Beth HaDerech; Messianic Jewish Congregation, Toronto, Canada

Shabbat in the Hebrew Scriptures

Shabbat (Sabbath) is mentioned over 170 times in the Bible, one-third of those in the Besora Tova HaGeula (Good News of Redemption). In the first book of the hebrew Scriptrures, in Bereshit / Genesis 2:3 tells us "God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy" as the final act of Creation.  It has been thousands of years since creation, and the holiness of the Shabbat day remains, whether we acknowledge it or not. Our calendars tell us that Saturday is the seventh day of the week and Sunday the first day.  Observant Jews still celebrate the Shabbat on the seventh day. Why? Because God blessed and sanctified it. Before God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, He re-emphasized the weekly cycle by giving manna to the Israelites six days, but not on the Shabbat day (Shemot / Exodus 16:14-26). That weekly Shabbat is also mentioned in the Ten Commandments, "Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God."  When Israel was dispersed (Diaspora) all over the world, God’s timepiece went with them. The Shabbat is a reminder to all nations that God is the Creator. Our holy Rabbi, Maran Yeshua taught His followers, "Shabbat was made for mankind, not mankind for Shabbat." (Mordechai / Mark 2:27) It is a day created, blessed and given by God, not just to Adam and Eve or the Jewish people,...