Shabbat: Sabbath

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 of the LORD your God...

Name:

Shabbat, meaning "to cease." Alternatively spelled/pronounced shabbos (Ashkenazi)

Date:

The seventh day of each week, beginning with Friday evening at sunset, and ending on Saturday evening at sunset.

Purpose:

A day of rest from labor, recalling God's rest from creation on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3) and the Israelites' freedom from slavery in Egypt.

References in the Tanakh (Old Testament):

• Genesis 2:1-3 - God rests from His creation on the seventh day
• Exodus 20:8-11 - the fourth commandment, remembers the work of creation
• Exodus 23:12, Leviticus 23:3 - Sabbath is first among the list of appointed times
• Exodus 31:12-17 - Sabbath a sign throughout the ages, observed in building tabernacle
• Deuteronomy 5:12 - fourth commandment, remembers freedom from slavery in Egypt
• Also consider Exodus 16, Exodus 24:21, Exodus 35:2-3, Leviticus 19:3,30

References in the New Testament:

• Matthew 12:1-12; Mark 2:23-3:5; Luke 6:1-10; 13:10-17; 14:1-6- It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath
• Hebrews 4:3, 9-10 - There remains a rest for the people of God

Observance:

Biblically, observance involves refraining from work. Rabbinic authorities have developed laws to determine what specifically is meant by "work," and is thereby prohibited.

At the commencement of the Sabbath on Friday Evening, special candles are lit, and certain Scriptures and liturgy are recited. This helps to "set the Sabbath day apart as holy."

Observant Jewish people attend Sabbath synagogue services on Friday night and Saturday, which includes reading from the Torah and special liturgy.

Family Sabbath traditions are centered around meals. Kiddush is recited (a blessing over wine), and challah (special braided loaves of bread for the Sabbath) is eaten.

At the conclusion of the Sabbath on Saturday, a ritual known as havdalah (the separation) is observed. It involves a blessing over the wine, smelling sweet spices, and lighting and extinguishing a special type of candle.

Fulfillment:

The Sabbath reminds us that salvation is by grace alone, without works.

The Sabbath reminds us that the Messianic Era of the Lord's 1,000 year reign over all nations follows the 6,000 years suffered under Satan's destructive rule of tyrrany.

More information on this festival:

Christians and the Sabbath: The Seventh Day, by Chuck Missler

Many Christians still remain uncomfortable over the issue of the Sabbath day. Observing Sunday as a memorial of the resurrection of our Lord is our traditional day of worship, and yet many are disturbed over this issue. (Anyone who thinks this is a simple issue to resolve hasn't studied it very carefully!) A number of key questions still remain unresolved for some:

The Seventh Day, Part 2: The First Day of the Week, by Chuck Missler

Last month we explored the origin of the Sabbath Day and its observance in the Old Testament and the period of the Gospels. As Christians, however, we venerate the first day of the week in honor of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and tend to regard that as equivalent - in some respects, at least - to "remembering the Sabbath Day to keep it holy." 1 However, for many there is still a discomfort with the ostensible substitution of the clearly established Seventh Day as God's expressed instruction.

While many contend that the basis of Sunday worship is suggested in some of the passages in the New Testament, it is not as clearly taught as we might hope. The practices of the early church, however, do seem rather well documented.
 

The Biblical Festivals of Israel: Historic and Prophetic Shadows of God, By Christopher J. Patton (Includes information on the Sabbath)

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