THE SABBATH AND ITS CHRISTIAN SIGNIFICANCE
by David Kiern
Have you ever wondered why God created the lights in the sky? The answer is found on the very first page of Scripture: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years.’” – GENESIS 1:14
The Feasts of the LORD: God's Appointed Times
The Hebrew word for festivals is mo’adim, which is more accurately translated as “appointed times.” Established at the creation of the world, with the details given later at Mount Sinai, the Biblical Feasts of the LORD are uniquely designed to be divine appointments between God and His people.
The Feasts were major events in ancient Israel. Three times a year, Jewish pilgrims would journey to Jerusalem and worship God alongside their brothers and sisters from all 12 tribes.
The Bible records a massive revival during the Feast of Passover under King Hezekiah. Another spiritual awakening came in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah during the Feast of Tabernacles, as the exiles were returning home from Babylon. During the first century, Jewish historian Josephus estimates that 2 million worshipers came up to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.
But all that changed after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. With the Jews expelled from the Land and Jerusalem in ruins, the celebrations, prayers and songs ceased. For nearly two thousand years, the Holy Days in Israel were largely forgotten.
But then, a miracle began to take place which was prophesied long ago...
In the late 19th century, courageous Jewish immigrants began to return to their homeland. They started farming again, physically connecting them to the agricultural cycles which anchor the Feasts. They took up residence in Jerusalem again, reviving the Biblical destination for worshipers. A rebirth of the Feasts of the LORD in Israel began to unfold.
In recent decades, air travel has made it possible for Jews who live all over the world to easily visit the Land during the festivals. Today, each Biblical Feast is celebrated with the greatest attention to detail in Jewish homes throughout the Promised Land.
Not since the days of the 1st century have so many Jewish families celebrated the appointed times of God throughout the Land of Israel.
Christians and the Feasts
A spiritual awakening is underway, not only amongst the Jewish people, but throughout the Christian world as well. More Christians today recognize and participate in the Biblical Festivals on some level than at any time since the first century. This is not a brand new phenomenon, but a rebirth of an old practice. Jesus and His Apostles celebrated the Feasts year after year.
The earliest followers of Yeshua, both Jew and Gentile, participated in the Biblical Festivals as a natural part of their faith. Paul even encourages his Gentile audience in Corinth not to be discouraged as they observed the Biblical Holy Days, even though they were being mocked for it:
“Therefore, do not let anyone pass judgment on you in matters of food or drink, or in respect to a festival or new moon or Shabbat. These are a foreshadowing of things to come, but the reality is Messiah.”
COLOSSIANS 2:16-17
Sabbath: The First Feast
God desires to commune with His people as He once did in the Garden of Eden, and the Sabbath is a reflection of that. Shabbat is the first appointed time God invites His people to observe in Scripture.
It begins every Friday night at sundown and lasts until Saturday night, ending just after sunset. Just as a wedding ring is a sign between husband and wife, the Sabbath is a sign of love between God and Israel.
The Sabbath is more than a day of resting from work. It is a day set apart from the other days of the week to honor God, spend precious time with one's family, study the scriptures, worship with other Believers and enjoy God's creation.
Jewish Customs of The Sabbath
For anyone who has been to Israel, you know that Shabbat is the most celebrated day of the week. Jews begin wishing people "Shabbat Shalom" days in advance, anticipating the joy of the day. Work ceases early Friday afternoon. Families clean their homes and dress in nice clothing before dinner.
Modern times have brought modern customs. Observant Jews power down their cell phones and computers, and take a break from tv-watching and social media. Men attend Friday evening prayer in the local synagogue, then walk home for Shabbat dinner.
The heart of the Sabbath takes place inside the home around the family table. Candles are lit and delicious foods are served on fine dishes. Blessings are spoken over the women and the children. Prayers are prayed over the wine and two loaves of bread, symbols of the blessings of heaven. Songs of praise and thanksgiving are sung. Dinner conversation is elevated, and discussing Torah and God's blessings of the previous week is common.
There is a famous saying that provides a clue to the survival of the Jews as a people and culture over the last four millennia. "The Jews didn't keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath kept the Jews."
Christian Significance of The Sabbath
It seems like Yeshua's favorite day of the week to heal His fellow Jews was on the Sabbath. Through His miracles — reviving the health of the sick and healing people from physical sufferings — Yeshua taught His disciples that Shabbat was made for man as a day of restoration for the body and the spirit.
“Yeshua returned in the power of the Spirit to the Galilee, and news about Him went out through all the surrounding region. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone was praising Him. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been raised. As was His custom, He went into the synagogue on Shabbat, and He got up to read.”
- LUKE 4
The early Jewish disciples and Gentile believers observed the Sabbath faithfully, documenting some of their greatest sermons as having taken place on Shabbat. The book of Acts alone records seven Sabbath meetings of the apostles, including Paul’s year-long Sabbath ministry in Corinth.
Parallels between the future Messianic Kingdom, written about in Revelation as the 1000-Year Millennial Reign of Messiah, and the Shabbat are profound. For Christians, we are invited to enter the Sabbath and experience a foretaste of that coming Kingdom.
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