Bible references

Key NT Scriptures

• Hebrews 4:2-11
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• Matthew 12:1-8
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Key OT Scriptures

• Deuteronomy 5:12-15
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 20:8-11
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 23:12
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 31:12-17
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  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 34:21
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 35:1-3
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 2:2-3
  Jewish Commentary
• Isaiah 56:1-7
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  Jewish Commentary
• Isaiah 58:13-14
  Jewish Commentary
• Leviticus 19:1-3
  Jewish Commentary
• Leviticus 23:3
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 28:9-10
  Jewish Commentary

Supportive NT Scriptures

• John 5:8-17
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• John 7:22-24
• Luke 6:6-10
• Luke 13:10-17
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• Luke 14:1-6
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• Mark 2:23-28
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• Mark 3:1-5
• Matthew 12:9-13

Supportive OT Scriptures

• Isaiah 66:23-24
  Jewish Commentary

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Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

The Sabbath was first described in Genesis 2:2-3 as the seventh day that God rested, and declared holy, following the six days of creation. Later, God commanded the Israelites to keep the Sabbath as a day to rest, refrain from work, and conduct a holy convocation ( Leviticus 23:3 ) 1 . He also made the Sabbath applicable to Gentiles - not as a commandment - but as a source of blessing ( Isaiah 56:1-7 ). My belief is, therefore, that keeping the seventh day Sabbath is law for the Jew, and blessing for the Gentile. Conversely, not to keep the Sabbath is sin for the Jew and a blessing lost for the Gentile. In the New Covenant Scriptures, Hebrews 4:1-11 compares "Sabbath rest" with "spiritual rest" that is received through having faith in Messiah Yeshua; that, of course, is applicable to Jew and non-Jew alike. Since rest is the cessation of work, it is important to know the kind of work that is prohibited on the Sabbath. Exodus 23:12 provides part of the answer, for if we are to work six days of the week and rest on the seventh, the work referred to must be ordinary work of the kind we engage in for our livelihood and sustenance 2 . This would seem to mean that, on the Sabbath, carpentry is forbidden for the carpenter and cooking is forbidden for the cook, leaving open the possibility that such activities might be engaged in by persons who do them for pure enjoyment or recreation. Some would say that it is not so, because Isaiah 58:13-14 prohibits our pursuing personal interests on the Sabbath. I do not interpret the Scripture that way; I believe it is warning us away from pursuing interests that are at odds with God's interests and from doing usual things that would detract from making the Sabbath day special. So, for example, if immersing ourselves in outdoor nature adds to our Shabbat shalom , the fact that we find it interesting and pleasurable should not render it a prohibited activity. On the other hand, we should probably not use the Sabbath to continue our methodical study of birds that we began earlier in the week (restful though it may be) because then we would not be treating the day as special. Such decisions are personal and should be resolved through communion with the Holy Spirit. I would be remiss were I not to mention that the Rabbinical understanding of what constitutes work includes things that are creative, the reason being that when God rested on the seventh day, He rested from "creating". That is why the rabbis forbid Sabbath activities that include writing and composing. It is also why the Pharisees in the First Century objected to Yeshua healing on the Sabbath (see Luke supra); healing and performing miracles was considered creative, and therefore a violation of the Sabbath (healing to save a life has always been permitted as an exception). Messianic Judaism follows Yeshua's example in desiring to see healings and other miracles occur on the Sabbath, and we therefore have no hesitation in "laying on of hands" and praying for healing. Nor do we hesitate to write down godly inspirations we may receive, or do other things to make the Sabbath a delight rather than a burden. When God looked over what He had made, declared it "good" and later rested and gave us a Sabbath of rest as well, He was not supposing that we were engaged in creating things the previous six days and therefore needed to stop. He was summoning us to a day of rest in Him by reflecting on His Creation and affirmatively seeking His power for our restoration. Our position on this is that we may be creative on the Sabbath so long as it is not our usual work, and is an appropriate reflection of Him, and a reminder that we were created in His image. There is a category of ordinary work that is clearly not forbidden on the Sabbath. It is work that is ministerial, because it is analogous to the work of the cohanim who were required to conduct Sabbath sacrifices in the Temple as part of their priestly duties. Modern Judaism is split on works of compassion - e.g. works that heal or maintain safety, but there is uniform agreement that working to save a life is permitted. Messianic Judaism, in contrast, follows the example of Yeshua, and considers that works of compassion are not only permitted on the Sabbath, but are encouraged. A rare category of work that is permitted on the Sabbath is work that must be undertaken so as not to violate another commandment of God. Thus a mohel is permitted to circumcise on the eighth day after the birth of a Jewish boy even if it falls on a Shabbat . These exceptions to the Mitzvah are generally accepted within Messianic Judaism and Judaism broadly; other possible exceptions need to be discerned through prayerfully seeking guidance from the Ruach HaKodesh . Abstaining from work on the Sabbath is not only an act of obedience - it is an act of faith for, by so doing, we are trusting God to provide for us. An example of this is found in Exodus 16:22-30 , where the Israelites had to trust God to provide them with food during the Shabbat when they were not allowed to gather manna. 1. See also, Isaiah 66:23-24 and Hebrews 10:24-25 . 2. The Orthodox Rabbinical community goes beyond this by adhering to a complex set of rules and a list of prohibited activities that are derived from the Babylonian Talmud ( Shab. 75a )

Rabbi Daniel Juster

The issue of Sabbath is paradoxical for Gentiles: The Sabbath, as a day of rest on the seventh day, is never enjoined upon Gentiles in the New Covenant. Rabbinical Judaism defined it as part of Jewish-specific law, and part of God's Covenant with Israel - not universal law which is required of all people (i.e. the Noachide laws). The Sabbath principle is enjoined upon all, at least as a "rest of faith". ( Hebrews 4:2-11 ). The passages in Isaiah 56 and 66 indicate a more universal observance in the Age to Come than in the Mosaic age. Isaiah 56 may only be referring to Gentiles who are called to live among the Jewish people, but Isaiah 66 may well imply a world-wide Sabbath day. In the light of the passages in Isaiah , it is certainly appropriate for Gentiles to keep one day in seven as unto the Lord when it is practically possible within their cultures (remember that there was no seven day week in the Roman world at the time the N.T. was being written). While it is appropriate for Gentiles in Messiah to take the seventh day as their day of rest (and possibly as an eschatological sign of the Age to Come), this does not mean that all Christian Congregations ought to gather for worship on Saturday. Sunday celebrations of the day of Resurrection are certainly appropriate and there is, in this age, a choice to make this the day of rest also, or to add Sabbath rest on the seventh day to the corporate gathering on Sunday, or move the Christian gathering to the seventh day and treat it as a day of rest as well. What is culturally feasible and best is an important factor in the choice, and is within the purview of New Covenant liberty.

Classical commentators

Maimonides comments very little. HaChinuch states that the underlying meaning of the mitzvah to not work on the Sabbath is to refrain from the work of our normal occupations. In our rest, we are to remember each day of the creation of the world as well as the miracle of Israel's exodus from Egypt. HaChinuch and Meir state that the sages list 39 activities that are prohibited on the Sabbath ( Shab. 73a ); these are intended as a fence around the Torah . Of the three commentators, Meir is the only one who states that it is forbidden for a Jew to ask a Gentile to do work in his behalf on the Sabbath, and he also states that doing work on the Sabbath is permitted if it is to save a human life. None of the traditional mitzvot addresses the requirement of Leviticus 23:3 that the Sabbath should be a day of "holy convocation". Special mention is made of Maimonides' RN322 and HaChinuch's C114, in which they profess that we must not inflict punishment on Shabbat. The Scripture upon which they rely is Exodus 35:3 , which states: You are not to kindle a fire in any of your homes on Shabbat. The logic of relying on this seemingly inapplicable Scripture is that one of the ways of punishing according to the Mosaic Law is burning.

Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2

Drawings

Artist: Jenske Visser

Short Movies

Sermons

119 Ministries - The Sabbath Day

We've all been told that the Sabbath is now on Sunday. But how many of us have truly tested that? Have we truly examined the basis of this belief? Or have we just blindly accepted what we have been taught over the years based on the interpretations of man's views of the scriptures that have been passed down through the generations? We at 119 Ministries present this examination of the scriptures regarding the one day that was given as a sign and covenant for those who choose to follow our Heavenly Father.

Source and License

Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

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Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.

Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 1 & 2

Copyright note: Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2