SHABBAT --- CONTINUE

The Shabbat in the New Testament:

Before the first century, some Jews in Palestine developed several more rules for promoting the observance of the Shabbat. Two small passages in the Mishnah are devoted exclusively to these Shabbat rules and regulations. Their main purpose is to define work by telling the Israelites what is and is not permitted on the Shabbat. Unfortunately, this led to such hair-splitting complexities and detailed Laws that Jewish lawyers often could not agree on the interpretation of certain parts of the Law. Because of this, the main purpose of the Shabbat became lost beneath a mass of legalistic detail. The rabbis themselves were aware of how much they were adding to the straightforward teaching about the Shabbat in the Old Testament. As one rabbi put it, -- The rules about the Shabbat... are as mountains hanging by a hair, for Scripture is scanty and the rules many.

Yeshua and the Shabbat

Yeshua had many confrontations with the Jewish religious leaders over Shabbat observances. From their perspective, Yeshua was a Shabbat breaker and was guilty of breaking the Law. Yeshua however, never saw Himself as a Shabbat breaker. He went to the synagogue regularly on the Shabbat -- Luke 4:16. He read the Lessons from Scripture, preached, and taught -- Mark 1:21 and Luke 13:10. He clearly accepted the principle that the Shabbat was an appropriate day for worshipping YHVH. However, Yeshua did not agree with all of the laws the Pharisees had created for the Shabbat that were not based on the Old Testament. He made this clear when He defended His disciples by appealing to Scripture, after they had been accused of breaking Shabbat tradition by walking through grain fields and breaking off heads of wheat. For the Pharisees, this was against the law because it was classified as harvesting -- Mark 2:23-26. He followed this up with a remark that took His listeners straight back to YHVH’s Creation purpose for the Shabbat: -- The Shabbat was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Shabbat -- 2:27. The Pharisees had exalted the tradition of the Shabbat above the people it was meant to serve, and they had robbed the Shabbat of one of its main purposes. Yeshua’s Words must have sounded uncomfortably familiar in His opponents’ ears. A famous rabbi had once said, -- The Shabbat is given over to you, but you are not given over to the Shabbat. More than anything else, the miraculous healings Yeshua performed on the Shabbat contradicted the laws of the Pharisees. The Old Testament does not forbid cures on the Shabbat, but the Pharisees thought all healing was work, which must always be avoided on the Shabbat unless someone’s life was at risk. Yeshua fearlessly exposed the absurd results of this law. He asked, how could it be right to circumcise a baby or lead an animal to water on the Shabbat, which was allowed by tradition, but wrong to heal a chronically handicapped woman and a crippled man, even if their lives were not in immediate danger -- Luke 13:10-17 and John 7:21-24? Yeshua taught that the Shabbat was a particularly appropriate day for acts of mercy and healing -- Mark 3:4-5. Yeshua, the Man from heaven, claimed that He ADONAI of the Shabbat -- Mark 2:28 and Matthew 12:5-8. Just as YHVH kept working, despite His Creation rest, to sustain the world in His mercy, so Yeshua would continue to teach and to heal on the Shabbat day -- John 5:2-17. However, Yeshua also said that one day His Redemptive Work would be complete, and then the Shabbat’s purpose as a sign of redemption would be accomplished.

Paul and the Shabbat:

Because he was alive after Yeshua’s Death and Resurrection, the apostle Paul was quick to understand the significance of the Shabbat. He did not go so far as to ban all observance of the Jewish Shabbat. Indeed, he attended many Shabbats synagogue services himself while he was travelling -- Acts 13:14-16. Jewish believers who insisted on keeping up their Shabbat practices were free to do so, provided they respected the opinions of those who differed -- Romans 14:5-6, 13. However, Paul emphasized that any suggestion that observing the Jewish Shabbat rules was necessary for salvation must be resisted -- Galatians 4:8-11. Paul considered the Shabbat to be a shadow, while Moshiach Himself is the Reality of that shadow -- Colossians 2:17. Finally, it is the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews who explains how Yeshua Moshiach fulfils the twin biblical Shabbat themes of creation and redemption. He did so by linking together the ideas of YHVH’s rest after Creation and His Redeeming Work in bringing Israel to rest in the promised land of Canaan. He then describes how both of these events relate to the present and future rest that believers can enjoy with a relationship with Yeshua -- Hebrews 4:1-11.

The Final Shabbat:

YHVH intends all His people to share His Rest and His Promises -- Hebrews 4:1. He showed this intention clearly when He brought Israel to the Promised Land, but that did not mark the complete fulfilment of His Promise. The full and complete rest that is still waiting for the people of YHVH is in heaven. Moshiach has already entered there. He is resting from His Work, just as YHVH did after the Creation. And because of Yeshua’s Redeeming Work, He invites all people who believe in Him to share that same Shabbat rest now -- 4:9.

Our baby girl prayed to YHVH to not let the snow miss us and snow for her bday....she got her prayer and some!

SHABBAT

Overview:

The word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew word that means cease or stop. The Shabbat was a day [from Friday evening until Saturday evening in Yeshua’s time] when all ordinary work stopped. The Scriptures tell us that YHVH gave His people the Shabbat as an opportunity to serve Him and as a reminder of two great truths in the Bible: Creation and Redemption. The Shabbat was to be a day of rest and worship -- a day set aside for spiritual, mental, and physical refreshment.

The Shabbat in the Old Testament:

The relationship between Creation and the Shabbat is first expressed in Genesis 2:2-3. YHVH [Ceased] His Work in Creation after six days and then [blessed] the seventh day and [declared it Holy.] In the Fourth Commandment -- Exodus 20:8-11 --, YHVH’s Blessing and Setting Side of the seventh day after Creation form the basis of His demand that the Israelites should remember the seventh day as a day of Shabbat rest.

YHVH’s Rest:

The idea of YHVH resting from His work is a startling one. It comes across even more vividly in Exodus 31:17, where YHVH tells Moses how He was refreshed by His day of rest. This picture of Elohim as a Manual Worker is one the Bible often describes. There is no doubt that YHVH talks about the Shabbat in this way to show believers that they must follow the pattern He has set for them. A day of rest is necessary for individuals, families, households, and even animals -- 20:10. The Shabbat’s setting in the biblical account of Creation implies that it is one of the rules in the Old Testament that is meant for all people and not just for Israel. When YHVH included the Shabbat Law in the Ten Commandments, it emphasized its importance. The Ten Commandments had a special position in Old Testament Law. It was the only Law spoken by YHVH’s Voice -- Exodus 20:1 --, written by His Finger -- 31:18 --, and placed in the Ark of the Covenant which was a very important part of Israel’s worship services -- 25:16. The New Testament also emphasizes the fact that the Ten Commandments describe principles that are important for all people in all places at all times. Believers should accept the importance of the Shabbat described in the Bible. YHVH’s Torah require all people to observe a regular weekly break from work.

YHVH’s Law:

Significantly, the second idea behind the teaching in the Bible about the Shabbat -- the idea of redemption -- is also featured in the Ten Commandments. YHVH’s Law about the Shabbat, which was already described in -- Exodus 20:8-11, reappears in -- Deuteronomy 5:12-15. However, in this passage, YHVH gives the believers a different reason for observing the Shabbat day: -- Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that Adonai your Elohim brought you out with amazing power and mighty deeds. That is why Adonai your Elohim has Commanded you to observe the Shabbat day -- 5:15. The differences between these two accounts of the Shabbat are important. The first -- Exodus 20 -- is addressed, through Israel, to all people as created beings. The second -- Deuteronomy 5 -- is directed to Israel as a nation of YHVH’s Redeemed People. Because of this, the Shabbat is YHVH’s signpost. It points not only to His Goodness toward all people as their Elohim but also to His Mercy toward His Chosen People as their Redeemer.

YHVH’s Justice

There is one other significant point in Deuteronomy’s version of the Shabbat Commandment that must not be missed. After YHVH prohibits all work on the Shabbat day, He adds an explanatory note: -- [On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do] -- Deuteronomy 5:14. Practical concern for others is an idea found in all of YHVH’s Laws in the Old Testament. Because YHVH was merciful to the people of Israel while they were slaves in Egypt, He expected the Israelites to show loving concern for the people who served them. The Shabbat Day offered the Israelites a perfect opportunity to show this loving concern. During Yeshua’s time, many of the Israelites had forgotten this very important idea behind the Shabbat Day. Because of this, Yeshua was especially sure to emphasize the humanitarian side of the Shabbat Observance -- Mark 3:1-5. When the Old Testament describes a Shmita [Shabbat Year], it develops this humanitarian theme even further -- Exodus 23:10-12, Leviticus 25:1-7, and Deuteronomy 15:1-11. This Law stated that every seventh year the land was to lie fallow and be uncultivated -- Leviticus 25:4. It needed a regular rest just as much as the people it sustained. The primary purpose of this Law was to show loving concern for the people who worked the land: -- But you, your male and female slaves, your hired servants, and any foreigners who live with you may eat the produce that grows naturally during the Shmita. And your livestock and the wild animals will also be allowed to eat of the land’s bounty -- 25:6-7. Deuteronomy 15:1-11 -- extends the same humanitarian principle into the world of business. The Law of the Shmita Commanded that the people of Israel must cancel all of their debts. For people who refused to loan money out because the Shmita was approaching, the Law added a warning and a promise: -- Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year of release is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to Elohim, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give freely without begrudging it, and Adonai your Elohim will bless you in everything you do -- Deuteronomy 15:9-10. The Shmita was obviously a great test of the Israelites’ obedience to YHVH. It also required them to depend on YHVH for their livelihood and food during that year. In some cases, the temptation to turn a blind eye was too strong. However, history shows us that Israel was usually courageous by observing the Law on many occasions, despite threats of invasion and famine. Both Alexander the Great and the Romans excused Jews from paying taxes every seventh year because the Jews were so faithful to their religious beliefs.

Shabbat Rules:

Returning from the seventh year to the seventh day, the Old Testament Law goes into considerable detail about the types of work that may and may not be done by YHVH’s people on the Shabbat. The Rules about the Shabbat were not meant to rule out activity of any kind. Instead, the Laws were meant to stop regular, everyday work, because if YHVH had set aside the Shabbat -- Exodus 20:11, the most obvious way of being disrespectful was to treat it just like any other day. Rules were spelled out in specific terms that the farmer -- 34:21 --, the salesman -- Jeremiah 17:27 -- and even the housewife -- Exodus 35:2-3 -- would understand. The details may seem trivial to people today, but obedience to the Shabbat Law was seen as the main test of the people’s loyalty to YHVH. It was made quite clear that wilful disobedience of the Shabbat Law required the harsh punishment of death -- Exodus 35:2, and the fate of the person who was caught gathering wood in defiance of Shabbat regulations showed that this was not an idle threat -- Numbers 15:32-36. Because it involved so many rules and regulations [and with the death penalty overhanging all], the Shabbat easily could have become a day when the Israelites were more afraid of committing an offense than worshiping YHVH and enjoying a weekly rest. However, YHVH intended the Shabbat to be a blessing, not a burden. Above everything else, it was a weekly sign that YHVH Loved His people and wanted to draw them into a closer relationship with Him. People who valued that relationship with YHVH enjoyed the Shabbat and they called it a delight -- Isaiah 58:13-14. In Psalm 92, which is titled, -- A Song for the Shabbat -- a person’s joy about the Shabbat is very clear. Later on, in the Old Testament, the later prophets saw that a great deal of Shabbat observance was a sham. Many people treated the Shabbat more as holiday than Holy Day, and they used it as an opportunity for self-indulgence rather than a day for worshipping YHVH -- Isaiah 58:13. Some greedy tradesmen found the restrictions an annoyance to their business -- Amos 8:5. As YHVH’s spokespeople, the prophets did not shrink from exposing this disobedience and abuse of the Shabbat Laws -- Ezekiel 22:26. Isaiah said that those who go through the motions of Shabbat worship with hearts that were not truly repentant nauseated YHVH -- Isaiah 1:10-15. Jeremiah told the people that their breaking of the Shabbat Laws would eventually bring destruction to the city of Jerusalem -- Jeremiah 17:27. And Ezekiel warned the people that YHVH had been very patient with His people, but if they continued to disobey His Torah about the Shabbat, He would severely judge them -- Ezekiel 20:12-24. When the Axe of Judgment fell and the Israelites were exiled to Babylon in 586 BC, the people who remained in Israel took the prophets’ words to heart. Shabbat keeping was one of the few distinctive practices faithful Jews could continue to follow in a foreign land. Because of this, it became especially significant. At the prompting of prophets like Ezekiel, who set out rules for Shabbat worship in the rebuilt temple at Jerusalem -- Ezekiel 44:24, 45:17 and 46:3 --, and under the leadership of men like Nehemiah, the Israelites were more careful than the people before them in observing the Shabbat -- Nehemiah 10:31 and 13:15-22.

You’re invited to join us for worship this Shabbat! We meet every Saturday at 10:45 AM CST in Coon Rapids, MN or online at 11 AM CST. The live stream link is in the comments.

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Who was Jonah's father?

#quiz

https://etzbneyosef.blogspot.c....om/2022/02/the-inten

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When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."
#revelation 1:17-18

"Death and Hades" in this passage are Hades and Thanatos in the Greek. Death and Sheol (the Hebrew equivalent of Hades) are frequently mentioned together in ancient Jewish writings, often personified as active forces. Pagan deities often evolved from personified forces of nature and so were named by the forces they represented.