Shabbat Shalom!

Well, it’s not exactly a Friday night, but here am I to talk about one of the most easily forgotten commandment in the Bible.

Found in the Book of Exodus, we read the account which is sacred to all Jews, and yes, even to us Christians – the Ten Commandments. The Shavout (popularly known as Pentecost), also known as Simchat Torah (The Giving of the Law). Despite the joyous event, we also tend to forget that the giving of the Law was marred by Israel’s rebellion by building unto themselves a golden calf. Significantly, to us Christians it’s interesting to know that the 120 disciples who waited in the Upper Room received the Fire of God on the Day of Pentecost. I’m always amazed at how God would often leave His mark in the blueprint of time for the greater things to come.

Anyway, according to Exodus 20:8…

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

What exactly is the Sabbath? Many people have been asking me, and so here am I to explain one of the most neglected, yet the most important commandment given to Moses.

You see, God created the world in 6 days. And on the 7^th day he rested. “God needs to rest?!” Well, the rest mentioned here doesn’t really mean a rest due to exhaustion. Come on, God is all-powerful; He created the world simply by speaking into it. “Let there be!” And so why did the Bible mention that God rested? Read again.

“…For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

On the 7^th day, God took time off to enjoy all that He had created. The sky, the sea, the flowers, the breeze, and most importantly – man. It sort of reminded me how Shaun would often gaze upon his aircraft models after he had finished them, and sigh. Ha. It’s the same thing when God created Adam and Eve; He took time to enjoy what He had created.

And unknowingly to many, Sunday is not the last day of the week; Saturday is. So according to the Jewish timetable, the real Sabbath starts on Friday evening at 5pm. (That’s the reason why I usually greet people ‘Shabbat Shalom’ on a Friday night prayer meet in church =P).

The Sabbath starts on Friday 5pm, and ends on Saturday 5pm. And this is where I differ from the traditional Jewish view of the Sabbath. The Jews over the years have created a vast system of do and do-nots, men made rules and regulation that puts a stranglehold on the original idea of the Sabbath. Yes, the Sabbath was meant to be kept with fervent zeal, like how the nation of Israel stoned the man who picked firewood on a Sabbath. Below is the account.

“While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘The man must die.’ The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp." Numbers 15:32-35.

This only proves the fact that God’s law must be observed! Many people would say that this act was very cruel, this man perhaps only wanted to keep warm on the Sabbath.

But God’s law is God’s law!

That’s the severity of breaking God’s law! This was the same case with Uzzah who was struck dead when he tried to prevent the Ark of God from falling off the cart.

Good intentions are not good enough; God must be feared!

But the Jews have created such a web of rules, it makes keeping the Sabbath such a tiring affair. That was what happened in the days of Jesus.

“Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” Mark 3:1-5

Jesus understood what the Sabbath was truly for, and that’s how we Christians should view too.

The Sabbath is a time for rest, for quiet reflection, a time to pray and be still before God. A time where we enjoy sweet fellowship with God and with our family members. A time where we escape from the noise of life, and make our way to a quiet place where our souls are restored in the presence of our Lord Jesus – the Lord of the Sabbath. This is the only time where you can lay back, relax, and people can’t say that you’re lazy! Haha.

To me, the Sabbath is really unique. I usually spend the Sabbath night (Friday) to pray and prepare myself for Saturday service, especially if I’m serving. It can be quite a challenging thing to do; it really does require a lot of discipline to drop everything, and to seek God. And when I get married, the Sabbath will definitely play a very important role in my family life. I got this concept of what I term as “Shabbat Night”, a time when I’ll spend time with my wife just talking about life. No TV, no distraction. Just the both of us sharing life and what God is doing in our life, and praying for one another and the family. (The Family… that sounds so Godfather…) I guess that’s really lacking in many marriages yeah? They don’t talk much nowadays. And we wonder why marriages are breaking up nowadays. Heh.

So for you peeps who don’t know what the Sabbath is, here’s my brief explanation of it. Keep Friday free, spend time in quiet reflection and prayer. Spend sometime with your family, your spouse, and your kids. Dedicate a day to God and His purpose, and I’m sure you’ll be greatly blessed!

PS: Anyway, the Christians changed the Sabbath to a Sunday – The Lord’s Day, to make that distinction from the factions in the church who advocated a return to observing the law. So don’t stop going to church on a Sunday!