Shabbat Tanakh

Shabbat Shalom

You will hear this said every Friday as you walk through the streets of Jerusalem, Shabbat Shalom, almost always in a tone of joy and with a smile. In English we translate shalom as meaning peace, but it comes nowhere close to its true meaning. Shabbat (the Sabbath day) is supposed to be a time of shalom, in Hebrew meaning wholeness, completeness, soundness, health, safety, and prosperity. This is shalom, not simply peace, as peace is something temporary and man-made while shalom is permanent and can only be given by Adonai. Shalom is in fact the original root word of Jerusalem, first called Shalem in Torah (Scripture) when Abraham met Melchizedek. The city of Shalom, perfect wholeness, completeness, and God-given peace. Scripture tells us Yeshua is the Lord of Shabbat, and the Prince of Shalom, much more than mere peace. Shalom is embodied by Abraham when Adonai tells him to bring and sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah, the mountain directly beyond what was then Shalem, and would later be the Temple of YHWH, and will be where Yeshua reigns. Most people preach that Abraham must have been anxious, nervous, and grieving on his journey to sacrifice Isaac, but Scripture does not say such a thing. Could it be that the author of shalom, YHWH, placed shalom in the heart of Abraham, reminding him of the promise He had made that through Isaac his descendants would be as numerous as the stars? The perfect parallel and foreshadowing of Yeshua, the Lamb appears, the vanquisher of death forevermore, The Prince of Shalom. Shabbat is the day that Adonai has made for us to rest, and still today promises are attached to keeping this day, Holy. It is not a strictly required for us as believers today, even though it will be celebrated in the new millennium when Yeshua reigns from Jerusalem, but the promises of it still remain (Isaiah 58:13-14) and while we celebrate it, we are part of the prophetic rehearsal and the blessings of what is coming soon. As we sit in Shalom today, let us remember it is not only this one day we have the privilege of being in shalom, but also like Abraham to trust Adonai in all things, in all circumstances and situations, and to be a carrier of shalom 24/7. Shabbat Shalom Kingdom Family!