WHY WE SHOULD OBSERVE YAHWEH

Many, many people are not convinced that we should observe the 7th day Sabbath nor the annual Holy Days. So many proclaim that the law has been done away. However, when you pin them down with the commandments, you find that all of the commandments apply except the 4th. All one has to do is begin questioning those who say the law is done away with the 10 commandments. If the law is done away, is it OK then to commit murder (#6)? Absolutely not! Will be the response. Then does that commandment still exist? Of course! What about stealing? Can we steal (#8)? No! Is it OK to commit adultery (#7)? No! Should we lust or covet (#10)? No! Can we lie or bear false witness (#9)? No! Should we honor our father and mother (#5)? Yes! Can we have another Elohim besides the Elohim of Scripture (#1)? Absolutely not! How about graven images (#2)? No! Can we take the name of Yahweh our Elohim in vain (#3)? No, absolutely not! What about the Sabbath Day (#4)? Oh, that one has been changed to the first day of the week.

Why did Yahweh command us to keep the Sabbath day (seventh day)? “For in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it,” Ex. 20:11.

The Sabbath day was appointed for us to observe so that we could remember the creation account. (See our article entitled “Just Who Was It That Sanctioned Sunday Worship?”) When Yahweh delivered Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness, He carefully pointed out His Sabbath day by giving them manna (bread from heaven) for six days. On the sixth day they received twice as much (two days provision) so that they could rest on the seventh for none was given on that day. (See Ex. 16)

Yahweh commanded, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” Ex. 20:8. “Remember” is translated from the Hebrew word “zakar” which is defined as; a primitive root; properly, to mark (so as to be recognized), i.e. to remember; by implication, to mention. This word (zakar) has also been variously translated into the English as; (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record(-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance. Thus, Yahweh established the seventh day Sabbath as a memorial of creation. We are to remember, mark (so as to be recognized) the Sabbath day as a “memorial” of creation.

Yahweh also said, “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘Verily My sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Yahweh That doth sanctify you,” Ex. 31:13. Notice that! Yahweh “hallowed” the seventh day naming it the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a sign so that His people might know that He is Yahweh That does “sanctify” you. He commanded His people to keep it “holy.” The interesting thing about these three words, hallowed, sanctify and holy is that they all come from the exact same Hebrew word “qadash.” Qadash is defined as; a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally) and is variously translated as; appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, hallow, (be, keep) holy(-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify(-ied one, self), X wholly.

Therefore, Yahweh hallowed (made holy or clean) the seventh day of the week and gave it as a sign to His people so that they might also keep it holy and come to know Him Who also sanctifies (makes holy) them! If we fail to sanctify the seventh day Sabbath then we forget about the creation, the Creator and who we really are. Does this apply in our world today? Absolutely! By failing to hallow the seventh day Sabbath, our people have forgotten the true Creator Whose name is Yahweh, not God or the Lord. Our people have forgotten about the creation account and have dismissed it as only a fable while they have embraced evolution which teaches that the whole creation has evolved from a mindless, ignorant, nothingness beginning. Our people have also forgotten that they are descendants of ancient Israel. Thus, we wander around in the world aimlessly, being blinded to who we are, where we come from and where we are going.

The penalty for failure to observe the Sabbath is death! “Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his People. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.’ Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed,” Ex. 31:14-18.

How do we “defile” the Sabbath day? This word “defile” is translated from the Hebrew word “chalal” which means, a primitive root; properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an "opening wedge").

To defile the Sabbath is to profane it or make it common (like all the other days of the week). To defile the Sabbath is to dissolve it (do away with it). To break the Sabbath day drives a wedge between that person and His Elohim and Creator Yahweh!

To “cut off” is translated from the Hebrew word “karath” which is defined as, a primitive root; to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume. Because of Israel’s failure to properly observe the Sabbath day (among many other things), they were cut off or destroyed from the land of Canaan, the land of their inheritance.

Yahweh had a man put to death while Israel was in the wilderness because he gathered sticks on the Sabbath day, “While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made plain what should be done to him. And Yahweh said to Moses, ‘The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.’ And all the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses,” Num. 15:32-36.

The penalty for breaking Yahweh’s commandments did not change in the New Testament for the Apostle John writes, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law,” 1 Jn. 3:4. The Apostle Paul writes, “For the wages of sin is death...,” Ro. 6:23. While Paul followed up this statement with, “...But the gift of Yahweh is eternal life through Yahshua the Messiah our Sovereign,” Ro. 6:23, the Apostle John continued to write, “And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in His is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin (transgression of the law) is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning” 1 Jn. 3:5-8.

In Lev. 23 Yahweh declares, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘Concerning the feasts of Yahweh, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings,” vv. 1-3.

The Hebrew word for feasts is “moedim.” The definition of this Hebrew word is, from 3259; properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand). (All definitions taken from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance unless otherwise specified.)

#3259 is the primitive root word from whence “moed” comes. It is the Hebrew word “ya’ad” which is defined as, a primitive root; to fix upon (by agreement or appointment); by implication, to meet (at a stated time), to summon (to trial), to direct (in a certain quarter or position), to engage (for marriage).

The Sabbath is also called an “holy convocation” which comes from the Hebrew terms “miqra-qodesh.” “Qodesh” is simply another form of the word “qadash” or “holy.” “Miqra” is defined as, something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal. “Miqra” would be the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word “ekklesia” which also means a calling out, a popular meeting, espec. a religious congregation and has been translated into the English words “assembly or church.” But notice that the Hebrew definition also includes “a rehearsal.” Thus, we can deduct from these definitions that the Sabbath is a rehearsal for holy matrimony to those who are engaged to Yahshua the Messiah, for Paul writes, “For I am jealous over you with a pious jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to the Messiah,” 2 Cor. 11:2.

The seventh day Sabbath is given to us not only as a remembrance or memorial of creation as well as a reminder that Yahweh is our Elohim and we are His people whom He sanctifies (makes holy and clean), but it speaks of the future marriage of the Lamb Yahshua the Messiah to His bride, the called out ones who make up His body. It is a rehearsal for marriage to Him! If we don’t rehearse, then how do we know what is required of us. All weddings have rehearsals do they not? If there is no rehearsal, things are performed awkwardly and clumsily and such is not what the Heavenly Father desires for His Son. He wants everything to be decent and in order and He wants everyone to know what is required of them.

Before Yahshua’s death He warned His disciples that deceivers and deceptions would come (Mat. 24, read the whole chapter). He followed this warning with a parable of ten virgins of whom five were foolish and five were wise. They all had oil in their lamps, but the problem is that five of them didn’t prepare extra oil to keep their lamps burning. When the cry was made at midnight for the virgins to go out and meet the bridegroom they all arose, trimmed their lamps and proceeded to go meet Him. However, the lamps of the five foolish virgins began to go out so they asked the wise to share their extra oil with them. The wise refused saying that there might not be enough for themselves and the foolish also (they wanted to make sure that they would be able to see all the way to the bridegroom). They advised the foolish to go to them who sell and buy enough oil for themselves. While the foolish were gone to buy the needed extra oil, the bridegroom arrived and received those who had prepared for the marriage, shutting the door. When the foolish returned with their purchased oil, they requested entrance to the marriage but the bridegroom refused declaring, “Verily, I say unto you, ‘I know you not.” (Mat. 25:1-12).

The Greek word for “foolish” is “moros” and is defined as, probably from the base of 3466; dull or stupid (as if shut up), i.e. heedless, (morally) blockhead, (apparently) absurd. Notice the definition. The five foolish were dull or stupid. They were heedless or, in other words, they didn’t pay attention; they didn‘t listen to Yahweh‘s word. They were moral blockheads. They were absurd. “Absurd” means not to be heard of, dull, deaf, insensible, so clearly untrue or unreasonable as to be laughable or ridiculous (Webster’s New World Dictionary). The dictionary continues to say, “absurd means laughably inconsistent with what is judged as true or reasonable.”