Why the Sabbath does not operate on Lunar Cycles

This is a less common belief that has seeped into Christianity in some areas today, mostly the Messianic Jewish community. It reasons that the Sabbath is not based on a continuous cycle of seven days, but that the day after every New Moon is the beginning of a week, hence 7 days from every New Moon is the Sabbath, and every seventh day afterwards; causing a monthly "reset" of the 7 day cycle in accordance with the moon's quarters.

Most of the cause for this belief, at least that I have been made aware of, is taken from many and varied sources of 'history,' with very few biblical references. The far and between biblical references in support of this belief tend to, in my estimation, consist of various assumptions, half-evidences, and non-arguments (i.e. "It dosn't say it *isn't* this way, so therefore it must be this way). Below I will go into the refutation of this belief, and why the Sabbath is - from a strictly biblical standpoint - every seventh day of the week in five summary points.

Firstly, a large part of the case rests on pure assumption. It is assumed that because the Sabbath is a "feast" or appointed time, it must be governed by the moon and not every 7th day. It is also assumed that the 15th day of the month being the Sabbath in Exodus 16 means it is the same for every month. It is assumed that the moon alone is to be the beacon for Yah's appointed times, when Genesis plainly declares the moon to be set in place for the same as well. It is assumed that the Psalmist citing the moon as made for these things invalidates the sun as being the same, when scripture plainly says *both*. One of the very foundational, and most deadly assumptions to those who embrace this doctrine, is that of a circular argument; "Yah made it this way, and Yah dosn't lie, so therefore it must be true, regardless of logic to the contrary."

Secondly, the biblical differences between the Sabbath and the feast days, which are kept by the moon, need only be looked into shortly to be found. Because they are mentioned in conjunction does not make them kept by the same calendar or even *neccesarily* kept in the same manner; Tithe and offerings, for example, are not the same thing. Neither are the sun and the moon. The feasts were all appointed dates on the calender, as governed by the moon. The Sabbath was given no such date, it was "The seventh day."

Thirdly, the reasons given for the Sabbath negate any possibility of the day being dependant on lunar cycles or being reset once a month. "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (Genesis 2:2-3) The very institution of the Sabbath was as a memorial for Creation week. If we shift the days by the lunar cycles, we are no longer keeping a memorial to that week, but something different entirely, although exactly what I am not sure

Fourthly, the Sabbath commandment itself in Exodus 20 excludes a resetting of days: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: 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 the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:9-11)

"Six days shalt thou labour," passing by the verses in the commandment itself that back up the previous point. If the days are reset in the day following the New Moon, we are not labouring 6 days. We are labouring a lesser amount of days, dependant on how close the last Sabbath was to the New Moon, and then starting the cycle over again. In itself this practice keep only half of, and therefore breaks, the fourth commandment.

And finally, the Pentecost (50-count, literally) numbering. This is perhaps the most obvious and simple refutation of the Lunar concept of the Sabbath. "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 meat offering unto the Lord." (Lev. 23:15-16)

Now, 7x7 is 49. We all know this. Here is where the problem according to Lunar reckoning comes into play : In those 50 days, between the 16th of Nissan (The wave / sheaf offering, the day after the beginning of unleavened bread) and the 6th of Sivan (Pentecost, the "new meat offering" spoken of above) are two New Moons: The beginning of Iyyar, and the beginning of Sivan.

By lunar reckoning, the Sabbath would be offset from a continuous 7 day cycle by these New Moons, this much we know. However, by that same reasoning, it is mathmatically impossible to arrive at *exactly* 50 days after the Sheaf offering, on the *exact* day after the 7th Sabbath from the Sheaf offering, as Yah requires, and as this chart, created by David, shows.

Put simply: Only by 7 unbroken cycles of 7, transcending two New Moons, can the commandment regarding the feast of Pentecost be fulfilled. There is a double criteria given by YHWH: Seven Sabbaths pass, and the day after the seventh, is 50 days. 7x7=49, meeting the standard perfectly.

I pray this has been truthful and enlightening, and that if there are any errors you would email me; I urge the same of all materials on this site. If you are a believer in this doctrine, then I pray you look over the above information carefully and with a heart to seek the truth of Yah; for the gospel is simple in its keeping, and the commandments of Yah are simple enough for a child to understand and obey.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Cor. 11:3)

Yah bless and be with you.

- Luke