From: Eddie Chumney
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Chapter 4: Restoring the Two Houses of Israel
CHAPTER
4
THE SABBATH: OUR REST IS IN
MESSIAH
from
the book by Eddie Chumney
"Restoring
the Two Houses of Israel"
Copies can be purchased for individual or
group study by
writing to me (Eddie Chumney) at: (chumney@hebroots.org)
PART
1 of 3
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CHAPTER
4
THE SABBATH: OUR REST IS IN
MESSIAH
In order for full restoration to come to both the house of Judah
(Judaism) and the house of Israel (Christianity), both houses of
Israel need to come to a more fuller understanding and application of
the weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) rest that the G-d of Israel ordained in
the Bible that His people celebrate. The house of Judah (Judaism)
needs to realize that the fullness of their spiritual Sabbath
(Shabbat) rest is in the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus. The
house of Israel (Christianity) needs to repent (teshuvah) and realize
that the Biblical day of rest that the G-d of Israel gave to His
people is from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. In doing so, the
house of Israel (Christianity) needs to study the spiritual
significance of the weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) to learn that the G-d of
Israel gave His people the physical weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) rest as
a prophetic blueprint to understand in a greater degree His
redemptive plan to be accomplished through the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus and the rule and reign of the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus during the Messianic Age (Athid Lavo).
In this chapter, we will examine these issues so that we can
study, learn and understand that the G-d of Israel gave the physical
weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) rest from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown
to establish the following Biblical truths:
1) The Sabbath (Shabbat) is
the seventh day of the week and
is
to be a day of rest (Genesis [Bereishit] 2:1-3).
2) The Sabbath (Shabbat) is a
sanctified (set apart made
holy/kodesh)
day unto the G-d of Israel (Genesis [Bereishit] 2:3).
3) The Sabbath (Shabbat) is
an eternal covenant between the
G-d
of Israel and His people and is to be kept forever as
an
everlasting ordinance (Exodus [Shemot] 31:16-17).
4) The Sabbath (Shabbat) is a
festival (mo'ed/appointed
time)
of the G-d of Israel which is to be kept on a weekly
basis
(Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:1-3).
5) Spiritually, we experience
Sabbath (Shabbat) rest when
we
obey the G-d of Israel, keep His commandments (mitzvot),
and
believe the promises made by the G-d of Israel to His
people
in His Torah/Word of God (Leviticus [Vayikra]
26:1-12,
Psalm [Tehillim] 95:6-11, Hebrews 3:7-19, 4:1-12).
6) The Sabbath (Shabbat) is a
spiritual picture given to us
by
the G-d of Israel that is a shadow of the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach)
Yeshua/Jesus (Colossians 2:16-17).
7) The Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus is the
spiritual
rest of the believers in the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach)
Yeshua/Jesus (Matthew [Mattityahu] 11:28-30).
8) After the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus
finished
the work that the G-d of Israel sent (shaliach)
Him
to do by dying on the tree/cross as the suffering
Messiah
(Mashiach) known as Messiah son of Joseph (Yosef),
He sat down
(rested/had Shabbat) at the right hand of the
G-d of
Israel (John [Yochanan] 17:1,4, 19:30, Psalm
[Tehillim]
110:1 = Hebrews 1:1-3, 10:12-13).
9) The Sabbath (Shabbat) is
the day of the L-rd (Isaiah
[Yeshayahu]
58:13-14).
10) The Sabbath (Shabbat) is
personified as a bride whose
bridegroom
is the G-d of Israel and the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach)
Yeshua/Jesus and is a spiritual blueprint of the
Messianic
Age (Athid Lavo) and the world to come (Olam
Haba/eternity).
11) The Sabbath (Shabbat)
will be kept during the time of
the
new heavens and the new earth and for all eternity
(Isaiah
[Yeshayahu] 66:22-23, Revelation 21:1-3).
THE
SABBATH IS THE SEVENTH DAY
AND
IS A DAY OF REST
In Genesis (Bereishit) 1:1-31, 2:1-3, we have the story of the
seven days of creation. In the creation story, we learn that the
Biblical day begins in the evening and ends in the morning (Genesis
[Bereishit] 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). Following the first six days of
creation, the G-d of Israel rested on the seventh day and sanctified
it. In Genesis (Bereishit) 2:1-3, it is written:
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all
the host
of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he
had
made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work
which
he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and
sanctified it:
because that in it he had rested from all his work which
God
created and made."
G-D
SANCTIFIED THE SABBATH
AND
MADE IT HOLY
When the G-d of Israel rested on the seventh day of creation, He
blessed the seventh day and sanctified it (Genesis [Bereishit] 2:3).
The Hebrew word for sanctified is the Strong's word (6942) in the
Strong's Hebrew dictionary. It is the Hebrew word kadesh which comes
from the Strong's word (6944) which is the Hebrew word kodesh. The
Hebrew words kadesh/kodesh mean "to make clean, consecrate, dedicate,
purify, set apart, make holy." Therefore, when the G-d of Israel
blessed the Sabbath (Shabbat), He consecrated, dedicated, set apart
and made holy this special day and purposed that the seventh day of
the week (from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) be a day
sanctified, made holy and set apart from every other day of the week.
THE
SABBATH IS AN ETERNAL COVENANT
BETWEEN
G-D AND HIS PEOPLE
As we just stated in the previous section, when the G-d of Israel
blessed the Sabbath (Shabbat) in Genesis (Bereishit) 2:3, He also
sanctified it. The Sabbath (Shabbat) is personified in Jewish (house
of Judah/Judaism) tradition as a bride whose bridegroom is Israel. 1
The Hebrew term for the Biblical Jewish marriage ceremony
(kiddushin/betrothal) really means "hallowing/sanctified." The
Hebrew word for marriage (kiddushin/betrothal) comes from the three
letter Hebrew root (K =Kaf, D = Dalet, SH = Shin). The Hebrew word
for sanctified (6942 = Kadesh) which comes from the Hebrew word for
holy (6944 = Kodesh) is also derived from the same three Hebrew root
letters (K = Kaf, D = Dalet, SH = Shin). Therefore, the traditional
Jewish rabbis from the house of Judah (Judaism), interpret the
Biblical statement that "God blessed the sabbath day and
hallowed/sanctified (va-yekaddesh) it" (Genesis [Bereishit] 2:3) as
meaning that the G-d of Israel wedded (kiddushin/betrothal) the
Sabbath (Shabbat) to His people. 2
On the day of the wedding in the Biblical Jewish (house of
Judah/Judaism) ceremony, the bride is seen as a queen and the groom
is seen as a king. Therefore, "queen" and "bride" are two terms used
to describe the weekly Sabbath day (Talmud, Shabbat 119a). Since the
Sabbath (Shabbat) is seen as being a queen and a bride, it represents
the feminine element of creation. 3
The Talmud (oral tradition of the rabbi's from the house of
Judah/Judaism) tells us that on the eve of the Sabbath (Sabbath), the
famous teacher, Rabbi Hanina used to put on his best clothes and say,
"Come, let us go and welcome Queen Sabbath," while Rabbi Yannai used
to rise and declare, "Come, O bride; come, O bride." From this
custom, music was composed for the Sabbath (Shabbat) which
symbolically imitated conventional marriage songs. The most famous of
these is "Lechah Dodi" (Come my Beloved). 4
In traditional Judaism (house of Judah), the rabbi's understood
that the G-d of Israel entered into a marriage covenant with the
house of Jacob (both the house of Israel and the house of Judah) at
mount Sinai. In Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 2:1-2, it is written:
"Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Go
and cry in
the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I
remember
thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine
espousals
[betrothal/kiddushin], when thou wentest after me [the G-d
of
Israel/the groom] in the wilderness [mount Sinai], in a
land
that was not sown."
However, in the Biblical/Jewish (house of Judah/Judaism) marriage
ceremony, you must first be sanctified (consecrated/set apart/made
holy) before you can get married. In Exodus (Shemot) 19:10-11, 14, it
is written:
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and
sanctify
[6942 = consecrate/set apart/make holy] them today and
tomorrow,
and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the
third
day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight
of
all the people upon mount Sinai . and Moses went down from
the
mount unto the people, and sanctified [6942 =
consecrate/set
apart/made holy] the people; and they washed their
clothes."
In the traditional Biblical/Jewish (house of Judah/Judaism)
wedding ceremony, the bride becomes sanctified before the marriage by
having a mikvah (water immersion). Mikvah is a Hebrew word which
means "pool or body of water." Mikvah is the ceremonial act of
purification. 5
Every traditional Biblical/Jewish (house of Judah/Judaism)
marriage will have two witnesses. They are called the friends of the
bridegroom. Their role is to prepare the bride and escort her to meet
the groom underneath the chupah (wedding canopy) where the marriage
will occur. When the G-d of Israel entered into a marriage with the
house of Jacob (both the house of Israel and the house of Judah) at
mount Sinai, Moses (Moshe) was seen as being one of the friends of
the bridegroom of the G-d of Israel. In Exodus (Shemot) 19:17, we can
see Moses (Moshe) fulfilling the role of escorting the bride (the
house of Jacob) to meet the G-d of Israel at mount Sinai (a type of
chupah/wedding canopy) as it is written:
"And Moses brought forth the people [the house of
Jacob/escorting them] out of the camp to meet with God; and
they
stood at the nether [underneath/at the foot of] part of the
mount."
When the marriage took place between the G-d of Israel and the
house of Jacob (both the house of Israel and the house of Judah),
mount Sinai was symbolically seen as being the chupah (wedding
canopy). 6
When the bride and groom are married in a traditional
Biblical/Jewish (house of Judah/Judaism) wedding ceremony, they will
have a ketubah (marriage contract) which states the terms and the
conditions of the marriage. In traditional Judaism (house of Judah),
the rabbis saw that the ketubah (marriage contract) of the marriage
between the G-d of Israel and the house of Jacob (both the house of
Israel and the house of Judah) was the Torah/Word of G-d. The terms
and conditions of the marriage (ketubah/marriage contract) between
the G-d of Israel and the house of Jacob is given in Deuteronomy
(Devarim) 28 and Leviticus (Vayikra) 26. In these two chapters, the
G-d of Israel specifies the blessings to the house of Jacob (both the
house of Israel and the house of Judah) for being faithful to the G-d
of Israel in the marriage and the curses for being unfaithful to the
G-d of Israel in the marriage.
The rite of betrothal is completed when the groom (the G-d of
Israel) gives something of value to the bride (the house of Jacob)
and she accepts it. The gift most often given today is the ring. The
ring is a token of eternal love and remembrance of the marriage. When
the groom places the ring on the bride's finger, the rite of
betrothal is completed. The completed rite is known in Hebrew as
kiddushin which means "sanctification."
Symbolically, the "ring" that was given to the bride
(the house
of Jacob) by the groom (the G-d of Israel) was seen as being the
Sabbath (Shabbat). The keeping of the Sabbath (Shabbat) is seen as
being a token of remembrance and eternal love between the groom (the
G-d of Israel) and the bride (the house of Jacob).
The Sabbath (Shabbat) is one of the Ten Commandments given at
mount Sinai to remember the marriage between the G-d of Israel and
the house of Jacob. In Exodus (Shemot) 20:8, it is written:
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy [6942 =
sanctified,
consecrated, set apart]."
The Sabbath (Shabbat) is an eternal covenant between the G-d of
Israel and the house of Jacob (both the house of Israel and the house
of Judah) which is to be kept forever. In Exodus (Shemot) 31:12-18,
it is written:
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, speak thou
also unto the
children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall
keep:
for it is a sign [a marriage ring] between me and you
throughout
your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that
doth
sanctify [6942 = consecrate/set apart/make holy] you. 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
does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from
among his
people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is
the
sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work
in
the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore
the
children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the
sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual
covenant.
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever:
for
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the
seventh
day he rested, and was refreshed. And he gave unto Moses,
when
he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai,
two
tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the
finger of
God."
THE SABBATH IS A
FESTIVAL OF THE L-RD
The Sabbath (Shabbat) is a festival of the L-rd. In
Leviticus
(Vayikra) 23:1-4 it is written:
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the
children
of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the
Lord,
which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these
are
my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day
is
the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no
work
therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your
dwellings.
These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations,
which
ye shall proclaim in their seasons."
WHAT
IS THE MEANING OF THE FEAST
OF THE L-RD
AND HOLY CONVOCATION?
There are two important Hebrew words in Leviticus (Vayikra)
23:1-4 which are translated as feasts and convocation which explain
to us the importance and significance of the Biblical weekly Sabbath
(Shabbat) from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. In Leviticus
(Vayikra) 23:2, the word translated as feasts is the Hebrew word
mo'ed. The Hebrew word mo'ed is the Strong's word 4150 in the Hebrew
dictionary and means "an appointment, a fixed time or season, a
cycle, an assembly, an appointed time, a set time or an exact time."
In Leviticus (Vayikra) 23:2, the Bible tells us that the Sabbath
(Shabbat) is not only a mo'ed but that it is also a holy convocation.
The Hebrew word for holy is the Strong's word 6944 in the Hebrew
dictionary and is the word kodesh. The Hebrew word kodesh means "to
consecrate, dedicate, hallow, set apart." The Hebrew word for
convocation is the Strong's word 4744 in the Strong's Hebrew
dictionary and is the word miqra. The Hebrew word
miqra means, "a public meeting, an assembly, a rehearsal."
Therefore, the G-d of Israel is telling us in His Holy Word that
the Sabbath (Shabbat) is a mo'ed (an appointed time, a set time)
during the week (from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) which is a
kodesh (holy, consecrated, dedicated and set apart) miqra (a public
meeting, an assembly of people, a rehearsal). The Sabbath (Shabbat)
is a commandment (mitzvah) which the G-d of Israel wants His people
to rehearse (miqra) because it is an appointed time or set apart time
(mo'ed).
If the Sabbath (Sabbath) is a rehearsal (miqra), what is it that
the G-d of Israel wants His people to rehearse (miqra)? The Sabbath
(Shabbat) is a rehearsal of all the things that the G-d of Israel
gave His people regarding the Sabbath (Shabbat) to teach us/instruct
us (Torah) about the ways of His Kingdom, trusting (emunah) in His
written Torah/Word of G-d , the redemption through the Messiah
(Mashiach) and the Messianic Age (Athid Lavo).
WHO
IS THE L-RD?
The Sabbath (Shabbat) is a feast of the L-rd. Who is the L-rd?
The Hebrew word for L-rd is the Strong's word 3068 in the Strong's
Hebrew dictionary and is the Holy (kodesh) name (YHVH) of the G-d of
Israel. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy (Devarim) 6:4 that the G-d
of Israel is one (echad). The Hebrew word echad is the Strong's word
259 in the Strong's Hebrew dictionary. The Hebrew word echad (259)
comes from the Hebrew root word achad which is the Strong's word 258
in the Hebrew dictionary. The Hebrew word achad means "to unite, to
unify." So, the Shema (Deuteronomy [Devarim] 6:4) tells us that the
G-d of Israel is echad which comes from the Hebrew root word achad
which means "to unify." Therefore, the G-d of Israel is a compound
unity. In Proverbs (Mishlei) 30:4 it is written:
".who hath established all the ends of the earth? What
is his
name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?"
The Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus is the G-d of Israel
manifested in the flesh. The holy name (YHVH) of the G-d of Israel as
spoken in Exodus (Shemot) 3:14 means, "I [ever] shall be [the same]
that I am [today]." In Hebrews 13:8 it is written:
"Jesus Christ [Yeshua HaMashiach] the same yesterday,
and today,
and forever."
In I Corinthians 12:3, it tells us that the Jewish Messiah
(Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus is L-rd as it is written:
".no man speaking by the Spirit [Ruach HaKodesh] of
God calls
Jesus [Yeshua] accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus
[Yeshua] is Lord [YHVH] but by the Holy Ghost [Ruach
HaKodesh]."
Philippians 2:8-11 is a Jewish midrash (commentary/explanation)
which comes from the traditional Jewish prayer known as the Aleinu
which is also mentioned in Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 45:23. In Philippians
2:8-11 it tells us that the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus is
L-rd as it is written:
"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross
[tree].
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name
which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus
[Yeshua]
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth,
and things under the earth; And that every tongue should
confess
that Jesus Christ [Yeshua HaMashiach] is Lord [YHVH] to the
glory of God the Father."
The mount of Olives is known in traditional Judaism (house of
Judah) as the mountain of the Messiah (Mashiach). When the Jewish
Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus ascended up into heaven (olam haba)
following his resurrection as written in Acts 1:6-12, the angels said
that the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus would come back [in
His second coming as the Kingly Messiah (Messiah ben David)] in like
manner (to the mount of Olives). His return to the mount of Olives as
the Kingly Messiah (Messiah ben David) is recorded in Zechariah
(Zecharyah) 14:3-4, 9 as it is written:
"Then shall the Lord [YHVH] go forth, and fight
against those
nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his
feet
[the feet of YHVH] shall stand in that day upon the mount
of
Olives . and the Lord [YHVH] shall be king over all the
earth:
in that day shall there be one Lord [YHVH], and his name
one
[echad]."
YESHUA/JESUS
IS L-RD OF THE SABBATH
The rabbis in traditional Judaism (house of Judah) teach that
despite all the legalistic precision to keep and observe the Sabbath
(Shabbat) that the sages were conscious always that the sabbath was
made for man, not man for the sabbath, and they insisted that any of
the regulations might be - nay, should be - broken immediately in
case of a life-and-death emergency, or of a real danger to health. In
support of this relaxation, they were fond of quoting the Scriptural
verse in Leviticus (Vayikra) 18:5 as it is written: 7
"Ye shall therefore keep My statutes and Mine
ordinances, which
if a man do, he shall live by them."
The Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus supported this
interpretation as can be seen in Mark 2:23-28, 3:1, 4-5 as it is written:
"And it came to pass, that he [Yeshua/Jesus] went
through the
corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples
[talmidim]
began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the
Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath
day
that which is not lawful [in violation of the Torah]? And
he
[Yeshua/Jesus] said unto them, Have ye never read what
David
did, when he had need, and was hungry, he, and they that
were
with him? 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? And he said unto them, The sabbath was
made
for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore, the Son of
man
is Lord also of the sabbath. And he entered again into the
synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered
hand .
and he saith unto them, is it lawful to do good on the
sabbath
days, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill? But they
held
their peace. .And he saith unto the man, Stretch forth
thine
hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored
whole
as the other."
Therefore, the Sabbath (Sabbath) is a feast of the L-rd
(Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:2). The L-rd is the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach)
Yeshua/Jesus). In addition, the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach)
Yeshua/Jesus is the L-rd of the Sabbath (Shabbat). So, both the house
of Israel (Christianity) and the house of Judah (Judaism) need to
keep and celebrate the weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) (from Friday sundown
to Stturday sundown) that the G-d of Israel gave to His people.
OUR SABBATH REST IS
BELIEVING (EMUNAH)
THE
WRITTEN WORD OF G-D
Spiritually, we experience Sabbath (Shabbat) rest when we
obey
the G-d of Israel, keep His commandments (mitzvot), and believe the
promises made by the G-d of Israel to His people in His Torah/Word of
G-d. The G-d of Israel promises great blessings to His people for
keeping His weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) (from Friday sundown to Saturday
sundown). In Leviticus (Vayikra) 26:2-12 it is written:
"Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my
sanctuary: I am the
Lord. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments,
and
do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the
land
shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall
yield
their fruit. And your threshing shall reach into the
vintage,
and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye
shall
eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
And I
will give peace [shalom/rest] in the land, and ye shall lie
down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil
beasts
out of the land, neither shall the sword go through the
land.
And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before
you
by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and a
hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your
enemies shall fall before you by the sword. For I will have
respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you,
and
establish my covenant with you. And ye shall eat old store,
and
bring forth the old because of the new. And I will set my
tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And
I
will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be
my
people."
OBEDIENCE BRINGS THE
BLESSINGS OF G-D
The G-d of Israel blesses His people when we are obedient (shema)
to Him. In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 1:19 it is written:
"If ye are willing and obedient [shema], ye shall eat
the good
of the land."
In Jeremiah (Yermiyahu) 17:7-8 it is written:
"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and
whose hope
the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the
waters,
and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall
not see
when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall
not be
careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from
yielding fruit."
In Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 26:3-4 it is written:
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace [shalom, shalom],
whose
mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust
ye in
the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength."
(End
Part 1 of 3)
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