How Did the Sabbath Become Holy? Questions From My Son Part 3

Good Questions From My Son Andy

Next up: How did the Sabbath become holy in the Bible?  In review of the questions:

“How do we know that Friday and Saturday are the Sabbath?  Is there something dating back to when the world was created?  How did Friday and Saturday, the Sabbath become holy in the Bible?” – Andy Bibb

Part 1 Questions

Here are the first series of questions we will look into:

  1. How do we know that Friday and Saturday are the days that God made to be the Sabbath?
  2. Is there something dating back to when the world was created?
  3. How is it that Friday and Saturday became the holy days in the Bible?

In continuing this section of the series, we will look at the third and final question.

How did Friday and Saturday, the Sabbath become holy in the Bible?

Pearl Island of Survivor

Andy exploring the rocky beach in the Pearl Islands, where Survivor was filmed.

In the previous posts we learned that the Sabbath was instituted by YHVH (God, LORD) on the seventh day during the creation week and He retrained the Israelites when they came out of bondage in Egypt by using the manna as food (the bread from heaven, Yeshua/Jesus).

We also learned that YHVH blessed and sanctified the seventh day by resting from all His work.

After the Israelites were taken captive into Babylon and the first Temple was destroyed, we learned there was a period of 70 years that the southern tribes remained in Babylon to allow the land to observe the commanded Sabbath year of rest.

When the 70 years was completed, Ezra, Nehemiah and others lead the captives back into the land and rebuilt the Temple, known as the Second Temple and thus the “Second Temple” period of Israeli history.  Nehemiah wrote about “thy Holy Sabbath” in his record of that period.

Was this mention in Nehemiah chapter 9 the first mention of the words “Holy Sabbath” in scripture?  Remember we spoke about the “first mention” principle in the first teaching of this series.

First Mention of “Holy Sabbath” in the Bible

The first time we find these words in scripture together is in Exodus 16:23.  In keeping scripture in context let’s look at this passage starting at verse 22 and ending at verse 30:

This is the thing which the YHVH hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 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. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 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 YHVH hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the YHVH: 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 YHVH: 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. 28 And the YHVH said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, for that the YHVH hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

 (Exo 16:16-30 KJV)

We see that this passage is affirming that the Sabbath is a HOLY Sabbath and it is done “unto YHVH.”  Thus in keeping the Sabbath you are doing so toward the Father, God Almighty.

A Command to “Keep it holy”

In the famous Exodus chapter 20 passage, where we get the first 10 commandments shouted down to us from the mountain top, we find the second occurrence.  It is in verse 8 that it becomes interesting.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the YHVH 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: 11 For in six days the YHVH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the YHVH blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exo 20:8-11 KJV)

This is a very strong passage the most people just breeze by and don’t understand the importance.  The very first word tells you to “Remember” the Sababth.  So if we are told to remember it, why would Jesus (Yeshua) tell us to forget it?  Who does that makes sense too?

At the end of the first verse we are told to “keep it holy.”  So not only is the Sabbath holy, we are to KEEP it holy.  So to remember and keep it doesn’t sound like we should ignore and desecrate it, right?

Interesting to note that in the Hebrew text the word in verse 8, holy, is the same word as in verse 11, hallowed.  By resting on the seventh day YHVH made it holy and thus we are to keep it that way.

Other passages in Scripture

Besides the above two passages, we find the words “holy” and “Sabbath” in 8 other places in scripture.

  1. Exodus 31:14 – 14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (Exo 31:14 KJV)
  2. Exodus 31:15 – 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the YHVH: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (Exo 31:15 KJV)
  3. Exodus 35:2 – 5 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the YHVH: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (Exo 31:15 KJV)
  4. Leviticus 23:3 – 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the YHVH in all your dwellings. (Lev 23:3 KJV)
  5. Leviticus 23:24 – 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. (Lev 23:24 KJV)
  6. Nehemiah 9:14 – 14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: (Neh 9:14 KJV)
  7. Nehemiah 10:31 – 31 And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. (Neh 10:31 KJV)
  8. Isaiah 58:13 – 13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the YHVH, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: (Isa 58:13 KJV)

Isaiah sheds light on keeping the Sabbath holy

Let’s look a bit deeper into this scripture in Isaiah showing the words “holy” and “Sabbath” together.  This passage actually teaches us how to keep the Sabbath and in a holy manner.

13 “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the YHVH honorable, And shall honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure, And speaking your own word, 14 Then you will take delight in the YHVH, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the YHVH has spoken.”

 (Isa 58:13-14 NAS)

We learn in this passage several things to keep the Sabbath holy:

  1. Don’t seek doing things that are your own pleasure on YHVH’s holy day.
  2. Call the Sabbath a delight or even can be translated as luxurious.
  3. Call the holy Sabbath honorable.
  4. To honor it by not accomplishing (desisting) you own ways.
  5. Trying to attain you own desires on this holy day.
  6. Not speaking your own words on this holy day.

Following this leads us to a promise in verse 14, stating YHVH will:

  1. Make you ride to the top of the earth, thus He will bless you above all others.
  2. He will feed with the promises that He made to Jacob.
  3. Why? Because YHVH’s mouth spoke these words.

In summary to answer the question

So the Sabbath became holy during the resting of YHVH at the time of creation and was spoken of as holy during the retraining of Israel after they left Egypt.

We find that not only are we to keep it holy, but also to remember it.  This is what is scary since the modern church has steered away from remembering the holy Sabbath.  Not once in Scripture do you find Yeshua (Jesus) NOT keeping the Sabbath and even going as far as forgetting it.

Finally we see there is a promise for keeping the Sabbath as well.  Being blessed above all others is a mighty promise from the One how and deliver on it, the Almighty God, YHVH.

As a side note, you can read in Deuteronomy 28 on the additional blessings and curses for not keeping this and the other commands.

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