The Sabbath: An Appointed Time of Messiah
Part One: A Word Study
by Ed Nelson
The seventh day is known in the Bible as the weekly Sabbath. Other Sabbaths often occur besides the weekly one when associated with annual festivals, i.e., better expressed as the LORD’s “appointed times.” In the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament Gospels, Sabbath observance was filled with Messianic anticipation, promise and revelation.
Using a consistent, biblical hermeneutic derived from the ancient Hebraic worldview, our aim is to show the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) in light of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath in light of Him. He is our primary focus, the supreme intention of our study, and the bias of our hearts.
At the risk of discouraging the average reader, much care is given in this article to show the many Hebrew words with their meanings that underlie the texts of the English Bible. Because the Sabbath can be so easily misunderstood depending on one's passion and tradition, as it was also in Yeshua's (Jesus') time on earth, clarification of the actual Hebrew words in use should help the serious Bible student better understand terms and definitions as well as issues and conclusions.
While positing the Sabbath as a Messianic event that affects the way we treat every day of the week, the writer bears in mind the Scriptural admonition by the Apostle Paul in Romans 14 for tolerance regarding other views in understanding and observing the Sabbath.
An overview of Bible references. Though the specific word “Sabbath” is not found, the first record of the Sabbath is found in Genesis 2:2:
And Elohim finished his work which he had done, and he rested
on the seventh day from all his work which which He had done.
And Elohim blessed the seventh day and separated it, because in
it he rested [yishboth – “sat down”] from all his work which Elohim
created and made.
The first occurrences of the word “Sabbath” [shabbath] in the Bible is in Exodus 16:22-30 where it reads:
Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two
omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came
and told Moses, then he said to them, “This is what the LORD
meant: Tomorrow is a shabbathon [complete rest], a holy
shabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil
what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until
morning.” So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had
ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.
Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a shabbath to the
LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall
gather it, but on the seventh [shevi’i] day—shabbath, there
will be none.” It came about on the seventh [shevi’i] day that some
of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep
my commandments and my instructions? See, the LORD has given
you the shabbath. Therefore he gives you bread for two days on the
sixth day. You sit down [shavu – also, “you rest”] every man where
he stands [tachath]. Let no man go out of his standing place
[maqom] on the seventh [shevi’i] day.” So the people rested
[yishebbeth – “sat down”] on the seventh [shevi’i] day.
We are introduced to several concepts related to the Sabbath [shabbath]. The word shabbath occurs in singular and plural references in the Tanakh (Old Testament) 78 times, eleven of which includes a combination of shabbath with the word shabbathon, often feebly translated as “Sabbath observance.” The word “observance” is not the intended meaning. Another Hebrew word indicates observance. Here, as in all other places in the Scriptures, shabbathon indicates “resting,” “rest,” or, better, “complete rest.” Usually the word shabbathon is tied to the word shabbath as shabbath shabbathon—a “Sabbath of complete rest.” This word combination is Messianic. It anticipates the Messiah to become our Shabbath shabbathon forever, thus fulfilling the Scripture that the Sabbath is to be observed perpetually. The eleven occurrences of the word shabbathon occur only in Exodus (three times) and Leviticus (eight times). The occasions are in reference to:
• the regular Sabbath on the seventh day (cf. Exodus 16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Leviticus 23:3)
• the three “appointed times” in Tishrei, the seventh month, namely, Yom Teruah (Day of Awakening Trumpet Blast), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkoth (Booths, or Tabernacles) (cf. Leviticus 23:24, 32, 39)
• the sabbatical year for agriculture (cf. Leviticus 25:4-5)
In every case, when we encounter the phrase shabbath shabbathon, we should read it as “Sabbath rest.” As we shall see later, this understanding prepares us to understand the teaching on the Sabbath rest in Hebrews 4 as being a living, permanent, perpetual Sabbath rest.
Observe not only the words shabbath [Sabbath] and its connection to shabbathon [complete rest], but also its connection to the word shavu (“you sit,” “you rest”) in Exodus 16:29. The root verb for shavu is yashav which means “to sit,” “to sit down,” and “to rest.” Hence, we see the LORD’s command was for the people of Israel to sit down on the Sabbath, to rest themselves to be renewed, restored and refreshed. In this light, the meaning of the word “Sabbath” is “the LORD’s appointed time to sit down.”
In the New Covenant, or New Testament, the word “Sabbath” occurs 61 times, almost as many times as in the Old Testament. The Gospels make 50 references, the Book of Acts nine, Colossians once (2:16) and Hebrews once (4:9).
The Sabbath and the number seven. The Sabbath draws our attention to the number seven in the Bible and the number seven to the idea of “sitting down,” of “resting.” As mentioned, the word “Sabbath” is the Hebrew word shabbath. It was derived from the number seven—sheva. Seven is a fascinating number to study throughout the Bible. Generally it refers to the spiritual completion, including the state of rest of the natural order of God’s creation.
The number seven relates to wholeness, refreshment, restoration, and healing. In ancient Israel when a person was infected with a skin disease, such as an itch or rash, including leprosy, he or she went into isolation for seven days. The priest examined [ra’ah – “to see,” “to look at”] the infected person on the seventh day to declare the infected person either clean [tahor] and whole, or unclean [tamei] and still diseased (cf. Leviticus 13:32).
The matter of one’s cleanness or uncleanness, wellness or unhealthiness, was pronounced by the priest. He either qualified or disqualified a person by his examination. If the person was declared clean and whole, he or she could approach the holy things of God such as the Tent of Meeting [mishkan], or later, the Temple. If he or she remained sick, they were disallowed. If you were the sick person and you were declared clean by the priest on the seventh day, your relationship with God would be tremendously enhanced. Even if on the sixth day the skin appeared healed, you remained unclean until the seventh day and the priest’s declaration. You would become more personal, even, intimate in your approach and worship of God, casting yourself on his mercy and lovingkindness rather than your earning power, or sense of merit. The seventh day was the decisive day to know if one was whole or not. The Sabbath has this sense about it—it is the day of wholeness and healing.
For this reason, we see many of the references to the Sabbath in the Gospels to be the day Yeshua (Jesus) worked miracles and healed the sick. This purpose was lost on many of the Bible scholars of Yeshua’s time on earth. They forgot the purpose of the Sabbath included wellness of the body—a time to heal and set free. Of course, Yeshua (Jesus) acted in accordance with the purpose of the Sabbath when He healed the sick and cast out demons.
Many things in the Bible are related to the number seven besides the seventh day of the week or the seven festivals found in Leviticus 23.
• The menorah that stood in the Tent of Meeting [mishkan] had seven lamps yielding a complete revelation of light. Six branches were fixed to one central stem. The seventh light, or central stem, gave the six branches their fullness.
• The food of Egypt, often associated with hard labor of God’s people, was listed in the Bible as six items: fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic (Numbers 11:5). The LORD’s provision of food for Israel was listed as seven items: wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey (Deuteronomy 8:8).
• In Ephesians 6:14-18, the protective armor of God worn by believers in the Messiah consists of six items: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the preparedness of the gospel message, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. All these speak of putting on the Messiah in our relationship to an unfaithful world. A seventh appears in the list, but it is not something worn as protective armor, but, rather, is a daily practice of the armored believer. What is this seventh? The answer is prayer in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is to be done on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. The six items that clothe the follower of Messiah in an opposing world hang on a seventh—a holy, personal and intimate relationship with Almighty God based on praying in the Spirit in the spiritual likeness of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).
The seventh day was the first day on God’s calendar after creation was completed in six days. It was separated from all other days as a holy day of rest. The LORD God designated the seventh day as one of his “appointed times” [mo’adim], along with the seven annual festivals in Leviticus 23. In these “appointed times” the LORD chooses to reveal Himself more completely, intensely and intimately as compared to other days. They bear a prophetic value for their observers.
The Sabbath day is significant for a number of reasons. The first six days show the works of God in relationship to man, and mankind’s work in relation to God, others and the world. The seventh day was designed for man to relate to God without other concerns and distractions on his part. It was a meeting time. More than this, it was a sitting, or resting time. Yeshua said, “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
In Leviticus 23:1-3 the Torah describes the seventh day as “an appointed time” [mo’ed] the LORD chose to invite his people Israel to convene together to recite the Scriptures and rehearse his relationship with them. A literal reading of this passage reads as follows:
The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Sons
of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD'S appointed times [mo’adei]
which you shall proclaim as a holy recital [miqrei]—‘my
appointed times [mo’adai] are these: For six days work may be
done, but the seventh [shavi’i] day is a sabbath [shabbath] of
complete rest [shabbathon], a holy recital [miqra]. You
shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your
resting places [moshavathekem, from moshav derived from the
verb yashav – “to sit,” “to rest”].”
Besides the word “Sabbath” and its related meanings to the number seven and the words “resting” and “resting places,” two other words are very important in this passage for consideration. These two words are mo’ed, which means “an appointed time,” and miqra, which may be rendered as “a recital,” “a reading,” “a summons,” “a calling,” “an invitation,” “a convocation” or, in general, “a rehearsal.”
Mo’ed—an appointed time for future considerations. As stated, the noun mo’ed means “an appointed time.” Often it is translated as the word “feast,” but this is not always found true. For example, the sixth of the seven festivals is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. For Israel it is a fast day, not a feast day. “Appointed time” gets at the heart of the meaning better. Some of the appointed times are celebrated like festivals. But we know that at least one is not. Whenever we hear of “the seven festivals” of God, we need to recall that they are actually the LORD’s appointed times.
Mo’ed comes from the Hebrew verb ya’ad which means “to appoint,” or “to assign.” The same word in Arabic means “to promise,” “to threaten” and “to predict,” i.e., it has to do with a present reality that concerns the future, both good and bad. Appointments and assignments are future-oriented as are promises, threats and predictions. They are made in the present but carried out in the future. Such is the idea that lies behind the word mo’ed. It has a present reality, but it is worked out in the future.
As we know, of the seven “appointed times” of the LORD that are annually commemorated, the first four are already fulfilled in the Messiah—Passover (Pesach), Unleavened Bread (HaMatzot), Firstfruits (Bikurrim), and Pentecost (Shavuot). They were fulfilled by the Messiah at “the appointed times” [mo’adim] The apostle Paul, in Romans 5:6 verified this truth: “For in our still being weak, Messiah at the appointed time [‘eth – spelled ayin-tav] died for the ungodly” (cf. similar usage of ‘eth in 1 Samuel 18:19, Ezekiel 7:7, 12; Isaiah 13:22). We see the synonymous parallelism of the Hebrew word ‘eth and mo’ed in Psalm 102:13:
You are arising and are showing compassion on Zion.
For it is time [‘eth] to be gracious to her,
for the appointed time [mo’ed] has come.
The remaining three appointed times [mo’adim] all fall in the seventh month of Tishrei on God’s calendar. They are Yom Teruah (Day of the Awakening Trumpet Blast), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkoth (Booths, or Tabernacles). None of these are fulfilled yet in the Messiah. We await their fulfillment.
A related noun to mo’ed is the word ‘ed (spelled ayin-daleth). It means a confirming of evidence by virtue of being a witness, as in a court. The judge acts on the evidence to determine the future course of action based on the witnesses statements.
Another related word derived from ya’ad—“to appoint”—is ‘edah which means “appointed meeting,” “church,” “assembly” or “congregation” of righteous people. The relationship is easily seen in the fact that a congregation, or church, gathers at an appointed time. In Leviticus 23, the Sabbath and the seven annual festivals are shown to be the LORD’s appointed times. We do well to always remember that the LORD set the appointed times for Himself. He calls them “my appointed times.”
As his people, Israel is obligated to respond to the LORD’s invitation, or summons, to meet together at the LORD’s appointed times to weigh the present against the promised future of a Day of the LORD.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews gives this admonition to the church: “Let us not give up meeting together … but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Preserved is the idea that congregations of the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) meet at appointed times to recite the evidence of the LORD’s promise regarding the present and to encourage each other for the future event of the Day of the LORD.
Miqra—a recital time. The other word that bears weight for a brief study is the word miqra which means “a recital.” The word “rehearsal” captures the spirit of the word. Often translated in our Bibles as “convocation” or “assembly,” like the word mo’ed, it, too, bears witness to the future revelation of God to his people in the present reality of their circumstances. Yet it means more, carrying along the idea of teaching and learning the Scriptures on how to live today in light of the approaching revelation of God to Israel and the nations, including the climactic Day of the LORD.
The word miqra may be translated as the place of “recital,” “reading” (of the Scriptures) or “a calling.” The purpose was to teach the Scriptures and learn from them. Derived from the Hebrew verb qara’, it means “to call,” or “to invite” to participate in a holy event. In ancient Israel, the related word qeru’im was used to designate “those called up” to read from the Torah at public meetings. Another related verb qarai’ meant “to teach” the Scriptures. In this light we see that the appointed times of the LORD were also rehearsal times, that each mo’ed was also a miqra, and vice versa.
The Sabbath—an appointed time for Messiah’s revelation. What we learn is that weekly Sabbath observance as God’s appointed time for Israel had the intended value of being “a rehearsal,” or “recital.” What was rehearsed, or intended to be rehearsed was the anticipation of the Messiah as the fullness of the Sabbath rest. He was the goal of the Sabbath observances. Sabbath and the Messiah are inseparable, the Sabbath pointing to Him and being fulfilled in Him. He is Lord of the Sabbath (cf. Luke 6:5) and the fullness of its purpose and role in our lives.
Reverse symmetry of Leviticus 23:1-4. The synonymous parallelism of mo’ed (“appointed time”) and miqra (“recital,” “rehearsal”) may be shown in the literary style of Leviticus 23:1-4. These four verses conform to a Hebraic literary style we refer to as reverse symmetry. Words and phrases conform to a pattern that makes a series of statements then reverses its order at a pivotal word or statement that is the crux statement, or main point. For example, if we assign letters of the alphabet to each succeeding line in Leviticus 23:1-4 we get a reverse symmetry that may be written as ABCDEDCBA. Examine these verses in this light:
The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying,
A “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD'S appointed times
[mo’adei]
B which you shall proclaim as a holy recital [miqrei]—
C ‘my appointed times [mo’adai] are these:
D ‘For six days work may be done, but the seventh
[shavi’i] day is a sabbath [shabbath] of
complete rest [shabbathon – “resting”],
E ‘a holy recital [miqra].
D1 ‘You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in
all your resting places [moshavathekem, from moshav
derived from shav].
C1 ‘These are the appointed times [mo’adei] of the LORD,
B1 ‘holy recitals [miqra’ei]
A1 which you shall proclaim for them at the appointed times [mo’adam].”
Lines A and A1, the first and last lines of this passage, are in parallel correspondence as are all other succeeding letters B, C and D with their counterparts. However, observe that line E is without a parallel. It is a pivotal statement upon which all other words and phrases hinge—like a door hinge that swings a door open and back again in reverse order. Line E simply is two words— holy miqra, meaning “a holy recital.” It is “the call of the LORD to rehearse before Him” using the Scriptures to learn the ways of the LORD so our future may conform to his plan for the ages.
The importance of detecting the Hebraic literary style underlying our English translation of the Bible is critically important in biblical interpretation. Once we know the actual literary method used for writing a passage we can clarify meanings and intentions of the writer when using certain words. In lines D and D1, for example, the text reads:
D “For six days work [melakah] may be done, but the seventh
[shavi’i] day is a sabbath [shabbath] of complete rest
[shabbathon – “resting”].”
D1 “You shall not do any work [melakah]; it is a sabbath to the LORD
in all your resting places [moshavathekem, from moshav
derived from yashav – “to sit,” “to rest”].”
The word “work” corresponds exactly in the same section in both lines. In Hebraic literature, this is referred to as synonymous parallelism.
When we look at parallel lines sometimes, and it is the writer’s intent to do so, additional information is added in one line that may not reappear in the other line, but is there by implication. It is simply unnecessary to repeat it to maintain the symmetry. For example, while line D mentions “six days” and “seventh day,” line D1 does not. It is simply carried into line D1 by implication.
Not only is the word “work” parallel in line D and D1, so is the word shabbath in both lines.
Notice that the last word in both lines are synonymous parallels as well, but are different words nouns derived from the same root word that means “to rest,” “to cease,” the word shav. The two last words in these lines of D and D1, therefore, play off each other and enhance each other to help the reader clarify what is meant.
In line D the last word is shabbathon, meaning “rest,” or “complete rest.” In line D1 the word is moshavatheken, meaning “your resting places,” like your home where you live, eat and sleep. The word moshav, form which this word is expanded, means “sitting place.” Both words are dealing with and emphasizing resting. The word in line D1, shabbathon, is joined to the preceding word shabbath to be read as shabbath shabbathon. Eleven times this word combination exists in the Torah, principally in Exodus and Leviticus. It means “Sabbath of complete rest,” or, in shorter form, “Sabbath rest.” The word moshavathekem, meaning “your resting places,” shifts the emphasis from the purpose of the Sabbath to be a day of rest to the place where one rests on the Sabbath.
As we shall see, the writer of Hebrews in chapter 4 refers to Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) as both the shabbath shabbathon, the “Sabbath rest,” and moshav, “resting place,” or “sitting place.” The expression that “Yeshua is our Sabbath rest” is not totally lost on us today, thanks to the passage in Hebrews 4. Nor is the idea that we sit in heavenly places in the Messiah lost to us. In Ephesians 2:6-9, the apostle Paul wrote: “And God raised us up with Messiah and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Messiah Yeshua . . . For it is by lovingkindness [grace] you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
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