![]() ![]() When God commanded Isra'el to mark out the Sabbath, it often envisioned one or many of the following terms: “remember,” “keep,” “observe,” “bless,” “sanctify,” “celebrate,” “sign,” as well as others I may have missed in this brief word study. The reasons for Isra'el marking out the Sabbath are numerous, but perhaps the two most well known are:ġ) To remember that God is the creator (Ex 20:11)Ģ) To remember that Isra'el was rescued from Egypt (Deut 5:15) God also declared the seventh day Sabbath to be a “sign” (Hebrew=אוֹת oat) between Isra'el and himself, to expressly declare to the world that it is God who sanctifies Isra'el (Ex 31:13 and Ez 20:12, 20). What is more, we find that God himself “blessed” (Hebrew=בָּרַךְ barakh) the seventh day and made it holy” (Gen 2:2), a day which we know to be the Sabbath day. The original Hebrew word “shamar” actually implies “guarding.” Within close proximity of “remembering,” and “keeping/observing” the Sabbath, we also find verses such as Ex 20:8 commanding us to likewise keep it “holy” (Hebrew=קָדַשׁ kadash), and Ex 31:16 commanding us to “celebrate” (NIV, NASB) it (Hebrew=עָשָׂה asah). You can see from above that “keep” and “observe” share the same root Hebrew word “shamar,” yet are translated with two differing English words. ![]() “Observe” (Hebrew=שָׁמַר shamar) the Sabbath (Deut 5:12).“Remember” (Hebrew=זָכַר zakhar) the Sabbath (Ex 20:8).I will list a few more familiar ones, along with the original Hebrew root verb used to describe the action listed in the Torah: However, there are quite a few verses commanding us to single out the Sabbath in special ways. I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, Or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly Īnd I will make you ride on the heights of the earth If you honor (Hebrew=כָּבַד kavad) it, not going your own ways, “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,Īnd the holy (Hebrew=קָדוֹשׁ kadosh) day of the Lord honorable We must take the time to be still-and know that the I AM of our being, the indwelling Presence of God, is completing the creative process and bringing more spiritual energy into manifestation through us.Ariel HaNaviy Messianic Jew and Torah Teacher with Messianic Congregation 'The Harvest' Using the TaNaKH (OT), I could not find a verse that simply commands us to “Honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” (with the original Hebrew words כָּבַד kavad for “honor” and the word קָדוֹשׁ kadosh for “holy”), although Is 58:13-14 probably comes the closest since it employs both of these words across two verses: We work harder and harder, get more and more clogged up, and wonder why things aren't working. When we don't allow for a time of rest, we ignore the rhythm according to which God works in the world. It's that we do our part through six stages, then relax into the certainty of Spirit and allow the result to unfold. It's not that we create for six days and then take a break. The seven days of creation describe the seven-fold creative process according to which divine ideas become manifest in our world as we receive, honor, release and express them. That's fine, but as with all of the Ten Commandments, the real power and importance lie at a deeper level. Many observant Christians and-especially-Jews do in fact observe 'the letter of the law' in terms of the sabbath, refraining from work according to very detailed laws and customs. Metaphysically, this passage is less concerned with the seventh day of each week than with recognizing the flow and rhythm of the creative energy of God working in our lives. Question:įor my greater understanding of what the Lord God is saying to his children. "Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). ![]()
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