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The internet teems with studies about the Sabbath. Views run the gamut; from the belief in zero
expenditure of energy on the Sabbath, to completely denying the need to
obey the Fourth Commandment. What you choose to do about the Sabbath is
your own decision - but let's examine what the BIBLE says:
Before we begin our study on what is and is not allowed
on the Sabbath, let's establish the fact that the seventh day is indeed
the Biblical Sabbath (Saturday, according to our calendars):
The Bible tells us that Jews and Gentiles alike regularly
attended the synagogue for worship on the seventh day - and the fact
that interested Gentiles in Antioch requested further instruction of
Paul "on the next Sabbath" is irrefutable evidence that no separate
Sunday (1st day) meetings were being held there by those early
Messianic Jews or Christians: The Gentiles were willing to wait an
entire week - until the next Saturday - for a meeting,
because they knew that Paul and his companions did not normally meet
for worship on a Sunday. Acts 13:42-44 tells us that, on the next Sabbath (Saturday) practically the whole city arrived for the meeting.
Furthermore, neither the Father nor the Son ever claimed
the first day as His own in any higher sense than He has each or any of
the other laboring days. Neither of them ever placed any blessing upon
it, or attached any sanctity to it. The Bible tells us God expressly
reserved the seventh day to Himself - placing His blessing upon it -
and claimed it as His holy day (Genesis 2:1-3.) In Israel in the
wilderness on the sixth day of the week, He (Moshe/Moses) told them, "This is what ADONAI has said: "Tomorrow is a holy Shabbat for ADONAI..." (Exodus 16:23).
The ancient Roman calendar and the current Gregorian
calendar have not disrupted the weekly cycle instituted since creation.
God said He rested on the Seventh Day (Genesis 2:2) and commanded that
we observe the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8, Deuteronomy 5:12, Leviticus 19:3,
Leviticus 19:30, and Leviticus 26:2). The Bible tells us that the
Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), is made for man (Mark
2:27-28) to be a sign that He is our Mighty God and we are His people:
Exodus 31: (ADONAI said
to Moshe) 13 "Tell the people of Israe'el, 'You are to observe my
Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your
generations; so that you will know that I am ADONAI, who sets you apart
for me. 14 Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set
apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death;
for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people. 15 On
six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for
complete rest, set apart for ADONAI. Whoever does any work on the day
of Shabbat must be put to death. 16 The people of Isra'el are to keep
the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a
perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the people of
Isra'el forever; for in six days ADONAI made heaven and earth, but on
the seventh day he stopped working and rested.'"
Some might say, "Well, this only applies to Israel and
not to the Gentiles!" The fact is, Messianic Judaism and Christianity
are a continuation of Judaism through our Jewish Savior
- Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) - and therefore, the Gentiles are
very explicitly "grafted in to the Olive Tree":
Romans 11:13-24:
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to
the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow
Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means
the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but
life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is
the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if
some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive
shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing
root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you
are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that
supports you. Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I
might be grafted in." That is true. They were broken off because of
their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become
proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches,
neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of
God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you,
provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut
off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be
grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you
were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted,
contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will
these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
Rav Sha'ul (Paul) was passionate for this supernatural
unity of Jews and Gentiles. He even said the reason Yeshua died was to
reconcile the two distinct people groups of "Jews" and "Gentiles". Both
Yeshua and Paul said this unity would form the full Body of Messiah:
the "One New Man", releasing God's glory on the believing community,
and causing the world to believe! (Ephesians 2:14-15 and John 17:21-23.)
As you can see, the above clearly shows that "grafted-in"
Gentiles have the same responsibility to adhere to not only the
Sabbath, but to adhere to ALL of God's teachings. The death of Yeshua abolished the idea that Jews and Gentiles are two separate entities, as we are all ONE in Him! Furthermore, Yeshua came NOT to abolish Torah, but to "kum" - fulfill/establish/confirm/make it complete. (Please see But, Didn't Jesus Abolish the Law?)
Having said that, let's examine what the Bible actually says
about what is and is not allowed on the Sabbath. There are plenty of
so-called "studies" about this subject by not only Jewish rabbis who
have turned the Sabbath into a burden, but also by Gentiles who don't
have a clue about God's Torah (original teachings), yet insist on
pushing their skewed viewpoints and limited understanding of the Bible
down the world's collective throat. To illustrate this, we will use as
an example of one such "off the mark" site (Let Us Reason)
which erroneously teaches that "Sabbath means rest, not Saturday!" and
goes on to espouse the webmaster's personal ideas as to what the Bible
supposedly tells us about the Sabbath rest. Take a look:
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:
No work done at all (Ex. 20:10; Lev. 23: 3; Jer. 17:21-22). No watering
the lawn, no working in the yard, no hobbies, no surfing, no fixing
flat tires, etc. By law if a person did not stop all types of activity
in honor of the Sabbath, he was breaking the law. In Numbers 15:32-36 a
man was caught collecting sticks on the Sabbath, and he received a
"rock concert" from the people he knew.
Messianic Judaism's Response:
Absolutely true! God told us in no uncertain terms that we are not to
do any work on the Sabbath. But did he tell us not to enjoy our
hobbies, or refrain from surfing?
In Jeremiah 17, we are told God said: 21
"If you value your lives, don't carry anything on Shabbat or bring it
in through the gates of Yerushalayim; 22 don't carry anything out of
your houses on Shabbat; and don't do any work...." In verse 27 God goes on to use the word "loads" in reference to "work".
Since God refrained from labor on the seventh day, we are
commanded to do likewise. Traditional Jews translate this mandate into
practical observance by refraining from any act of creation or
destruction on the Sabbath. Shabbat is a day devoted to rest
from our everyday work (whether it be income-producing work, or cooking
and cleaning, or yard work). It is to be a day of reflection, prayer
and Torah/Bible study. It is also a day to enjoy our "time off". God
never forbade us to enjoy the things we consider "fun" and relaxation
after our Bible studies - such as playing games, taking naps, or even
surfing. He never actually said, "Thou shalt not surf on Shabbat"....But, if He had, then we certainly should NOT surf on the Sabbath!
Many, if not most, Christians don't adhere to the Fourth
Commandment at all. While they might attend church on Sunday, many
often go right on doing whatever they want on that day, including
heading to the office to "catch up", or to mow the yard or clean the
house, etc. They don't actually take a day of REAL rest as God
commanded.
1 John 5:3
- For loving God means obeying his commands. Moreover, his commands are
not burdensome, 4 because everything which has God as its Father
overcomes the world. And this is what victoriously overcomes the world:
our trust.
The New Testament reveals that in the intervening
centuries the Rabbis added a myriad details to the Sabbath command,
thus missing the spirit of it as a wonderful gift for man's good.
Yeshua did His utmost to get His followers to view these traditions
through a different lens than the one shared by the Pharisees.
Matthew 12:1-12: At that
time Jesus went through the grain fields on the sabbath; his disciples
were hungry, and they began to pluck ears of grain and to eat. But when
the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing
what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you
not read what David did, when he was hungry and those who were with
him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence,
which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him,
but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law how on the
sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are
guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And
if you had known what this means, `I desire mercy and not sacrifice,'
you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is lord
of the sabbath." And he went on from there, and entered their
synagogue. And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they
asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?" so that they might
accuse him. He said to them, "What man of you, if he has one sheep and
it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it
out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to
do good on the sabbath."
Yeshua didn't come to abolish the Sabbath (or any of
God's original teachings) but to dig it out from under the mountain of
legalistic sediment, and return it to us once more as a blessing rather
than the burden it had become. It is a day for showing mercy and a day
for doing good - and if you are allowed to "do good", then does that
not insinuate you may leave your homes, drive to synagogue, drive to
town to do something you consider pleasurable, or walk to your
neighbor's house to fellowship? The Sabbath should not be governed
rigidly by narrow definitions of what is work and what is not; it is a
day get your mind off your job, your troubles and trials, and to focus
on God - and to rest.
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:
No kindling of a fire (Ex. 35:3). No fellowship cookouts or barbecues.
You can't go into a restaurant and get a hamburger that's been flame
broiled, you can't cook eggs or pancakes in the morning because you'd
be kindling a fire for cooking. To drive a car would be to "kindle a
fire" in the combustion chamber of your engine.
Messianic Judaism's Response:
That statement is indicative of someone who hasn't got a clue about God
or the Torah! In OT times, kindling fires was extremely hard work. They
not only had to cut the trees and branches and split the logs, but also
to shlep them home, afterwards. Compare that to today where we
simply light a match or turn a knob or push a button on our propane
grills or microwaves - that could hardly be considered "work"! We don't
have to carry any heavy loads in order to heat up the food we prepared
yesterday. We don't have to butcher a cow or gather wood. God did NOT say we couldn't eat or enjoy "fellowship cookouts" on a Shabbat. Here's what the Bible tells us:
Exodus 16: 22 On the
sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two 'omers per person; and
all the community leaders came and reported to Moshe. 23 He told them
"This is what ADONAI has said: 'Tomorrow is a holy Shabbat for ADONAI.
Bake what you want to bake; boil what you want to boil' and whatever is
left over, set aside and keep for the morning.'" 24 They set it aside
till morning, as Moshe had ordered; and it didn't rot or have worms. 25
Moshe said, "Today, eat that; because today is a Shabbat for ADONAI -
today you won't find it in the field. 26 Gather it six days, but the
seventh day is the Shabbat - on that day there won't be any." 27
However, on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather and
found none.
28 ADONAI said to Moshe, "How
long will you refuse to observe my mitzvot (words/commands) and
teachings? 29 Look, ADONAI has given you the Shabbat. This is why he is
providing bread for two days on the sixth day. Each of you, stay where
you are; no one is to leave this place on the seventh day."
Like everything else in the Bible, you have to take the
above Scripture in context: During the Mosaic Covenant times, God kept
the Israelites in the desert/wilderness for 40 years for some serious
re-training and "deprogramming" of what had been drilled into them by
their pagan Egyptian captors of 400 years. He was trying to show them
exactly Who He was and how to obey and please Him. They basically had
everything handed to them food-wise, and God had a simple command for
the sixth day: Do what I tell you and don't gather manna tomorrow on
the seventh day because there won't be any - it's the Sabbath. I gave
you enough to last two days so you wouldn't have to bother gathering
more. God, in His utter frustration over being ignored, ultimately made
it perfectly clear that NOBODY was supposed to try to gather manna;
they were, instead, to stay "in their places" on the seventh day.
God's intent was to gain the people's obedience. He did
not want them running around worrying about gathering manna on the
Sabbath; He even proved to them that the left-over manna from the sixth
day, to be eaten on the seventh day, Sabbath, would not rot/spoil. He
simply wanted them to learn to trust Him in all things. He wanted to
show the Israelites (and all believers) that through Him, they/we could
take one day of complete rest, unburdened by the routine physical
responsibilities that normally demand our attention and energy for
every day living.
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:
No traveling (Ex. 16:29). Later the Jews added to this law, allowing
only a half mile of travel on the Sabbath which we see observed in the
NT. But the pure law says "stay at home." Actually, if you kept this
part of the law, you could not travel to your church gathering unless
it was less than one-quarter mile away from home. If you had an
emergency you could not drive to the hospital.
Messianic Judaism's Response:
Oh gee whiz! God was not telling people in Exo 16:29 not to travel! Please read Exo 16:28! God says: "How long will you refuse to observe my mitzvot and teachings?" He was angered at the people who ignored the command to not attempt to gather manna on the Sabbath! So He had to declare that the people were to stay put on the seventh day and not go gather manna! Yes, the rabbis of old constantly added to, and "read into" the Scripture and tried to determine how far one could travel before they broke Torah. At least they tried to understand and obey God rather than weasel out of any obedience like you are doing! Yeshua did His best to dispel and undo many of these "rabbinical" teachings, because the rabbis had, indeed, transformed the Sabbath into a complete burden.
And Yeshua healed on the Sabbath - which means
if we have an emergency, we're most definitely allowed to seek medical
treatment! It also means that healers - doctors, nurses, medical people
of all types - may work on the Sabbath if need be. God never said,
"Thou shalt not heal on the Sabbath."
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:
No trading (Amos 8:5). If you happened to need gas to get to church
service, you could not "trade" money for gasoline. You would not be
allowed to buy a cassette tape of that morning's message or a book at
the store. There is to be no exchanging of money for goods. If you
worked with stocks and you needed to sell, you couldn't.
Messianic Judaism's Response: There you go again, misinterpreting the scripture! Let's examine Amos 8:5 and see what was really said....
You say, "When will Rosh-Hodesh
be over, so we can market our grain? And Shabbat, so we can sell
wheat?" You measure the grain in a small eifah, but the silver in heavy
shekels, fixing the scales, so that you can cheat...."
Who is the "you" in the scripture above? You find it in verse 4:
"... you who swallow the needy and destroy the poor of the land!"
Here the prophet was discussing ADONAI'S anger with His people's disobedience. Adonai was angered by those people who could not wait for the observant follower to come out of Shabbat observance so they could continue "marketing" - meaning cheating the good people! Does this Scripture actually SAY we cannot "trade" or "exchange money" for goods? No, it does not! GOD never said "Thou shalt not buy or sell on the Sabbath." MAN has added that idea! (Granted, if you "work with stocks", that's another thing; that's considered working your normal job on which you earn income...that would be prohibited on the Sabbath)
Some like to use the example of Yeshua's throwing "the
money changers" out of the temple, insisting that this means God
doesn't like us "buying or selling" or doing business of any kind:
Matthew 21: 12 Yeshua
entered the Temple grounds and drove out those who were doing business
there, both the merchants and their customers. He upset the desks of
the money-changers and knocked over the benches of those who were
selling pigeons. 13 He said to them, "It has been written, 'My house
will be called a house of prayer.'" But you are making it into a den of
robbers!"
QUESTION: Was it a Sabbath when Yeshua threw these
people out of the Temple for conducting all sorts of business? No! We
aren't told which day it was, but it wasn't on a Sabbath because Yeshua
rode into town on a donkey (animals aren't supposed to work on Sabbath,
either), and the people had cut branches from trees to spread on the
road before Him. He threw out these "business men" who were turning a
profit on their wares and had turned the Holy Temple into a
carnival-like atmosphere, thus defiling its true purpose!
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:
No marketing (Neh. 10:31; 13:15,19). Make sure you do no shopping
whatsoever. You can't buy any ice cream for dessert after dinner or
anything else. If you run out of food or drink at home you can't go out
to purchase any, you can't even by a stick of gum.
Messianic Judaism's Response: So, what's to stop you from stocking up on the SIXTH
day? Is it a burden for us to plan ahead and stock up so that we DON'T
"run out of food" by Saturday? Why can't you buy your cotton-pickin'
ice cream or chewing gum on Friday? (The blatant sarcasm by the "Let Us
Reason" site shows just how unwilling they are to comply with the Word
of God - which leads us to wonder if they truly belong to God at all!
By all means, let's not inconvenience ourselves for God! Never mind the
fact that He inconvenienced Himself to be beaten, ridiculed, and spat
upon before becoming the Final Sin Sacrifice!) If we truly belong to
God then NOTHING He asks of us should be considered a burden. You can't pick and choose which Scripture to randomly ignore...
Nehemiah 10:31 - "If the
peoples of the lands bring merchandise or food to sell on Shabbat, we
will not buy from them on Shabbat or on a holy day....
Nehemiah 13:15 - In those
days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath,
and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as
wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into
Jerusalem on the sabbath day so I admonished them on the day they sold
food.
Nehemiah 13:19 - It came
about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the
sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should
not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my
servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.
We have ask ourselves: Did GOD Himself speak these words? Did GOD Himself tell us not to do "any shopping whatsoever" on the Sabbath? No! The prophet and the people
were discussing these things. They were telling each other what they would and would not do on the Sabbath. They were not going to permit the "peoples of the land" to cause them to break their Sabbath observance! There's no Scripture in the Bible wherein GOD tells us not to "buy or sell" on the Sabbath. HOWEVER
- God did tell us to cease working on the Sabbath, and Commerce is
working/making a living. If someone can't go from Friday afternoon to
Saturday evening without buying or selling, then they have a problem!
It is not a big deal if you plan ahead for it.
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:"...
A holy assembly with double the daily offering along with the other
offerings. In other words, you are to give twice as much on the Sabbath
(Num. 28:9). Do we practice this today in compliance with Old Testament
law. Do Sabbatarians really practice the law? I have yet to see people
go to Shabbat and give twice as much each week.
Messianic Judaism's Response: Again the scripture is taken out of context! Exodus Chapter 28 is about the observance of the rules for presenting the FOOD offerings to Adonai! God had given to the Israelites in abundance in the desert and as they prepared the lambs for their meal, Adonai had them honor Him by their presenting Him a lamb at morning and at dusk. On Shabbat it is doubly-special, and the observant Israelite was doubly blessed for it! The food offerings had NOTHING to do with tithing! Does the webmaster of "Let Us Reason" personally KNOW how much each "Sabbatarian" gives on the Shabbat? Does he hang out in Messianic (or even in traditional) synagogues on Saturdays and spy on the attendees? Can he present a fact sheet that substantiates his unproven allegation? Does he even know how much NON-Sabbatarians tithe in their churches (many of which have "convenient" teller machines on the grounds!)? The "Let Us Reason" web master obviously is confused about the fact that God gave us a New Covenant, not a new Torah! I wonder what the "Let Us Reason" web master does to show God his appreciation for the abundance and blessings in his life? (I mean, complaining about Torah and trying to find ways to ignore it is not exactly filling the bill.)
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:
New showbread in the holy place (Lev. 24:8). Of course this cannot be
done today since there is no temple, so this part of the Sabbath cannot
be followed by the church. The fact is the Sabbath was not made for the
gentiles, but for the Jews and their generations Ex. 31:12-17). It's a
law given between God and the Jews.
Messianic Judaism's Response:
The "church" CAN, however, keep kosher, and follow the Biblical feasts
and the seventh day Sabbath - which they don't! So, why make a big deal
about the showbread? Obviously, it's to prove the point that
"Sabbatarians" supposedly don't have their heads screwed on straight.
We "Sabbatarians" are at least doing what we can for God, rather than
to sit on our haunches and pretend our afterlife is assured simply
because "we believe". You might have the "insurance policy" of Jesus,
but you need to read the "fine print"....
Rev. 12:17 - "The dragon
was infuriated over the woman and went off to fight the rest of her
children, those who obey God's commands and bear witness to Yeshua."
Rev. 14:12 - "This is
when perseverance is needed on the part of God's people, those who
observe his commands and exercise Yeshua's faithfulness."
Please note, the above Scriptures don't call these people
"Christians", nor do they mention the "Ten Commandments". They simply
refer to "the Commands" or "the Commandments", depending on which Bible
version you use....God warns us in Proverbs 4:2 - "I give you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah."
With the advent of Christianity, the "Old Testament", along with God's
original teaching and instruction, somehow became null and void....BIG mistake! Yeshua was our final SIN Sacrifice; not someone who came to abolish God's original teachings!
Messianic Jews and Gentiles are the ones who actually keep Torah (which Yeshua NEVER abolished) AND they hold the testimony of Yeshua....these are the very ones mentioned in Rev 12:17!
Only those who continue to obey God's commands -
including keeping the Sabbath - will finally enter the glorious "rest"
of God's Kingdom and receive the gift of eternal, spiritual life!
Sabbath-keeping shows an attitude of simple obedience. It is a test of
our attitude, revealing whether we really want to obey and depend upon
God and receive His Holy Spirit.
By the way, the Sabbath is NOT only for the Jews! Num. 15:16 - "The same Torah and standard of judgement will apply to both you and the foreigner living with you."
And:
Heb. 4:9 - "So there remains a Shabbat-keeping for God's people."
Perhaps if you tried as hard to obey Torah as you currently try to disobey, your eyes would be opened!
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"Let Us Reason" webmaster says:The last part of the requirements for keeping the Sabbath day law is the penalty for breaking it: DEATH.
Messianic Judaism's Response: Yes death! That scares you doesn't it! It scares you so much that you are desperately trying to justify throwing out the Word so you don't have to obey! GOD is God, and He can do whatever He wants. He plainly warned the people about the consequences of their actions - and then, in His mercy and
grace (because He knew we were never going to "get right"with Him
without it), He sent us a Final Sin Sacrifice. Ours is to obey, not to
whine, complain, and disobey simply because we find His commands to be
"inconvenient". And guess what? Your eagerness to find a way "out" of obedience to Torah is condemed in the New Testament as it was condemed in the Old.
Heb. 4:1-2 - "Therefore, let us be terrified of the possibility that, even though the promise of entering His rest remains, any one of you might be judged to have fallen short of it; 2 for Good News has also been proclaimed to us, just as it was to them. But the message they heard didn't do them any good, because those who heard it did not combine it with trust"
What message had they heard? That those who were disobedient to God's commands would not enter into His rest! We, who have the shed blood of the Messiah Yeshua for our sins, must also combine our trust in Him with our obedience to Torah!
If you are talking to the "Sabbatarian" Jews, then you need to remember, THEY do their best to follow God's original teachings and instructions. Rather than to put them down for keeping GOD'S Sabbath, perhaps you should concentrate on getting YOUR understanding of the Bible in order, and praying for traditional Jews to come to a saving knowledge of Yeshua....
The bottom line is, if God HAD been more specific and told us "Don't even bother getting out of bed on the Shabbat
because I don't want you moving a muscle" - then we would, indeed, have
to stay in bed and not move a muscle. Whenever God speaks, we MUST
listen! But, He didn't. He gave us an exact outline of what was
expected of us in our daily walk with Him. He simply said not to do
"any work" on the Sabbath. This means we are not to wear ourselves out
by doing the things we normally have to do in order to survive. We are
to take a break and rest, and to concentrate on Him and all the blessings we've received. Shabbat
is a day to concentrate on and rejoice in the awesomeness of God and
His creation because, without Him, none of us would even be here!
God's ordained Sabbath is not
now, nor ever has been, a burden. However, our constant disobedience
and whining and complaining has been, and continues to be, a burden to
God....
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