The Ten Commandments (they are not suggestions) – #4 (Keep the Sabbath Holy)

This is an excerpt from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, which can be purchased at Amazon.

Enjoy

The Ten Commandments (The Big Ones)

And God (Elohim) spake all these words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)

Exodus 19:25 states, “So Moses went down unto the people,
and spake unto them.” This is the third time Moses came down from
Mount Sinai (between Exodus 19:3 and Exodus 34:29, Moses goes
up to meet Elohim atop Mount Sinai and comes back down seven
times – not bad for an eighty-year-old guy).

The verse following Exodus 19:25 (Exodus 20:1) states, “God
spake all these words…” so it appears Elohim audibly spoke to all the Israelites.

This seems to be confirmed in verses 18–22:

¹⁸ And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. ¹⁹ And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. ²⁰ And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. ²¹ And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. ²² And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

The people in the valley were so shaken by the experience that
they did not want Elohim to speak to them again (I’m sure there was
a lot of reverb and pyrotechnics). The word Elohim is used because
His Message was for more than just the Israelites. This tells me that
what we refer to as the Ten Commandments are so important that
Elohim felt the need to personally tell them to His people. This is
why I wanted to start with them.

4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8–11).

Yahweh designated the seventh day for a reason and ordered us to “hallow” (Hebrew qadash – “wholly consecrate,” “dedicate”) it for a reason. The reasons have not changed!

The original Sabbath is the culmination of all the mighty works Elohim created to make life possible for us. The seventh day also symbolizes the one thousand years of the millennial kingdom (four thousand years in the Old Testament, two thousand years since the resurrection of the Messiah, followed by a thousand years of “rest”) – the seventh millennium is essentially a sabbath.

All of Yahweh’s prescribed days have a dual purpose – one remembered and one to look forward to. We are to remember that Yahweh created heaven and earth for us, His people, and look forward to the thousand-year rest when Christ rules on earth.

Scripture is rather specific that the seventh day – what we refer to as Saturday – is to be a day of rest. How Sunday became the Christian Sabbath has many legends, but none of them provide scriptural
evidence that Yahweh made a change to His Commandment.

“The Catholic Church, …by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.” (Catholic Mirror – the official organ of Cardinal Gibbons, September 23, 1893)

“Sunday is founded, not of scripture, but on tradition, and is distinctly a Catholic tradition. As there is no scripture for the transfer of the day of rest from the last to the first day of the week, Protestants ought to keep their Sabbath on Saturday and thus leave Catholics in full possession of Sunday.” (Catholic Record, September 17, 1893)

Even if evidence of a heavenly change could be found, where is the evidence that the new day is being kept “hallowed” by Christians?

Working, shopping, going out to eat, etc. – the list of violations is extremely long. I want to look at when the Sabbath is, what is allowable, and what is not allowable. Remember as you read this that much of the observance of Sabbath can be open to interpretation and that you are responsible for determining whether you are keeping the Commandment as Yahweh desires.

The Hebrew Day

The Hebrew day begins at sunset. This arises from the beginning where Scripture states,

¹ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ² And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. ³ And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:1–3).

First there was darkness, then Yahweh said, “Let there be light.”

This immediately raises problems because of the differences between day and night throughout the world. Everyone knows that days are longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. This itself is not overly problematic because the distance between one sunset and the next is almost always approximately twenty-four hours. If you live inside the Arctic Circle, however, the sun would set and you may not see daylight again for many days.

Personally, I preferred to not have to refer to the Naval Observatory website every week to see when the sun will actually set. I chose to use a consistent 7:30 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. the following day (through the course of the year, sunset where I live can occur as early as 5:15 p.m. and as late as 9:15 p.m., and I chose a spot in the middle).

I do not believe this is inconsistent with the heart of what Yahweh wants us to do each week. It also helps in planning for future events that fall on the weekends and gives an employer something stable they can work with.

If you choose to make Sunday your Sabbath or to make your Sabbath from midnight to midnight, you need to seriously consider whether you are fulfilling the heart of Yahweh and be prepared to answer on the day of judgment (as is the case in everything we do). I’m not saying you can’t do this. As I’ve said before, it is your walk that you are responsible for. If you follow my suggestions without making them your suggestions, you will have to answer for that, too (and you will probably look pretty goofy while doing it).

There are some good justifications for celebrating the weekly Sabbath on a different day of the week, as we will see as we continue examining the “day of rest.” If you do so, it is still incumbent on you to “keep the Sabbath holy.”

“Thou Shalt Not Do Any Work”

Dictionary.com defines “work” as:

(noun) 1. exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil; and 2. productive or operative activity.

In physics, work is defined as:

(noun) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force” and as, “(verb) exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity” (Vocabulary.com).

We are going to get lost in the weeds here because the possibilities of what is or is not work are near infinite. Before I start, though, here is another reminder that it is your decision to do what you can and/or should. We are not robots for Yahweh. Yeshua told the Pharisees,

²³ And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the Sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? ²⁵ And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? ²⁶ How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? ²⁷ And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: ²⁸ Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

(Mark 2:23–28; emphasis added)

Yeshua was telling them that they were missing the reason for the Sabbath. We are not to be slaves to rules and ordinances. The Law is there to benefit us, not to enslave us.

Here is a partial list of activities to avoid in order to “not do any work.” It includes things that should not be done by family members, “servants,” “beasts of burden,” and “strangers within your sphere of influence.” Exceptions will be discussed after the initial list and, finally, my recommendations for what activities you should or can do on the Sabbath.

• Do not go to your place of employment for the purpose of doing work.
• Do not go to the “honey-do” jar or do home repairs or upgrades.
• Do not do yard work.
• Do not prepare meals or do not go out to a restaurant.
• Do not do laundry.
• Do not go shopping.
• Do not go to a show.
• Do not plan your weekly activities or meals.

Now you are asking, “What can I do?”

Fair enough. First let’s examine these in detail and the exceptions:

Do not go to your place of employment for the purpose of doing work.

This seems pretty self-explanatory. Yahweh rested from His creative work, and all prohibitions should take this into consideration. If your work produces (or is intended to produce) a monetary profit or enhances something that already exists, it probably is something to avoid.

Give yourself a break once a week (if not more). Becoming a slave to your job is not only depressing but also can be seen as idolatry. If you give all your time, every day, to your employer, then who is first in your life?

I’ve been in jobs where overtime is expected, and you want to try to limit that as best you can (of course, your employer is not supposed to be working you every day, according to the Commandment). If you are seeking overtime on a regular basis to afford to buy a desirable (not a necessity) or a vacation, then you are probably doing it wrong.

There is also the problem of overwhelming debt because of a lawsuit or a medical procedure. These are tough, and a lender is not going to tell you, “It is okay to pay late because I know you must keep the Sabbath” (even though they should). Seek help with your finances, and offer the problem up in prayer. I’m pretty sure Joseph was not allowed to keep the Sabbath while working in an Egyptian prison. Make this the last choice, though, not the first.

Exceptions. If you are a medical professional, you may need to work on the Sabbath. People get hurt and/or sick every day of the week. Jesus healed people on the Sabbath because they needed healing! If your schedule requires you to work every Sabbath (often the case when you begin practicing), then you may need to pick a different day (or different days, if you have a rotating schedule) to celebrate the Sabbath.

The police and firefighters have the same dilemma. Crime and fires happen on the Sabbath, and they must be dealt with immediately. Imagine if police decided not to respond on the Sabbath. Crime would skyrocket on Friday night and Saturday. Yahweh’s people would not be able to relax and celebrate the Sabbath because of fear that criminals would act with impunity if the police were idle for twenty-four hours every week.

If you are in the military (especially in time of war), it is not only difficult to celebrate the Sabbath but dangerous to do so also. The book of Maccabees (1 Maccabees 2:29–41) tells of a group of Jews who defied the edicts of their occupiers and removed themselves to the “wilderness.” Soldiers were sent after them to ensure that the rebellion would not continue to grow.

These Jews refused to defend themselves, believing it to be a degradation of the Sabbath, and they were slaughtered. The Maccabees (a separate group of defiers) vowed that if they were attacked on the Sabbath they would defend themselves. Yahweh did not count this as a violation of His Commandment and helped them defeat the Seleucid oppressors on the Sabbath.

Do not go to the “honey-do” jar or do home repairs or upgrades.

The Sabbath is not a day for catching up on chores or for upgrading your kitchen. I understand that things happen (e.g., a tree falls over and breaks through a window) on the Sabbath that need to be taken care of quickly before further damage occurs. A good rule is to ask yourself, “Does this need to be done today?”

“I need to fix my roof, but Saturday is the only day I can borrow my neighbor’s ladder.” Really? Is this truly your only option? Maybe it is, but if water isn’t already flowing through your roof or rafters are crashing through your kitchen, then maybe you can try to figure out another course of action. In most cases, whatever it is that needs to be done was a problem the day before the Sabbath and will not be much more of a problem the following day. Seek alternatives before deciding to violate the Sabbath.

Do not do yard work.

“The grass is really, really high.”

Once again, the grass was probably really high the day before the Sabbath and will not be much higher on the day after. If you have just one day off each week and you have to spend it mowing, trimming, pulling weeds, and fixing the house, then what or who are you living for? Maybe apartment living is the answer for you. If you have a family, maybe you can trade services.

Our neighbors both had young children, and they could not
afford babysitters, so they would never go out on the same night.
Each family would take turns watching the other family’s kids. Maybe
you could do something similar by exchanging services.

“I’ll shop for you on Thursday if you mow my lawn on Tuesday.”

“I’ll watch your children on Sunday night if you rake our leaves
on Wednesday.”

Do not prepare meals, or do not go out to a restaurant.

When the Israelites wandered through the wilderness for forty years, Yahweh provided nourishment for them:

⁴ Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. ⁵ And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

(Exodus 16:4–5)

They gathered as much as was needed for each day:

¹⁸ And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. ¹⁹ And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. ²⁰ Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

(Exodus 16:18–20)

On the sixth day of each week, they gathered twice as much as was needed because Yahweh said there would be none on the seventh day. Only on the sixth day did the manna stay fresh into the following day:

²² And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two Omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. ²³ And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. ²⁴ And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. ²⁵ And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a Sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. ²⁶ Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. ²⁷ And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.

(Exodus 16:22–27)

Going out and gathering food was considered work and was not to be done on the Sabbath. They were told to prepare twice as much on the sixth day. Preparing a meal can take quite a bit of time and coordination, especially when the cook goes out of their way to bless their family or friends: opening cans, peeling potatoes, kneading dough, dicing tomatoes, browning chicken; and the like. Add in the need to continually stir the contents and flavor as necessary, and you have a somewhat large commitment of time.

Is it difficult to prepare extra food during the week so there are leftovers to eat on the Sabbath? Does opening a ready-to-eat meal and pushing a button on the microwave constitute work? Does opening a bag of potato chips constitute work?

This is something you need to work out for yourself. The Word says they “laid it up till the morning,” so I assume they put it in some kind of vessel so that the animals would not eat of it. Is that different from putting a sandwich in a Tupperware container for the next day?

The answer should never be to go out to a restaurant so that you do not have to work to prepare a meal. The Commandment also states that not only you but also your children, servants, cattle, and others should do no work. Going to a restaurant causes others (“servants”?) to work on the Sabbath. And please do not use the excuse, “They are going to be there, anyway.” If everyone stopped dining out during Sabbath, the restaurants would not bother to open during that time.

Do not do laundry.

“I just put them in and push a button. The washer does all the work.”

This is true, but you have to separate colors first (trust me, guys, you really, really better do this, or you will never hear the end of it), separate cold from hot, transfer them to the dryer (or hang them on a line), and fold them afterward. There is more here than meets the eye. If you can do it the day before or the day after, do it then.

Do not go shopping.

• “I’m only getting a gallon of milk. I will use self-checkout so no one has to ring me up.”

If the store is open, then someone has to be there to maintain it. Don’t be the reason for that.

• “The store is open, anyway. I’m not the reason someone is there.”

If more people stopped shopping on the Sabbath, then the store would not open that day and folks would not have to work that day to keep it open.

• “I’m shopping on the Internet, no one is working because of me.”

This is one you need to work out for yourself. It is true that many sites are mostly automated. Flipping through webpages does not really entail “work.” If you chat with a customer service representative, then you are part of the reason that person is working on the Sabbath.

If you can’t go twenty-four hours without shopping, then you either are horribly unorganized or have an addiction. Just plan to shop the day before or the day after. Do without for one day.

Do not go to a show.

Look at all the people in a theater who are working on the Sabbath. Don’t be a reason for it. The movies have fewer people working, but there are people working if it is open. Don’t be a reason for it.

• “My favorite band is only appearing in town for one day and it is the Sabbath.”

You are not making them work, they set their own schedule. Still, there are ticket takers, concession stands, security, roadies, and more that were not part of the schedule making. Is it that important? Watch a YouTube video of the band later. You will probably see them better in the video than you would have if you had sat in the audience in row ZZZ.

Do not plan your weekly activities or meals.

You are supposed to be resting! Mental exhaustion is just as bad as physical exhaustion. Is checking the weather for your child’s Sunday game the same as making a plan? If this sounds like we are writing our own Talmud, then I have to agree with you. If you can’t rest because you are worried about whether the kids have a ride on Sunday, then I think you should make a phone call.

Things you should do?

“Resting and keeping the day ‘holy’ mean different things for different people. Do what works for you. Here is a partial list of things I am comfortable doing on my Sabbath:

• Spend quiet time with Yahweh.
• Read a book.
• Study the Word.
• Watch a DVD.
• Play family games.
• Take a nap.
• Visit friends or do a fellowship.
• Go for a walk or a drive.

Whatever you do that relaxes you should be okay. If you are a bodybuilder, then lifting weights would be like work. If your mind is overloaded from working in an office all week and lifting weights helps to clear your mind, then that sounds like you are doing it right.

Making the bed sounds like work, but can you relax if it is unmade all day? Sweeping the floor sounds like work, but if you drop and break a glass, shouldn’t you sweep up the shards? The why of what you are doing is important.

Remember, Yeshua was chastising the Pharisees for thinking it a sin to heal the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath:

¹¹ And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? ¹² How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.

(Matthew 12:11–12)

Never be fearful of helping someone on the Sabbath: “It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.”

Try not to be legalistic. It is not Yahweh’s intention for us to screw ourselves up in knots trying to keep the Sabbath. Remember that Yeshua told us, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Yahweh is looking to the heart of your actions (and/or inaction). Try to do what Yahweh has asked in the best way that
works for you.

The Christian church teaches that Sunday is the “Lord’s Day” and that we no longer need to observe a Saturday Sabbath because Jesus’s resurrection has ushered in a new covenant and the law no longer applies to believers. That logic ignores that:

• The “Lord’s day” is a specific period of the end-times recorded in Revelation 1:10.
• Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27);
• Sabbath is part of Yahweh’s Torah (Exodus 20:8–11);
• Definition of sin is transgressing Yahweh’s Torah (1 John 3:4);
• If one is an Israelite, you are transgressing if you violate Torah;
• If you are grafted into Israel, you are Israel (Romans 11:16–25);
• You are grafted in by faith (Ephesians 2:8–9); and
• We confess Yeshua as Lord; we do what he told us to do; we are to walk as he walked (1 John 2:3–7).

³ And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴ He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶ He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. ⁷ Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

From the beginning, Satan has tried to confuse man concerning Yahweh’s instructions (Genesis 3:1–5). He plays on our ego – “Your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Yahweh told us what is good and what is sin; do not fall into Satan’s trap of thinking you can better determine what is right and good.

When observing Sabbath, also reflect on the coming millennial Sabbath, when there will be true justice and peace under the reign of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua Ha’mashiach.

[continue to the 5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]

[1st Commandment – No Other Gods]

[2d Commandment – No Graven Images]

[3d Commandment – Taking the Name of Yahweh in Vain]

[4th Commandment – Keep the Sabbath Holy]

The first four Commandments are considered to be vital to our relationship with Elohim. The last six Commandments concern our relationship with others. This is why, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Yeshua is able to embody all ten in his short answer:

³⁷ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

(Matthew 22:37–39)

[5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]

[6th Commandment – Do Not Murder]

[7th Commandment – No Adultery]

[8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]

[9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]

[10th Commandment – Do Not Covet]