Scholars say that there is nothing that our Abba Father cannot do, and I suggest there is one thing he cannot do, and that is worship himself. The most fundamental of all human duties is to worship our Abba Father. That is fundamental; it is the reason he redeemed us because the fallen world refuses to worship him.
And then, rather than worship him, they recreate a god in their image or make idols. That is the rebellion of the fallen human heart. But in his grace and mercy, he has called out a people to become true worshipers, who worship him in spirit and truth, and will do so forever. That would be us, his believers.
The Sabbath
The Sabbath is a subject that all believers should be very confident about because it is part of the creation. The Sabbath is our Abba Father’s first presentation of his relationship with us. Since I like to put my conclusions up front, here it is. Our relationship with the Sabbath defines our relationship with our Abba Father.
Is the Sabbath an Old Testament relic? Is it a law we are supposed to follow? Is it a way to show love to our Abba Father? Is it a way to worship our Abba Father? Is it something you have even thought about? Most believers have not thought about the Sabbath in great detail because most Christian churches meet Sunday in ELB.
The Old Testament
The Sabbath starts in Genesis 2:1-3, “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.“
Our Abba Father blessed and sanctified, set apart for a sacred purpose, the seventh day. The Sabbath is part of the creation, and the day is defined by what our Abba Father did; he rested and made the day holy. Please pray on that.
The second reference is in Exodus. Exodus 20:8-10 was given to Moses as the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”
That is the first reveal of the Sabbath to our Abba Father’s Family. The seventh day is to be made holy, in other words, given to our Abba Father. The Sabbath is in Leviticus 19:3, the law given to the Entrance Generation, “Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.” “Sabbaths” is plural because Leviticus 23 describes six feasts given “Sabbath” status. A Sabbath is no longer just the seventh day.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 is a redux of the law for the Entrance Generation, “Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Yahweh thy God commanded thee. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Yahweh thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm: therefore Yahweh thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.“
The last paragraph establishes our Abba Father’s authority. The Jewish temples and synagogues observed the Sabbath faithfully. And what was the law but a method to show love to our Abba Father?
Jews showed love to our Abba Father by obedience to the law because there was no Holy Spirit connection. Sin blocks that connection and is the defining character of the people’s relationship with our Abba Father in the Old Testament. And ELB is everywhere.
New Testament
What does the New Testament say about the Sabbath? That is the wrong question. Our question needs to be, how does the New Testament, our new covenant after Jesus’ work on the cross, impact the Sabbath and us? The difference in the two primary covenants must always be applied to interpretation because our relationship is so different in them.
Paul arrived on the scene possibly fifteen years after the Holy Spirit arrived in believers. Jesus personally filled Paul’s mind and heart with what to teach. Scholars with what I call “Sabbath bias” in ELB tell us Paul observed the seven-day Sabbath, and so did Jesus and the disciples. And therefore, we must as well. I do not believe they did observe the Sabbath.
Acts 17:1-4 NKJV, “Now when they . . . came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.“
Paul went into the Synagogue to convince Jews to stop going to the Synagogue. That was his custom; he was not there to rest and observe the Sabbath; he was doing his job in the Family business. And how did the Jews react to Paul? Acts 17:5 NKJV, “But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them (Paul and Silas) out to the people.“
That is not observing the Sabbath. The same is true for Jesus. Luke 4 describes his first visit to the Sabbath. Luke 4:28-30 NKJV, “When they heard these things, all in the Synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.“
If a strange pastor walked into a mega-church today and delivered a message that caused the congregation to run him out of town, how many would say, “wow, that pastor really knows how to honor the Sabbath.”
That is where ELB is so destructive. ELB wants all the attention on us. It wants us to obey the law without recognizing our relationship and connection to our Abba Father through the Holy Spirit. ELB wants us to ignore our citizenship in Heaven.
Now let’s continue because you will see how Jesus changes the world. Paul has a lot to say about observing the Sabbath. Collisions 2:16-7 NKJV, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” That phrase is profound, the Sabbath itself is now a shadow, and the return of Christ is what matters – “things to come.” After Christ, this life is about redemption and Heaven.
Read Romans 14 in full, but I will sample it here. Romans 14:5-6 NKJV, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” Regardless of our view of the Sabbath, our Abba father does not judge us by it; that is the profound difference.
Romans 5:14-18 NKJV, “I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.”
Paul clearly stated that “the substance is of Christ” and “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Mathew 11:28 is a foundational verse that needs more attention because it brings back the point of the Sabbath in Genesis, rest and relationship, “. . . Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.“
After Jesus’ work on the cross, we are connected to him with him in us and us in him like a yoke. In other words, he shares our burden and lightens our burden. We do not need rest; we need Jesus. So what is the Sabbath? Rest and honor our Abba Father. Do it anytime you want.
I said, in the beginning, our view of the Sabbath defines our relationship with our Abba Father. After you finish the book, design your own Sabbath that glorifies our Abba Father and center it on Mathew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Our Abba father will not judge you; he will reward you. Set aside time to find rest for your souls, humble your heart, and be gentle. And then, during the whole week, find rest in Jesus. Blessings to you.
Celebrating Our Abba Father
After the Sabbath, there is no better way to affirm our relationship with our Abba Father than the process he gave us to affirm our relationship with him in the Scripture. The Old Testament is as much a part of Christianity as the New Testament, and believers miss out on an enormous experience by ignoring the Old Testament festivals when they are interactions with our Abba Father and each other that build faith and relationship.
Christmas and Paschal Sunday are wonderful and respectful celebrations in the church but not so much at home for too many believers. Both were scheduled around the time of pagan holidays for convenience, which does not make them pagan but let’s be honest, there is no red stocking on the mantle nor colored eggs in the Scripture. But there sure are at home.
I do not use the word Easter; we speak of Passion Week and Paschal Sunday, making a huge difference. Paschal is the ancient word for Passover, and Passion week brings us the whole story as each day is relevant.
ELB still owns Christmas and Easter. Does that serve our Abba Father’s purpose? Absolutely. They fill the church with first timers. But we should and can do more than show up at church to celebrate our Abba Father. The Old Testament feasts take place in the home with friends. When the temple in Jerusalem was the center of worship, three feasts required the men to go to the temple, but that ended when the temple ended.
Let’s look at Leviticus 23:1-2, “And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, The set feasts of Yahweh, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts.” The feasts are our Abba Father’s feasts, not the Jews. They are all physical manifestations before the heavenly manifestation of Jesus. Or, as scholars in ELB say, they all “point to Jesus.”
Christmas and Easter Sunday celebrations are not in the Scripture. The one post-resurrection celebration in the New Testament is Holy Communion. And what is it? A celebration of the Passover as the blood and sacrifice of Christ saves us. Jesus celebrated the Passover Feast yearly, and the disciples continued celebrating our Abba Father’s holidays. The first Passover with Jesus is referenced in John 2:13, the second in John 6:4, and the third is his last supper in all four Gospels.
It is easy to say, “they were Jews, of course, they did,” but the Scripture does not cancel the feasts. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 5:7, written decades after Jesus ascended, “Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ.” Jesus became our Passover sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 5:8, “wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Ever heard that verse preached?
We are on very solid and rewarding ground celebrating our Abba Father’s feasts with Jesus. Acts 20:6, “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we tarried seven days.” Acts 20:16, “For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.” John 7:37, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.” The feast he is referring to is the Feast of Tabernacles.
The seven appointed feasts connect to the three harvests that sustained life, barley, wheat, and fruit. The Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits are around at the barley harvest. In 2022, they were on April 16th, 17th, and 18th. The New Grain Feast (Pentecost) was June 5th, 2022, with the wheat harvest. The Trumpets, Atonement, and the Tabernacles feasts are in the time of the fruit harvests in the fall. In 2022, September 26th, October 5th, and October 10th. The dates change every year within a two-month range.
The Barley Harvest
The Passover celebrates our Abba Father’s people lifted out of captivity to the promised land. The blood of the lamb saved them as death passed over them. Exactly what Jesus did for us; he took a vicious beating and died a horrible death. Our Abba Father’s gift for us. Celebrating the resurrection on Sunday is great for us, but all the work was in his torture and death, and we need to be much more thankful for that than most believers are.
Exodus 12:14 describes the Feast of Unleavened Bread, “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to Yahweh: throughout your generations, ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.” Leaven is a metaphor for sin; of course, bread is a metaphor for Jesus. In the Exodus, there was no time to wait for the bread to rise.
Leviticus 23:9-11 describes the Feast of First Fruits, “And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.“
That is the third day of celebration and the end of the barley harvest. And the day Jesus arose. The waving is a sign of acceptance of the Lord. This feast is also about giving to our Abba Father. 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of them that are asleep.“
The Wheat Harvest
Now we come to what started this journey into the holidays. During a Passion Week message a few years ago, I mentioned how the church treats Paschal Sunday weekend as the Super Bowl, the great event to end a season that starts with Christmas, and then we wait seven months for the new season to start. We work out during the offseason (attend church) so we do not get too out of shape.
Our Abba Father put it on my heart to celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the day of transformed believers, our walk with our Abba Father, and bringing others to Christ. And then we keep bringing people to Christ until the next Passion Week when we start a fifty-seven-day celebration of our Abba Father’s entire plan and our works. And then we launch the next new season with great jubilation.
I have never understood how the church missed the Pentecost celebration. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are a one-two punch. Jesus comes, does his work, and then sends the Holy Spirit to make everything happen. Jesus said we would do even greater things with the Holy Spirit.
Imagine Christianity if we celebrated the Holy Spirit, how we connect with our Abba Father as fervently as we do Paschal Sunday, especially when Pentecost is in the Scripture. I could not wait another minute to get started. I pray my readers won’t, either.
Leviticus 23:16-17, “even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Yahweh. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baken with leaven, for first-fruits unto Yahweh.“
The second harvest holiday is the Feast of Harvest, The Pentecost, which means fiftieth and is celebrated fifty days after Paschal Sunday. The two loaves indicate the Jews and Gentiles and are leavened because we are sinners who need Jesus. It celebrates both the giving of the law to the Exodus generation and the first fruits of the wheat harvest. The coming of the Holy Spirit was the first harvest of we the people (3,000 in Acts 2) after Jesus was the first fruit of the previous celebration.
Let’s stop and think about what our Abba Father did on Pentecost Sunday. He connected us to himself in this life and guaranteed our redemption! But even more, we are connected as the body of Christ, the church. Not the building where we worship, but in our hearts. How can we not celebrate that with all we have?
The Fruit Harvest
The Feast of Trumpets is presented in Leviticus 23:23-25, “And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Yahweh.”
This celebration starts with the last group of harvests. 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Revelation 19:9, “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God.” The trumpet reminds us of our resurrection and our new eternal life.
Ignore the Day of Atonement, and the punishment was death for the Jews. Leviticus 23:26-32, “And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Yahweh. And ye shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Yehweh your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people.”
“And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep your sabbath.”
Jesus rendered this feast obsolete for believers. Our atonement is exactly what Jesus did for us. It makes sense to say thank you for this feast. Eternal life is worth a lot. Also, remember that confession is the path to atonement. Our modern feast could be a confession feast.
The Feast of Tabernacles is presented in Leviticus 23:33-36, “And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto Yahweh. On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Yahweh: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Yahweh: it is a solemn assembly; ye shall do no servile work.”
That celebration is a reminder of the forty years the Exodus generation wandered the wilderness. It is also a reminder of the temporary temple with the presence of our Abba Father, seen as a cloud by day and fire by night. Our human body is a temporary temple in the presence of our Abba Father. It is easy to see how ELB weakens our relationship with our Abba Father and our faith by denying us this walk through the Old Testament. That can change; you do not need to wait for the church to do it. Our website has a pamphlet to help you plan the whole celebration year and change your life. Blessings to you.
