The Sabbath day is probably one the most important days on Yahweh’s calendar and possibly one the most important commandments as well. It is mentioned over and over in Scripture and it is significant in many ways. We see it in the creation narrative of Genesis and in a little more detail in the book of Jubilees (an apocryphal book sometimes referred to as the “little genesis”). It is the only day that is blessed. Several of the other days Yahweh called all of His marvelous works “good” but the seventh was different.

 

“And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God had rested from all His work that He had done in creation.” Gen 2:2-3 ESV

 

           “Write the complete history of the creation, how in six days the Lord God finished all His works and all that He created, and kept the Sabbath on the seventh day and hallowed it for all the ages, and appointed it as a sign for all His works. Jub 2:1 

 

   Yahweh rested, not because He was tired, but because He had finished the work that He set out to do.

 

   According to the book of Jubilees, the Sabbath is a set apart time that is even observed in heaven.

 

          “And all the angels of the presence, and all the angels of sanctification, these two great classes – He has hidden us to keep the Sabbath with Him in heaven and on earth.” Jub 2:18

 

          “:On this we (the angels) kept Sabbath in the heavens before it was made known to any flesh to keep the Sabbath there on the earth.” Jub 2:31

 

   What an incredible thought that the commands that we follow here echo that which is followed in the heavens. It is beautiful and awe-inspiring to know that we, the heavenly messengers and the Father, observe this glorious day. 

 

   The Sabbath is a command that pre-dates the giving of the law that we see at Mt Sinai. In the book of Jubilees Yahweh explains, 

 

          “Behold, I will separate unto  Myself a people from among all the peoples, and these will keep the Sabbath day, and I will sanctify them unto Myself as My people and will bless them; as I have have sanctified the Sabbath day so sanctify it unto Myself, even so I shall bless them, and they will be My people and I shall be their God… And the Creator of all things blessed this day which He had created for a blessing and a sanctification and a glory above all days”. Jub 2:19; 32. 

 

   We also see in Exodus 16, when Israel was receiving instructions regarding the manna they are told in verse 23 to gather twice as much as normal day because, “tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord”. They are then given a reminder in Exodus 20 verses 8-11, 

 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For is six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” 

 

   Later, in Exodus 31, it says, 

 

“You are to speak to the children of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you… Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between Me and the people of Israel that is six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” (Verses 13, 16-17)

 

   What a beautiful verse. The Sabbath is a sign of the covenant that Yahweh made with His people, forever. It is He who sanctifies us. He is our God and we, His people. Is it possible that this is the sign that distinguishes Yahwehs people in the last days mentioned in Revelation 9:4? Is it the commandments of the Father, specifically in this instance, the Sabbath, that sets His people apart from those who will receive punishment?

 

     We know that there are blessings attached to observing Yahweh’s laws and there are curses when we don’t. The entire chapter of Deuteronomy 28 lists them out but they are mentioned elsewhere as well.

 

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Keep justice and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come and My righteousness will be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.’” Isaiah 56:1-2

 

   In Nehemiah, he chastises the leaders of Judah,

 

“What is this evil thing that you have done, profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and this city? Now we are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” (Nehemiah 13:17-18)

 

  It’s because of failure to guard the Sabbath and commandments that Yahweh gave His people that caused oppression, captivity and exile. This pattern is repeated time and time again in scripture. And we see it described as a failure to guard His commandments and Sabbaths. He always distinguishes it from the other instructions. Now, Israel had moments of peace and rest. They had it when Israel first entered into the land, they had it with David and Solomon, and various other rulers who all shared a common theme, they were obedient. But, they never were able to hold on to it for very long.

 

  The Sabbath is not a Old Testament command only. We see it observed in the New Testament scriptures as well. Remember the words of our Messiah,

 

          “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill (to carry out, bring to realization, to perform) them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass away from the Law until all is accomplished. Matthew 5:17-18

 

   The apostle Paul consistently observed the Sabbath even after his divine encounter with Yeshua. We see that in the book of Acts 13:14 and in 17:2. There is also a revealing reference in Acts 15 when the leaders are trying to figure out how to deal with Gentiles coming to the faith. A consensus is finally reached to given them specific instruction and certain key points but to let them learn the rest of the Torah on the Sabbaths, because that is when the Law was read in the synagogues.

 

   So, how do we observer this day that is so special to Yahweh? Apart from “rest and do no work”, we’re not given a whole lot of instructions in scripture. Maybe the simplicity of it is a good place to start. If you are able take the final day of the week and step away from the working world. Set your job aside, leave shopping for another day and just rest. If you have a local community of believers gather with them to build each other up, break bread (it is a feast day after all) and grow in the knowledge of Yahweh’s word. Spend time praising the Father for all that He is and all that He has done. This is your day to spend with your Father. It is a set apart day that He has established since creation for you to be blessed with.

 

           Hebrews 4:9-10, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.”

 

    The Sabbath rest is both physical and spiritual. (as are many things in regards to the promises of Scripture) We cannot separate the two. The weekly Sabbath is a continuous reminder of what Yahweh did and what we have to look forward to when He establishes His Kingdom here on earth. The rest that we observe every week is a reflection, a foreshadow of eternity. Remember what we read in Jubilees 2 and Exodus 31. The Sabbath is the sign of the covenant. “I, Yahweh, sanctify you, I will be your God and you will be My people”. He is the one who set’s us apart for a divine purpose.

 

   We encourage you, if you’ve never held a Sabbath rest, that you begin now. It is a beautiful way to honor the Father. He longs for this day with His people, with you. The rest that Yahweh provides for His people is always linked with the inheritance of the promised land and His presence residing with His people but it will only come through relationship and obedience. The command to guard the Sabbath teaches us about our relationship with the Father. He rested so that we could share in that rest. Participating in the Sabbath is a time to fellowship with our Creator that we get to experience, in part, now and will ultimately in the Kingdom to come. It’s one of those “now but not yet’ ideas. That final rest that was observed and preached in the beginning will come into fulfillment when Yahweh will forever dwell with His people. A Sabbath day that will exist forever thanks to the promises of the Father and the obedience and power of His son our Messiah and High Priest.