“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Sabbath… Many of us think of it as the day of rest observed by the JEWISH people through a ceremony called Shabbat. This day is known to start at sundown on Friday and end at nightfall on Saturday.

The word Shabbat actually means to stop, to pause or to cease. This is why the Jewish people make this period a time of rest where no work is to be done. It is to follow both the commandment of YAHWEH and His example. YAHWEH rested on the seventh day after having created the entire universe.

Did He need the rest? Absolutely not. He did so as an example for His people. He did so to give us the gift of rest from an exhaustive week of work.

But wait… This is a Christian blog… Why do you say “us”?

We aren’t Jewish.

We might not be Jewish in the strictest sense, but our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ was.

He followed all of the 10 Commandments. He didn’t break a single one, including the Sabbath. He himself is known as and claims the title  “Lord of the Sabbath.” See Matthew 12:8.

“For the Son of Man is LORD of the Sabbath.”  

The son of man is another title Jesus goes by. This is him saying that he is the Lord of the Sabbath.

With this holding true that means breaking commandment four is the same as breaking any of the other nine, it’s disobedience and an insult to God who gave us the gift of the Sabbath.

But we don’t need all of this explanation do we? If the Bible, the word of God itself tells us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, why should we not be doing it?

Using the fact that we are not Jews in the strictest sense does not excuse us from remembering the Sabbath and observing Shabbat.

If you claim to be a Christian, if you claim to follow Jesus, if you have surrendered yourself to the holy Trinity, then you are adopted into God’s family.

If you are adopted into God’s family, that means you are one of his children, one of his sons and one of his daughters. This means… That by adoption… You are a Jew.  

So now that we have gotten that out of the way, what does the sabbath and by extension Shabbat look like for a follower of Jesus Christ?

That’s something I’m finding out now.

That’s something that I will be finding out for many years to come.

I have decided along with my wife to both keep the Sabbath holy and to practice Shabbat.

So far, I have learned that it is a celebration of the bounty of God that has been given to us first and foremost.

It is a celebration of family, unity, and the love therein.

It’s a period of worship, thankfulness, celebration, and quiet reflection.

It is a time where you sit amongst family and friends who share your faith and you give thanks to the God that you serve for all that he has given you.

It is a time of prayer and worship that is sacred and should be kept holy.

The Bible also tells us to not to forsake fellowship and assembly, specifically in Hebrews 10:25

“…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

This verse is specifically about going to church and meeting people there, but it shows the importance of fellowship which the practice of Shabbat encourages.

As I learn more about Shabbat, I will post more in-depth articles about it.

I encourage all of you to do your own research and spend time in prayer about this. The LORD will tell you how you should go about observing the Sabbath and keeping it holy.

-MB