we are told 'to labor to enter rest, so we don't fall into unbelief.'
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What if we applied the other definition for 'labor' - that of giving birth?
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Giving birth is at the end of a process of creation. A woman enters a period of chaos and goes through a process of orderly managing the chaos (hopefully), to bring forth a child. Then, all the struggle is quickly eclipsed by the great joys of birth, as everyone involved enters into rest with the mom.
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Now the great gift of belief is entered into as the new parents need to rearrange their existence as they learn to step by step construct a new belief paradigm, parenting. Is it a 'coincidence' that the Sabbath commandment is followed by the parenting commandment? Is it relevant that these 2 commandments are the only 2 that say 'do' instead of 'don't'?
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Much to ponder here.
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In the USA, July 4th, Independence Day, is too important to move it to a Monday, to create a three-day-weekend effect, like so many other lesser holidays. It is always on the 4th. The same is true about the Sabbath - it is always on the 7th day of the week, showing the glory of God's creation handiwork.
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The Sabbath pushes back the effects of the Fall. It shows God working redemption thru time, restoring Salvation's 4-dimensional Rest.
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If the creation ‘doesn’t really matter’ why did God decide to tell us about it in detail and instruct us to weekly celebrate it?
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How does one stop working to enter the Sabbath? By believing that you don't need to work on the Sabbath to survive. Likewise, we need to stop believing that we must have _____ in our lives to survive. We must have REST in our lives to not only survive, but to thrive. There is much to learn and assimilate about God's Rest.
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What if...
You had the time to live a complete day today?
The time with God that you need,
The energy and thoughtfulness to really enjoy your loved ones,
All the time to consider and make powerful choices,
The quietness for healing sleep,
The refreshing of God's Word for you.
A complete day like that would take all day.
What does it say about God that He so loves you that He gifted you with this day today?
Every week. For the rest of your life. The delight of the Sabbath!
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Perform a Sabbath sacrifice today. Slay all those labels that you live with daily that don't represent who you are in Him. Ask Him to breathe life into the labels He gave you. Let the new creation be complete in you too so that you can Rest in His Presence.
This is Shabbat Shalom.
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Jesus said in Matthew 12:4 that it was not lawful for David to eat the consecrated bread. The fact that David was a priest-king and type of Christ was not a factor here. I think Jesus' teaching here is to show how the Pharisees were too strict to the letter of the Law, overlooking the spirit of the Law. The disciples ate because they were hungry, not to intentionally transgress the commandment. The Pharisees condemned the innocent because they did not have compassion (Matthew 12:7). That's why love is at the forefront of everything Jesus taught. It is the weightier matter of the Law.
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To save an animal from a pit it had fallen into on the Sabbath would be considered work and therefore unlawful to do on the Sabbath. In Matthew 12:11-12 Jesus makes the point that Jews do rescue their animals under such circumstances and it is allowed. But when the same compassion is shown to a man it is labeled a transgression. The Pharisees were two-faced and loveless.
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In Mark 2:27-28 Jesus' statement that "the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" is preceded by him saying that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man and is not something to be master over him. If man was made for the Sabbath, then man would be trapped by its restrictions, and that's how the Pharisees treated it. But that's not the way it should be. Man is master over the Sabbath and God's desire for compassion and mercy are a greater law to abide by. You don't sacrifice the well-being of an animal or person for the sake of keeping the Law.
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In Matthew 12:5 Jesus points out the priests in the temple break the Sabbath (as they work in ministry) and are innocent. Numbers 28:9-10. This shows that there are exceptions to a strict keeping of the Sabbath. Some commands are higher than others. The priest working on the Sabbath and the work to rescue others shows the separation of the greater laws from the lesser laws.
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Meditation on the idea of Rest as a weapon
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Soldiers use weapons, and they go through boot camp to be introduced to their weapons. They learn how to care for and maintain their weapons. They consistently practice with their weapons, and for those with police force type assignments; they must certify their ability to use their weapons annually.
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Soldiers can exercise full courage in the face of the enemy, because of their history with their weapons and their utter confidence in the effectiveness of their weapons. They stake everything on their use of their weapons to be the victor, and not the victim. Great soldiers become one with their weapons and can handle a wide range of threats effectively.
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In the armor of God the sword is the only weapon of attack. In the book of Hebrews it's called the Word of the Lord (Hebrews 4:12). Its goal is to cause separation on multiple levels; so people are freed from what binds them and can come out of Babylon's confusion, into the Creator's order, experiencing Rest.
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The soldier of God is equipped with the revealed Word of God, so he can be properly armed for every good work to bring people out of chaos into Rest. He uses the sword of Rest. Hebrews 4 is about Rest, then the Word of God causing spiritual distinctions, and then the high priest Jesus who sees clearly, yet knows our infirmities. He expects us to obtain all the grace we need. This is the true nature of the Sabbath, a crescendo of entering the throne of grace for all we need. This the Sabbath's true purpose, gifting Rest.
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Every Sabbath is a time to train, clean and use our Rest. We are to be able to set captives free, once our Rest is complete.
Obviously, you can't do all of this only in the idea of Rest. It requires the literal experience of Rest to become one with it and exercise it effectively.
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On the stone pillars: Israel's use of them wasn't for worship, but for a testimony of an act of God. Most things are neutral, it's what one does with them that makes them good or evil. Interestingly, God also joined in and instructed them to do this, after they initiated the practice. A stone pillar is a beautiful fit for God's testimonies: stone is an 'eternal' item, standing through time, testifying from one generation to the next of what is associated with it. "Remember" the Sabbath days... testimony days, as a time stone pillar. That’s why God had Israel set them up at transition spots, were they came to a decision. The stones are witnesses that you made this decision, a decision that is to last forever. The stones are witnesses, testifying to your choice to do right. It cries out your truthfulness. Affirm its validity by living out the truth.
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The Sabbath takes on special meaning – it's the culmination of our overcoming life's challenges to our loyalty this week, our saying no to the flesh/world/enemy's siren song for first place in our inner life. The Sabbath is a 'well done My good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your Lord.' Yet another way the Millennial Sabbath is present in the weekly Sabbath.
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It appears that, for God, the Sabbath is an issue of holiness. To be holy literally means to be set apart. For all human history, God has sought a people truly set apart for Him. His heart’s desire has been for a people who genuinely know Him, and therefore love and trust Him (Exodus 6:7; Jeremiah 30:22; Leviticus 26:12; Revelation 21:3). The Sabbath is about trusting, declaring, and demonstrating to our own souls and to the world that God is my Sustainer and Provider. I trust Him to “accomplish what concerns me” without me having to declare allegiance to lesser sources of power, strength, and success (Psalm 138:8).
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Psalm 46:10 proclaims, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” In the Sabbath rest, I am freed from the delusion that it is I who keeps my life on course. I look up from my work on that day of rest and have a chance to imbibe the truth of the statement,
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“Every good and perfect work comes from above…” (James 1:17).
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As a Christian, actually keeping the Sabbath helps me exercise intimacy with my true Sabbath’s Rest, Christ Himself, who finished it all. We often need physical reminders of earth-shattering spiritual truths, which otherwise become a bit theoretical. The heart posture cultivated in the Sabbath rest, then, is that which says, 'You Lord, are sufficient for all my needs, and I will look to You alone for sufficiency.'
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When Christ said, "God made Sabbath for man instead of man for Sabbath," the take home may be about God's love in pointing out that the coming Kingdom was meant as a blessing for humanity. If we see "Sabbath" here as referring to the coming Kingdom, we see a proclamation about how God is "pleased to give this Kingdom" to mere humans.
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It was very much seen as a type of eternal life, a piece of the rest enjoyed in the coming Kingdom of God.
In that case, Jesus could be saying "Look, don't you know that the coming Kingdom, when even God rests, was meant as a blessing for humanity? Why then are you taking joy in burdening people's rest, which is supposed to be a foretaste of that Kingdom?"
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The implication in Matthew 12:6 is that the priests were innocent because they were doing the work of the temple, which was of greater importance (at the time) than adhering to the Sabbath. But now Jesus says that something greater than the temple is here. What is greater than temple sacrifices? Compassion, maybe?
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(Matthew 12:7 NASB) "But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, and NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent.”
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As He walked in a perpetual Sabbath with His Father, so we walk in a perpetual Sabbath with Him.
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the resurrection of Christ at the end of the weekly Sabbath has many great implications on the nature of how we rest in Christ. We begin the week with fresh insight on what can come to life now. During the week we go through the crucifixion process, showing the process of how God's love works out in our flesh. The death, burial and resurrection cycle accompanies it. We end up with the weekly Sabbath nature as being the final stage of our resurrecting into new life. That's why I see the need to keep the Sabbath - it has so much to teach me still about living the core of the life of Christ.
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Some of the important matters to consider are these: 1. We serve the same Lord, why not work together? 2. Doctrinal differences are minor. Learn to allow others a different viewpoint. 3. We all grow at different levels in grace and knowledge, so allow for this with mercy and love. 4. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 5. Support one another, even when we sin and fall short. 6. Teach the Word of God. 7. Preach the gospel — the good news. 8. Allow for freedom of expression if it edifies. 9. Let God be God, not us. 10. Don’t condemn one another. 11. If some believe the Festivals of Leviticus 23 are mandatory, and others do not, don’t bicker and fight — learn from one another. Allow for differences, as this does not take away your salvation. There are many others but ALWAYS BE HUMBLE AND PUT CHRIST FIRST in everything you do!
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Can the Sabbath be 'done away' if it is the organizing theme of the book of Revelation?
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The book has 7 sets of 7 things, which is the set up for the culminating life Sabbath: Jubilee.
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God applies this metaphor in Revelation to state there is a coming history Sabbath, an eternal Jubilee.
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The creation week cycle of 6 plus 1; where the Sabbath is the crescendo which the 6 steps build up to; is a main part of the book. The seals, trumpets, and bowls each have 6 steps, with the 7th being the next item. Six seals are opened one at a time, and the seventh is 7 trumpets blowing. Six trumpets blow one at a time, and the 7th is six bowls of wrath poured out. Six bowls are poured out one at a time, and the seventh includes seven images of the history of the millennium, up to God coming down to live with man.
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Is it likely that the Sabbath is 'done away’ if it's the way God still works?
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The Sabbath Path to Perfection
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Hebrews 6 - 1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection (in the Greek - maturity); not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
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The principles of the doctrine of Christ are 6 doctrines that enable us to go on to perfection, which happens to be the 7th in the sequence. Being the seventh item puts it in the unique position of a revelation metaphor: the Sabbath Salvation condition.
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These 6 doctrines are not in a random order, they follow a building block foundation pattern. To repentance from dead works add faith toward God, so you can enter the baptisms and exercise laying on of hands. Our mission is to resurrect the spiritually dead and rescue people from eternal judgment.
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Living in these 6 doctrines, the history of salvation's steps, is the foundation that characterizes maturity. This is where we rest, living present to Him, and cease from our own works, to work with the Father. Christ's Sabbath Shalom takes over.
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Here's an interesting Sabbath occurrence: the creation of the tribes of Israel includes a creation week Sabbath cycle.
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As you read through Genesis 29 and 30, after Jacob's weddings; we have a blow-by-blow account of the battle between 2 sisters for their husband's affections. Counting how many children each of the 4 women had, we find Leah had 6 sons, and a seventh child, a daughter named Dinah. Then she stopped having children. Out of 4 women giving birth, only one has a daughter, and at the precise point in the process to be the 7th child, the representation of the Sabbath.
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Dinah means judged, and is the feminine form of Dan, also one of Leah's sons. Twice Leah declares that God has judged her case, found her husband to be unfair in his lack of love for her, and ruled in her favor by granting her these children. She's stating she has received a double-portion of judgment, which is also an aspect of the Sabbath: the Sabbath sacrifice is a double-portion of the daily sacrifice. In declaring her double-portion Leah is saying God has super-abundantly exceeded her need by giving her this daughter, and now her heart is at rest. God takes her response seriously: this is her last child, and in the next breath God remembers Rachel with Joseph's birth. Now that Leah is satisfied and at rest, He can also show His favor to the other victim in this human tragedy and bring joy to Rachel.
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The definition of a relationship that a covenant provides may simply be to renew or confirm an existing covenant or relationship, or it may be to establish a new stage in the relationship that is consistent with previous commitments. The covenant with Noah confirms God’s intention that land animals should exist on the earth (as per Gen 1:24), and that the birds and humanity should be blessed (as per Genesis 1:20, 22, 26–28). But, at the same time, it also contains new content: God promises that all flesh will not be destroyed again by a universal flood. This is something that had not been promised in the garden. This particularity means, therefore, that the covenant with Noah cannot simply be a confirmation of God’s covenant with creation. Instead of looking back, the Noahic covenant looks to the future, and promises that animate life will be preserved on earth until God’s purpose of the blessing of life and dominion is achieved for humanity. There is a commitment to fulfilling Rest in the Noahic covenant.
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Posted by Steven Coxhead
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE SABBATH?
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Search the Scriptures! Can you find one passage that says...
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1. The Ten Commandments are abolished?
2. The Fourth Commandment is abolished?
3. The Sabbath was changed from the seventh to the first day of the week?
4. That either Jesus or the apostles kept the first day as the Sabbath?
5. That either Jesus or the apostles taught new believers to keep the first day of the week?
6. That it was customary for the early church to observe the first day of the week?
7. That we are to keep the first day in honor of the resurrection of our Savior?
8. That the first day of the week was sanctified and hallowed as a day of rest?
9. That the first day of the week is called a holy day or given any sacred title?
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Can you find one verse …
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10. Where the first day of the week is called the Lord's Day?
11. Where are we told not to work on the first day of the week?
12. Where is any punishment threatened for working on the first day of the week?
13. Where are any blessings promised for observing the first day of the week?
14. That says the Father or the Son rested on the first day of the week?
15. That says the seventh day is not now God's Sabbath day?
16. That calls the seventh day the "Jewish Sabbath" or that calls the first day the "Christian Sabbath"?
17. That authorizes anyone to set aside God's Sabbath and observe any other day?
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I see a relevance to the Sabbath’s continued existence in that one can’t classify what is in the Ten Commandments as remotely ceremonial. People may misuse it this way, but the Sabbath is at the core of moral behavior as all religious traditions have found over time. Time set apart uniquely for God, and with God, is critical to successfully living for God. While many surround themselves in a space filled with symbolic religious representations to aid their hearts and minds to enter His rest; the Sabbath is God’s Cathedral in space and time, as it shows all the significant works of God – past, present, and future. These reveal Him and make a compelling case for our Rest as we meditate and resonate to the point of full worship and consecration to His Wonders. Human inventions are but a mere candle to the brilliance of God’s designed creations.
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Scripture relates several events to the Sabbath: creation, exodus, Jesus' resurrection, the coming Kingdom. This opens a whole range of related realities: peace, strength, joy, rest, bless, holy, worship, awe, wonder, freedom, new life, reconciliation…….
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That first Sabbath must have been something. Think of it: everything is in turmoil and God works at putting it right. He labors to get the world back in a livable condition. But then He goes one step further, He carved out an area He turned into a Garden Paradise. How much thought, love and joy must have gone into this special creation. How anticipation swelled within Him when He stepped outside that Garden, knelt, and formed Adam.
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It may have been sundown as Adam rose, saw God for the first time, and they walked into the Garden together. Adam was probably like a giddy kid as he ran all over the place, tasted stuff, saw so many wonders for the first time, had so many new experiences. The Father must have joyed in Adam's joy, as they had their first blush of oneness in the Garden on Sabbath together.
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Of course, we can't have that experience. But can we live in the type of it? Tomorrow, the first day of the week, can you open your eyes and face honestly an area of turmoil for what it is? Can you cry out until God says, here's your light on that? Can you look intently at what He shows you until you see the distinction between heaven and earth in that part of your world? Can you, as Jesus taught and lived (Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven), seek His face until He brings order to that turmoil, so that solid ground appears? Then celebrate as your first new life develops, blossoming in the light of the Son? Will you persist through several developmental generations of life, until this area of the world is also in the likeness of God?
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Then you will be able to walk into a Sabbath Paradise, where so many related realities will have new tastes, wonders, experiences. How giddy do you want to be that Sabbath, awed by your personal experiential revelation of God's wonders, as you walk in His footsteps? Maybe you'll fulfill the meaning of the main word used in Hebrew in Scripture for 'praise': to be clamorously foolish. May God have fullness of joy over your joy.
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