I think some of us are missing the point entirely regarding the Shabbat in particular. I am convinced that the Shabbat we are commanded to observe is our Shabbat rest in Messiah.
Colossians 2:16-17 (ISV) Therefore, let no one judge you in matters of food and drink or with respect to a festival, a New Moon, or Sabbath days. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Messiah.
Hebrews 4:9-10 (ISV) There remains, therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God to keep, 10 because the one who enters God’s rest has himself rested from his own actions, just as God did from his.
I have read some SDA theologians that say specifically that the first passage is indeed referring to the 7th day Shabbat and not ceremonial ones. So they are in agreement with me on that one.
By focusing on the Shabbat as a particular day, it is easy for one to lose focus on what our Shabbat rest is... the Messiah. Our Shabbat rest is in Him. To think otherwise borders on a works righteousness theology which is counter to the Gospel of Messiah.
This is why even mentioning an observance of Shabbat as a weekly observance is conspicuously absent from the scripture instruction given by the Apostles. Even the Jerusalem council headed by James, the Messiah's brother, in their ruling on what the new Gentile believers should observe, the Shabbat is not mentioned. Not that it was assumed that the reader would automatically observe a 7th day Shabbat, but because they understood as did Paul that our Shabbat is in the Messiah.
I am sure that some will disagree, and that is fine. I have no bone against anyone who wants to observe a literal 7th day Shabbat. Only when they border on making it a condition of really obeying the Lord, then we will not agree.
Hi Copper thanks for sharing your thoughts here. Yes I think some do disagree.
Let's look at the passage in some detail through the scriptures linking NEW AND OLD TESTAMENT scriptures to see what Paul is talking about knowing that the bible in PAULS day was the OLD TESTAMENT. It is the OLD TESTAMENT that is the KEY through God's Spirit that unlocks the meaning of the NEW TESTAMENT... (posted earlier 1/2 on COL 2)
COL 2:11-17 CHAPTER CONTEXT
11, In whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12, Buried with him in baptism, in which also you are risen with him through the faith of the working of God, who has raised him from the dead.
13, And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14, Blotting out the HANDWRITING of ORDINANCES that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15, And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16, Let no man therefore judge you in food, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17, Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
...........
CHAPTER CONTEXT OF COL 2:14 AND SUBJECT MATTER (COL 2:11-17)
V11. Shadows of the
CEREMONIAL ORDINANCE of CIRCUMCISION pointing to CIRCUMCISION of the HEART MADE WITHOUT HANDS by the CIRCUMCISION of Christ.
Foretold in the OLD TESTAMENT….
DEUTERONOMY 10 [16]
Circumcise therefore THE FORESKIN OF YOUR HEART, and be no more stiff-necked.
DEUTERONOMY 30 [6] And the LORD your God will
CIRCUMCISE YOUR HEART AND THE HEART OF YOUR DECENDENCE, TO LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITHYOU’RE YOUR SOUL, THAT YOU MAY LIVE.
JEREMIAH 4 [4]
CIRCUMCISE YOURSELF TO THE LORD, AND TAKE AWAY THE FORESKINS OF YOUR HEART, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
NEW COVENANT FULFILLMENT of the SHADOWS of the CEREMONIAL ORDINANCE of CIRCUMCISION pointing the CIRCUMCISION of the HEART through faith in Christ…
ROMANS 2 [25] For circumcision verily profits, if you keep the law: but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision is made uncircumcision. [26], Therefore if the uncircumcision keeps the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? [27], And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfils the law, judge you, who by the letter and circumcision do transgress the law? [28],
FOR HE IS NOT A JEW, WHO IS ONE; NEITHER IS THAT CIRCUMCISION, WHICH IS OF THE OUTWARD FLESH: [29], BUT HE IS A JEW WHICH IS ONE INWARDLY; AND CIRCUMCISION IS THAT OF THE HEART, IN THE SPIRIT AND NOT IN THE LETTER; WHOSE PRAISE IS NOT OF MEN BUT OF GOD.
1 CORITHIANS 7 [19] CIRCUMCISION IS NOTHING, AND UNCIRCUMCISION IS NOTHING, BUT THE
KEEPING OF THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.
This is the operation of GOD in the NEW COVENANT…
HEBREWS 8 [10], For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord;
I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND WRITE THEM IN THEIR HEARTS: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
CONCLUSION; The CEREMONIAL ORDINANCE of CIRCUMCISION is a Shadow law from the MOSAIC BOOK of the COVENANT pointing to a NEW HEART to LOVE and OBEY GOD in the NEW COVENANT
The SHADOW laws of the CEREMONIAL ORDINANCES of CIRCUMCISION from the Mosaic BOOK of the Covenant are the within CHAPTER CONTEXT BEFORE COL 2:14
……………………………
COL 2:14 SCRIPTURE SUBJECT MATTER AND CONTENT.
14, Blotting out the
HANDWRITING of
ORDINANCES that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
GREEK WORD MEANINGS AND WORD USE
14,
“BLOTTING OUT” < G1813 ἐξαλείφωexaleipho (
ex-a-lei'-fō)
v. means to rub out, i.e. obliterate, erase>the “
HANDWRITING” < G5498 χειρόγραφονcheirographon (chei-ro'-gra-fon)
n. means something hand-written (“chirograph”), a manuscript specially, a legal document > of “
ORDINANCES” < G1378 δόγμαdogma (
d̮og'-ma)
n. means; ORDINANCE; CIVIL, CEREMONIAL or ECCLESIASTICAL laws>that was against us, WHICH WERE AGAINST , and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
The GREEK WORD meanings here in this scripture show that it follows the same CONTEXT of v11-13 in relation to the
CEREMONIAL ORDINANCES found in the
MOSAIC BOOK of the COVENANT.
V14 Blotting out or erasing the legal MANUSCRIPT or document of ORDINANCES referred to here are those of the CEREMONIAL ORDINANCES from the MOSAIC BOOK of the COVENANT.
The GREEK word for ORDIANACE is DOGMA meaning THE CIVIL, CEREMONIAL and ECCLESIASTICAL ORDINANCES once again only found in the MOSAIC BOOK of the Covenant
This scripture cannot be referring to the abolishing of the 10 commandments of God’s LAW as God’s 10 Commandments are not
ORDINANCES and they are not written in a MANUSCRIPT they are written on two tables of stone (Exodus 31:18). Also the chapter CONTEXT is in reference to the CEREMONIAL
ORDINANCES of CIRCUMCISION once again from the MOSAIC BOOK of the OLD COVENANT. These were all SHADOWS ALONG WITH THE
ORDINANCES OF v17 pointing to Christ and the plan of SALVATION.
ORDINANCES that were against us is referring to the also referring to the PENALTY of SIN (breaking God’s Commandments and the ORDINANCES of curses written once again in the MOSAIC BOOK of the Covenant.
DEUTERONOMY 31:26 [26] Take this Book of the Law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there
FOR A WITNESS AGAINST THEE.
DEUTERONOMY 30:19 [19] For GOD has said, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death,
BLESSINGS AND CURSES: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: [20] That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest OBEY his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
(See the list of ORDINACES for curses of breaking Gods’ Law in DEUTERONOMY 28:15-68)
............
CONCLUSION; COL 2:14 is talking about the CEREMONIAL ORDINANCES written in the MOSIAC BOOK of the Covenant which are SHADOW laws pointing to Jesus and God’s plan of SALVATION. This is supported also by the within CHAPTER CONTEXT and SUBJECT matter of v16 which are all CEREMONIAL ORDINANCES written in the MOCAIC BOOK of the COVENANT and not referring to ABOLISHING God’s 10 Commandments.
............
WHAT IS PAUL TALKING ABOUT IN COL 2:16-17? (linking the OLD to the NEW)
Col 2:16-17, Let no man therefore judge you in
(1) meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
(2) feastival, or of the
(3) new moon, or of the
(4) sabbath day{s} plural: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
What is Paul referring to from the OLD TESTAMENT?
EZEKIEL 45:17-21, It shall be the prince’s duty to furnish the
(1) burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the
(2) feasts, the
(3) new moons, and the
(4) Sabbath{s}, at all the
appointed (2) feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the
sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the
sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord GOD;
In the first month, in the first day of the month, thou shalt take a
young bullock without blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary: And the priest shall take of the
blood of the sin offering, and put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court.
And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every one that erred, and for him that is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house.
In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the Passover, a Feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
1 CHRONICLES 23:31 and whenever
(1) burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the
(4) Sabbaths, at the
(3) New Moon (2) feasts and at the appointed festivals. They were to serve before the LORD regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.
2 CHRONICLES 2:4 [4] Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making (1) burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the
(4) Sabbaths, at the
(3) New Moons and at the
appointed (2) festivals of the LORD our God. This is a lasting
ordinance for Israel.
HOSEA 2:11 [11], I will stop all her celebrations: her
(2) yearly festivals, her
(3) New Moons, her
(4) Sabbaths and all her
(2) appointed festivals.
It is interesting to note in the Old Testament the word Sabbath (shabbath 7676 from shabath 7673 meaning “rest”) is not only used for the weekly Sabbath but is also applied to the first and last days of the annual Jewish Festivals. The Greek Word used in Col 2:16 is Sabbaton simply means to cease from secular work; rest.
The monthly New Moon Sabbaths in relation to these festivals as well as the Holy convocations (Sabbaton to cease from work and rest) could fall on any day of the week depending on the year the festival was starting. The Holy convocations were to start the beginning of the annual Jewish feasts. They were to be rest (Sabbath) days (not to be confused with God’s commandment) and restricted or no work was to be done. (Lev 23; Num 10; 28; 29)
A
High Sabbath day however was when a Holy convocation [annual feast day] falls on the same day as God’s weekly Sabbath commandment (Ex 20:8-11). This is an extension of the term "high day" found in the King James Version at
John 19:31-42. The seven festivals do not necessarily occur on weekly
Shabbat (seventh-day Sabbath) and are called by the name
miqra ("called assembly") in Hebrew (
Lev. 23). Three of them occur in spring: the first and seventh days of Pesach (Passover), and Shavuot (Pentecost) which occurs in summer. Three occur in fall, in the seventh month, and are also called
shabbaton: Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets); Yom Kippur, the "Sabbath of Sabbaths" (Atonement); and the first and eighth days of Sukkoth (Tabernacles). Sometimes the word
shabbaton is extended to mean all seven festivals. The Gospel of John says of the night immediately following Christ's burial that "that sabbath day was a high day" (19:31-42). That night was Nisan 15, just after the first day of Passover week (Unleavened Bread) and an annual
miqra and rest day, in most chronologies. The King James Version may thus be the origin of naming the annual rest days "High Sabbaths" in English (
source: wiki).
All of the above have their origin from the
ceremonial laws of the book of Moses found in Lev 23; Num 10; 28; 29. All these references are in connection to; (1) Food and Drink offerings, (2) Feast days, (3) New Moons and (4) annual feast Sabbath(s)
...........
CONCLUSION: So in summary, it should be very clear that Col 2:14-17 is referring to the ceremonial laws of Moses along with the annual Jewish feast days that all pointed to the coming of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross the Jewish feasts along with the burnt offerings, food and drink offerings, festivals and New Moon festival Sabbath(s) which all pointed to Jesus where a shadow of things to come. Many of the feast days (holy convocations) in Lev 23 where no work days in the Greek Col 2:16 were Sabbaton cease from secular work and rest.
* POST 2/2 LINKING OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT here click me.
* NEED MORE SCRIPTURE DETAILED STUDY COL 2 (PARTS 1-6) Click me.
...........
As for HEBREWS 4?
HEBREWS 3 and HEBREWS 4 are talking about the Gospel and the keeping of God's SEVENTH DAY SABBATH by BELIEVING and FOLLOWING God's WORD. "There remains therefore a SABBATH rest to the people of God. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" v9-11.
HEBREWS 4 supports the keeping of the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH by believing and following the Word of God.
HEBREWS
4:9 [9],
SO THEN, IT REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
In verses 1, 3, 4 and 8, the Greek word for “rest” is
katapausin. It means “rest.” But in verse 9, the Greek word for “rest” is
sabbatismos, which is a Hebrew word—
Sabbat, which means “the Sabbath”—combined with a Greek suffix—
ismos, which means “a keeping of” or “a doing of.” Put together,
sabbatismo means “a keeping of the Sabbath.” When correctly translated,
Hebrews 4:9 should read, “There remains therefore a
keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God.”v 1-4 is the context of the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH confirmed in v9-11.
*
MORE SCRIPTURE HERE CLICK ME.
HEBREWS 4 is talking about GOD'S REST [The SEVENTH DAY SABBATH] none enter into it without believing and following the Gospel.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts brother copper.
Hope this helps
