SHABBAT - HE RESTED

From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD.

Isaiah 66: 23 (NIV)

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INTRODUCTION

Shabbat is a day of rest that the Jewish people observe every seven days. It spans Friday evening to Saturday evening and typically begins with the lighting of the candles. Prayers are recited, and the Queen of Shabbat is welcomed. So the feast begins. A festive mood sets in; one of resting and worship. After all, after God was done creating the world, He rested. So should we.

SHABBAT - HE RESTED

We have established that working and performing priestly duties are all a form of worshiping God. God began the world we know today through his own work. What some sometimes forget to mention, though, is that resting and even eating can be seen as a form of worship to the Lord. After all, God too rested after he finished creating the world (Exodus 20: 11), and we are told to do everything for the glory of God, whether we eat or fast. (1 Corinthians 10: 31)

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20: 11 (NIV)

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10: 31 (NIV)

Resting the body from work and taking care of it by eating good, healthy food is important and good. These bodies require such care. Setting aside at least one day in the week from work is not only important but happens to be a commandment. Shabbat rest is a great blessing one can look forward to every week. Of course, that does not mean that grace is not with us on the other days of the week. 

The Hebrew word Shabbat literally means “He rested”. And so God really did. He rested on the seventh day, and so should we. (2)

THE TRUE MEANING OF SHABBAT

Following Shabbat per the Jewish sages' ways has many rulings. It typically consists of a Friday evening meal and a Saturday morning meal, which should include at least two whole loaves of bread. Then there is a whole variety of foods that they prepare in advance - gefilte fish, chicken soup, kugels, salads, and other festive foods. (3)

Certain prayers are prayed, and the Queen of Shabbat is welcomed on Friday evening as the bride that she is, alongside candles being lit. Queen of Shabbat is considered the impersonification of Shabbat itself.  (3)

To usher in the new week and fill it with sweetness, the Havdalah prayer is performed.  (3)

YESHUA AND SHABBAT

“I did not come to abolish the law but fulfill it.” What a statement full of power and authority. I is well known that Yeshua died for the sins of all men. To have been able to do so, he would have had to have been without sin. Christianity claims he was. Sadly, it posed quite a problem for me. Why would Yeshua claim that and at the same time fail to observe it by breaking Shabbat law, as some scriptures may point to? 

It was my lack of knowledge that stood in the way. The supernatural healing that Yeshua performed on Shabbat was not actually against the Shabbat law of that time. There may have been discussions, but it was not against the Law of God. Neither was Him allowing his disciples to pluck off some grain. Plucking off grain was not against the Law of God. The discussion going on, though, was whether it should be prohibited on Shabbat. Some sects of Judaism claimed it should, some claimed it shouldn’t. (4)

It was the perceived breaking of Shabbat law that spurred the Pharisees to plot Yeshua’s death. But He was not guilty. On Shabbat’s Yeshua went to the synagogues to teach and to read from the Torah scrolls. He was an observant Israelite. 

A BLESSING TO ALL 

Contrary to some Jewish beliefs, Shabbat is not merely for Israel. In Exodus 20: 10 it is stated, “but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”

All who were residing in Israel were not to work on Shabbat. Isaiah 66: 23 prophecies that in the end all flesh shall observe Shabbat. It is a blessing meant for all.

CONCLUSION

Shabbat is a day of rest that the Jewish people observe every seven days. It spans Friday evening to Saturday evening and typically begins with the lighting of the candles. It includes a Friday evening and Saturday morning meals consisting of all sorts of food, but most importantly, two loaves of bread. 

There are Torah portions that are read and a morning synagogue service jews attend. It is a day of rest set aside for worshiping God. The Hebrew word Shabbat Means “He rested”. God rested after he created the world in six days. And Yeshua, the Messiah, rested and observed Shabbat, though some among the Pharisees claimed He did not. We should rest too.

Application

This upoming week try to put aside all work and focus on God if possible.

SOURCES

1. Image created via canva.com.

2. Aleph Beta. Shabbat: What Is It? Its’, Meaning, the “Shabbat Shalom” Greeting & More. Available at https://www.alephbeta.org/shabbat/what-is-the-sabbath

3. Menachem Posner. What Is Shabbat? The Jewish Day of Rest. Available at https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/633659/jewish/What-Is-Shabbat.htm

4. Hendrickson Bibles, Messianic Jewish Publishers & Resources. The Complete Jewish Study Bible. Insights for Jews & Christians. Available at https://shorturl.at/Dy56w