THE RECENT WRITINGS OF JONATHAN CAHN HAVE INTRODUCED US TO THE HEBREW WORD SHEMITAH. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHEMITAH YEAR LIES IN THE FACT THAT IT COMES EVERY SEVENTH YEAR AND IS RELATED TO GOD’S SABBATH, OR GOD’S REST.
THE BIBLE INTRODUCES US TO THAT SPECIAL DAY IN GENESIS. “BY THE SEVENTH DAY GOD COMPLETED HIS WORK WHICH HE HAD DONE; AND HE RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORK WHICH HE HAD DONE. THEN GOD BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND SANCTIFIED IT, BECAUSE IN IT HE RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORK WHICH GOD HAD CREATED AND MADE.” Genesis 2:2-3
ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS GIVEN TO MOSES AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WAS TO “REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY….THE SEVENTH DAY IS A SABBATH OF THE LORD YOUR GOD.” Exodus 20:8-9
THE NUMBER SEVEN IS GOD’S NUMBER. IT REPRESENTS PERFECTION. THE SABBATH DAY IS THE SEVENTH DAY, AND THE SEVENTH YEAR IS THE SABBATICAL YEAR, THE YEAR OF SHEMITAH. ALL SABBATHS AND THE SHEMITAH ARE RELATED TO GOD’S REST.
WHAT IS THE REST OF GOD, AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT GOD’S SABBATH REST THAT HE SO REVERENCES AND ASKS US TO REVERENCE? “THE SEVENTH DAY IS A SABBATH OF THE LORD YOUR GOD.” KEEPING THE SABBATH IS NOT REVERENCING A DAY. IT IS REVERENCING THE REST OF GOD.
ALL OF GOD’S WORK IN CREATION HAD ONE GOAL, MANKIND. WE KNOW HOW ADAM AND EVE FAILED TO TAKE THEIR DESTINED PLACE AND INSTEAD BECAME SUBJECT TO SATAN’S EVIL INTENT. HOWEVER, THEY WERE GIVEN THE PROMISE OF THE SEED OF THE WOMAN WHO WOULD CRUSH THE HEAD OF THEIR ENEMY. Genesis 3:15
FROM THE BEGINNING, GOD HAS HAD AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN. IN MAN GOD WAS MAKING A BEING WHO WOULD BE LIKE HIM AND COULD COMMUNE WITH HIM AND DO HIS WORK. ADAM WAS DESIGNED TO BE FILLED WITH ALL OF GOD’S FULLNESS AND TO DO ALL OF HIS WILL. NO OTHER CREATURE, INCLUDING ANGELS, WAS MADE FOR THIS HIGH CALLING.
YES ADAM AND EVE SINNED, BUT GOD HAS INFINITE PATIENCE, AND IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME GOD REALIZED HIS ETERNAL GOAL “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.” GOD’S REST IS JESUS. GOD’S REST IS A HOLY PERFECT BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING IN WHOM IS FOUND ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD. IN JESUS, THE LIFE OF GOD AND MAN ARE UNITED.
WHY IS JESUS GOD’S REST? BECAUSE HE IS THE FIRST AND ONLY MAN TO REALIZE GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE. THE SABBATH, THE REST OF GOD, IS A TRUE HUMAN BEING, GOD’S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. JESUS IS THE COMPLETION OF MAN. THIS IS WHY JESUS IS CALLED THE LAST ADAM. “THE FIRST MAN, ADAM, BECAME A LIVING SOUL. THE LAST ADAM BECAME A LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT.” I Corinthians 15:45
ONE DAY, JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES WERE SEEN PLUCKING GRAIN ON THE SABBATH, WHEN THEY WERE CONDEMNED FOR IT, JESUS ANSWERED, “THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN, AND NOT MAN FOR THE SABBATH. THEREFORE, THE SON OF MAN IS ALSO LORD OF THE SABBATH.” Mark 2:27-28 JESUS KNEW THAT AS A TRUE MAN, SON OF MAN AND GOD, THAT HE WAS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE SABBATH.
THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN. IT WAS NOT ESTABLISHED BY GOD TO BE WORSHIPED IN ITSELF. WHEN JESUS DID GOD’S WORK ON THE SABBATH, HE WAS REALIZING THAT FOR WHICH MAN EXISTS, BEING AND DOING WHAT PLEASES AND DELIGHTS THE FATHER. GOD SO LOVES THE WORLD AND ABOVE ALL MANKIND, AND HIS BELOVED SON WAS IN THE PROCESS OF HEALING AND BRINGING MAN TO THE DESTINY INTENDED BY GOD WHEN HE BEGAN TO CREATE.
IN ANSWER TO THOSE WHO CRITICIZED HIS WORK ON THE SABBATH, JESUS SAID, “MY FATHER IS WORKING UNTIL NOW, AND I MYSELF AM WORKING.” John 5:17 BUT IS NOT GOD RESTING? YES, BUT HIS REST IS IN HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN HUMAN SON. THE SON REALIZES ALL THE DESIRE OF THE FATHER.
IN THE PRIME OF HIS MANHOOD, HAVING ALWAYS DONE WHAT WAS PLEASING TO THE FATHER, JESUS WAS TRANSFIGURED ON THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION. HIS BODY UNDERWENT GLORIFICATION AND THE FATHER BORE TESTIMONY OF HIM BY DECLARING, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON. LISTEN TO HIM.”
THIS WAS THE REST ANTICIPATED BY GOD AFTER MAN WAS CREATED. GOD NOT ONLY ASKS US TO HONOR HIS REST BUT ALSO TO ENTER HIS REST. “WE WHO HAVE BELIEVED ENTER THAT REST….TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS….THERE REMAINS A SABBATH REST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD. FOR THE ONE WHO HAS ENTERED HIS REST HAS HIMSELF ALSO RESTED FROM HIS WORKS AS GOD DID FROM HIS. LET US THEREFORE BE DILIGENT TO ENTER THAT REST.” Hebrews 4
WE ENTER GOD’S REST BY BELIEVING IN JESUS. “THE ONE WHO HAS ENTERED HIS REST HAS HIMSELF ALSO RESTED FROM HIS WORKS AS GOD DID FROM HIS.” WHAT AN INVITATION, ENTERING GOD’S OWN REST!
CREATION, THE WORK OF GOD’S FINGERS, COULD ONLY GO SO FAR. GOD CANNOT CREATE HOLINESS. GOD ALONE IS HOLY. IN ORDER TO COMPLETE MAN, GOD HAD TO BECOME MAN AND GIVE HIS OWN LIFE TO THE HUMAN RACE.
ALSO, OUR GOOD WORKS CAN ONLY GO SO FAR. GOOD WORKS ARE GOOD AND GOD RECOGNIZES MAN’S RIGHTEOUS DEEDS; BUT WE HAVE BEEN MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE. WE HAVE BEEN MADE TO SHARE GOD’S OWN HOLY ETERNAL LIFE. WE “MUST BE BORN FROM ABOVE,” JESUS TOLD NICODEMUS.
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS SON, “COME TO ME ALL YOU WHO ARE WEARY AND BURDENED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.” Matthew 11:28
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE REST OF GOD REALLY IS HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHEMITAH. THE WORD IS FULL OF MEANING. THE SHEMITAH, THE SEVENTH YEAR, HONORED GOD’S REST. ALL DEBT WAS CANCELED, AND THERE WAS COMPLETE RELEASE FROM ANY CHARGE OR PENALTY OF DEBT.
AS THE SON OF MAN, JESUS REPRESENTS THE HUMAN RACE. HIS HOLY HUMANITY OUTWEIGHS, COVERS, AND CANCELS ALL OF MANKIND’S DEBT, JUSTIFYING OUR EXISTENCE AND GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE IN CREATING MAN.
ALL OF GOD’S LAWS AND ORDINANCES GIVEN TO ISRAEL WERE A PREPARATION AND PROMISE OF THEIR FULFILLMENT IN JESUS. JESUS TESTIFIED BEFORE PILATE, “FOR THIS I HAVE BEEN BORN, AND FOR THIS I HAVE COME INTO THE WORLD, TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTH.” John 18:37
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WAS FOUNDED ON THE BIBLE. DEPARTURE FROM GOD’S WRITTEN AND LIVING WORD IS DESTROYING THIS NATION. BUT THE TRUTH OF GOD’S SABBATH AND THE SHEMITAH ABIDE FOREVER.
Rosemary E Hyslop April 8, 2015