Is the Sabbath a

"cold lunch day"?

By Thomas Harvey

www.GodTheFather.us

Some people refuse to light fire on the 7^th day of the week. This covers everything from not cooking with fire to not running their furnace. The latter requires "bundling up" with extra clothes, blankets and even thermal underwear on cold Sabbath nights. Have you considered that all these extra clothes, blankets and thermal underwear - on top of cold living conditions are a major violation of the Bible? Isaiah 58:13 reads that you shall "call the Sabbath a DELIGHT". Most human beings do not find "delight" in shivering and rubbing hands together. My occupation requires me to dress as mentioned for some winter OUTDOOR activity. Those heavy cloths are NO delight, but a BURDEN I look forward to shedding after returning home. Here in the northern Midwest -20F temperatures usually happen every winter. Some of our northern Minnesota & North Dakota friends see lower than -30F.

This "no Sabbath fire" rule actually seems very similar to pre-tearing toilet paper before sunset every Friday evening or not putting a handkerchief in ones pocket to "carry" on the Sabbath. Neither of those man made rabbinical laws can honestly be called "a delight". These strange requirements actually do exist in the Rabbinical “oral” Torah. If your religion include a belief that God has given Biblical authority to the Rabbis, then you too are under all of these requirements. These rabbinical decrees cover everything from altering Biblical festival dates to which shoe one puts on first! These “traditions of men” were never a part of the written Torah of God – The Bible.

The Bible does tell us not to burn a fire on Sabbath - but what is the CONTEXT of this instruction? Exodus 35:3 lists this specific instruction - after telling us to "Do No WORK" on the Sabbath day. Exodus 35:10-19 goes on to solidify the contextual point of "Do No WORK" on the Sabbath by outlining the “WORK” to be done on the ark of the covenant. The instruction of not to burn a fire on the Sabbath in Exodus 35:3 specifically refers to the WORK done on the ark of the covenant. Exodus 36:3 calls this project the “the work of the service of making the sanctuary”. God didn't want anyone doing any of His work on His sanctuary during His Sabbath!

Numbers 15:32-36 seems to be a direct reference to a man violating these very words of Exodus 35:3. The man was guilty of "gathering" (working) on the Sabbath. The text does not specifically tell us the occupation of this man. One can reasonably conclude he was involved in the building of the ark of the covenant - because that was the major project going on at the time. Heat was needed for the metal work done. I use fire on metal projects that I fabricate - and fire was used in their metal fabrication processes. The train of thought in Numbers 15:32 follows directly after Numbers 15:30 - which speaks of one who "acts defiantly". Numbers 15:32 was a real life example of a "defiant act".

Exodus 12:16 actually allows for food preparation on two ANNUAL Sabbaths - days every bit as sacred as the weekly Sabbath. Yehovah would be in an uncharacteristic contradiction to allow food preparation on SOME Sabbaths, but not other Sabbaths. Food preparation involves fire.

Exodus 16:23 tells Israelites to cook what they will for the sixth day, and set the rest aside for the Sabbath. The restriction isn't that of "cooking" on the Sabbath. The context is telling us that the manna put aside on the sixth day will NOT ROT if kept overnight. The sentence that follows tells Israelites to go ahead and eat that manna on the Sabbath , it's OK to eat - it's not rotten. The implication is that they were boiling and baking on the 7th day (with sticks AND manna gathered on the sixth day). The Sabbath is to be a DELIGHT - not a "cold lunch day".

Leviticus 23:36 instructs offerings made by fire - for 8 days in a row during the Feast of Tabernacles. One (and possibly two) of those days would have to be a weekly Sabbath. Yehovah actually commands fire on Sabbath!

The Rabbinites show us how easy it is to "add to" the words of the Torah - and come up with weird man made problems. No fire on the Sabbath is definitely a problem for all those in northern climates. A "cold lunch day" is not a delight in any climate. Let's all keep Gods' bride warm and comfortable, and the Sabbaths a delight! Have a Happy Sabbath.