Paul's "Teachings" on The Sabbath

Did Paul the pharisee Teach Gentiles The Truth About YHWH's Sabbaths?

The Sabbath is mentioned about 77 times in 61 verses from the Tanakh, or what is also known as the “Old Testament” according to Christianity. Of those occurrences, our Heavenly Father & His prophets are encouraging us to keep His Sabbaths in at least 19 verses. What exactly did our Heavenly Father say about His Sabbaths?

Exodus 31:12-17

Speak thou also unto the children of Israel saying, Verily My Sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between Me & you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am YHWH that makes you kadosh. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is kadosh unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, Kadosh to YHWH: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me & the children of Israel for ever: for in six days YHWH made heaven & earth & on the seventh day He rested & was refreshed.

Leviticus 23:3

Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a kodesh convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of YHWH in all your dwellings.

In Exodus 31:17, our Heavenly Father states that the children of Israel are to keep the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual covenant. In the very next verse, our Heavenly Father says that the Sabbath is a sign between our Heavenly Father & the children of Israel forever!

Paul’s enthusiasts & faithful defenders may be tempted to claim that the Sabbath is only for the children of Israel & not for gentiles. However in Isaiah 56:2-7, our Heavenly Father is addressing the “sons of the stranger”. The strangers He was referring to are the gentiles that love YHWH, & seek to serve YHWH. In this passage, Our Heavenly Father is openly encouraging gentiles to keep His Sabbaths if we love Him & want to serve Him!

Isaiah 56:2-7

Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to YHWH speak, saying, YHWH hath utterly separated me from His people...Also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to YHWH, to serve Him, and to love the name of YHWH, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My Covenant; Even them will I bring to My Kadosh mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

In the passage above, our Heavenly Father tells us that any son of man that tries to observe or keep His Sabbaths will be blessed. That is clearly regardless of that individual’s racial or ethnic background. In the very Commandment to keep the Sabbath, there is a reference to strangers…

Exodus 20:8-11

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it kadosh/separate. Six days shalt thou labor, & do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of YHWH 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: For in six days, YHWH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, & all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YHWH blessed the Sabbath day, & separated it.

Who were the strangers referred to in Exodus 20:10?

Exodus 12:38

And a mixed multitude went up also with them…

When our Heavenly Father brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, people of all sorts of different ethnicities & cultural backgrounds came out with them. This is the mixed multitude that Exodus 12:38 is referring to. They saw our Heavenly Father’s judgements on Egypt, & wanted to worship & serve our Creator. These non-Hebrews or gentiles were referred to as strangers since they were not yet a part of the Abrahamic Covenant between our Heavenly Father & the children of Israel. Yet, they were still expected to keep the same Torah that the children of Israel kept. These are the strangers or gentiles explicitly referred to in the very Sabbath Commandment itself. Even before the Ten Commandments were given at Mt. Sinai, everyone that came out of Egypt was expected to keep the Sabbath!

Certain die-hard apologists for Paul & the religion of “Christianity” might continue to insist that the Sabbath is only for the children of Israel and not for gentiles. In that case it could also be argued that the New Covenant is also similarly not for gentiles but for the children of Israel according to our Heavenly Father!!

Jeremiah 31:31-33

Behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel & with the house of Yahudah: Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My Covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith YHWH: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith YHWH, I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know YHWH: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith YHWH: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34, our Heavenly Father is telling us that His New Covenant is for the house of Israel & the house of Yahudah. Our Heavenly Father states that He will place His Torah in our hearts. For gentiles unwilling to observe or keep the Torah, it can be seen from Jeremiah 31:31-34 that the New Covenant is clearly not for them, since He said He would make His New Covenant with the houses of Israel & Yahudah! In Jeremiah 31:33, He specifies that He will write His Torah on our hearts. His Torah includes His instructions that have been rejected by “Christianity” , such as circumcision, dietary instructions, keeping of Sabbath, loving our Heavenly Father, & loving our neighbour, etc.

As self-proclaimed “Apostle” to the gentiles, did Paul teach the gentiles the Truth about our Heavenly Father’s Sabbaths? While there are several passages in the book of Acts which describe how Paul kept the Sabbath with Gentiles on a number of occasions, how many times is the Sabbath directly mentioned in Paul’s letters?

Col 2:16-17

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

That’s it! It’s safe to say that the self-proclaimed “Apostle” to the gentiles did a remarkably poor job of explaining the Sabbath to gentiles in his letters. If the average gentile is or was unfamiliar with the Scriptures & Torah, it is safe to say that he would most likely be unfamiliar with the Sabbath as well. Reading or studying pharisee Paul’s letters will do absolutely nothing to change that situation!

We have to recall also, that at that time it was not really practical or feasible to have multiple copies of the Scriptures lying around in every room of the house. Most gentiles would have had very little knowledge of, or access to the Scriptures of our Heavenly Father. A real Apostle to the gentiles who was teaching the gentiles the Truth about our Heavenly Father’s Scriptures would want to lay out plainly for the gentiles when the Sabbath occurs, what activities are Scripturally prohibited on the Sabbath, & what our Heavenly Father said about the Sabbath. Instead, verses like the following are found in Pharisee Paul’s letters.

Romans 14:5-6

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord, & he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it..

In this passage, Paul seems to be saying what many in the modern Christian church believe... that it doesn’t matter which day you observe as long as you are convinced in your own mind why you are observing or not observing a particular day. Is this what the actual Scriptures teach in Exodus 31:12-17 & Leviticus 23:3? Is this the absolute best that pharisee Paul can do when it comes to teaching the Gentiles about the Sabbath?

Studying Paul’s letters, gentiles would never know that the Sabbath occurs from sundown of the sixth day to the sundown of the seventh day. Gentiles would never know that on the Sabbath, our Heavenly Father prohibits doing any menial or servile work, any buying or selling, or kindling a flame, etc. From reading Paul’s letters, gentiles would never learn that violation of the Commandment to keep the Sabbath carries a death penalty. Neither would gentiles learn much about any of our Heavenly Father’s other appointed times, such as Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, the counting of the omer/Shavuot, Yom Teruah/Sounding of Trumpets, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement, & Sukkot/the Feast of Tabernacles. All of our Heavenly Father’s Feasts are found in Leviticus 23(See below).

How peculiar that the self-proclaimed “apostle to the gentiles” did such a spectacularly poor job of explaining to the gentiles what the Sabbath is, when it is observed, & where to read more about it! On the contrary, Paul does seem to advocate disregarding the Sabbath in Romans 14:5-6, Galatians 4:10-11, & Col 2:16-17.

Romans 14:5-6

Galatians 4:10-11

Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Col 2:16-17

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Paul’s devotees in the Messianic faith will insist that Paul wasn’t explicitly attacking the Sabbath in those verses. There are a few problems with this sort of defense of Paul. It is true that Paul’s statement of Romans 14:5-6 is fairly ambiguous & the Sabbath is not explicitly mentioned. Nevertheless, a quick comparison of Romans 14:5-6 versus Exodus 31:12-17 will reveal the problem with this approach.

Paul never bothers to inform his gentile readers of the importance of keeping the Sabbaths of our Heavenly Father! He also fails to inform the gentiles reading his letters that violation of the Sabbath carries a death penalty! On the contrary, Paul implies that it doesn’t matter whether you observe this day or that day as long you’re fully convinced in your own mind!

Our Heavenly Father makes it clear in the Sabbath Commandment itself (Exodus 20:8-11) that the children of Israel & the gentiles (that wanted to follow & serve our Creator) were to all keep the Sabbath. Our Heavenly Father encouraged us all to keep his Sabbaths over 19 times! As the self proclaimed “Apostle to the gentiles”, why did Paul never even once explain to the gentiles about the Sabbath in any of his NT letters? Gentiles reading Romans 14:5-6 could easily come to the conclusion that the Sabbath is not required or necessary for them, as they do to this very day!!

1 Tim 2:7

Whereunto I am ordained a preacher and an Apostle (I speak the truth in Messiah & lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith & verity…

In 1 Tim2:7, Paul claimed to be a preacher & Apostle. He stated that he was a teacher of the Gentiles in faith & truth. Did he do a good job of teaching gentiles about the Sabbath in his letters? Could 1 Tim 2:7 possibly be a true statement given that Paul completely failed to teach gentiles about the Sabbath in his letters?

Passages Referenced in Above Text

Leviticus 23

And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of YHWH, which ye shall proclaim to be kodesh convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a kodesh convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of YHWH in all your dwellings.

These are the feasts of YHWH, even kodesh convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is YHWH's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto YHWH: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have a kodesh convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH seven days: in the seventh day is a kodesh convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YHWH. And the grain offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto YHWH for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your Elohim: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new grain offering unto YHWH. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto YHWH. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto YHWH, with their grain offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto YHWH. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before YHWH, with the two lambs: they shall be kodesh to YHWH for the priest. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be a kodesh convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am YHWH your Elohim.

And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a kodesh convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH.

And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be a kodesh convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before YHWH your Elohim. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.

And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto YHWH. On the first day shall be a kodesh convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH: on the eighth day shall be a kodesh convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. These are the Feasts of YHWH, which ye shall proclaim to be kodesh convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto YHWH, a burnt offering, and a grain offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Beside the Sabbaths of YHWH, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto YHWH.

Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a Feast unto YHWH seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto YHWH seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am YHWH your Elohim. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the Feasts of YHWH.