Archive -> August 21, 2004

Gods’ ritual (not yours), the sabbath

When you read in the Torah, the Book of Genesis 2:2, it says:

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

However, what they don’t tell you in your translation is that the word rested is shabat which means desisted and that it was God’s (Eloheem, known as Gods) that kept the Sabbath. It was God’s ritual. In verse 3 it says (in part):

And God (Eloheem) blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it . . .

The word used in the Hebrew is qadash or kodesh meaning “holy.” It (Genesis 2:3) continues:

. . . because that in it he had rested (shabat) from all his work which God (Eloheem) created and made.

As you can see the Sabbath was not established for man as religion as you believe, but it was Gods’ (Eloheem) personal holiday. Man stole it to make it a part of his religion.

Excerpted from Does God Need Religion? by Dr. Malachi Z. York