The 8th day: Abraham, Sarah, Hagar & you

Today is the appointed time of the eighth day. It’s a Biblical Holy-day / holiday that Yahweh God Himself established and first introduced in Leviticus 23. It is not a Jewish Holy day or a religious holiday. Rather it is a day sanctified by the Most High God for all of His people to reunite with Him. Some Bibles translate them as “Feast Days”.

No one knows the full depth of the meaning of the Eighth Day. However, I do know that the more I come into alignment with the things of God, the more I realize how lacking I am without Him, and how infinite He is all of the time.

God is infinite
What causes a daisy to bloom in the spring,? Exactly how do you take a breath? What causes clouds to stay in the sky?

Sure, we have scientific explanations for these things, but the best of these explanations are limited and finite. The reality is, by God, all things consist.

In the scriptures, God says, “My ways are higher than your ways”. We can’t even begin to grasp the vastness of His ways. So the best thing you can do is trust in Him, embrace His ways, and live life according to His plans and purposes.

Eight is “new beginnings”
In regards to the Eighth Day, you are probably aware that eight is the number of new beginnings. What a blessing it is to know that the Scriptures reveal to us that His mercies are new every morning. So in a sense, in a very, very real sense, you can experience the eighth day every day.

It is important to remember the Appointed Times of God, the holy days / holidays are not the goal. Rather they are memorials to the goal. They are road signs saying “go this way”.

Why celebrate the Eighth Day?
Certainly you are not “forced” to participate in the Biblical Appointed Times as expressed in Leviticus 23. However, if you want life, you might not want to make the same choice that Adam did. If you want to live life, you might look to Adam and decide instead to go the way of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, Andrew, and Bartholomew. They were not perfect but their hearts were turned toward God. That’s the way I have chosen to go and I hope that it is the way you choose to go as well.

Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael
In Genesis 12 through 17 we have the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael.

When Abraham was called out of his home country he was told to leave his family. Instead, be brought some of them along. However, even though Abraham didn’t follow God’s directions perfectly it is clear that Abraham had a heart after God. Because of this, God blessed him. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. It wasn’t what Abraham had accomplished. Rather it was what God had decreed and the state of Abraham’s heart. That’s the bottom line.

God chose Abraham just as He has chosen you. As God told Abraham, “get up out of your country, leave the things that are comfortable and seek after me”. Praise God: Eventually, that is what did. God is saying the same thing to you today.

Choose Life
Leave behind all of the distractions. God is saying “Do whatever you need to do to get right with me”.

Ishmael means “son of faithlessness”. In the book of Galatians Apostle Paul identifies Ishmael as “a son of the flesh”. Do you have any “sons according to the flesh” in your life? What I mean by that is “do you have any fruit from your tree that is birthed from the flesh rather than God’s Spirit?

The Eighth Day is a day of new beginnings. However, if you’re going to experience a new beginning with God, then it’s going to require humility, patience, and endurance. It’s going to require waiting on God.

Chose the God way!
I used to go forward in life and hope God would hop on my train. It would go something like this: “God, I’m going to____________ . Do you want to come with me?

Of course the answer would usually be a resounding “No… I have other things that I want to do: But, when you want to get on My program, you’re welcome. I’m thankful that I was eventually able to figure that out.

Abraham was 75 years old when God called him to leave his home. He was 86 when Ishmael was born. He was 99 when he was circumcised, and he was 100 years old when Isaac was born.

Sarah’s womb had been “shut up”. She was restrained from childbearing. Sarah didn’t wait for her “Eight Day”. She didn’t wait for God’s promise of a son of her body to manifest. She made arrangements with Hagar before God was ready to work it out; before the day of new beginnings came around for her. She chose to recruit Hagar to fulfill her responsibility and receive her blessing.

God forgives and blesses too if we are humble
Later on, even after Sarah had made a colossal mistake that even affected all of the world for all of time, God demonstrated his mercy and Grace upon Sarah. Genesis 17:16.

God granted Sarah an “Eighth Day”; a new beginning. Hebrews, 11:13 says “these all died in the faith, not having received the promise”: But praise God – you have received the promise of life and it’s available to you right now.

While the Eight Day memorializes our “new beginning” in Yeshua you don’t have to wait for it. It is available to you now.

When the King of Kings enjoins your life all things become new.

So embrace the Eighth day. Embrace the new beginning that you have available, in your life, today. His mercies are new every morning.

Blessings in Yeshua, 
Parson Rayphe
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