How I Came Into the Knowledge of the Sabbath

By Beverly Holiday

The first inkling of Sabbath, which I only knew as Saturday, was introduced by my mother in the mid-1990s. She would make statements such as, “no I can’t shop on Sabbath”. My response was usually: “Saturday is the only day I have off; if you want me to take you shopping, Saturday is the day.”  I knew she went to church on Saturday, but she was always a little weird anyway.  Nevertheless, seeds were being planted by her example.

A few years later, I began attending a Missionary Baptist Church, and I had acquired an insatiable hunger for the Word of God. I began reading 8-10 hours a day.  I was blessed to be able to read while I worked.  One day as I was reading in my haphazard fashion, I stumbled upon Ezra and his continued references to mixed marriages.  I truly did not want to displease God, so this required further investigation.  Reaching way back to my earlier childhood, I remembered Moses had married an Ethiopian wife.  I thought to myself: let me go back to the beginning to see what happened with Moses.

Coming from a turmoiled background, the Lord has a tendency to speak into my spirit in a little less conventional fashion than He does others. As I was turning back in the Bible, God spoke into my spirit, “if you’re gonna read a book, why don’t you start at the beginning?” Thus, my quest continued for the Truth of His Word.  I found myself having read through the entire Bible in three and one-half months.

I began to ask questions regarding the clean food laws in Leviticus 11 and whether we were so sick because we did NOT keep them. Some had said that we could just pray over food and it was ok to eat – but what was this the truth? The “once saved—always saved” doctrine came into question. I had more questions than answers.

One day in the fall of 1999, I found myself a patron of a quaint little shoe repair shop in Lexington, TN. My mother had instructed me to have non-skid soles placed on her shoes in preparation for her granddaughters (my nieces) wedding.  The owner, a kind and direct man I came to know and love was Marvin Ison.  He directed our conversation to “What is sin”?  My response was: “Anything going against the Book?” I noticed that his Bible was laying on the counter.  He replied, “Can you be more specific?”  I hesitantly mumbled, “Does it have anything to do with the Ten Commandments?”  He exclaimed, “EVERYTHING”.

That well-worn Bible went to splitting open and I learned more in an hour from him than I had learned from studying on my own for the last three and one-half years in the Baptist Church. He invited me to Bible Study the following Friday night and the rest is history.

The TRUTH took me in hook, line and sinker. I continued attending Bible studies and Sabbath services, growing in the knowledge of HIM.  For the last years of my mother’s life, we were able to share and celebrate Sabbath and Holy Days together.  Thank God for her perseverance and prayers.  I continue to hold to these TRUTHS, following that narrow path that leads to His soon coming KINGDOM.