Defiling the Sabbath and Holy Days.(usually based on Romans 14:5,6 & Galatians 4:9-11 & Col.2:16)
Before stumbling thru the hard things Paul wrote, you must first understand the prophecy regarding the Sabbath in Christ.
Isaiah 56:1: “Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.”
When the prophet Isaiah said “My salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed” he was prophesying about the coming Messiah –Christ.
Isaiah 56:2: “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. “
3: “Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4: “For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;”
Take hold of my covenant goes back to the coming Messiah in verse 1 ‘The new covenant’ which was coming in Christ.
5: “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.”
6: “Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;”
This prophecy teaches us that we must all keep the Lord’s Sabbath days. In addition Christ taught us the Father‘s mercy in times of need on the Sabbath day.
Matthew 12:1: “At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.”
The Pharisees tried to condemn the disciples for plucking the ears of corn which was considered ‘work’ and was contrary to the law.
Matthew 12:7: “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”
8: “ For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.”
Christ is clearly teaching Israel that the Heavenly Father requires mercy in Christ for sin and not animal sacrifices for sin. Today however many unlearned and unstable souls ignore the teachings of mercy in times of need on the Sabbath and run to the writings of Paul and twist his writings to say we no longer have to keep the Sabbaths or any of the Father‘s holidays in contradiction to the prophecy in Isaiah 56 and other scriptures.
Romans 14:5: “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”
6: “He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.”
The Jews following the Levitical order esteemed and regarded the Sabbath and holidays by sacrificing and offering various gifts.
For example, every Jew was commanded to bring his offering to the Levitical priests so that they could follow the law of the Sabbath.
Numbers 28: 9: “And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:”
10: ” This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.”
But the gentile Israelites that were scattered in different nations did not keep the laws of sacrifice according to the Levitical priesthood because Christ was the fulfillment of that law. Thereby those Jews under the Levitical priesthood felt those Israelites following Christ, esteemed every day alike and regarded not the days commanded to be kept by the Heavenly Father. Those Jews did not believe you could observe the high holy days in the faith of Christ. They rejected the sacrifice of Christ, believing the sacrifice of lambs, bulls and goats led you to perfection in the Law.
Galatians 4:9: ” But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? “
The believers in Galatia were deceived into returning to the weak and beggarly elements that bring us into bondage which is the law of sacrifice under Levitical priesthood.
Hebrews 7:18: “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.”
Let’s start at verse 11 to prove the Levitical priesthood was the weak and beggarly elements Paul wrote about in Galatians 4:9.
Hebrews 7: 11: “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?“
The Jews and many others believed perfection came by the Levitical priesthood’s law of sacrifice, but perfection only comes thru faith in Christ.
Hebrews 7:12: “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.”
13: ” For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.”
14: ” For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.”
15: “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,”
16: “Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.”
17: “For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”
18: “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.”
Disannulling means ‘done away’. Proving the Levitical priesthood and their sacrifices are done away because it was weak and unprofitable.
Back to Galatians 4:10: “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.”
11: “I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.”
The Israelites scattered in Galatia were being deceived by Pharisees and Jews to reject Christ and accept the Levitical Priesthood. They were bewitched into observing days, and months, and times, and years according to Leviticus 23 and the strictness of the Levitical priesthood. That’s why Paul asked them this question in
Galatians 3:1: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? “
2: “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?“
3: “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
Meaning are you so foolish having begun in Christ (the Spirit) are you now made perfect by the Levitical law (the flesh)?
Remember Hebrews 7:11: “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,(for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?“
Now let’s explain Colossians 2:16: “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:“
17: “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
First let’s examine what men were going about judging those that believed in Christ?
Matthew 12:1: “At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.”
2: “But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.”
According to Colossians 2:16, the Pharisees and other Jews were going about judging the followers of Christ. The apostle Paul instructed the believers not to let any man judge them about meat offerings, drink offerings, or in respect of an holyday such as the Feast of Unleavened Bread for example which had to be kept in Jerusalem according to Deuteronomy 16:16. The meat and drink offerings were sacrifices conducted on the new moon and the Sabbath days as well.
Colossians 2: 17: “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
The Levitical priesthood and it’s various laws of sacrifice are a shadow of things to come, which come in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The body (believers) is of Christmeaning we are to follow and obey everything the scriptures teach because by his sacrifice for us we are once again accepted in the grace of the Heavenly Father.
The following scriptures further prove that Paul both instructed and kept the holidays in the faith of Christ under the new covenant and not under the old covenant according to the Levitical Priesthood.
Paul kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Philippi which is located in Greece and not in Jerusalem as taught under the Levitical priesthood.
Acts 20:6: “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.”
Paul kept the day of Atonement in Christ.
Acts 27:9: “ Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,”
Paul instructed the believers in Corinth to keep the Passover in Christ.
1 Corinthians 5:7: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”
8: ” Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”