At the Upper Room Chapel Shabbat Shalom Welcome to The Miqra (The Gathering) At the Upper Room Chapel

Attaching to the Creator Through His Seventh Day Rest The Biblical Sabbath Attaching to the Creator Through His Seventh Day Rest

What Is the Meaning of “Sabbath” *What Is the Meaning of “Sabbath”? *What the Creator Established in the Beginning *What Does it Mean that the Sabbath is Holy? *How Do We Keep the Sabbath Holy? *What is the Purpose of the Sabbath? *What Does it Mean that the Sabbath is a Sign?

What Is the Meaning of “Sabbath”?

Genesis 2:1-3 The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them.  By the seventh day Elohim finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing.  Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation. 

The Hebrew word here translated ceased is tbv, (pronounced shabbat) The Hebrew word here translated ceased is tbv, (pronounced shabbat). The Brown, Driver, Briggs (BDB) Hebrew lexicon translates this word as cease, desist, rest. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) also renders our word as cease, desist, rest. And the Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HALOT) offers these translations of our word: to cease, stop, rest, celebrate.

What the Creator Established in the Beginning The Sabbath – Gen 2:1-3 The Institution of Marriage – Gen 2:22-25 The Death Penalty for Disobedience

What the Creator established “in the beginning” is foundational for the Instructions that follow. The Law fills in the detail about the importance of what was established at creation

If all we had in the Scriptures about Sabbath was the establishment of the seventh day at creation, and that Messiah walked in obedience to the Sabbath Law, that would be reason enough for all his followers – bar none - to do the same.

Of the Ten Commandments, the commandment related to the Sabbath is by far the most mentioned in Scripture. Yet so many believers will submit to the other nine but will reject the Sabbath commandment. Why is that?

Genesis 2:3 Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation.

What Does it Mean that the Sabbath is Blessed What Does it Mean that the Sabbath is Blessed? Barak – to kneel, bless, salute, greet; To bless in the OT means "to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etc." It is frequently contrasted with qalal "to esteem lightly, curse" (cf. Deut 30:1, 19). Father has blessed the seventh day which means he has given it special value. It is a time with a unique purpose. It’s purpose is to equip his people (those who obey it) with success, prosperity and life!

What Does it Mean that the Sabbath is Holy?

The Separations of Creation (Heb bdl – divide,separate,distinguish) *Day 1- Light from Darkness *Day 2 – Waters Above from Waters Below Day 3 – Land from Water *Day 4 – Day from Night (Day 6? – Woman from Man) Day 7 – Sabbath Day from the other Six

25 "'You must therefore make a distinction (Hebrew badal) between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground-- those which I have set apart (Hebrew qadash) as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me because I, Yahuwah, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. (Leviticus 20)

Genesis 2:1-3 The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them.  By the seventh day Elohim finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing.  Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart (Heb qadash) because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation. 

Holy (qadash) The BDB suggests the meaning of this root word is separation, withdrawal.  HALOT defines it as holy, commanding respect, awesome, singled out, consecrated for.  The TWOT renders our word be hallowed, holy, sanctified; to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate.  Emerging from these terms is the concept of separating or setting apart of something.  Thus, separate or set apart is its true and basic meaning and is usually the best way to translate it.

We are commanded to Keep the Sabbath Holy (to set it apart) We are commanded to Keep the Sabbath Holy (to set it apart). How Do We Keep the Sabbath Holy?

Remember the Sabbath (shabbat) day to set it apart Remember the Sabbath (shabbat) day to set it apart.  For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahuwah your Elohim; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or your resident foreigner who is in your gates.  For in six days Yahuwah made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested (Hebrew nawach) on the seventh day; therefore Yahuwah blessed the Sabbath (shabbat) day and set it apart. (Ex 20:8-11)

Remember to separate the Sabbath day Remember is a word which calls one to action Yahuwah “remembered” his covenant – he acted to fulfill his covenant We are to “remember” the Sabbath day to act in a way in which the Sabbath is separated

Guard the day of the Sabbath to set it apart just as Yahuwah your Elohim has commanded you.  You are to serve and do all your work in six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahuwah your Elohim. On that day you must not do any work, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your ox, your donkey, any other animal, or the foreigner who lives with you, so that your male and female slaves, like yourself, may have rest (nuwach).  (Deut 5:12-14)

Why Should We Keep the Sabbath Holy? Remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitzrayim and that Yahuwah your Elohim brought you out of there by strength and power; therefore, Yahuwah your Elohim has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. (Deut 5:15)

What is the Purpose of the Sabbath? (All your questions about what we can and can’t do on Sabbath should be easier to answer if we understand the purpose of the Sabbath)

1 – A Day to Rest Rest from what 1 – A Day to Rest Rest from what? (work – melacha) Melacha is what you do to earn a living, the work of your hands, what you create or form or produce with your hands. Business, occupational work, handiwork, craftsmanship.

Melacha The Work of Elohim in creation If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house will be brought before the judges, to see whether he has laid his hand on his neighbor's goods (melacha) (Shemot 22:8)

What About Cooking? Then Yahuwah said to Mosheh, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather a certain amount each day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my instruction or not.  And on the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather each day" (Shemot 16:4,5).

This is what Yahuwah has said: 'Tomorrow is a time of cessation (shabbaton), a set-apart Sabbath to Yahuwah. Whatever you want to bake, bake today; and whatever you want to boil, boil today; and whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.'"  So they put it aside until the morning, just as Mosheh had commanded, and it did not stink, nor was there any worm in it.  (Shemot 16:22-24)

2 - It is a Day unto the LORD Yahuwah For six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahuwah your Elohim (Exodus 20:10) Not for your own pleasure! Isaiah 58:12-14 The Sabbath was made for man… Mark 2:27 Is it a day to sleep and lounge?

3 – A Day to Worship Yahuwah Psalm 95 – a Sabbath Psalm

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker (vs.6, KJV) Chavah – to prostrate oneself, bow down. Prostration was quite common as an act of submission before a superior. Kara’ - bow down, kneel, sink down to one's knees, kneel down Barak – to kneel, bless, salute, greet

4 – A Day For Holy Assembly Speak to the sons of Yisrael and tell them, 'These are Yahuwah's appointed times which you must proclaim as set-apart assemblies--my appointed times: (moedim). Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, a set-apart assembly (miqra qodesh). You must not do any work; it is a Sabbath to Yahuwah in all the places where you live. These are Yahuwah's appointed times, set-apart assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time.‘ (Leviticus 23:2-4)

Now the One who created the heavens and the earth and all the living inhabitants thereof was establishing a permanent memorial of his creative acts by establishing the seventh day as that time when all mankind is to stop all his activity to honor and acknowledge the Creator of all.

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