Saturday, January 11, 2014

Honoring the Sabbath





Greetings, Brothers and Sisters

May the glorious light of Yahawah, our Father shine in your hearts today through the grace of our Lord Yashawah, the Christ.

It is a great delight to write unto you today on the Sabbath of the Lord as an act of worship. The Sabbath is a gift from God to us. It should be kept with great joy and in holiness. A day dedicated to the worship of God; by prayer, reading and meditation in the holy scriptures, reflection with gladness of heart on all that God has done for us this week and throughout our lives. A day of praise and exaltation of His holy name. A day of rest and refreshing from all our labors. The Sabbath is blessed for all generations that mankind may learn to call on the name of Lord.

The Sabbath is an ancient institution. The word Sabbath means to rest. It was started at the creation of the universe. We read in Genesis 1:31, and Genesis 3:1-3 that God completed all His works on the sixth day. Then He rested from all his works on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath of the Lord. Therefore, He blessed and sanctified the seventh day, setting it apart from all other days. The Sabbath was thus instituted from the beginning of creation.

Let us, who trust in God, look to His Word and the tradition of the Apostles, who followed God in Christ, and lift up true worship in observance of the Holy Sabbath of the Lord. This was reaffirmed as a national command as part of God's covenant with Israel. In Exodus 20: 1-11 the Israelites were commanded to keep the Sabbath holy and free from pursuing their own desires for pleasure or gain. The prophet Isaiah reinforced the law and praised those who strive to keep God's Sabbath holy and free from human rebellion through the pursuit of carnal pleasures and greed (Isaiah 58:13). He also mentions the blessing God will give His faithful followers who boldly continue in the observance of His Sabbath, which He sees not only as an act of obedience but of love towards Him. Isaiah states, they will be blessed with the heritage of Jacob their father( Isaiah 58:14). According to the scriptures, they will inherit the Kingdom of God, which is the heritage of Jacob or Israel by Christ ( Gen. 28:10-15, Hebrews 11:8-10, 16, Psalm 46, Rev. 3:11-13).

Christ warns us, however, to avoid becoming over-righteous in our zeal to observe the Sabbath to the point of becoming ignorant of the essence of the law; where we would rather sacrifice than show mercy verses showing mercy rather than sacrifice-which is what God loves best ( Matt. 12:1-8). This understanding will allow us to avoid abusing the Sabbath. The misuse of the Sabbath would hold ourselves or others to such a strict code that we would rather refuse to do a good work if it resembled labor in order to keep the Sabbath. This type of orientation, as Christ explained to the Pharisees, overlooks the acts of the priest in the temple who work on the Sabbath day, yet were guiltless of breaking the Sabbath. Why? Because it was an act of worship to God, a good work, done out of love and a desire to do that which was holy before God. We must remember, God looks at the heart of man and not the outward appearances ( 1Sam. 16:7, John 7:21-24). One can keep the Sabbath outwardly, yet be of an evil heart. And another can perform acts or works of mercy on the Sabbath day and be guiltless before God because his heart was right before God.

Every act we do should be holy and to honor God on the Sabbath. This is how we keep the Sabbath; in praise, worship, prayer, reading the Word of God, coming together to celebrate Him, doing good works or acts of mercy and love towards our fellow man all to the Glory of God.

Remember, we were not made for the Sabbath; to be a slave to the Sabbath, where it becomes ideal worship turned into traditions and routines full of meaningless ceremonies. But, the Sabbath was made for us, so we may use it to reflect on, and if need be, act on the goodness of God our Father and love of our Savior Jesus Christ (Luke 3:15-17).



May God bless and keep you until we meet again,

Shalam

Zarach.




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