LESSON 7

Is Sunday the Sabbath?

The Sabbath Given for a Special Reason

   Most Bible believers have come to acknowledge that because of the things that are seen or experienced, Yahweh exists. We acknowledge through our five senses that the physical creation exists. Examining the composition and characteristics of matter or energy, carnal man is baffled to explain where it came from. So complex is our physical world that we acknowledge that an infinite Being with wisdom far greater than we have did indeed create both matter and the simple and complex life forms.

   When Yahweh created the physical universe, He also created space and time. Both space and time are part of the material, tangible world. Time and space are not part of the spirit realm where Yahweh dwells. Space and time were made for physical man.

Yahweh Beyond the Physical Universe

   In giving Israel His commandments, Yahweh did not specify a sacred place for worship. Rather, following the event at Sinai, He told Moses, "In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come unto you and bless you," Exodus 20:24. Holiness today is not bound to a certain place. In the Bible, no place or or no thing on earth is holy in itself. Even Mount Moriah on which the temple was built is nowhere called holy in the first five books of Moses, known as the Pentateuch. More than 20 times it is referred to as "the place which Yahweh your Elohim shall choose."

   Since the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, the Spirit of Yahweh left the temple Holy of Holies in Jerusalem. While the temple mount may be a very meaningful place and historically important, it is not holier than any other place. There is no tabernacle or temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem today. The Holy of Holies where Yahweh dwelled between cherubim is nowhere to be found today.

Heathen Deities Confined to Certain Areas

   In bringing His people out of bondage and away from pagan worship, Yahweh promised that an angel would lead them, Exodus 23:20. Israel was to drive out the pagan nations before them and not acknowledge their deities in any manner, as we see from the remainder of this 23rd chapter. Yahweh was with Israel as a pillar of cloud by day and a fiery column at night, Exodus 13:21-22, leading them onward to the Promised Land. Israel had their Mighty One with them at all times. He was always able to fulfill their needs.

   When the pagans went from Babylon to Egypt, however, they left their deities behind and worshipped the deities of Egypt. If they went to Canaan, they left behind the deities of Egypt and worshipped the local deity, Merodach. Their deity did not go with them, because in paganism, deities inhabited a particular region, a district or heathen temple Sometimes they were in a storm or in the rain, but still limited in space. The primitive mind must have a visible image of a deity. Reverence for the sacred image finds its counterpart in cultures of all ages.

   American Indians in the Northwest carved designs in trees and then prayed that the Great Spirit would come and reside in their totem pole. Other ancient religions made images of stone and wood and claimed these were their deities that controlled some aspect of their lives. Others had a holy place or shrine where their deities dwelled. It is easily understood that mankind wants to have a holy or sacred image that he can see or touch to strengthen his relationship to his deity. Man also wants a sacred place to which he can go for his worship.

   A deity confined, whether an object or limited to a mountain, river or forest, is but a confined or crippled deity. In contrast to pagan idols and deities, Yahweh is not limited to a certain place or area. The Elohim of Israel is remembered because He delivered His people from Egypt at the time of the barley harvest. In the New Testament, we are promised that He would never leave us or forsake us, Hebrews 13:5. Yahshua said He would be with us always, Matthew 28:20. Similarly, Israel was promised the presence of Yahweh's power in the Old Testament.

   Now we are aware of the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Though it is not visible to human eyes, we realize that Yahweh's Spirit Power is with His people. Yahweh is not a Mighty One of a specific place, but He inhabits eternity. He is a Mighty One who transcends even space and time.

Certain religions find holiness in edifices, such as the Islamic Mosque of Omar, built on the traditional site of Solomon's temple. Yahweh's holiness, however, is found in His people by His Holy Spirit.

Holiness Found with Yahweh's People in Worship

   What then makes a place on earth holy? It is the presence of Yahweh and Yahshua at a particular time. It is the invisible Holy Spirit on this earth that makes a place holy. According to your Bible, it is where Yahweh places His Name. When one is immersed into the Name of Yahshua the Messiah, one has both the Name of the Father (Yah) and the Son (Revelation 14:1, margin) who came in His Father's name, John 5:43.

   A place is made holy by the gathering of people in His Name. Yahshua said that wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, there He would be in the midst of them, Matthew 18:20., Yahweh also made and set apart a special time at creation that He said was holy. After the six days of creation, we note in Genesis 2:1-3 that Yahweh rested on the Seventh day, blessed it and sanctified it. He took a portion of time and set it apart so that mankind might remember His creative power. He created the weekly cycle and made the seventh day a special time. Yahweh gave this portion of the week a prominent look of favor and blessed it. He set this time apart as a significant holy time. He calls it "His rest" because He rested on the Sabbath. It is not the Jews' rest!

   Yahweh was not only "in the beginning," but He also stayed with His creation as a benevolent father. He guided His people in the ways they should go. Man was created in Yahweh's very image. By keeping the Sabbath that Yahweh also observed, man comes in harmony with the order of the universe established, blessed and observed by the Creator. Yahweh has consecrated or sanctified the Sabbath day. The Sabbath, which the world knows as Saturday, is a foremost time that Yahweh has set apart as a cessation of worldly pursuits. On the Sabbath, we set aside our cares and anxieties of this world and our concern for our physical bodies. We gather with others of like faith to worship Yahweh and praise Him in song and Psalms. He made the Seventh day that man could keep his priorities straight and remember his purpose in life. Gathering on this special sanctified day with the people of Yahweh, in whom He has placed His holy Name, makes this the most important day of the week.

Time Element Paramount in Worship

   The worship of Yahweh revolves not around things or places, but around time. The stream of time is intrinsic to Yahweh's true worship. The Sabbath, the new moon, the Passover, the ensuring festivals and the Sabbatical and Jubilee years--all depend upon a certain hour of the day or season of the year.

   The Passover in Exodus deals with a certain time period in which the commands of Yahweh are to be carried out. Had the blood been applied after midnight, the destroying angel would have already taken the life of the firstborn of the house.

   Specific times are recalled of past events and we look forward to the specific time in the future known as "The Day of Yahweh." Look at any calendar and see what day is the seventh day of the week. Now look up in a dictionary the word "Saturday." You will find that Saturday is the seventh day of the week. Read again Genesis 2:1-3. A phrase heard frequently is the "institution of the Sabbath," as if the Sabbath can be detached from the seventh day of the week. The Bible shows that the Sabbath is not something Yahweh placed on a particular day of the week. Rather, the Sabbath is the day. The commandment reads, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The Bible never speaks of a Sabbath "institution," but talks about the Sabbath day.

   Just keeping any day of the week holy, even if it is done regularly, does not fulfill the commandment. The Sabbath is a particular day--the seventh--and cannot be separated from it. Interestingly, the seventh day is the only day named in Scripture. It is called the "Sabbath." The other days are numbered.

   No wonder Yahweh's worship is much different from that of any of the pagan religions. He is not to be found in a mountain, a river, in trees or in some idol. The people of Yahweh may worship Him in specific or particular places, but not because He resides there. Notice His words, "I am Yahweh your Elohim; walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your Elohim," Ezekiel 20:19-20.

   Also in verse 12 we read that Yahweh gave His people His Sabbaths to be a sign between Him and them that they might know that He is Yahweh that sanctifies them. Notice that Yahweh has selected a certain time, a certain day that is a sign between Him and His people.

   To worship Yahweh in the way He wants to be worshipped, we are to set aside a particular time each week. We can recognize an army by uniform and insignia and know from what country they are from. We can tell where an auto is from by its license plate or a battleship by the flag it flies. But we cannot tell a True Believer in Yahweh by his dress or appearance. It is the Sabbath that is a true sign, showing the circumcision of the heart--true obedience to Him.

Sabbath Identifies Yahweh's True People

   Yahweh told Israel through Moses that His Sabbaths (including annual holy day Sabbaths) are a special sign between Him and them, Exodus 31:13. This sign extended "throughout their generations," meaning it applies to all offspring. In verse 16, Yahweh says, "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed" verse 17. Perpetual means permanent.

   This special sign identifying True Worshippers is a span of time--24 hours--that comes each week as Believers focus attention on Yahweh's goodness. When you keep that time holy, by not doing your work, business or pleasure, you enter into a holy union with Yahweh. Your life synchronizes with holy time Yahweh created. This union automatically separates you from the vast majority of those who have no special ties with their Creator because they willingly transgress His Sabbath Commandment. Through Sabbath observance you become a part of His special creation, destined to reign with Yahshua the Messiah. "Sanctify" in verse 13 means to set apart for a holy purpose.

   Just as with ancient Israel, when the vast nations of the world were worshipping pagan deities on other days, we today see millions upon millions observing the first day of the week. Yahweh's people are commanded to come out of the world and be separate from its unholy practices, 2 Corinthians 6:17.

   The Sabbath is so important that Yahweh doubly commanded it through an exclusive covenant He made with His people, Exodus 31:16. (The Fourth or Sabbath Commandment was given before at Sinai in Exodus 20.) Those who keep it holy take on a unique identity others lack. In Israel's day, all other nations had forgotten Yahweh by profaning the Sabbath. That is why Yahweh impresses upon us the importance of keeping the seventh day holy.

   By observing the Sabbath we can receive abundant blessings and promises, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Isaiah 58:13-14. By neglecting it, we reap the curses of disobedience, Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Ezekiel 20:12-13, 23-25. Not only will we fail to receive blessings by disobeying the Sabbath, but all sorts of trouble will happen to us, as Israel faced for disobedience, Leviticus 26:14-39; Jeremiah 17:20-27; Nehemiah 13:17-18.

    Death occurred to those who failed to obey the Fourth Commandment in the Old Testament, Exodus 31:14. Everlasting death will be the end of those who fail to obey it today, Romans 6:23.

   Because Yahweh made man a physical being (from the dust of the ground, Genesis 2:7), He knew man's body would naturally require a day each week to rejuvenate. Taking time off each week from our weekly pursuits allows us to rest physically, but also gives us a change of pace and a break from emotional stress and mental fatigue.

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