Sabbath Was Made For You

I'm looking forward to the Sabbath, but I've got a fair amount of things to do before then because, honestly, taking a day of rest can be a lot of work. It takes thought and preparation to arrive at the seventh day with your immediate needs provided for. Making sure your fridge is stocked, the clothes you need for the day are washed, and clearing your schedule is work. It's easy for Friday afternoons to become a whirlwind of stress and the the frantic pace of trying to get everything done. The to-do list overflows into the seventh day and many of us find ourselves working to get everything done, even on the Sabbath. When you're striving for perfection it's easy to enter Shabbat feeling exhausted and anxious.

However, this is not what our Creator had in mind when he gave us the joy of a day of rest. Sabbath is not a reward for checking off our to-do list. He does not say to rest if we have everything done.

He just says to rest.

The first Sabbath we see in Scripture was taken by YHWH himself.


On the sixth day YHWH ended his work that he had made; and rested on the seventh day from all his work that he he made. -Genesis 2:2

I find it interesting that YHWH still had quite a bit of things to do. In six days he formed most of Creation, but he had yet to make Adam and Eve. We can look further into his schedule to know that he would be making clothes for them very soon, and that he needed to give Noah instructions for the ark, break down the tower of Babel, appear to Abraham, free the Israelites from slavery, give them Torah, guide them as the pillar of cloud/fire, speak through the prophets, send Yahsuha into the world, and on and on. YHWH wasn't resting because he was finished working.

I think we have certain expectations for what a day of rest looks like: sunny and peaceful, delcious meals waiting for us in the fridge, a pristine home, and the to-do list so checked off that not a single chore crosses our minds.

While that sounds lovely we are going to become frustrated and disappointed if we look at Shabbat as something we do once we've completed all our work. No matter how much you've accomplished this week there will be plenty to do next.

Sabbath rest is not negotiable. It's not a reward for getting everything done. We don't rest because we have finished working. We rest so that we can keep working.

It's okay to rest even if the kitchen is a mess. It's okay to rest even if you have a big paper due on Monday. It's okay to rest when there remains work to be done.

"The Shabbat was made for man, and not man for Shabbat." -Mark 2:27

In other words - Shabbat was made for you to rest, not for you to get everything perfect for. The Messiah's statement here reminds us that there aren't complicated rules to the Sabbath. He does not require that we light candles or bake challah bread. He does not ask that our homes be immaculate or that everything be in order. He tells us that he made Shabbat for us so that we could rest, no matter how hectic the rest of the week was or will be.

"Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: but the seventh day is the Shabbat of YHWH your Elohim." -Exodus 20:9-10

This Shabbat give yourself permission to rest. Even if there's still stuff to do. Even if you don't' feel ready. Give yourself permission because YHWH does.

More on the Sabbath:
Six Reasons Believers Should Keep the Sabbath
Why I'm Still Keeping the Sabbath
What to Do on the Sabbath

What does YHWH require of you?

Devarim 10:12 - And now Israel, what does YHWH your Elohim require of you? To fear YHWH, your Elohim, to have your halacha in all His halachot, and to love Him, and to serve YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and being.

This Scripture in Deuteronomy is the answer to a lot of questions. What should I do with my life? What am I hear for? What does God want from me? He wants your love and fear and he wants you to walk in his halachot.

What is a halacha? It means way, the way to walk, or to conduct's one life. Halachot is simply the plural form of that.

Conduct your life in YHWH's ways. Walk the way Yeshua did.

Yochanan 14:6 - Yeshua said to them, I am the Derech, the Emet, and the Chayim: no man comes to my Abba, except through me.

We are familiar with this Scripture translated as, "the way, the truth, and the life." Yeshua describes himself as the way. Have your way in his ways. We can see that since the beginning YHWH desired his people to walk in The Way.

The first century believers in Yeshua were known as "followers of the way." (See Acts 9) Because they both believed in Yeshua, and walked out the lifestyle that YHWH desires us to. So what does YHWH want from you? To serve Yeshua and to keep his commands.

She Who Sows Righteousness

There are many outdoor projects at our house this summer. My husband and I are working on landscaping, planting some bushes, and digging an asparagus patch. He has worked as a landscaper and is used to fresh produce from his grandma's garden, and I have a deep love for rare plants. You can imagine we have specific thoughts about how our yard should be.

Our property is not a disaster zone but it could definitely use some sprucing up in the landscaping department.  There was already a garden when we bought the house but it had been neglected for several years. It was overgrown, full of weeds and thorny things. It's a long way from Eden but it is coming along well this year, producing tomatoes, swiss chard, bok choi, and flowers. It's hard to believe that it's the same patch of ground.

That fascinates me about soil--it can produce wonderful fruit, nourishing vegetables, and beautiful flowers or it can produce thistles and weeds. It simply depends on how you cultivate it.

Are you familiar with Yeshua's words from Mattiyahu 13? In what is known as the Parable of the Sower the Messiah likens us to soil. He tells of himself scattering his Torah amongst the people. In some, his word flourishes and gives life. In others it gets devoured or choked out. His truth only grows in soil that is good.

Just like that small garden out my back door you can produce anything you'd like. You can put in lots of hard work to make your garden beautiful. Spend time planting seeds, weeding, watering, and caring for them. It's hard work to make a lovely place. It's easier to let the thorns take over.

A garden can only produce the seed that is in it. There will never be asparagus or berries growing in my yard unless I put in the effort to plant them. It's the same with us. If you want to be someone that bears the fruit of the Spirit you'll need to plant those seeds in yourself.

Galatians 5:28: The fruit of the Ruach Hakodesh is ahava, simcha, shalom, patience, chesed, rachamim, trust worthiness, gentleness, and self-control.

These things are not going to magically pop up one spring. You have to purposefully plant them. If you don't take care of your garden then the weeds that grow look more like anxiety, frustration, faithlessness, and bitterness. It's easy to let those thorns take over. It's much harder to curate yourself for love, joy, and peace.

Mishlei 11:18b To him that sows tzedakah shall be a sure reward.

This proverb tells us that YHWH even rewards the ones who sow righteousness in their lives, families, and communities. When you sow seeds of goodness you are rewarded by the growth. The beauty of the flower, the fruit of the vine, the shade of that tree. YHWH does reward you for being a bearer of the Ruach Hakodesh.

If I want fruit to grow in my yard then I will have to plant the seeds. If I want the fruit of the Spirit in my life then I will have to ask YHWH to plant it in me and intentionally care for myself by studying Scripture, spending time in prayer and worship, and attending congregation. Because you are the soil that Yeshua talked about. You can grow in shalom, in love, in kindness. But first you need to plant.

Was Everyone in the Bible Jewish?

Did you know that most of the people in the Bible weren't Jewish? A lot of people don't realize this fact, and discussing any sort of Biblical commandment beyond, 'Thou shall not kill,' I hear this phrase a lot: Biblical law was only for the Jews.

I've started asking a simple question - who are the Jews? - in response to this statement. The responses mention rabbis, those living in the modern country of Israel, people with Jewish ancestry, and, you know, all the people who are in the Bible!

Somehow most of us have been lead to believe that unless you've had a bar mitzvah and find yourself as a member of the modern Jewish religion, then God doesn't really expect you to actually do what he says.

I could not disagree more with this idea because of one simple detail. Most of the people in Scripture were not Jewish.

That's an unusual thought for most of us, but that doesn't mean it's not true. I mean no disrespect to the Jewish people. Indeed there are many people in the Bible, including the Messiah, who were from the tribe of Judah. I'm not arguing that. But we should be aware that Biblical law was given to many more people besides just one tribe of Israel.

In fact, did you know the word 'Jewish' isn't in Scripture all that much? If you do a word search, jewel or jewelry will come up far more often than the word 'Jew.' The words Jew, Jewish, or Judaism actually don't appear even once in the first five books of the Bible (the Torah), and only pop up a few times in the entire Old Testament, mostly in the book of Esther. Jeremiah uses Jew once, as does Zechariah, and it appears twice in Daniel. That's it. (Depending on the translation you're using.)

But, you may be saying, the people of Judah became the Jews. But please note, that does not mean everyone in Scripture.

We've talked briefly before about the fact that Abraham wasn't a Jew. Jacob's son Judah could arguably be referred to as the first Jew, though that's a stretch. I don't call my sister a Jordanite, just Jordan. Anyway, let's take a look at some other famous non-Jews in the Bible.

In addition to Abraham and Sarah, everyone before Judah was not Jewish. Including Adam and Eve, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, as well as Noah and his family. And realistically the people of Judah weren't referred to as Jews for centuries after Judah, the son of Jacob, lived.

Who else in the Bible wasn't Jewish.

-Moses. Yes, the very giver of the law supposedly only for Jews wasn't one himself. Moses, his brother Aaron, and their sister Miriam were from the tribe of Levi. (Exodus 2:1)

-Joshua. The man who lead Israel into the promised land was from the tribe of Ephraim. (Numbers 13:8)

-Caleb. He and Joshua were the spies that came back with the good report and were the only people from the generation that left Egypt to see the promised land. Caleb wasn't a natural born Israelite at all, but a Kenezite who chose to follow YHWH. (Joshua 14:14)

-Rahab. She assisted the Israelite spies in Jericho, but was not an Israelite herself. She is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. (Joshua 2:1, Matthew 1:5)

-Gideon. He was the judge who fought in battle to liberate Israel from the Midianites, from the tribe of Manasseh. (Judges 6:15)

-Samson. Israel's most famous judge was from the tribe of Dan. (Judges 13:2)

-Samuel. Israel's last judge and a prophet came from the territory of Ephraim and was raised in the Tabernacle by a Levite. (1 Samuel 1:1)

-Saul. The first king of Israel came from the tribe of Benjamin. (1 Samuel 9:1)

-Ruth. King David's great-grandmother was from Moab. (Ruth 1:4)

-Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Both prophets were from families of Levitical priests. Jeremiah's family resided in the land of Benjamin, and Ezekiel lived in Babylonian exile. (Jeremiah 1:1, Ezekiel 1:3)

-Obadiah. In addition to writing the book of his name, Obadiah hid a hundred prophets from Jezebel and Ahab. Scripture doesn't say for sure but since he worked in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, we have no reason to believe he was from Judah. (1 Kings 18)

-Micah. Being from Moresheth he was not a biological part of Israel, but he was still counted a member of the people of YHWH. God spoke through him to the people as well. (Micah 1:1)

-Elijah. Described as Tishbite from Gilead, Elijah was from one of the ten northern tribes, and not Judah. (1 Kings 17:1)

-Elisha. He was from a city called Abel-meholah in the Northern Kingdom of Israel and was from one of the northern tribes. (1 Kings 19:16)

This list is by no means exhausting. The tribal ancestry of most of the characters in the Bible is not listed. This is also not to say that those grated in or from a different tribe are better or worse than those from Judah. There are exploits of faith and sins attributed to those from Judah and Ephraim. There is no racial superiority in the Kingdom of Heaven, and God does not give different commandments depending on your family tree.

As one of from the tribe of Benjamin wrote in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile...for you all are one in the Messiah Yahusha." In other words, it is irrelevant if you were born Jewish or from another tribe or if you're a foreigner altogether. The Messiah makes his people one. Regardless of your genealogy, all believers are grafted in YHWH's people Israel.

Related posts:
Why Biblical Law is for All Believers
The Two Houses: Israel and Judah in Scripture
Why Paul Withstood Peter in Galatians 2