Good to you Studyman and Happy Sabbath! ( I am sorry I forgot to have this greeting in my initial post to you and edited it in just now)
How is it one keeps the day holy? Worshipping in song, prayer, praise and doing our LORD'S bidding is keeping the day holy. This we should do. And in doing we chance not defiling it by the unholiness of a self serving nature.
My friend, the Jesus of the Bible and His Father before Him, tells me this Commandment is made for men. Not the world, not the religions of this world, not the religious businesses of this world, but for "MEN" which defines "me". Why? Why did God create this Holy Day, a Fast from this world on the 7th day
of every week, "For me"?
Here is what HE tells me.
Is. 58:
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, On who my friend? Who needs the bands of wickedness loosened? Isn't it me???? Is this not why "I" must fast from the world, to loose the bands of wickedness "on me"?? And how can I help others, if I am bound by wickedness? You know I can help no one. No!! my friend, as Jesus also teaches, I must first expose, and they remove the beam from my own eye, before I can help others with their beam. I find this task an ongoing struggle, to the point where I wonder if God really needs my help to save another, and maybe HE doesn't, but would rather I work on removing my own Beam. Just a thought. Please continue with God's Word here.
to undo the heavy burdens, On whom? Is this also not "ME", to which this Commandment was specifically made for? What are the burdens placed on me by this world's religions, religious traditions, philosophies, etc. Is this not my "Cross"? You know we are surrounded by this worlds influence. God created this fast from the world, so I can dwell on His Word undisturbed and discern between righteousness which are wrought in God, and those burdens which are commandments and traditions of men. Otherwise, I will just promote the burdens of a religious sect or business I adopted.
and to let the oppressed go free, and that "ye" break every yoke? Again, I can't set someone free from a pit I have also fallen into. I can't expose a deception if I am also deceived by the same deception. The Sabbath was made for me, for the purposes detailed here and elsewhere. How can I do God's Bidding, and be a vehicle to lead men to His Truth, if I don't even Trust the tools HE gave for me in the first place? If I won't even bring myself into the Light, how can I lead others there?
Let's continue;
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him;
How can a man do these latter things, unless they first do the former? Here comes my favorite part, and the hardest part to do.
and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
The manmade shrines of worship made of wood and stone, by the hands of men, is not God's Righteousness, but men's? They are made to distract, and to keep a man from exposing himself to the Light by convincing them they are all set. They are a beacon of "Look at us, we are holy" and it is all self-serving to be seen of and heard of men. It is an ancient religious tradition and religious marketing strategy employed by this world's religions since the destruction of the tower of Babel. Jesus exposes it in Matt. 6 and 7 and elsewhere.
If the purpose of the Sabbath is to Worship in song, prayer, praise , then why did God tell Isaiah these things that were written specifically for me in this time in history? And why does God feel the Need for this Fast "Every" Week?
Though we are to keep everyday Holy and our lives through Christ are to Exemplify worship and holiness. The Sabbath we are called specifically to rest from our OWN work not the Lords on the Seventh Day. For in the Lord's is rest and holiness.
"Worshipping in song, prayer, praise and doing our LORD'S bidding is keeping the day holy".
Surely those men in Matt. 7 who called Jesus Lord, Lord, did this very same thing, as well as those in Matt. 24 "Who come in Christ's Name". I am not saying these things to condemn, only in fellowship in search of Biblical Truth with relevant questions.
But what does Jesus say.
Matt. 6:
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Is this not the Lord's Bidding? And if God can hear me in my dark closet, who then am I attempting to reach with my "Worshipping in song, prayer, praise"? The truth to this question is clear, but it's accepting this truth which is hard to do. It's much easier to hide oneself from his own flesh, than to answer the question honestly. Certainly it was for me in the beginning, and even now from time to time.
Food for thought my friend, thanks for the reply.