Bored on the Sabbath
How can you keep from being bored on the Sabbath?
When I was growing up we kept the Sabbath on our farm to the best of our understanding and ability. Now we understood the Sabbath had been moved to Sunday from Saturday because we did not know Who Changed The Sabbath.
We did not do any work on Sunday except for what was absolutely necessary to take care of the animals. Every Sunday we put on our nicest clothes and went to church where we spent time talking to the other members of our community, singing hymns, learning about the Bible in Sunday School, and listening to the circuit preacher give a sermon when he made it to our small rural community. In short, Sunday was the One Day A Week that we gave to the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD).
Now church only lasted a couple of hours or so and then we ate lunch at home. Sometimes, we would go to visit our relatives or sick neighbors after lunch. Sometimes people would come to visit us, particularly if one of us had been seriously sick. However, most of the time, we would just do nothing for about five hours. My Uncle Ken, who was a very hard working cowboy, would take a long nap and so would my grandparents. Often us kids were not tired at all but there was nothing to do. We were bored on the Sabbath.
We could not listen to the radio or watch television until the adults finished napping. Even then there was nothing but preaching on either one until the evening news came on. Worst yet, the preaching was about adult issues so it would not hold our interest. It seemed like there was nothing to do in the house. We were bored on the Sabbath.
We could go outside, if it was not raining, but we would run out of things to do with each other that did not make too much noise. We had to stay in the yard while the adults slept so we still could not be too loud. Even after they woke up we could not go fishing or anything like that because we understood that Sunday was the Sabbath. We had been taught that we were not supposed to do things just for our own pleasure on the Sabbath. It seemed like there was nothing to do outside as well. We were bored on the Sabbath.
So is that how it is supposed to be on the Sabbath? Is there really nothing to do except go to church and sleep? Are we supposed to be bored on the Sabbath?
Of course, the best way to find out if we are supposed to be bored on the Sabbath is to look in the Book of Truth (the Bible). Does the Book of Truth really say that there are things which we are not to do on the Sabbath?
We are not to even prepare food on the Sabbath but instead prepare it ahead of time (Exodus 16:23). We are not to get food to be prepared on the Sabbath but instead get it ahead of time (Exodus 16:25-26). We are not to leave our homes for these purposes on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:29).
No one is to do any kind of regular work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:9-11). Not even the work needed to gather and prepare the materials to start a fire on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:3). Even to the point of not gathering sticks for starting a fire on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:31-33). No one is even to lift up anything heavy in their home on the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:22). No one is to even walk very far on the Sabbath (Acts 1:12).
In like manner, no one is to buy or sell on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 10:31). No one is to be involved in the production of goods on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:15). No one is to be involved in the transport of goods on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:16-17). No one is even to lift up anything pertaining to commerce on the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:21).
We are not even to be in pursuit of our own interest or even be talking about them on the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13)!
It is for these reasons that the women did not buy spices to give the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) a decent burial until after the special Sabbath was over (Mark 16:1)! After that they spent all day before the regular weekly Sabbath preparing the burial spices and then they still had to wait until the regular weekly Sabbath was over to use those spices (Luke 23:55-56). Not even this important work of giving the Man of Truth a decent burial could be done on the Sabbath!
In summary, we are not to be involved in any kind of regular work on the Sabbath including burying the dead. We are not to be involved in any kind of regular commerce on the Sabbath including buying groceries. We are not to be doing anything that can wait until another day or that we can do ahead of time such as preparing food to eat and the wood needed to keep a fire going with minimal effort. We are not to use the Sabbath to pursue our own interests like sports or fishing or anything else.
In short, we are not to do any of the regular activities that we do on regular days. Why do we need to cease from doing all of our regular activities on the Sabbath?
First of all, the Father of Truth Himself ceased His work of creating at the end of the week to set an example for us to follow (Genesis 2:1-3). The Sabbath is His gift to us so we can get a rest from our regular activities (Exodus 16:29-30). He gave us this day to rest from our regular activities at the end of the week so we could be refreshed to carry out our regular activities in the next week (Exodus 23:12). This need for a rest to be refreshed is so important that the penalty for breaking the Sabbath has to be death so that no one will try to gain an advantage over other people by working on the Sabbath while everyone else is being refreshed on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14-15). This need for a rest to be refreshed on the Sabbath never ends (Exodus 31:16). This need for a rest to be refreshed is so important that we must not work on the Sabbath even in the busiest seasons of our regular activities (Exodus 34:21). Even land needs a rest to be refreshed (Leviticus 25:2-5). This need for a rest to be refreshed is needed by everyone including our animals (Deuteronomy 5:12-14). This is why the Father of Truth made the Sabbath known to us (Nehemiah 9:13-14). The Sabbath was made for us so we could have a rest to be refreshed (Mark 2:27)!
Does the Sabbath serve any purpose beyond taking a day off to rest so we can be refreshed?
He set the Sabbath apart from the other days of the week about two thousand years before He revealed the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) to Moses (Exodus 20:11). The Sabbath is to remind the Children of Truth (those who obey the Father of Truth because they love Him) that He has sanctified them (Exodus 31:13). The Sabbath is to remind them that He is holy (Exodus 31:15). The Sabbath is to remind them that they are in covenant with Him (Exodus 31:16-17). The Sabbath is to remind them of what He has delivered them from (Deuteronomy 5:15). The Sabbath is a day for them to show that they know Him (Ezekiel 20:20).
An entire day of doing absolutely nothing can be pretty boring, especially for those who are young and full of energy. Does resting from our regular activities mean doing absolutely nothing? Are we supposed to be bored on the Sabbath? Is there anything that we can do on the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is a day for meeting with the Father of Truth (Exodus 20:10). It is a day for ceasing from our regular activities so we can carry out His purposes (Exodus 35:2). It is a day for the Children of Truth to congregate together to meet with Him (Leviticus 23:3). It is a day for them to delight themselves in knowing Him (Isaiah 58:13-14). It is a day for them to worship before the Father of Truth (Isaiah 66:23). It is a day to mark that they are set apart as belonging to Him (Ezekiel 20:12).
The Children of Truth are to meet together in a place of assembly on the Sabbath to be taught how to live life from the Book of Truth (Mark 6:2). They are to read from the Book of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16-17). They are to hear the preaching of the Word of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 13:42). They are to hear His message to them when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 13:44). They are to talk the Father of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 16:13). They are to discuss what He has said in the Book of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 17:1-3). They bring others into the House of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 18:4)!
For these reasons the Children of Truth are to never forsake assembling together on the Sabbath (Hebrews 10:23-25). When people meet together with the Father of Truth how can they be bored on the Sabbath?
Of course, meeting together on the Sabbath does not happen without the efforts of the Ministers of Truth. This being the case then the Ministers of Truth can do whatever work on the Sabbath that is necessary to lead the Children of Truth in worshiping the Father of Truth on the Sabbath.
Every ritual He commanded for the Sabbath was to be carried out on that day (Leviticus 24:5-8). Every offering for the Sabbath was to be carried out on that day (Numbers 28:9-10). The food needed for the Sabbath was prepared and cooked on that day (1 Chronicles 9:32). Offerings for the Sabbath were burned on that day (1 Chronicles 23:31). The Ministers of Truth can do the types of work normally forbidden on the Sabbath in order to carry out the worship of the Father of Truth on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:5). Even circumcision is performed on the Sabbath in order to obey the commandment for it to be done when a baby boy is eight days old (John 7:22-23).
The point of the Sabbath is ceasing from our regular activities in order to carry out His activities instead. We are making room on our calendar every week for the Father of Truth.
So on the Sabbath people are to rest from doing their regular work to meet with the Father of Truth. Still most people do not really spend every hour of the Sabbath congregating together. This still can leave quite a few hours with nothing to do. People can take a nap otherwise they are still likely to be bored on the Sabbath. Is there nothing more to the Sabbath than meeting together to worship the Father of Truth instead of doing our regular work? Does the Father of Truth have any other purpose for the Sabbath?
We can do what is necessary to take care of our animals on the Sabbath. We can rescue our animals from harm on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11). We can do what is necessary to feed and water our animals on the Sabbath (Luke 13:15). We can deliver our animals from danger on the Sabbath (Luke 14:5).
Are not people better than animals? We can take of other people on the Sabbath!
We can protect those that need protecting on the Sabbath (2 Kings 11:5-8). We can put down tyrants and restore righteousness on the Sabbath (2 Kings 11:9-16). We can perform law enforcement on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:19-22). We can do what is necessary to feed the hungry on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-4). We can take care of the sick on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10-12). We can do anything necessary to save the lives of other people on the Sabbath (Mark 3:4). We can always do good to other people on the Sabbath (Luke 6:9). We can do what is necessary to deliver other people from the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan aka The Devil) on the Sabbath (Luke 13:16-17). We can always do what is necessary to make other people whole on the Sabbath (John 7:23).
We can spend part of our Sabbath feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, taking the stranger into our homes, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and going to those in the prison because that is also doing the will of the Father of Truth (Matthew 25:35-40).
The Sabbath is for fulfilling His purposes in meeting together to be with Him to show our love for Him and taking care of other people to show our love for those made in His image (Mark 12:33). If we look for opportunities to do these things on the Sabbath then we will soon find our Sabbaths full of things to do. We will no longer have time to be bored on the Sabbath.
We are not to act like we do not know when the Sabbath is occurring (Ezekiel 22:26)! We are not long for the Sabbath to be over so we can resume pursuing our own interests (Amos 8:5)! We are not to be bored on the Sabbath!
So when I was a kid we were bored on the Sabbath because we did not spend near enough of it taking care of other people even though we did many other things in accordance with what the Father of Truth said to do on the Sabbath. So this begs a question:
If you do not take care of other people as well as congregate together on the Sabbath then Whose Sabbath Are You Keeping?
Of course, you are always going to be bored on the Sabbath if you try to keep it but do not know the Father of Truth. The only way to come to know Him is by coming into the House of Truth through the Man of Truth (John 14:6). You come into the House of Truth by surrendering control of your life to the Man of Truth because you believe that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10).
Come into the House of Truth.
When I was growing up we kept the Sabbath on our farm to the best of our understanding and ability. Now we understood the Sabbath had been moved to Sunday from Saturday because we did not know Who Changed The Sabbath.
We did not do any work on Sunday except for what was absolutely necessary to take care of the animals. Every Sunday we put on our nicest clothes and went to church where we spent time talking to the other members of our community, singing hymns, learning about the Bible in Sunday School, and listening to the circuit preacher give a sermon when he made it to our small rural community. In short, Sunday was the One Day A Week that we gave to the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD).
Now church only lasted a couple of hours or so and then we ate lunch at home. Sometimes, we would go to visit our relatives or sick neighbors after lunch. Sometimes people would come to visit us, particularly if one of us had been seriously sick. However, most of the time, we would just do nothing for about five hours. My Uncle Ken, who was a very hard working cowboy, would take a long nap and so would my grandparents. Often us kids were not tired at all but there was nothing to do. We were bored on the Sabbath.
We could not listen to the radio or watch television until the adults finished napping. Even then there was nothing but preaching on either one until the evening news came on. Worst yet, the preaching was about adult issues so it would not hold our interest. It seemed like there was nothing to do in the house. We were bored on the Sabbath.
We could go outside, if it was not raining, but we would run out of things to do with each other that did not make too much noise. We had to stay in the yard while the adults slept so we still could not be too loud. Even after they woke up we could not go fishing or anything like that because we understood that Sunday was the Sabbath. We had been taught that we were not supposed to do things just for our own pleasure on the Sabbath. It seemed like there was nothing to do outside as well. We were bored on the Sabbath.
So is that how it is supposed to be on the Sabbath? Is there really nothing to do except go to church and sleep? Are we supposed to be bored on the Sabbath?
Of course, the best way to find out if we are supposed to be bored on the Sabbath is to look in the Book of Truth (the Bible). Does the Book of Truth really say that there are things which we are not to do on the Sabbath?
We are not to even prepare food on the Sabbath but instead prepare it ahead of time (Exodus 16:23). We are not to get food to be prepared on the Sabbath but instead get it ahead of time (Exodus 16:25-26). We are not to leave our homes for these purposes on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:29).
No one is to do any kind of regular work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:9-11). Not even the work needed to gather and prepare the materials to start a fire on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:3). Even to the point of not gathering sticks for starting a fire on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:31-33). No one is even to lift up anything heavy in their home on the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:22). No one is to even walk very far on the Sabbath (Acts 1:12).
In like manner, no one is to buy or sell on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 10:31). No one is to be involved in the production of goods on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:15). No one is to be involved in the transport of goods on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:16-17). No one is even to lift up anything pertaining to commerce on the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:21).
We are not even to be in pursuit of our own interest or even be talking about them on the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13)!
It is for these reasons that the women did not buy spices to give the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) a decent burial until after the special Sabbath was over (Mark 16:1)! After that they spent all day before the regular weekly Sabbath preparing the burial spices and then they still had to wait until the regular weekly Sabbath was over to use those spices (Luke 23:55-56). Not even this important work of giving the Man of Truth a decent burial could be done on the Sabbath!
In summary, we are not to be involved in any kind of regular work on the Sabbath including burying the dead. We are not to be involved in any kind of regular commerce on the Sabbath including buying groceries. We are not to be doing anything that can wait until another day or that we can do ahead of time such as preparing food to eat and the wood needed to keep a fire going with minimal effort. We are not to use the Sabbath to pursue our own interests like sports or fishing or anything else.
In short, we are not to do any of the regular activities that we do on regular days. Why do we need to cease from doing all of our regular activities on the Sabbath?
First of all, the Father of Truth Himself ceased His work of creating at the end of the week to set an example for us to follow (Genesis 2:1-3). The Sabbath is His gift to us so we can get a rest from our regular activities (Exodus 16:29-30). He gave us this day to rest from our regular activities at the end of the week so we could be refreshed to carry out our regular activities in the next week (Exodus 23:12). This need for a rest to be refreshed is so important that the penalty for breaking the Sabbath has to be death so that no one will try to gain an advantage over other people by working on the Sabbath while everyone else is being refreshed on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14-15). This need for a rest to be refreshed on the Sabbath never ends (Exodus 31:16). This need for a rest to be refreshed is so important that we must not work on the Sabbath even in the busiest seasons of our regular activities (Exodus 34:21). Even land needs a rest to be refreshed (Leviticus 25:2-5). This need for a rest to be refreshed is needed by everyone including our animals (Deuteronomy 5:12-14). This is why the Father of Truth made the Sabbath known to us (Nehemiah 9:13-14). The Sabbath was made for us so we could have a rest to be refreshed (Mark 2:27)!
Does the Sabbath serve any purpose beyond taking a day off to rest so we can be refreshed?
He set the Sabbath apart from the other days of the week about two thousand years before He revealed the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) to Moses (Exodus 20:11). The Sabbath is to remind the Children of Truth (those who obey the Father of Truth because they love Him) that He has sanctified them (Exodus 31:13). The Sabbath is to remind them that He is holy (Exodus 31:15). The Sabbath is to remind them that they are in covenant with Him (Exodus 31:16-17). The Sabbath is to remind them of what He has delivered them from (Deuteronomy 5:15). The Sabbath is a day for them to show that they know Him (Ezekiel 20:20).
An entire day of doing absolutely nothing can be pretty boring, especially for those who are young and full of energy. Does resting from our regular activities mean doing absolutely nothing? Are we supposed to be bored on the Sabbath? Is there anything that we can do on the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is a day for meeting with the Father of Truth (Exodus 20:10). It is a day for ceasing from our regular activities so we can carry out His purposes (Exodus 35:2). It is a day for the Children of Truth to congregate together to meet with Him (Leviticus 23:3). It is a day for them to delight themselves in knowing Him (Isaiah 58:13-14). It is a day for them to worship before the Father of Truth (Isaiah 66:23). It is a day to mark that they are set apart as belonging to Him (Ezekiel 20:12).
The Children of Truth are to meet together in a place of assembly on the Sabbath to be taught how to live life from the Book of Truth (Mark 6:2). They are to read from the Book of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16-17). They are to hear the preaching of the Word of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 13:42). They are to hear His message to them when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 13:44). They are to talk the Father of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 16:13). They are to discuss what He has said in the Book of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 17:1-3). They bring others into the House of Truth when they meet together on the Sabbath (Acts 18:4)!
For these reasons the Children of Truth are to never forsake assembling together on the Sabbath (Hebrews 10:23-25). When people meet together with the Father of Truth how can they be bored on the Sabbath?
Of course, meeting together on the Sabbath does not happen without the efforts of the Ministers of Truth. This being the case then the Ministers of Truth can do whatever work on the Sabbath that is necessary to lead the Children of Truth in worshiping the Father of Truth on the Sabbath.
Every ritual He commanded for the Sabbath was to be carried out on that day (Leviticus 24:5-8). Every offering for the Sabbath was to be carried out on that day (Numbers 28:9-10). The food needed for the Sabbath was prepared and cooked on that day (1 Chronicles 9:32). Offerings for the Sabbath were burned on that day (1 Chronicles 23:31). The Ministers of Truth can do the types of work normally forbidden on the Sabbath in order to carry out the worship of the Father of Truth on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:5). Even circumcision is performed on the Sabbath in order to obey the commandment for it to be done when a baby boy is eight days old (John 7:22-23).
The point of the Sabbath is ceasing from our regular activities in order to carry out His activities instead. We are making room on our calendar every week for the Father of Truth.
So on the Sabbath people are to rest from doing their regular work to meet with the Father of Truth. Still most people do not really spend every hour of the Sabbath congregating together. This still can leave quite a few hours with nothing to do. People can take a nap otherwise they are still likely to be bored on the Sabbath. Is there nothing more to the Sabbath than meeting together to worship the Father of Truth instead of doing our regular work? Does the Father of Truth have any other purpose for the Sabbath?
We can do what is necessary to take care of our animals on the Sabbath. We can rescue our animals from harm on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11). We can do what is necessary to feed and water our animals on the Sabbath (Luke 13:15). We can deliver our animals from danger on the Sabbath (Luke 14:5).
Are not people better than animals? We can take of other people on the Sabbath!
We can protect those that need protecting on the Sabbath (2 Kings 11:5-8). We can put down tyrants and restore righteousness on the Sabbath (2 Kings 11:9-16). We can perform law enforcement on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:19-22). We can do what is necessary to feed the hungry on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-4). We can take care of the sick on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10-12). We can do anything necessary to save the lives of other people on the Sabbath (Mark 3:4). We can always do good to other people on the Sabbath (Luke 6:9). We can do what is necessary to deliver other people from the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan aka The Devil) on the Sabbath (Luke 13:16-17). We can always do what is necessary to make other people whole on the Sabbath (John 7:23).
We can spend part of our Sabbath feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, taking the stranger into our homes, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and going to those in the prison because that is also doing the will of the Father of Truth (Matthew 25:35-40).
The Sabbath is for fulfilling His purposes in meeting together to be with Him to show our love for Him and taking care of other people to show our love for those made in His image (Mark 12:33). If we look for opportunities to do these things on the Sabbath then we will soon find our Sabbaths full of things to do. We will no longer have time to be bored on the Sabbath.
We are not to act like we do not know when the Sabbath is occurring (Ezekiel 22:26)! We are not long for the Sabbath to be over so we can resume pursuing our own interests (Amos 8:5)! We are not to be bored on the Sabbath!
So when I was a kid we were bored on the Sabbath because we did not spend near enough of it taking care of other people even though we did many other things in accordance with what the Father of Truth said to do on the Sabbath. So this begs a question:
If you do not take care of other people as well as congregate together on the Sabbath then Whose Sabbath Are You Keeping?
Of course, you are always going to be bored on the Sabbath if you try to keep it but do not know the Father of Truth. The only way to come to know Him is by coming into the House of Truth through the Man of Truth (John 14:6). You come into the House of Truth by surrendering control of your life to the Man of Truth because you believe that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10).
Come into the House of Truth.
posted by The House Of Truth @ August 18, 2014
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