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TODAY’S MESSAGE

Exodus 23:10-19 Sabbaths and Feasts


The Sabbath Day was created by YeHoVaH on the seventh and final day of Creation. On the seventh day, YeHoVaH rested from His labor and set the example for His creation. Subsequently, YeHoVaH blessed and sanctified the seventh day. After delivering the Children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, where they toiled under the affliction of the Egyptians, YeHoVaH tested the Children of Israel with the Sabbath Day rest; some failed the test.


While giving the Constitution of Laws, ordinances, judgments, etc. to this newly formed Holy Nation, YeHoVaH expands the Sabbath to the land and to certain days during the Feasts that He gave to His people to celebrate Him. 

Ex 23:10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:

Ex 23:11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

  • The Sabbath rest of the land is every seventh year. No harvesting. 

  • People, animals, and strangers in the land, Sabbath rested and held sacred assemblies at appointed times.

  • During the year-long land rest, the weekly Sabbath and annual Sabbaths were to be remembered.

Dt 15:1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

Release –08059 שְׁמִטָּה shemittah {shem-it-taw'}

Meaning:  1) letting drop of exactions, (temporary) remitting, release (from debt)

Usage:  AV - release 5; 5

Next year is the seventh year; the year of release.

Dt 15:2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth aught unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release.

Dt 15:3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; 

Weekly 7th Day Sabbath 

Ex 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Ex 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. 


This verse is somewhat difficult to interpret because we would not know the names of gods if they were not mentioned in the Bible and recorded. 


To simply read the Bible would cause us to mention them by name. 


The names of other gods are mentioned many times in the Bible. Several places in the Torah, the names of gods are recorded.

When the Torah was read out loud in the hearing of the people, the names of other gods were read. 

Lev 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

 

04432 מֹלֶךְ Molek {mo'-lek} 

Meaning:  Molech = "king" 1) the god of the Ammonites and Phoenicians to whom some Israelites sacrificed their infants in the valley of Hinnom 

Usage:  AV - Molech 8; 8

Nu 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 

Nu 25:2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 

Nu 25:3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 

Nu 25:2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 

Nu 25:3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 

Nu 25:4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. 

Nu 25:5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.

01187 בַּעַל פְּעוֹר Ba`al Pe`owr {bah'-al peh-ore'} 

Meaning:  Baal-peor = "lord of the gap" 1) the deity worshipped at Peor with probable licentious rites 

Usage:  AV - Baalpeor 6; 6

Therefore, this passage is not saying we are not to say the names of the gods, but we are not to invoke or call on their names, recall or remember them, bow down to them, or worship them. 

The Hebrew word here for mention is zakar. 

Mention – 02142 זָכַר zakar {zaw-kar'} 

Meaning:  1) to remember, recall, call to mind 1a) (Qal) to remember, recall 1b) (Niphal) to be brought to remembrance, be remembered, be thought of, be brought to mind 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to remember, remind 1c2) to cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance 1c3) to mention 1c4) to record 1c5) to make a memorial, make remembrance 

Usage:  AV - remember 172, mention 21, remembrance 10, recorder 9, mindful 6, think 3, bring to remembrance 2, record 2, misc 8; 233

 

The first mention of this Hebrew word is found in Genesis.

Ge 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged

Ge 9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 

Ge 9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

The Hebrew word zakar is translated into the English language as mention. Anyone who has studied English will automatically assign the English definition and if it is looked up in the English dictionary, it will be affirmed by that definition. However, Zakar is not an English word nor was the Bible written in English

It is the same word found in Exodus 20 to remember the Sabbath Day. 

Ex 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

The Children of Israel remembered the gods of Egypt, made a golden calf, and worshipped it while Moses was in the mountain receiving the Torah from YeHoVaH.

Ex 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.

In the Torah there are two types of Feasts.

Pilgrimage Feasts

Non- Pilgrimage Feasts

Pilgrimage Feasts:

To keep these Feasts, a pilgrimage is required to go to the place YeHoVaH designated.

Non- Pilgrimage Feasts:

These feasts can be celebrated where you live.

Day of Trumpets

Day of Atonement

The Feasts mentioned in this passage refer to Pilgrimage Feasts.

Ex 23:15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)

2 additional Sabbaths contained in this Feast: 1st day and 7th day.

Ex 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

Feast of Weeks, Fiftieth day, Firstfruits, Pentecost 

A Sabbath Day

Feast of Ingathering, Tabernacles, Booths

1 additional Sabbath contained in this Feast: 1st day 

The Eighth Day

A Sabbath 

There are a total of seven additional Sabbath days associated with the Feasts of YeHoVaH besides the weekly Sabbath.

Ex 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

See the HOI Feast Day Observance Information Sheet on our Website under the FEASTS dropdown tab.  

 Ex 23:18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning. 

Ex 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

Firstfruits are given three times a year.

Unleavened Bread 

Pentecost

Tabernacles

A kid is a young goat.

Kid – 01423 גְּדִי gediy {ghed-ee'} 

Meaning:  1) kid, young male goat 

Origin:  from the same as 01415; TWOT - 314b; n m

Usage:  AV - kid 16; 16

This command is mentioned 3 times in Torah. In each place it is specific to a young goat.

Ex 34:26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

 

Dt 14:21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

Rabbinic law extended this command to apply to “kosher” meat. In addition, rabbinic law prohibits the Jew from cooking “kosher” meat and milk/cheese together, eating “kosher” meat and milk/cheese together, or benefiting from the sale of “kosher” meat and milk/cheese.


Last Updated on October 19, 2021 by

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