The Sabbath and God's People

What is the big deal about the Sabbath? It seems that so many christians are confused about when the Sabbath is and why we have it. Was the original Sabbath God set forth for Israel done away with in Christ? Does there remain a Sabbath for us today? Is the Sabbath Sunday? These are all questions people ask when it comes to the Sabbath.

"Well, can't I take a day of rest any day of the week..." The Lord said in the beginning (Genesis 2), "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that He had done." The original hebrew word for 'rest' is shabath (shaw-bath) meaning to cease, desist, to sit down, to sit still, to desist from doing anything. If you want to read more about the hebrew word click on the link. The Lord rested on the seventh day and called it holy. Fast forward to Exodus 20. Moses, is on Mount Sinai with the Lord while he is giving Moses the Ten Commandments. What is the fourth commandment? "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all you work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates..." If the law was done away with, why do we still have the Ten Commandments?

Fast forward again to Exodus 31:12, 13. The Lord tells Moses to command the Israelites to observe the Lord's Sabbaths. He said it will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. What does the word holy mean? First of all, there are eight different hebrew words for "holy" in the Old Testament. The word used here in Exodus 31:13 is 'qadash' (kaw-dash) meaning to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate. Very interesting. That means that in the beginning (remember Genesis 2) that God separated, prepared, and sanctified a day in advance for us. Now he says to the Israelites, keep this day because it will be sign and I am the Lord who makes you 'holy'. The Sabbath was not just given as another rule to obey or another commandment we can twist into what best fits our schedule. The Sabbath was given as a test of faithfulness. It was given to prepare, set apart, sanctify, and dedicate God's people to him.

In Hebrews 4, the writer is speaking of the the promise God made to his people, Israel. Read verse 1. It says that the promise still stands. However, verse 9 is what I want to point out to you. He says, "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his." The seventh day is God's day of rest and He gave us the seventh so that we can rest with him. I'm not going into whether it's Saturday or Sunday, I merely wanted to point out that Scripture both Old and New Testaments say that there is a Sabbath for the people of God. Jesus himself is the goal of all that is written. When we are obedient to the Lord's commandments, we are obedient to Christ. He gives us the power to obey what has been commanded through his death on the cross and resurrection. Without Christ, our attempts to honour Torah are futile but in Christ they are blessed and bring life.

The Rest of the Story

I recieved an e-mail from a fellow blogger who is studying Torah himself. He had a question or a curiosity I said I'd answer on my blog. He is curious as to church history. Our church history as we know it, comes from Eusebius (Ecclesiastical Church History) and the early church fathers. Do we really know the "rest of the story?" Many believe that Constantine is a hero of our faith. He established Christianity in a pagan empire. Do we know what he did to establish it? I was shocked when I found out what really happened. Eusebius firmly believed that the church had replaced the Jews and had become the new Israel. Early church fathers such as Origen, Eusebius, Justin Martyr, Ignatius Bishop of Antioch, John Chrysotom, St. Augustine, etc, had a jewish prejudice. They were anti-semites. They blamed the Jews for the death of our Messiah saying that you put your Messiah to death and now you must suffer the consequences. John Calvin said, "Their (the Jews) rotten and unbending stiffneckedness deserves that they be oppressed and unendingly and without measure or end and that they die in their misery without the pity of anyone." In the mind of the early church fathers, the Jews had committed the unforgivable sin and they were no longer worthy to be called God's chosen people.

Constantine held a council made up of 318 bishops called the council of Nicea. At the council of Nicea, they decided on two main issues. The first concerned the heretical writings of Arius, a presbyter in Alexandria. The second was in respect to the proper keeping of Easter because some were celebrating in the manner of the Jews. In other words, they were celebrating the Passover. While others were celebrating in the manner of fellow christians. Constantine replaced all of the Biblical holy days with pagan holidays. Passover was replaced with Easter. Easter would be celebrated on an ecclesiastical Sunday rather than the date of the fourteenth of Nisan given in God's biblical calendar. Constantine went on to say,

"...it seemed to everyone a most unworthy thing that we should follow the custom of the Jews of this most holy solemnity, who, - polluted wretches! - having stained their hands with a nefarious crime are justly blinded in their minds. It is fit, therefore, that rejecting the practice of this people, we should perpetuate to all future ages the celebration of this rite, Easter in a more legitimate order...Let us then have nothing in common with the most hostile rabble of the Jews...In pursuing this course with a unanimous consent, let us withdraw ourselves...from that most odious fellowship."

Thus Rome axed God's holy feast day, Passover. The rest of the holy days were soon to follow. It was soon heresy to practice them upon the threat of death.

There is so much more to this historical story. I will cover the rest at an appropriate time. History is still repeating itself today.

Sources:
Gruber, Dan. "The Church and the Jews."
Catholicism 1
Catholicism 2

"If you love me...."

John 14:15, 14:23, 15:10

When reading scripture, one of the simplest methods of interpretation is looking for repetition. Repetition is when a phrase, or word is used multiple times in consecutive verses, or even chapters. One of the best examples of repetition is found in the Gospel of John chapters 14-15. Three times in two chapters, Jesus uses the same phrase or a variation of it. You can read the verses using the links at the top of this post. "If you love me..." When Jesus uses a phrase like this three times in two chapters, it is important to the reader. Let's complete the sentence. "IF you love me, you will keep my commandments/words." This poses two interesting questions. What commandments is Jesus talking about, and Were Jesus commandments any different from his Father's?

Let's go back for a moment to the book of Deuteronomy. Moses is speaking for the Lord to the Israelites and he says in chapter 18:18, 19 that He (the Lord) will raise up a prophet from among their people like Moses. A prophet who will speak my words and the people will obey that He says in my name. If you they don't obey him, they will be held accountable. The prophet the Lord is speaking of through Moses is our Messiah. Remember, that Jesus came to earth to reveal the Father. He was the Father incarnate. If He was the Father incarnate, then why would his commands be any different? Who did Moses meet at the burning bush? Who gave Moses the commandments? The Father and Jesus are one in the same. Jesus was in the burning bush, Jesus gave the commandments to Moses, and Jesus spoke of himself through Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18,19. Jesus never contradicted his Father, he confirmed His Father. Jesus isn't just speaking of the great commission and loving our neighbour as ourself. He is speaking of all the commandments given at Sinai, including the feasts and the sabbath. Jesus celebrated the feasts and kept the sabbath. Paul did the same. What makes us think that Jesus changed everything that was ordained from the beginning of time? Jesus didn't do away with, He wasn't the end of, He was the fulfillment of the Torah. He is what all the Torah and the prophets talk about.

How do we love God? What is the evidence of our love of God? The evidence is obedience. "If you love me, you will obey my commandments." Jesus is 100% our salvation and 100% our righteousness. The Torah was not given for salvation. Paul said in Romans 8:3, 4 that what the law (torah) was powerless to do...I'll let you read the rest. It was given for teaching and instruction (for more info read the post "What is Torah?"). Jesus is the living application of the Torah. He is the living Torah.

Covenant Complications

Hebrews 8:7, 8 says, "For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said..." You can read the rest using the link provided at the beginning of the post. What Old Testament prophet does Paul quote from in the following four verses? He quotes from the prophet Jeremiah chapter 31:31-34 which says that there is coming day when the Lord will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah. In that day the Lord will write the law on their hearts and put it in their minds. Let's go back to Hebrews for a moment to verse 8, Paul says, "But God finding fault with the people..." Who did God find fault with? The people. There was no problem with the covenant, the problem was with the people. Why? The problem was with the people because Israel and Judah could not remain faithful their Lord and went astray following after other gods from distant nations. The prophet Ezekiel prophesies of Israel's apostasy in 16:30-34 speaking of their affairs with other gods (the Lord calls them "prostitutes"). The good news from Paul is that the Lord didn't leave them in their exiled state. He didn't desert them in their time of rebellion. No. Indeed, He promised that He would take the law that was given to them on tablets of stone and write it on their hearts. Ezekiel 36:26 says, that the Lord will put in them a heart of flesh and remove their heart of stone. How will this happen? It will happen through the sacrifice of a pure, spotless, lamb. A sacrifice that will once for all (Heb. 9:26) . The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is and was the goal of all that was written in the prophets and the law. It will be through His death the law will be written on their hearts.

The Abrahamic Covenant was not cancelled out by the Noahic Covenant. The Noahic Covenant was not cancelled by the Mosaic Covenant. All of the covenants build on one another. If the covenant God made with us through Christ cancelled out the covenant made with Abraham, what would be the foundation of our faith? It is written that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. How do we believe? We believe on Jesus Christ and we recieve the same righteousness Abraham did. Paul speaks of Abraham in his letter to the Galatians chapter 3:7-11. If the covenants cancel each other out, why does the Abrahamic Covenant still stand? The Abrahamic covenant still stands because it was made by faith.

Remember, the problem was with the people (us) and not the covenant. Why did Jesus come to earth? Jesus came to earth because the covenant was broken and the people needed to be restored to right relationship with God through a perfect sacrifice. The blood of an animal spilled many times over could not accomplish what Christ accomplished in one divine appointment.

What is Torah?

You will come across a word in most of my postings that you maybe unfamiliar with. Some of you maybe familiar with it. The word I am speaking of is 'torah'. Torah is the hebrew word for 'law' in the Old Testament. Torah can be simply defined as the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. The word "torah" has many definitions (click the link for definitions). We find that the word 'torah' can mean 'teaching', 'instruction', 'direction', 'law' and so on. What was 'Torah' given for? It was given for, if we understand the definition, the teaching and instruction of the God's people; you and me. I quoted in a previous post Matthew 5:17. Jesus did not come to abolish or destroy 'torah'/law, He came to fulfill it. If Jesus had broken torah, could He have fulfilled it? NO. Jesus had to live out torah perfectly in order to fulfill it. If I had time, I'd go into greater detail. If Jesus never broke torah but lived it perfectly, could it be he was the goal of the Torah and not the end of the Torah? I'll give you an example. In the book of Deuteronomy chapter eighteen verse eighteen, Moses said to the Israelites, that the Lord will raise up a prophet like him and I will put my words in His mouth and he will tell them everything I command him. Not only that, but in Matthew 10:6, Jesus confirms these words when he says, "I have come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

So a prophet like Moses will appear who will speak everything the Lord commands him and he will be from their own people. He will be a descendant of Israel. Who could Moses be speaking of? He is speaking of our Savior. Jesus Christ. He will come and proclaim all the Lord commands him. What will the Lord command him to speak? The New Testament certainly was not in existance during Jesus' lifetime. What is He going to proclaim? He proclaimed 'torah' and the prophets. Why? He is the one the law/torah and prophets spoke of. He was the fulfillment of everything the law and prophets spoke of. Jesus taught the living application of all of the 'torah'. He is the Living Torah. He did not proclaim a different law than His Father did through Moses. If he did away with it, then how will we know when we sin? Paul said that we know sin through torah/law. John 5:45-46 is another scripture worth checking out and pondering over.

I will address the meaning of the word "fulfill" at a later date. I felt it necessary to define the term 'torah' before I posted anything more until I defined this important hebrew term.

Here is a link with a more detailed definition.

Food for Thought

Was the New Testament really written in Greek? Have a look at this website claiming evidence of an Aramaic New Testament.

An Apparent Contradiction; or Not?

Have you ever wondered why the Apostle Paul, a rabbi, one taught by Gamaliel, would say the Law he was brought up in was done away with? If we know Paul was a practicing Jew, and if we know Paul called himself, "a hebrew of hebrews, a pharisee of pharisees" then we know Paul kept God's law in its entirety. In fact, Paul celebrated the feasts 30 years after Christ died. Paul himself said in Romans 3:31, "do we then nullify the law by our faith, no, rather we uphold the law?"
Then in Romans 7:12 Paul says, "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good." Is there an apparent contradiction in scripture pertaining to the law? Absolutely not. When reading Paul, we need to ask the question, "What law is Paul talking about?" Is he talking about the law of God? or is he talking about the law of sin and death? Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, "I have come not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them." If you want an interesting word study, look at the word fulfill. Find all the times it was used in the New Testament. There is more scripture to support that Christ did not do away with the Law He himself gave at Mount Sinai, He did away with the law of sin and death so that we would have life through Him who is the Living Torah (Law of God; teaching and instruction). It was because of the law, Paul says, man died. We sinned because we had not the power to keep the law. Praise be to God, through Christ, we have the power by the Spirit of Holiness to keep Torah in all its fullness.

Psalm 19

David worships from the heart, and Psalm 19 is an expression of his worship to the Lord. I am going to start near the end of Psalm 19. In verses 12-14, David expresses his desire to be set apart, holy, and righteous to the Lord,

"Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my
Redeemer."

Can David keep from willful sin and be blameless before the Lord without knowing what he must do? Interestingly in verses 7-11, he says how he separates himself from willful sins, and keeps himself blameless. It is not mere ritualistic observance of the flesh. He knows what the "commands", "ordinances", "precepts", "statutes", and the fear of the Lord are. Would he write about them if he didn't? Does David do these things by his flesh? NO. He does them by the Spirit. The Spirit of God. Without the Spirit, these commands, ordinances, precepts, and statutes are void. David gives the Lord praise for his Law. Why? because it is through being faithful to these commands, ordinances, precepts, and statutes, by the power of the Spirit of the Lord that David can withstand willful sin, and remain blameless in the Lord's sight. Without the power of the Spirit in his life and ours these commands are void and meaningless. Couple the commands with the Spirit of the Lord, and you have LIFE. You can read Psalm 19 for yourself by using the link on this blog to Blue Letter Bible in the right hand margin. I pray this blesses you. Have a wonderful day.

What does the title mean?

That is a good question. The title is hebrew for "listen" and "do". The Israelites were commanded by God in Deuteronomy to do all of the commands He had given them through Moses. They said in response, "We will hear and we will do". Is this our response to his commands? This is the meaning behind my title. The original language of the scriptures is full of gems that will help you understand a verse and a number of verses more accurately and fully. Just a hint for those who wish to go deeper in their study of His Word.

How now do we love?

I think every Christian needs to ask the question “How do I love the way Christ loved?” We need to look at the larger scope of what Christ said. Why does he quote the prophets and speak of Moses? Could these have something to do with loving our neighbour as ourselves? Paul says, “Love your neighbour as yourself for this sums up the entire law.” Of course the first commandment is love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Look at what Jesus said in John. He said about five times in three chapters, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” How many commandments are there? Is He just speaking of the ten commandments?

I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Matt. I am a bible college graduate as of April 2005 and I love scripture and theology.