Exodus 31:13–17, My Sabbaths you shall keep. Note that Sabbaths is plural. This is a reference not only to the weekly Sabbath, but to the feast day Sabbaths as well. However, the seventh day Sabbath remains central to YHVH’s spiritual economy for his people. In fact, it was so central to the spiritual life and YHVH’s people that he designated it to be a visible and outward sign of the special relationship between him and his people. Let’s explore this idea.
Why did YHVH designate it as a sign (“signal, distinguishing mark, banner,” Exod 31:12) between him and Israel? As YHVH’s set-apart people, Israel was distinguishing itself from the surrounding nations who did not keep the Sabbath. What distinguishes the saints today as YHVH’s set-apart people from the non-believing heathen around them? Certainly our love for one another is a distinguishing mark, according to Yeshua (John 13:35). Yeshua also said that if we love him we will keep his Torah commandments (of which the Sabbath is the fourth of the ten commandments, John 14:15; Exod 20:8). John was inspired to write that those who say they know Elohim and don’t keep his Torah-commandments (of which the Sabbath is a foundation stone) are liars and the truth is not in them (1 John 2:3–6). And finally, Yeshua told those who were Torahless (i.e. workers of iniquity or lawlessness) to depart from him, that he didn’t know them even though they claimed to be his followers and had done many religious works in his name (Matt 7:21–23). Although the Sabbath and the biblical feasts may not be the exact sign of the Renewed Covenant, Elohim’s Sabbaths are foundation stones of the Torah, and the keeping of them remains to this day for the saints of Elohim (Heb 4:9).
The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach translates verse 15 as follows:
For six days work may be done and the seventh day is a day of complete rest, it is sacred to [YHVH] … (emphasis added)
What is complete rest? What is the connection between “complete rest” and the idea of sacredness or being set-apartness or kadosh? The people of YHVH are called to separate the kodesh from the common or profane:
Her priests have violated my Torah, and have profaned my set-apart/kodesh things: they have put no difference between the kodesh and profane [common, polluted] neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. (Ezek 22:26)
And [the priests] shall teach my people the difference between the kodesh and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. (Ezek 44:23)
What is common or profane is that which is commonly done on the other six days of the week.
Exodus 31:14, Sabbath…profanes it.Profaning or polluting the Sabbath with secular activities is a sin. Sabbath desecration is as much a capital offence in YHVH’s eyes now as it was then. The wages of sin is still death (Ezek 18:4; Rom 6:23).
Exodus 31:18, Written with the finger.The Sabbath was ordained by Elohim and written by his finger. How dare men subsequently declare that the Sabbath was changed and that what YHVH wrote with his finger in tablets of stone is now irrelevant or passé! What hubris and arrogance on men’s part to counter the will and laws of Elohim with silly, specious and vacuous justifications for man-made and unbiblical teachings. Such edicts of men will not stand, but will blow away like dust in the wind, will be burned to ashes in the fiery judgment of Elohim, and will fall by the wayside like all the other traditions of men, which have dared to make the word of Elohim of no effect!
Natan, you said “What is common or profane is that which is commonly done on the other six days of the week.” I feel it is NOT proper to cook on the Sabbath day (Ex 16:23) yet I was told by someone “in the know” that she doesn’t get paid to cook and therefore it is okay, what do you say?
Sometimes, it can be difficult to know exactly what’s acceptable to our Elohim and what is not. To be on the save side, we do our cooking on the preparation day (that’s what its for) and on the Shabbat, we only heat up our pre-cooked meals, often have a salad.
We know people who don’t even wash up on the Shabbat; that seems a bit over the top for us and is not very hygienic to have dirty dishes pile up in the sink. YHVH is all about cleanliness.
Sonja
To make ‘paid work’ the criteria is not right. I could work all day in the garden then, because nobody pays me for it. On the other hand, there are paid work that some people have to do on the Shabbat like working in a hospital or nursing home etc.
We take to heart Yesha’Yahu 58:13-14
Sonja & John
I agree!
If you’re the only person there is on earth to care for the elderly in a nursing home or to care for the sick in a hospital, then yes, do the work. However, as long as there are non-Sabbath keepers who can do the work, then let them do it. As long as this is the case, I don’t view this as a valid excuse for working on the Sabbath.
I agree with you Sonja. We try to do the same thing. We don’t generally do any cooking on Shabbat except in extreme cases—only heating of foods already prepared, or eating cold foods. Everyone needs a rest break on Shabbat including the cook. Besides, we need to try to avoid profaning or polluting the Sabbath by doing those things that we habitually do on a daily basis. The Shabbat is to be a set-apart or holy day, which means our main activities change on this day. Our focus needs, as much as possible, to be an upward one and about nurturing relationship with him and our spiritual brethren. I like to ask myself this: Is what I’m doing on Shabbat furthering my relationship with my Abbah Father, as well strengthened and building spiritual relationships with those around me?
I am in total agreement in regard to not working on the Shabbat while there are plenty of other workers available who don’t keep Shabbat anyway.
Sonja