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Randy Felton
Potter’s Clay Ministries, Inc.
417 NW 42nd St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Shalom2@cox.net
www.haydid.org/potter.htm
Sabbath
The word Sabbath occurs 137 times in 116 verses in the Bible. We cannot look at all of them in this session, but we will consider some of them and try to get a picture of what God is trying to tell us through the Sabbath.
Exodus 16:23 is the first time Sabbath is mentioned. It is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. In verse 29 the people are told that they are not to go out of their place on the Sabbath. Here the word used for place has the concept of dwelling. So in this instruction the children of Israel were not to even leave their homes on the Sabbath.
Later on in Exodus 20:8-11 within the 10 commandments given, it is made a little clearer. You, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your cattle nor the stranger that is within your gates...are to do no work. Again in Exodus 31:12-17 the law of the Sabbath is given again along with the penalty for the violation; death. In Exodus 35:3 the admonition against kindling fire is given. Now we will skip to Numbers 15:30-36. We are told when a "soul that doeth aught presumptuously…shall be cut off from his people." From the "Torah A Modern Commentary", edited by W. Gunther Plaut, Union of American Hebrew Congregations; this means, defiantly with an upraised hand. It is probably referring to a raised fist in public protest. I would say an act of rebellion. Then we go on to the story of the man gathering sticks on the sabbath who is condemned to death. This is in verses 30 to36. It is interesting to me that the very next verse, 37, is the instruction to make fringes as a reminder of the Lord’s commandments. Is this one more act of grace from God to help the Israelites remember not to go into rebellion? I am convinced there is more to the story than we are told. Complete willful rebellion always carries a heavy penalty.
In Leviticus 16:31 Israel is told to "afflict your souls" on the Sabbath. This word translated afflict has the sense of restraining yourself. Literally, it means to fast, and again the sense is to fast from labor.
Now when we get to Leviticus 23:24 there is a Sabbath and it is accompanied by the blowing of trumpets. There is to be no servile work but an offering accompanied by fire. The word servile indicates the work of a servant and there is one sense from the root that it means a worshipper of God.
Let me say at this point that I am not going to address the special Sabbaths or those associated with the Feasts. The discussion presented here is for Sabbath in general.
When we get to Numbers 28 we find instruction for offerings made by fire. In verse 9, two lambs are to be offered along with a meal offering and a drink offering. Just who offers these sacrifices? How are they done and who does the "work" associated with them?
II Kings 11:4-12 indicates the army could defend the king on the Sabbath. So, now we are seeing certain exemptions. I Chronicles 9:32 tells us the Kohathites were to prepare the shewbread on the Sabbath (refer to Leviticus 24:8). Again in II Chronicles 23 we read about the priests and the Levites that that minister in the Temple who are holy. They are to go about their ministry on the Sabbath, verse 6.
Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath. Verse 1 tells us it is good to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises to the Lord. There is not mention of corporate worship.
Isaiah 56 tells us that "Blessed is the man that…keepeth the Sabbath…" So, now along with the commandments to keep the Sabbath, we are told that it is a blessing to keep it and not pollute it. Isaiah 58 13-14 tells us that keeping the Sabbath causes us to delight in the Lord.
According to Jeremiah 17, Jerusalem paid a heavy price for not keeping the Sabbath. Ezekiel 46:2 again speaks of the priests preparing a burnt offering on the Sabbath. Now we go to the New Testament and read in Matthew 12 about Jesus walking through the corn with His disciples. In verse 5 He speaks directly to the priests profaning the Sabbath without blame. Verse 8, Jesus says; "For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." (see also; Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5)
Mark 1:21 is the first place I find where there were synagogue meetings on the Sabbath. Here Jesus entered in on the Sabbath in Capernaum and taught. In Mark 3 we find that Jesus heals on the Sabbath ( see also Luke:6:6-12, Luke 13:11-17, Luke 14:1-6, John 1:5-9. John 9:14). Mark 6 finds Jesus teaching again on the Sabbath in the synagogue. Also in Luke 4:16 Jesus teaches in the synagogue on the Sabbath as was His custom.
In John 9:16 we find Jesus accused of not keeping the Sabbath. This was one of the reasons given for the Pharisees seeking to put Him to death.
Acts chapter 13 confirms the meetings in the synagogue on the Sabbath, see verse 14 and 27. Again in Acts 15:21 we are told that Moses is read in the synagogue on every Sabbath. Acts 16:13 tells of prayer being offered on the Sabbath by a river and not in a formal meeting place.
Finally we find the last mention of Sabbath in Colossians chapter 2:16. Paul is speaking to the saints and faithful bretheren. He tells us not to let any man judge us in meat, or drink, or respect to a holy day, or new moon or of the Sabbath day. These are a shadow of things to come.
Why would Paul feel this way and give this instruction? I personally believe it is because the Holy Spirit has been given. He will lead us into all truth. We are to follow His leading and He will convict us of sin. While it is perfectly permissible to meet on the Sabbath and seems to be a very early custom among the Jews and later the Church, there is no direct commandment to do so. Jesus entered and taught "as was His custom" on the Sabbath. He also did things that were not a part of the custom of the Sabbath according to tradition. Do we serve God by tradition or from the Heart? What is our purpose in what we do? What are our motives? The whole 14th chapter of Romans speaks to this very issue. Sabbaths, meat, drink. We have a call to maturity. We are not to judge or be judged by what we eat or drink or the day we honor. At the same time, we are not to be a stumbling block. We are to consider our audience and act accordingly. We are not to offend in what we allow. Better to abstain when in the company of those who hold beliefs that differ than to demand our freedom and offend someone.
Is our walk to be bound in legalism? NO, it is to be anchored in Love. If I offend you by what I do or allow, please forgive me. I mean no offense. I will attempt to not be offended by what you do or what you allow in these areas. We do have certain absolutes, they should not be compromised. We have other areas that are not as clear. We should always approach these out of love. There are other things that Gentiles are not subject to and things that Jews are to be restrained by. We need to walk in love according to I Corinthians 13…
II Chronicles 23 talks about the priests being holy and performing their tasks and duties in the temple on the Sabbath. According to Revelation 1:6, we are kings and priests. Again in Revelation 5:10 we, out of many nations, are called kings and priests. Therefore, I conclude that there are exemptions that apply toward our service to our God that supercede the Sabbath requirements.
The Table
Blessing
(Benching)
Blessing:
We have recorded a form of the word "bless" at least 508 times in scripture and yet we know little about it. Blessing is something we say before we eat a meal, If at all. What is blessing? What does it mean to bless someone or to be blessed by someone?
I think it good for us to look at blessing today. My wife attended a rehearsal dinner where the people attending were asked to bless the bride and groom. Very few did. It was not because they did not want to bless the couple, but they just did not know how to go about it. We are going to look at what blessing means and how to bless someone.
The primary word for bless or blessing in Hebrew is irb barak. It has a variety of shades of meaning. One of these meanings gives us a graphic word picture. It is that of a camel being forced to kneel that he may drink and rest. It also means to be guided or led straight, to be made fortunate and there is the sense of happiness associated with it. Dr. Doug Wheeler says blessing is closely associated with the word picture whereby we are made to rest in order to be loaded down with goods to be taken to the point of need. This is the picture and purpose of a camel. This is best understood in relation of God blessing us. Blessing is also understood in the context of a benediction of God, the result of which is prosperity and good of every kind.
How do we bless one another? Well that is also found in the meaning of the Hebrew words. Rva Ashar means to be straight, to guide or lead straight, to be made fortunate. It also carries with it the connotation of being happy. This is what we wish for one another. Again I will turn to Dr. Doug Wheeler and his booklet "Benching And The Early Christian Meal". In this booklet, Dr. Wheeler outlines the table and it’s contents as well as how to use them. This is something we can and should do to make our homes a richer place to raise our children.
I suggest that we attempt this once a week to begin with. You may find that you want to do this every day at suppertime or you may want to do it every meal, depending on your situation. Some of us will only do it occasionally. The important thing is that you understand the concept and practice it as often as you feel led. My personal preference is in conjunction with the Friday evening meal to start off an acknowledgement of the Sabbath.
This should be a sit down meal with no distractions. No TV, no stereo, no radio, no interruptions. This is primarily a family time, however if you have guests, they should be included and blessed as well. This is a great time to share with unsaved loved ones or friends in a non-threatening way. This is not a time to talk work, or the problems of the day or troubles in the world. It is a time to talk of the attributes of God, the joys of what He has provided and the joys of our day that we can praise and uplift. It is a time to gather around the table and share before the Lord.
The table should be set with some basics that will not change from meal to meal. These basics are; Bread, Salt, Wine (or grape juice). These should be on the table at the beginning of the meal. During the meal you discuss the importance of the bread…how the Lord provides for us. How Jesus is the bread of life and all that symbolizes. Talk of the salt. What is salt used for? What does it mean to be the salt of the earth? What happens if we loose our savor? How do we affect the world by being in it?
Use the wine as an opportunity to talk about the shed blood of Jesus. What does the scripture have to say about wine? Then use the meal time to talk about God’s Word.
Following the meal, you can sing praises to the Lord. Then quote the scripture found in Deuteronomy 8:10 "When you have eaten and are full, bless the Lord for the good land He has given you". Go around the table and ask each person what they bless the Lord for. What is their "good land"?
Give thanks for all God has done for you and then pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Before closing gather the children and bless them by laying hands on them. A typical blessing would be:
Boys; May you be like Ephraim and Mannaseh, may you grow in the strength of the Lord and be faithful and upright before the Lord.
Girls; May you be like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachael and Leah. May you grow in all the Lord has for you.
Then the father can read Proverbs 31 to his wife and the wife can read Psalms 112 to her husband.
Make any appropriate comments and then off to whatever the rest of the evening holds.
I would like to thank Douglas A. Wheeler, Ph.D. for his insight into this area. If you would like to know more about this concept and how to go about doing it, write me. I have a booklet available by Dr. Wheeler, titled "Benching And The Early Christian Meal". I would be happy to send you one. A donation of $5.00 is suggested.
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