“Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart. Six days you labour, and shall do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Yehovah your Elohim [God]. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days Yehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yehovah blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart” (Ex 20:8-11). In the desert, before Mt Sinai, God daily rained manna from heaven to Israel, according to each one’s need, not just for their daily provision, but also as a test. In doing so Yehovah said to Mosheh “Behold, I will rain bread from the heavens for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain amount every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My Torah [Law] or not” (Ex 16:4). On the sixth day however, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one (v 22). In chapter 16, we find the first record of the seventh day sabbath command, This is what Yehovah said, ‘Tomorrow is a rest, a Sabbath set-apart to Yehovah. That which you bake, bake; and that which you cook, cook. And lay up for yourselves all that is left over, to keep it until morning’. . . And Mosheh said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to Yehovah, today you do not find it in the field. “Gather it six days, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there is none” (verses 23-26). Again a people knew better than God, “And it happened some of the people went out on the seventh day in order to gather. And they did not find any. And Yehovah said to Mosheh, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My Laws? See, because Yehovah has given you the sabbath, therefore He gives you the bread of two days on the sixth day. Each one stay in his place. Let not any one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day” (verses 27-30). This is important especially when special regard is given to Exodus 19:5, where God makes His desire towards Israel clear before appearing to them at Mt Sinai, when He says, “And now, if ye really hearken to My voice, then ye have kept My covenant...” (Youngs Literal Translation of the Holy Bible by J.N. Young, 1862, 1898). Thus requires obedience to HIS voice. The rabbis obviously took this a step further. According to the rabbinical Talmud Rabbi Johanan said, in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Jochai: If the Israelites were to keep two Sabbaths in succession as they should, they would immediately be released from exile” (The Babylonian Talmud, Book 1: Tract Shabbat, 249b) Obviously, if the Rabbinic principle of keeping two Sabbaths is correct, then it would be keen for us to understand that remembering the Shabbat is far more than just abstaining from our labours. Shabbat is to teach us important things about eternity [cf. Hebrews 4:1], undoubtedly to be known by those who observe it properly. How are we to understand this requirement, especially in consideration of the following, “‘What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?’ Says Yehovah. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says Yehovah, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool’” (Is 1:11-18). These statements were obviously given against an historical backdrop of ancient people presenting empty offerings before God, and going through religious motions. While on one level they were loyal to the Father, on another they were disloyal by failing to obey key statutes and commandments that would enact His justice. King David confirms this, “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Ps 51:16-17). This is the sacrifice that pleases Him alone. Disobedience to God’s Instruction, surely impedes the oneness that Yehovah desires to have with us! This age-old dilemma persists to this very day. But, things are indeed starting to change. Believers are coming together in unity of the Torah like never before—and they are learning to truly appreciate the value of Moses’ Teaching. From the Book of Revelation we see that two common denominators will define the end-time saints: there will be a group of people who will obey the commandments of the Torah of God, and they will have the testimony of Yeshua, the example that he set in obeying Yehovah and His Torah (Rev 12:17; 14:12). This group is beginning to steadily emerge throughout the world. With this understanding comes a great responsibility to walk according to the example of Messiah Yeshua. It most especially involves a responsibility of understanding the imperative value of being able to love God and neighbor, the foremost of the Torah’s commandments (Dt 6:5; Lev 19:18; cf. Mat 19:19; 22:39; Mar 12:31; Luk 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jam 2:8). The coming Kingdom of God is not at all incumbent on running numbers and calculating years or cracking divine codes. Instead the apostle Peter says how we “ought...to be in set-apart conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of Elohim” (2 Pet 3:11-12). We must realize that the race has an ultimate end—namely the restoration of God’s Kingdom—it is through patience, perseverance, and steadfast endurance that we will complete the race of faith. We must face the fact that human nature has a tendency to become lackadaisical with repetition. But is it not repetition and practice which ultimately allow the greatest musicians or athletes—or any professional—to excel at their chosen profession? Is it not through repetition and practice that we inculcate our minds with almost automatic responses in given situations? What about the study of God’s Word? How is one going to be able to respond in a godly manner, unless he or she has devoted the time to study the Bible? The battle in the mind is where most of the conflict of fallen human nature and the indwelling Spirit occurs. It is only through a diligent and consistent study and application of the Word of God that we can overcome the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Adversary. Mosheh understood that God’s people needed repetition of His instruction, giving them a repetition and an amplification of many of the commands of Yehovah given in the Torah, so that the Ancient Israelites would not disobey Him, as they prepared themselves to enter into the Promised Land. The introduction of a consistent and practical Torah study for many people will greatly enhance their faith. If one does not read and reflect on the teachings of Moses, it is difficult to know when you are committing a sin of commission or omission. While we mature in our faith—applying Scripture properly takes a lifetime! With all of this being said, we must turn to the patterns established by Moses and joyfully study his words and admonitions. We can each ask the Ruach Hakodesh [Holy Spirit] to illuminate areas of our walk that need positive change as we are being conformed to the image of the Messiah Yeshua. We do not know all that God is doing today with His people, because we simply cannot see time and space and the universe from His perspective. But, we must remember that God’s Kingdom can only be restored first by the restoration of individuals unto Him. May we fervently pray to this end!
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 07:45:58 +0000
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