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Month 3

 

The last month in the TMR article deals with the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. This month is presented as the conclusive argument for the lunar Sabbaths theory. Let us examine the evidence to determine what is factual and what is assumed. It is really not that hard.

 

TMR:

“2. Evidently, it was significant to Yahweh to have Moses record this event as being the exact same day on the third month since they had left Egypt. Since it was important to Yahweh, it most likely did not happen by chance, but rather was a planned arrival. Because it is stated to be the exact same day, then by default it must be the 15^th day of the month, counting from the New Moon. If it can be established which day of the week the 15^th fell on, then it is possible to connect all the other dates of that month with the proper days of the week.” p.23

 

Comment:

This is an honest and correct admission¹. The arrival day at Sinai occurred exactly three months after the day of the exodus. The day of the exodus and arrival are identical in that travel occurred on them. We saw earlier that the Israelites left Egypt on the 15^th very early in the morning and “before the morning broke, they were on their way”.  This immediately disproves the idea that the 15^th of the first month was a Sabbath rest day. In exactly the same manner the Israelites arrived at Sinai on the 15^th day (making it a travel day, not a rest day).

 

TMR:

“3. Unfortunately, there is no statement in the entire book of Exodus that states on which day of the week the 15th falls. It should not be assumed that this third month in a row is identical to the preceding two months simply on the basis that it is mentioned. To be conclusive, the third month, like the two before it, must be established by its own inherent attributes as given in the Biblical narrative.” p.23

 

 

Comment:

While the account does not tell us what day of the week the 15^th was it does reveal what day it was not. The 15^th could not be a seventh-day Sabbath rest. It was a travel day, and that immediately makes it a common working day and not a Sabbath. The above illustration places the arrival of the Israelites to Sinai at night (to maintain the 15^th day as a Sabbath rest day²). But let us examine some more evidence just to be sure.

“From Rephidim the people continued their journey, following the movement of the cloudy pillar. Their route had led across barren plains, over steep ascents, and through rocky defiles. Often as they had traversed the sandy wastes, they had seen before them rugged mountains, like huge bulwarks, piled up directly across their course, and seeming to forbid all further progress. But as they approached, openings here and there appeared in the mountain wall, and beyond, another plain opened to view. Through one of the deep, gravelly passes they were now led. It was a grand and impressive scene. Between the rocky cliffs rising hundreds of feet on either side, flowed in a living tide, far as the eye could reach, the hosts of Israel with their flocks and herds. And now before them in solemn majesty Mount Sinai lifted its massive front. The cloudy pillar rested upon its summit, and the people spread their tents upon the plain beneath. Here was to be their home for nearly a year. At night the pillar of fire assured them of the divine protection, and while they were locked in slumber, the bread of heaven fell gently upon the encampment.”  {PP 301.2} 

 

This majestic narrative of the arrival of the Israelites to Sinai is both wonderful and informative. It is plainly seen that the Israelites arrived at Sinai led by the cloudy pillar³ (i.e. during the daylight hours, not night). This only confirms the truth that the 15^th day⁴ was a travel day (not a Sabbath). They pitched camp and were settled before night fell. Weary from their travel they slept that night. Is there need for any further evidence?

 

The 15^th daytime arrival on the diagram should look like this:

 

 

TMR:

“Begin counting on the 16th day of the first month of Abib, which is the day after the Sabbath. Count seven “Sabbaths complete”, and then add a day, because the text says to “count off fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath”.” p.24

 

Comment:

The fiftieth day does not always follow a Sabbath day. The expression “the morrow after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:16) is the day after the seventh week, not after the seventh-day Sabbath (cf. Deuteronomy 16:9). The word Sabbath, in the language of the New Testament as well as the Old, is used for “week” (Leviticus 25:8; Matthew 28:1; Luke 18:12, etc.)⁵. The word Sabbath in these verses means “week” (which is why it was called the feast of weeks Exodus 34:22). They were to count 7 weeks + 1 day (fifty days) not seven Sabbath days + 1 day! People have been needlessly confused over this issue when it is but a simple one. Hebrew scholars confirm this Biblical truth:

“That שַׁבָּתֹות (Lev 23:15) signifies weeks, like שָׁבֻעֹות in Deu 16:9, and τὰ σάββατα in the Gospels (e.g., Mat 28:1), is evident from the predicate תְּמִימֹת, “complete,” which would be quite unsuitable if Sabbath-days were intended, as a long period might be reckoned by half weeks instead of whole, but certainly not by half Sabbath-days. Consequently “the morrow after the seventh Sabbath” (Lev 23:16) is the day after the seventh week, not after the seventh Sabbath.” Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament (comment on Lev 23:15-17)

 TMR:

“7. Pentecost falls on Sivan 9 each and every year. Because the Creator’s Calendar is a fixed calendar, the 9th day of Sivan will always be on the first day of the week, thus making the 15th day of the same month a seventh-day Sabbath.” p.25

 

Comment:

This claim is completely unfounded and cannot be proved. Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks (or Shavuot), is always 50 days from the 16^th of the first month, no more and no less⁶. The proposed date of 9 Sivan is 53 days from the 16^th of the first month (go ahead and count it for yourself below). This is in direct violation of the 50 day count and the entire argument to prove it is nothing but a collection of self contradictory assumptions.

 

 

This only confirms the error of attempting to make the 15^th into a seventh day Sabbath. We saw clearly that it was not a rest day but a travel day. Based on this information we can accurately illustrate which days were not Sabbath days.

Much point is made over the fact that God gave certain dates in those three months. The conclusion that this proves they were Sabbaths is not in harmony with the facts. The reason why the date is given is to record significant events in the travels of the Hebrews:

·  The children of Israel departed from Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month (Numbers 33:3).

·  They came to the wilderness of Sin on the fifteenth day of the second month (Exodus 16:1).

·  They came to the desert of Sinai on the fifteenth day of the third month (Exodus 19:1).

The TMR article seeks by a variety of ingenious assumptions to prove that the 15^th was a Sabbath, but the evidence says otherwise. For three months in a row God is showing us that the 15^th was nothing more than a common working day (a travel day). This proves conclusively that it was not a seventh-day Sabbath. This evidence is based on the facts of inspiration not on assumptions and conjectures. Thus, from the very article attempting to prove the lunar Sabbaths theory we are furnished with evidence disproving the theory! For three months in a row God demonstrated that the 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd, and 29^th (12 examples) were not Sabbath rest days! It probably does not get more ironic than this.

We searched the Scriptures and have found that these things are not so. We appeal to all those who can use sound reasoning to ponder well the decisions they make. The theory of the lunar Sabbaths has been shown to be nothing more than a collection of assumptions and false premises⁷. Will you abandon it and accept the true Sabbath⁸? Or will you ignore the evidence and choose the assumptions? The choice, and the responsibility, is yours. The trumpet has been sounded.

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