The Secret of "Silent Saturday"

In recent weeks I have seen many posts and videos on the meaning of "Silent Saturday", and the significance of this day planted between the death of Jesus on Friday and the miraculous resurrection on Sunday.

As I was reading the words, "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn" in Matthew 28, the Holy Spirit suddenly dropped a word of knowledge into my heart.  He said, "after the Sabbath, after the rest, comes the resurrection."  Wow!

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word verb שבת (shabat), which means to cease or to rest.  The Sabbath day is the last day of the week, as the Lord rested from His work on the 7th day after completing all He desired to do.  He modeled for us in the same way that we should have a day of complete rest from our work, allowing our bodies, minds and hearts to cease from toil.  However, after the death of Jesus, the Lord again modeled how we ought to rest from our work, by reversing the order in which we rest and work. 

Before the cross, the work came before the rest came.  We had to work and toil, labor and spin, before we were able to take a break.  But under the new covenant, Jesus demonstrated that HE accomplished the work for us, and we spend our first day of the week (Sunday) at rest with Him before we head off to work for the rest of the week.  Under the shadow of the cross, we rest then we work.  Isn't He amazing?

But what the Holy Spirit also pointed out to me, was that we have to learn how to rest in Him, with Him, before we will see the miracle of Sunday.  When we're walking with Him, there will be many deaths that we experience.  Our plans, purpose, desires and will, hopes and dreams, often die as we get closer and closer to Him.  The process of sanctification that the author of Hebrews speaks of in chapter 10, is our flesh being put to death- again and again.  Just as the body of our Lord Jesus died to save us, so our fleshly appetites die away and we are purified- inside and out.  Impurities that are lodged in our heart and mind pass away and are replaced with the saving knowledge, saving awesomeness of our Yeshua. 

Read: You Are Perfected, And Being Made Holy

The etymology of the word Sabbath points to the way we spend our time between the death of our flesh on Fridays, and the resurrection of our miracles that we are hoping to see on Sundays. 

• verb שוב (shub) tells of a reversal in motion, this verb is mostly translated to turn or return, and is often used to mean to convert or return to a more fruitful way of life, and hence to restore, to retrieve or even to abstain, to reply and to repeat
• noun שובה (shuba) means withdrawal
• noun שיבה (shiba) means restoration
• noun תשובה (teshuba) means answer

Where is your answer from the Lord found?  In returning to the presence of Jesus, being with Jesus, withdrawing from life's activities to be with Christ.  The secret of "Silent Saturday" is to rest with Jesus.  Silent Saturday is not silence from Him, it's learning to be silent with Him.

Jesus demonstrated this to us in Luke 5:15-16 "But the news about Him was spreading farther, and large crowds kept gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion]." (Amplified Version, emphasis mine)

Continuing on with our study of the word Sabbath:

• verb ישב (yashab) means to sit or to remain or dwell
• nouns שבת (shebet) and מושב (moshab) mean both seat or dwelling place
• verb שבת (shabbat) means to rest or cease activity, noun שבת (shabbat) means a rest or stoppage
• (shebbet) means cessation and is closely similar to the noun שבת (shebet), meaning seat
• verb שבה (shaba) means to take captive, or to put a halt to someone's preferred trajectory and coerce them to go somewhere else
• nouns שבי (shebi) and שביה (shibya) mean captivity or captives collectively, but with the emphasis on being moved somewhere rather than the static condition of being imprisoned
• noun שבית (shebit) or שבות (shebut) means captivity but since the parent verb speaks of a sudden change of destiny rather than a particular destination, this noun may also be used to mean restoration
•  noun שבו (shebo) describes some sort of gem, apparently a real "head-turner."

**All references found on Abarim Publications: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Sabbath.html

I saw a quote recently that went something like (I'm paraphrasing), "Growing closer to Christ is realizing that I don't have a choice at all, it's only His choice that matters."  That's why Paul wrote that he was a slave to Christ Jesus, because the act of resting in Him means being captured by the Lord completely.  If we're sitting down from our work and resting in Him, we are actively choosing to dwell in the secret place of the Most High.  We are choosing a different life that runs contrary to what the world would say we should do.

In the world, if you don't work you don't eat.  In God's economy, if you don't rest you won't fully realize the completed work He did.  When Jesus said, "it is finished," He meant it.  He was saying to you and to me, "come sit with Me and I will work for you.  Come sit with me and realize how much I have done for you."  We don't realize how much was done on our behalf if we're not dwelling with Him, captivated by His glory. 

It's in this process of resting on our "Silent Saturdays" that we realize He's never been silent at all- He's always speaking.  He's declaring His goodness over us, speaking His promises over us, encouraging us, speaking freedom and victory over us.  But unless we get quiet with Him, we won't hear Him proclaiming His awesome might over our hearts and minds.  We can't hear how much we're forgiven and free when we're so busy spinning the plans we have for our future, trying to figure out a way to get our miracle. 

As I draw closer to Christ I realize more and more, it's not about my will at all, but rather only His Will that matters for me.  Whatever He has planned for my life, I willingly open my hands to receive.  Whatever He wills, I want to be my desire too.  As I rest in Him, praise and worship Him, I realize that I have no will of my own, but only that which He purposes and promises for me.