Sunday, August 2, 2015

OT/NT Sabbath

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

A few years ago, I was in grocery store on a Sunday.  I was standing in the check out line.  The woman in front of me was speaking with the checker.  She said, "I'm shocked that you would be working on Sunday."  The checker explained why she had to work that day.  The woman continued complaining.  Apparently they went to same church group.  I listened for a few minutes to these complaints and then I spoke by the Spirit of God as follows:  "Why are you buying groceries on Sunday?  For if you are living by Old Testament law, as your talk indicates, you would break the Sabbath by doing this."


OT Sabbath:

Ex. 16 ... And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.  

 16This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.   17And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

... And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30So the people rested on the seventh day.


This is the Old Testament sabbath.  They were not permitted to cook food or gather food on the sabbath.  They were to remain in their own place on the sabbath. If you were going to live by the law of the Old Testament concerning the keeping of the sabbath you would not be permitted to leave your house.  You would not be permitted to prepare food.  Certainly you would not be permitted to shop for food.


NT Sabbath:

The New Testament sabbath is described in Heb. 3 & 4 ... It is a ceasing from your own works and entering into HIS works.  We are told to "labor" to enter into HIS rest, ceasing from our own works.  Everyday is a sabbath to the Lord for the NT church in that in all things we are to cease from our ideas and pray and follow the Spirit of God, resting in what HE tells us.  

Heb. 3 ... For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.  

Heb. 4 ... Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 

2For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.   3For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 

6Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:  7Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.  

9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.  10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
 
11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 

The NT life is a continual sabbath of entering into HIS rest by hearing the Word of God and believing the Word and resting in the Word, ceasing from your own works.