Let There Be Light - Part I

A Day by any other name is still a Day

But on the Seventh Day we are to Rest

This links to Part II 

of the study on YHWH's Method of Counting

It has come to my attention that there are those who believe in a New Moon Day separate unto itself, and that the day of rest is an eight day count, and these people even suggest counting backwards to the new moon to justify the dates of His Set Apart times. After a few days pondering this idea, it still does not set right within me.

If we cannot agree on when a day begins, then, really, none of this matters.

This is Mrs. G's comment that began the discussion and my study: "...the calendar from Scripture (shows) His weekly Sabbaths will fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th every time when using His calendar. Scripture verifies this in the OT and the NT" (end quote)

Therein is the challenge.

I figured I'd better take a closer look at Scriptures about this topic of 'day' and the first thing that came to mind was:  Wouldn't a seven day count be 7, 14, 21 and 28, every time?

YHWH did His work of creation in six days; blessed and rested from His work on the Seventh Day. Yah made the seventh day Sabbath for us, as a sign between Him and His people. Since He is Set Apart and rested on the 7th day of creation He desires that we also rest on the 7th day from our work. He set the pattern for us to follow, and this was just the first of many included in His Instructions for His created (that includes you and me). He began His count of days from the beginning of creation, when there was darkness over the face of the deep.

In Genesis 1:3 Our Creator said 'Let there be light." He separated the light (Day) from the darkness (Night) and there was evening and there was morning, a first day. 
(the way I read it, the definition of a Day is from evening, including the morning and on to the following evening. It consists of both the Light and the Dark phases of the time line called Day.)

Exodus 16:23 ...then he said to them, "This is what Yah meant: Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, set apart to Him. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning." 35:2 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Set Apart day, a Sabbath of Complete Rest to Yahweh Elohim. 
(Set it aside to be kept until morning:  Set is aside at evening time, before the beginning of the next day... Get all preparations done before sundown, the beginning of the seventh day...)

Leviticus 23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of Complete Rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a Sabbath to your Elohim, in all your dwellings.

Deuteronomy 5:12 'Observe the Sabbath day to keep it set apart as YHWH your Elohim commanded you.

If the new moon is usually visible towards evening time, and the sighting of it denotes the beginning of another month (first day of that month), then wouldn't the time period called 'day' begin at evening? Each day from evening to evening.

The Pattern: 1. Darkness 2. Light 3. Day 4. Night

In the beginning the earth was unformed and void with darkness over the surface of the deep. Yah said Let there be light, and it was good, and He separated the light from the darkness = Day and Night.  And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

Unformed defined:: not arranged in regular shape, order, or relations; undeveloped

Void defined:: containing nothing :not occupied :vacant :not inhabited :being without something specified

↭↭↭↭

Our Father counted days from the first day of creation. We begin our count of days from the sighting of the new moon. Each new moon begins a new count; the first crescent is Day One, the beginning of the month. Each seven day count from the new moon is the Sabbath Day of Rest.

Later on in Scriptures we read that Jeremiah tries to remind the people about that day of rest: 17:21 Thus says YHWH, "Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.  You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day set apart, as I commanded your forefathers." Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.…"  (no buying or selling, conducting commerce, doing work)

Quote from Mrs. G: Back in their day they worked from sunup to sundown. So in the creation account we see that the LIGHT was called the DAY part, and the darkness was called NIGHT. Now where people get thrown from is from "And the evening and the morning were the first day." He started His work in the morning and He finished in the evening as the sun was setting turning into night. The DAY part consists of the morning and the evening. (end quote)

This doesn't make sense to me, and Mrs. G assumes "He started His work in the morning and He finished in the evening as the sun was setting turning into night." In Genesis 1, in the beginning when our Creator began His work the first thing He created was Light, which He separated into Day and Night; so would it be safe to say He started His work at night, in darkness? He didn't even create the sun and the moon util day four.  Day and Night are a necessary part of living on this earth, and He did not curse these things.

Quote from Mrs. G: Remember He separated the light from the darkness, therefore what He separated we cannot then join together. Our heavenly Father is not about darkness but about light. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that Elohim is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (end quote)

This statement is partly true but her assumption is crazy to me because if you ever watched the sun set, day slowly blends into twilight at the setting of the sun. It's not like 'lights out!' a definite break between light and dark.  I'm pretty certain misunderstandings occur because of the use of words and our modern day perception of what we think those words mean. That sort of confusion comes from the Adversary if we don't study it out for ourselves.

This verse has been used to support a day begins at sunrise; Messiah said: "Is there not 12 hours in a day?" 

In John 11 we read the verse in context:  Y'shua's friend Lazar is sick and dies. Y'shua heard about him but stayed where he was for two days, then says to his disciples he's ready to go to Judea.  They promptly warn him that the Jews are ready to kill him, why would he want to go there now?  His reply is: "Are there not twelve hours in a day, and if a man walks during the daylight, he will not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if a man should walk during the night, he will stumble because  there is no flame in him. "(Note: 'no flame in him' is an Hebrew idiom meaning one is not enlightened) How does his response tie in with the warning his disciples were concerned about?  They were afraid for his life because the Yehudeans were on the warpath. Messiah refers to twelve hours in a day, walking during daylight would be easier than traveling at night, perhaps meaning now during the daylight hours was a better time to go to Lazar's home than to try to sneak around in the night time to avoid being stoned by the Jews?

I note that as the seasons pass, the light of day grows shorter until the shortest day and then begin to grow longer. The amount of daylight changes... this verse does not define what a day is and may be another parable pointing to the fact that we are children of light and not of the devil. Children of Satan do enjoy living in the darkness of night.

Day and Night are not evil opposites and were clearly a necessary part of creation. Spiritual darkness came later and is an evil thing opposing Y'shua who is the Light of the World, and not just the daytime part only. According to what is written in John 11, one who is enlightened can walk day or night and not stumble.  We know that Satan is the 'prince of darkness' over this world, and not just the nighttime part only. It seems when folks forget to separate the physical occurrence from the spiritual implications of what we read in Scriptures an understandable misunderstanding can arise between the use of words, such as day/night and light/darkness, which makes it easier to choose the definition of a day as being from sunup to sundown and just ignore the night altogether; and just ignore YHWH. 

Our Creator's Method of Counting - Part II

If we cannot agree on when a day begins, 
if we don't trust our Creator, then, really, none of this matters.

This study continues the Let There Be Light study

Some folks believe that a day from sundown to sundown is not correct, and refer to  Psalm 113:3 - I'll start with verse one...

1Praise Yah! 
Praise, O servants of יהוה, 
Praise the Name of יהוה! 
2Blessed be the Name of יהוה, 
Now and forever!

3From the rising of the sun to its going down, 
The Name of יהוה is praised.

4יהוה is high above all nations, 
His esteem above the heavens.

Now,  I wouldn't put all my money on Psalm 113:3 as defining what a 'day' is.  These verses are poetic in nature, telling us to praise our Creator, from we when get up until we go to go to bed.... it's  not defining the length of a day or when a day begins, as it is written in Genesis, "... there was evening and there was morning... the next day."

Our Creator has shown us the pattern to follow, just as He showed the pattern of the Tabernacle to Moses, who followed His Instructions perfectly.

We read in Scriptures that Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. At creation, darkness existed before the light: "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light," (Genesis l:2-3) ...  Darkness was already present and therefore came first on day one of creation, and on each succeeding day. A day begins with darkness, become light and fades away to darkness.

Once we learn what a day is and when it began, we understand YHWH did His work of creation in six days; blessed and rested from His work on the Seventh Day. Yah made the seventh day sabbath for us, as a sign between Himself and His people. Since He is Set Apart and rested on the 7th day of creation He desires that we also rest on the 7th day from our work. He set the pattern for us to follow.

Seven is the established order and I asked Mrs. G about what she wrote, "His weekly Sabbaths will fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th every time".  And I aksed, wouldn't a seven day count be 7, 14, 21 and 28, every time? 

Exodus 35:2 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Set Apart day, a Sabbath of Complete Rest to Yahweh Elohim....Leviticus 23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of Complete Rest...Deuteronomy 5:12 'Observe the sabbath day to keep it set apart as Yahweh your Elohim commanded you...

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Now is when Mrs. G lets me in on something I'd never heard of before:

"Yes Dusty, new moon day is a set apart day like the Sabbath, it is day 1 of His calendar, the weekly count starts with day 2 of the month." (Me: huh?) "So when we see Sabbath on the 15th, we count back...15 - 7 = 8, 8 - 7 = 1, new moon day, you can also count forward, 15 + 8 = 22 ... (Me: what?!)

What is written in Torah helps define a day:

Exodus 12 Yah tells Moshe that the month they are to be set free from Pharaoh is the first month of the year... and on the 15th day is when they were set free. 

Exodus 16: the Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin on the 15th day of the 2nd month after they left Egypt (when did the new count of days begin?)

This is where the moon and the month connect = Exodus 19: On the 3rd new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt... 19:16 On the 3rd day as morning dawned. 

This reads as a count of days from the new moon, the 3rd new moon since Yah told Moshe when the first month was. Three Moons = 3 months. He says the third new moon and then counts the 3rd day from that new moon, and indicates what part of the day it was: dawn. He never says the Sabbath Day of Rest is every 8th day. And in Exodus 12, 16 and 19 we can see He considers the new moon as the first day of the month.

After this exchange, Mrs. G provided a link to a site defending (explaining) the 8 day count and new moon day sabbath. This website uses quotes from Scripture and verses out of context to prove their point. Our discussion was becoming more than just defining a day by Yah's terms.  It was becoming confusing to say the least and my conviction about the seven day count from the sighting of the new moon was digging in deeper.  Several days have now passed and I am still not convinced that there is an eight day rhythm or new moon day as a day unto itself.  After taking a look at the website I was able to offer Mrs. G examples of where the info they provided was not exactly on point. They were using Yah's Feast Days to pinpoint sabbath days, using Passover as the first example, and doing that count backwards thing. 

Here is my opening remarks and the discussion that followed:

This is the first time we learn of the process of being set free. The history of the passover lamb and Yah's instructions for people to choose to be saved from death, using the blood of a lamb painted on the doorposts and lintels of each dwelling: Exodus 12:12 - For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and I will mete out punishments to all the (false) gods of Egypt... And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a Sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (that evening meal begins the Days of Unleavened Bread) Exodus 12:15 - Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread- on the very 1st day (of the 7, on the 15th) you shall remove leaven from your houses. The first day and the seventh day are sacred occasions and no work is to be done, only whatever is to be eaten may be prepared.  Exodus 12:17 - you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for on this very day (the 15th day of the 1st month) I brought you out of Egypt, to be observed throughout the ages as an institution for all time. Exodus 12:18 - In the first month from the 14th day at evening you shall eat unleavened bread until the 21st day of the month at evening. ... (the 14th day at evening is when the passover lamb was eaten... and the 15th day began when the sun went down) Exodus 12:24 - You shall observe this as an institution for all time, for you and for your descendants. :25 And when you enter the land that I will give you, as I promised, you shall observe this rite... And when your children ask why and what does it mean, you shall say, 'It is the passover sacrifice to YHWH Elohim because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses.'

In Leviticus this appointment is explained again:
Leviticus 23:4 - These are the set times of YHWH, the sacred occasions, which you shall celebrate each at its appointed time: In the first month, on the 14th day of the month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to YHWH and on the 15th day of that month YHWH's Feast of Unleavened Bread- for seven days.

This fits with a seven day count, the 14th day is a Sabbath and the 15th day is a "High Sabbath" being the first day of Unleavened bread, that lasts seven days and ends on the 21st, a Sabbath Day of Rest. Deuteronomy 16 gives us a little more detail for this set time. It reads that a passover offering is made to YHWH and slaughtered in the place He will choose to establish His Name. For 7 days no leaven shall be found among you. You cannot slaughter the sacrifice wherever you choose but at the place YHWH chooses to establish His Name. In the morning you may start back home; on the 7th day of Unleavened Bread hold a solemn gathering, do no work."  

The 7th day of Unleavened Bread falls on the regular weekly Sabbath day of rest, so we have a Sabbath with another High Sabbath on the 21st day of the month. (Notice it says in the morning they can head back home. That is the day following the passover offering, a High Sabbath)

The website offered by Mrs. G concludes that the "main point for this 1st month is that the Sabbath day is pinpointed to be on the 15th day. We can also conclude the the 8th, 22nd, and 29th were also Sabbath days" (end quote) That conclusion is wrong. The regular sabbath is also when the passover offering is made.  If your read the account from Scriptures, the first day of Unleavened bread is a Sabbath, too. Yahweh says the days of Unleavened bread end on the 21st day of the first month.... which is also part of the seven day count for the weekly Sabbath.

(notes) Exodus 12:29 In the middle of the night YHWH struck down all the first born in the land of Egypt... 30 Pharaoh arose in the night because of the loud cry in Egypt... 31 He summons Moses and Aaron in the night and tells them to leave: Up, depart from among my people, you and the Israelites with your Elohim... take your flocks, your herds and be gone... 33 The Egyptians are happy to see them go and give them any thing they ask for just to finally get rid of them.... His people were dressed and ready to go as Yah had instructed them to be when they ate the lamb. Can you imagine 600,000 men plus women and children plus the mixed multitude, leaving Egypt? on the 15th 'day' of the month, beginning some time before the sun rose, as Exodus 12:29-31 lets us know this begins happening at night, after the passover lamb was eaten on the 14th day at twilight, before the sun went down and it became the 15th day, when He said He would set them free.

Moving right along...  in the website they also (quote) 'conclude that for the 2nd month in a row, the Sabbath is pinpointed to be on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of the month. And the 1st day of the month is new moon day." End quote.

Yes, it is written in Exodus 16 that the entire community that left Egypt came to the wilderness of Sin (Zin) between Elim and Sinai, on the 15th day of the second month. They begin mumbling and grumbling again, complaining and wishing they had all the conveniences of living in Egypt. They believe Moses has brought them out to the desert to die. Yah tells Moses to let them know He will provide 'bread from the sky' and they can gather what they need each day. On the 6th day there will be double the amount because the 7th day is the weekly Shabbat. ....  They are in the wilderness on the 15th day of the 2nd month, and 'manna' is provided for them to gather. They gather what they need each day, for six days: 15th, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20th. Next is the 21st day of the second month, a weekly Sabbath by the seven day count from the new moon sighting.

Now, part three from the website, they assume that the Israelites entered Sinai on the 15th day. (Quote) ".... they came to Sinai in the 3rd month, on the same day they had left Egypt. They left Egypt by night on the 15th of the month." (end quote) I strongly believe this statement to be a misunderstanding of what is written: Exodus 19 ~ On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. == The third new moon would be the 1st day of that third month and on that very day, the first day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. They set up camp in front of the mountain.  Also, as pointed out in the previous comments, they began leaving Egypt after Yah had killed all first born in the middle of the night, which was after sundown on the the 14th day, into the 15th day. They did not leave by night on the 15th day as the website states. The last of the nearly one million people may have wandered out before sundown, but they were gone before day number 15 ended.

Next phase of the discussion, Mrs. G uses verses trying to support the eight day count, which leads us to learning the specifics of His Moedim aka Feast Days. So I shall draw this post to a close and link it to Part Three when I complete that study.

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There is a reason Yah said this:

Isaiah 1:11 - What need have I of all your sacrifices... I have no delight that you come to appear before Me - trample My courts no more. Bringing your offerings is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath you proclaim solemnities and assemble with wickedness I cannot tolerate. Your new moons (months) and your fixed seasons (man's traditions and substitutes for Yah's moedim) fill Me with loathing - they have become a burden to Me, no longer a joy. When you lift up your hands in false praise and worship I will turn My Eyes away from you.

If we were keeping count according to His Plan we would not be filling Him with loathing. We would not be a burden to Him making Him sad, or angry.  We know His Day of Wrath is coming so lets not be part of the reason why.