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How to keep the Sabbath

JPR

JPR

Member
This is not meant to be a debate, just in case someone wants to debate but I am curious, how do all of you keep the Sabbath?

I myself struggle to keep the Sabbath only because there is sooo much that needs to be done and frankly my wife can't really get a day off as we have a child with special needs that has to be taken care of 7 days a week.

I do make it a point to rest and I don't ask anyone to do anything. I actually will tell the kids that I will not ask them to do anything on the Sabbath because it is the day of rest. They are to rest, but tomorrow there is much to be done.

I even request that everyone eat left overs and that my wife cooks nothing. I let them cook their own meal if they want but no one can ask anyone to do anything for them. It is a day of rest.

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

I will also add....

Colossians 2:16 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
 
Good insight. Although there are literally dozens of references in Scripture where He says "keep," remember, honor, "My sabbaths." But most of the 'prohitions' are rabbinic (tradition, or "laws of men," rather than His: don't drive a car, don't flip on a light switch, and literally over 1500+ others.)

I believe and suggest there IS a blessing for honoring His Sabbath, to 'keep it set apart.' And I think it is clear from Scripture that the 'head of the house' is responsible for much of what is 'ambiguous.' What constitutes "work" in your house? Scripture says clearly, "no cooking." No "kindling of a fire" (ever done that the boy scout way? It IS real work!) But not 'no driving a car.' And not how far you are allowed to walk (yes, the 'rabbis' will say 1000 paces, or 5/8 of a mile. No kidding; a "sabbath day's journey.")

Over the years, I have found that it IS a blessing. Period. No doubt about it. But I have goats, and do what is necessary to take care of them; from milking, to feeding, to helping deliver a kid, if that blessing arrives on His day. And if I had an ox, I might have to get it out of a ditch, too. Or help a neighbor who gets stuck in the snow.

His day is not a 'burden' - it is to be a blessing.

You learn as you walk.
 
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PS> I don't EVER do a job that gets paid on His sabbath, or make others do so, whether they understand or not.

I have a late friend who was an air traffic (tower) controller. He was fairly senior, and could generally arrange his schedule to avoid sabbaths, and often pick Holy days (Pesach, Sukkot, etc) to have off. (It helped that he'd be happy to work xmas for those who didn't know when He was really born. ;) )

But he once told me something that I found wonderful. When he just HAD to work on a Sabbath, couldn't swap out, or someone got sick at the last moment, he'd find some, small, significant to him way to "set it apart," to YHVH. Something to make it special anyway. Whatever that took.
 
Indeed! Well we try to do at least that much (keep it set apart) and it is imprinted on the minds of our children as a day that is set apart for rest but we don't get crazy legalistic about it. As it is written, don't judge how others keep the Sabbath. If you want to limit your walks, well ok then! :p
As for cooking, I'll throw something in the microwave but I'm very insistent my wife does NO cooking! It is a day of rest for all!
But good feed back! Thank you for that!!!
 
The way I've always seen laws is we don't keep the laws to be saved, though at one time they did, but since the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross our sins are atoned for. We are saved by grace through faith but as such we try to keep the laws and do right by him who saved us.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Romans 3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

A good analogy for me is if someone agrees that if you EVER get a traffic ticket again that they will pay your fine, you wouldn't go out of your way to go get more speeding tickets, would you? Well a respectful, loving individual wouldn't because that other person is paying your fines, you would be doing them harm by deliberately getting tickets and taking funds out of their pocket. If you were loving and caring you would try to not get any traffic tickets because you appreciate them and what they are doing and have done for you.

To summarize, we are saved by grace through faith and out of love, respect and appreciation we try to obey the law but no one is perfect, for all fall short of the glory of God.

None the less, you are still correct, putting our trust in him who put down his life for ours is another form of keeping the Sabbath in our hearts!

Sabbat Shalom to you friend!
 
JPR said:
The way I've always seen laws is we don't keep the laws to be saved, though at one time they did, but since the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross our sins are atoned for. We are saved by grace through faith but as such we try to keep the laws and do right by him who saved us.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Romans 3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

A good analogy for me is if someone agrees that if you EVER get a traffic ticket again that they will pay your fine, you wouldn't go out of your way to go get more speeding tickets, would you? Well a respectful, loving individual wouldn't because that other person is paying your fines, you would be doing them harm by deliberately getting tickets and taking funds out of their pocket. If you were loving and caring you would try to not get any traffic tickets because you appreciate them and what they are doing and have done for you.

To summarize, we are saved by grace through faith and out of love, respect and appreciation we try to obey the law but no one is perfect, for all fall short of the glory of God.

None the less, you are still correct, putting our trust in him who put down his life for ours is another form of keeping the Sabbath in our hearts!

Sabbat Shalom to you friend!
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Agreed, we are saved by grace through faith. Bear in mind that not every command or direction given by God applies to everyone. God gave a command to build an ark. God gave a command to walk around naked and barefoot. God gave a command to cook food over human poop. Those commands do not apply to everyone. Likewise there are commands given to the nation of Israel, there are commands given to the priests specifically, and there are commands for all people. I would just encourage folks to study to understand those things that apply to themselves then be obedient to what God has commanded them.

Grace and shalom
 
Mark C said:
When he just HAD to work on a Sabbath, couldn't swap out, or someone got sick at the last moment, he'd find some, small, significant to him way to "set it apart," to YHVH. Something to make it special anyway. Whatever that took.
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I drive a semi truck and usually can arrange to be parked on the sabbath, but once in a while I can’t avoid it. So I still honor it by at least not spending any money. I don’t buy coffee, not even the free ones that I get for previous fuel purchases, because that requires someone to make it.
 
JPR said:
I even request that everyone eat left overs and that my wife cooks nothing. I let them cook their own meal if they want but no one can ask anyone to do anything for them. It is a day of rest.
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Yes, my rule used to be no cooking, but I realized that it wasn’t work if I enjoyed preparing something for myself.
I have added the rule that everyone cleans their own pans and dishes after using any on the sabbath. Nobody should have to face a messed up kitchen every sabbath sundown.
 
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So here is an interesting concept that I have been pondering.
Genesis 1:5 (KJV)
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

If you the statement literally, it looks like the periods of time between sundown and sunup were when things were created.
I don’t think that was the case. I have a feeling that it is a, to me, backwards way of describing what the actual day is. The time of daylight, what a concept.

So did night time get added to “day” when calendars were started?
When the Torah was given, is it possible that day actually meant daylight hours?
That the periods of night were between the days and not included in the day?
Because if a 24 hour day was being indicated, wouldn’t it have stated something like and from evening to evening was the first day.

I just can’t help but feel that there is a better understanding of that phrase, which appears for each of the six days of creation.
Unless, of course, Yah did His creating nocturnally. 😉
 
This has been a discussion for at least a few thousand years, although I suspect the 'taught ones' of Yahushua knew all the specifics first-hand. I know of folks (one attended our local fellowship) who believed that the "Sabbath day" meant just sunrise to sunset, as opposed to including 'Erev Shabbat', the evening prior.

I do note the discrepancies in the gospel accounts too; "as it began to dawn on the first day," however, almost certainly meant Sabbath day at sundown, when the first day begins.
 
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"As it began to dawn" epiphosko in the Greek. Look it up. Night and day are two separate entities. Clearly defined, separated, compared, and contrasted 5X in the first chapter. Sundials were used to tell time of day. Paul mentions watches for night divisions. Almighty never commanded us to rest at night, when "no man can work". Shabbat is a day. No darkness, literal nor symbolic.
 
In the new testament and after, we are saved by or through faith in our Sacrifice. But what part of any sacrifice before Calvary didn't? The idea of a substitute and metaphor didn't begin during the reign of Augustus..
 
Not trying to debate or even disagree, just asking all to step back and question these worn lines of explanation which blind us.
 
Victorious said:
Not trying to debate or even disagree, just asking all to step back and question these worn lines of explanation which blind us.
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Victorious said:
Night and day are two separate entities.
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Ponder the fact that it all depends on CONTEXT - even in English!

"Day" usually, but NOT always, means when the sun is shining. Except when it's a "birthday," or, well, any other time when it means a 24 hour period. Ambiguity is why people so often get it wrong.

What day is tomorrow? Oops...
 
How you keep your Sabbath is between you and the Lord himself is the bottom line and it boils down to a heart issue. Where is your heart when you decide to do these things but my understanding from what I've been told and the research I've done (which has been a while) is the next day starts at sundown and ends the follow day at sun down.
None the less, it is very difficult to get everything done by sundown, at least in my house so we generally keep plugging away until it is all done, have our down time, go to bed and when we get up we know it is Sabbath, day of rest and I generally won't pick on anyone until the next day.
 
JPR said:
This is not meant to be a debate, just in case someone wants to debate but I am curious, how do all of you keep the Sabbath?

I myself struggle to keep the Sabbath only because there is sooo much that needs to be done and frankly my wife can't really get a day off as we have a child with special needs that has to be taken care of 7 days a week.

I do make it a point to rest and I don't ask anyone to do anything. I actually will tell the kids that I will not ask them to do anything on the Sabbath because it is the day of rest. They are to rest, but tomorrow there is much to be done.

I even request that everyone eat left overs and that my wife cooks nothing. I let them cook their own meal if they want but no one can ask anyone to do anything for them. It is a day of rest.

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

I will also add....

Colossians 2:16 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
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For us Sabbath is a day to set apart for YHVH. It is a day to focus on Him and to learn more about Him and His ways. We gather together to praise, worship and learn about YHVH. In trying to model ourselves after Yeshua, we look to what he did while on earth. He gathered in the synagogue to worship and read from the Torah and prophets.

We try and have everything prepared before sunset at the start of Shabbat. This includes any work, cleaning/land work, shopping, and hopefully cooking prior to then. (This is very much a work in progress and we are striving to be observe it better each week, but life happens)

Sabbath is not a physical rest as it is a rest from ourselves and our affairs. That includes making plans for work or personal life the following week.

There are things that could be classified as work which fall into the spirit of keeping Shabbat. Caring for children,feeding animals, providing food for the hungry, and clothing the naked. The last two are more ox in the ditch situations that you may not go out of the way to find, but should take care of if they cross your path.

Those are some of my initial thoughts.
 
JPR said:
how do all of you keep the Sabbath?
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We've always reserved Friday nights for family time so technically we start our Sabbath after sundown on Fridays. Saturday is more family time but mixed with things to do (and that can include chores) and Sunday is generally reserved for church and family.

Myself, I have often objected to the idea of Sunday as a Sabbath because you get up, get cleaned up for church, go to a meeting, come home, get ready for lunch and dinner, and then possibly relax on Sunday night. But all day Sunday is really a lot of work!

To me the real Sabbath time is Friday night.
 
We actually stopped going to church for a couple reasons.
1. Finding a biblically accurate church is VERY difficult. I've seen where the pastors juts keep missing the punchline and it is VERY frustrating!
2. With a daughter with disabilities it takes my wife at least 2 hours to get her ready for a 1 hour service and then another 2 hours to get her settled back in.

Frankly we don't have much regarding sit down time because my wife is always on the go taking care of our daughter so trying to sit down to watch a sermon is VERY difficult.
 
JPR said:
We actually stopped going to church for a couple reasons.
1. Finding a biblically accurate church is VERY difficult. I've seen where the pastors juts keep missing the punchline and it is VERY frustrating!
2. With a daughter with disabilities it takes my wife at least 2 hours to get her ready for a 1 hour service and then another 2 hours to get her settled back in.

Frankly we don't have much regarding sit down time because my wife is always on the go taking care of our daughter so trying to sit down to watch a sermon is VERY difficult.
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You're always welcome to join us, it's a largely on-line Sabbath fellowship. Links are at www.markniwot.com, but if you're familiar with Paltalk, just look for "Walking Torah with Shabbat Shalom Mesa" fellowship. Podcasts are posted later at www.HebrewNationRadio.com as well, and elsewhere.
 
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