Frequently Asked Questions...
...that Sabbath Keepers love to Answer.
Q1
If every man from Adam to Moses kept the Sabbath,
why is the Hebrew word for the weekly Sabbath
found in the ten commandments,
never found in the book of Genesis?
A1
Now to assume that every man kept the sabbath would be the same as saying every man kept YHWH's law before the time of Moses but we obviously know that Adam and Eve transgressed YHWH's law from the beginning. We also know that when Cain killed Abel he was punished for it. He had transgressed the law "thou shalt not kill" but do we see the laying down of such a law? Well Adam and Eve had the knowledge of good and evi. Men's hearts had the knowledge of what pleases YHWH. But as time went their hearts were hardened. YHWH made it clear as well that Cain knew what pleased YHWH and that he only needed to do what pleased him , therefore there was a knowledge of what was acceptable as far as an offering (minchah) being offered to Him. Now since we did not read any instructions as to how or what was required in a minchah from the time of Adam to Cain, does that mean that we can then conclude that there was no such commandment and that YHWH was judging Cain on something he was not aware of. Certainly not, since YHWH makes it plain:
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
Offering was indeed a given as a law since where no law is there is no sin according to Paul (Rom 7:7)
I John 3:4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.Similarly did YHWH punish Sodom and Gomorrah for transgressing the law (Torah) while no law (Torah) was given to them in scripture. Was YHWH so unfair? Not at all. They were punished for their sins -their transgressing of the law (Torah). We also know that the sabbath was kept before it was formerly written down on stone by YHWH. YHWH's law was given to Abraham and was to be taught to Isaac who would then tell his sons. That is why YHWH chose Abraham because he knew he would listen and obey YHWH's oral laws spoken to him.
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Yah'uah (YHUH [pagan translation LORD], to do justice and judgment; that Yah'uah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Gen 26:3-5 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be barak'd (pagan word -blessed); 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
YHUH had spoken his laws from the beginning.
Genesis 3:8
And they heard the voice of the LORD YHWH walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD YHWH amongst the trees of the garden."
It was man's choice to hide from the light of YHWH's law from his spoken Word and that is why it was written on stone since the people's sinful hearts had hardened to the point that they did not want to hear his voice.
Deut 5:24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our Elohim hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that YHWH doth talk with man, and he liveth. 25 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our Elohim any more, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living YHWH speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our Elohim shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our Elohim shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
Ex 20:8 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Note it does not say the sabbath "shall be" it states the seventh day "is". It has already been established by YHWH from the beginning.
He gives the "wherefore", the reason why it is to be kept since it was "blessed" and "hallowed" from the beginning (first sabbath).
Exodus 16:23 does not contain a sermon about the sabbath it was merely mentioned that the next day is the sabbath and how that would affect their eating and storing of manna. The sabbath was not a new concept but the manna was. The fact remained that it was a holy day before it was written on stone. Hebrew slaves could not keep it because of Pharoah but that did not take away the fact that it was holy and remained that way and that is why we see it being kept already after their exile and before the writing of the ten commandments at Sinai.
Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day YHWH ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And YHWH blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: BECAUSE that in it he had rested from all his work which YHWH created and made.
We are reminded that the rest for the people of YHWH remains because it was YHWH who instituted it at the beginning. Yahshua said he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill and that nothing would change till heaven and earth pass away. The sabbath was instituted at the beginnning and will remain till the end and beyond.
Mat5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil (carry out). 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (carried out).
Paul makes it clear that the Torah was available from the beginning and that it was heard ie it was spoken , it was the oracles of YHWH.
II Jn 1:5-6 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments (Torah). This is the commandment (Torah), That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Simply because something appears to be omitted in the early part of the Torah does not mean it did not exist as I will explain. But first let me show you that the Hebrew word does in fact exist from the beginning in Genesis.
The word sabbath is first seen translated in the King James in Ex 16:23 as "sabbath" which you are familiar with. The Hebrew word though here is "shabbath" which specifically means The sabbath or intermission, a break in other words. The word though is an intensive from the root word "shabath" and this is the primitive root meaining to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causative, figurative or specific):--(cause to, let, make to) cease, celebrate, cause (make) to fail, keep (Sabbath), suffer to be lacking, leave, put away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away.So unfortunately if you refuse to accept the language of the Hebrew Tanach you will be misled. YHWH used the root word "shabath" from the beginning and Moses referred to the intensive form: THE SABBATH signifying that is had already been established and known.
So since "shabath" means to keep sabbath (rest) the original root word exists already in Gen 2:2.An english translation would hide the Hebrew fact and simply state it as follows:
Gen 2:3 And YHWH blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which YHWH created and made.
Taken in Hebrew it would be very clear and no mistake can be made,
"And YHWH blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it he had shabath'ed (kept sabbath) from all his work which YHWH created and made"Moses then reiterates that the following day (the seventh day) is a rest (shabbathown) sabbatism of not just any day but the holy (qodesh) Sabbath since that is the day YHWH blessed and that is the day that YHWH shabath 'ed ( kept sabbath) and they they were to remember that same day, not some other day.
The word that YHWH used "shabath" in the very beginning is tied to the word that Paul uses in Hebrews which again has been deliberately hidden in the English translation.
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest (but Greek from Hebrew=sabbatismos-sabbatism) to the people of YHWH. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as YHWH did from his.
Even if this word "sabbath" had not been present early in Genesis it would not mean it has no substance prior to being mentioned. There are many Hebrew words, concepts, commandments etc which are revealed to us as we go along in the Torah, many existed and were practised before they are fully explained and set out in the law given to Moses. Simply because the Hebrew word is not mentioned in Genesis does not mean the law was not practiced by YHWH-fearing men like Noah for example. Examples of some Hebrew words prior to Exodus, Levitucus and Deuteronomy are1) ma`aser -tithe,
Genesis 14:20
And blessed be the most high Elohim, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
2) olah -burnt offeringsGen8: 20 ¶And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings (olah) on the altar.
3) priest- kohen
Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high Elohim.Melchizedek had already received all the Hebrew words, laws and concepts for his knowledge in active priestly service prior to Moses but we have no knowledge of this preistly function yet from Genesis. We are abruptly introduced to the concept of giving and receiving tithes. We are then told more as the laws are set out for the Levtical Priesthood later. If Melchizedek already received tithes as a priest he would also have been keeping the sabbath holy as a holy priest else he would have been destroyed.
YHWH's very name is revealed differently in Hebrew after Genesis but that does not mean he changed or that some other god existed, neither does it mean that he set aside his laws before that.