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Shavuot: The Wedding Ceremony

5/29/2020

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​We are in another of the LORD's appointed feasts. It is Shavuot, also called the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. At this time we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai as well as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred 1500 years later in Jerusalem.

Shavuot is also the end of the counting of the Omer and the beginning of the wheat harvest. Israel's three harvests are connected to the three pilgrimage feasts; Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, and each holds prophetic significance for God's chosen people and the nations of the world.

There are great insights to be gleaned from Shavuot. In this week's blog I want to highlight ADONAI's marriage ceremony with Israel at Mount Sinai and the terms of the Marriage Contract or Ketubah as we say in Hebrew.

Let's begin with the LORD's proposal to Israel:

"Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples” (Exodus 19:5).

All of Israel  accepted by saying:  “All that ADONAI has spoken we will do!’” (Exodus 19:8).

After the proposal, the people were instructed to prepare themselves. HaShem spoke to Moses:

“Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." (Exodus 19:10-11)

Just as a bride would immerse herself in the mikvah (ceremonial washing) before her wedding and anoint herself with perfume oil, so too Israel had to wash their clothing and consecrate themselves to meet their Groom.

We read in chapter 20 of Exodus that ADONAI descended upon Mount Sinai with great thunderings, smoke and the sound of the shofar, and all of Israel heard the Ten Commandments being spoken to them.

​Interestingly, the erev rav (mixed multitude) who had come up out of Egypt with the Israelites also heard the Torah in their own language! Does this sound familiar? Indeed! At the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, all who were present heard the mysteries of God being spoken in his own language! This was also symbolic as it meant that Gentiles could also become a part of God's covenant.

​The Torah was given to the people as the terms of the marriage contract or the Ketubah. Sadly however, not long after the beautiful wedding ceremony, Israel broke their covenant with the golden calf incident. What did ADONAI do? As Moses had to ascend the mountain for a second set of stone tablets, so too did God promise a new covenant. This time however, they would not be able to break it as it would be written upon their hearts instead of stone. We find the promise of a new covenant in the book of Jeremiah:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make pa new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when qI took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, rthough I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: sI will put my law within them, and I will write it ton their hearts. uAnd I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:31-33)

Fifteen hundred years later in Jerusalem, 120 disciples were gathered in a room in the Temple. They heard the sound of a mighty rushing wind and fire descended from heaven and sat upon each person's head. Very rarely do we make the connection between Jeremiah 31 and Acts 2 but prophecy was being fulfilled. It is the Holy Spirit who writes the Torah upon the hearts of God's people. This is the New Covenant that was ratified by the Blood of Yeshua!

As believers in Yeshua, we celebrate Shavuot/Pentecost giving thanks for the Torah and the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit), as we anticipate the return of the Bridegroom!

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Shavuot Sameach!

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Lessons From The Shabbat Bread

5/22/2020

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One of the things that I look forward to on Preparation Day (Friday) is baking the traditional Jewish bread, Challah. My excitement began when ADONAI laid it on my heart that this was something that I needed to do for Shabbat. The first thing that I did was to go back to the Torah to see the significance of bread then, and also to connect it to Yeshua, who said "I am the Bread of Life."

In Jewish tradition, Challah is loaded with symbolism. It is a staple not only for Shabbat but during Jewish feasts/holidays. It recounts the Biblical story of how ADONAI provided manna for the Israelites. It is customary to have two loaves of bread on the Shabbat table, which is symbolic of the double portion of manna that the LORD provided for them on a Friday. In the days of the Temple, the people were biblically commanded to separate a portion from their dough and bring it to the priests every Shabbat. In addition it also represents the 12 ceremonial loaves that were kept in the Temple representing the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Challah is not merely about baking bread, it is a spiritual experience. It reminds me of the following:

1)HaShem is the Great Provider and He is our Source. As He provided for Israel in the wilderness, He continues to provide for His people today. It is He who causes the earth to produce for us and grants us the strength to create

2) God is a Deliverer. As He brought Israel out of the bondage of slavery, He has made a way of escape for us out of the bondage of sin and death.

3) In Scripture bread is symbolic of the Torah. The Word of God is food for the soul. Callah reminds me that If we feast upon HaShem's word it nourishes and strengthens our soul for the journey of life. In Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses, in speaking to the Israelites said:

"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord".

4) It reminds me that eternal life awaits the believer. As God gave Israel manna to physically sustain them in the wilderness, He has given us Yeshua, the Bread of Life. However unlike the manna in wilderness, those who eat from the Bread of Life will have eternal life. In John 6:32, 35 we read of a discourse between Yeshua and the people:


"Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world....Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Finally, while the challah can have varying numbers of braids, the standard braid is three. In Ecclesiastes 4:12 we read:

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

This is a reminder of our need for relationship/fellowship, first with God and then with others. It is a reminder that we have been called to walk out our faith in community.

Shabbat Shalom!









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What You May Have Missed About The Priesthood

5/8/2020

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This week's Torah portion Emor (say/speak) is from Leviticus 21:1-24:23. It contains additional instructions/purity laws for the priesthood. The Haftorah (the weekly selective reading from the Prophets) is from Ezekiel 44:15-31 which speaks of the restoration of the Levitical priesthood during Yeshua's Millennial Kingdom reign. Sadly, there are many persons who have missed this very important truth in Scripture: When Yeshua returns, there will be a restoration of all things including the Levitical priesthood.

We usually do not make the connection between this and the question that the disciples asked Yeshua in Acts 1:6 "Are you going to restore the Kingdom to Israel at this time?". The disciples knew what the Hebrew Prophets had written. Israel would become divided, they would eventually lose their sovereignty because of their disobedience, some would be exiled from the land and those who remained/returned, would be ruled by foreign powers. However Messiah would come, gather the exiles, reunite Ephraim/Israel and Judah and He (Messiah) would take His seat on David's throne.

This raises all sorts of questions, especially for those who do not see the Biblical prophecies as literal occurances. However, if we see ADONAI as the covenant keeping God, then we understand that EVERY covenant that He has made with His people are literal and are still in effect. So here are a few things that you may have missed about the priesthood

The Priestly Covenant and the Kingdom to Come

Numbers 25:1-13 tells us about the account of Phineas (Pinchas in Hebrew). He was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the High Priest, and he defended ADONAI's holiness at a time when Israel was unfaithful to Him. The LORD promised Phineas, and his descendants after him, an everlasting priesthood; a covenant of peace. During the time of Israel's united Kingdom, we learn that Zadok, a descendant of Phineas, was the Priest (1Chr 6:1-15). The Zadokites continued to serve in the Temple.

Although Israel as a nation was punished by the LORD, He never forgot or broke His covenant with them. In Jeremiah 33, we read of God's promise to restore them. This includes the kingship and the priesthood. We read:

"For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’” (Jeremiah 33:17-18)

During the Millennial reign when Israel is reunited and Yeshua sits on David's throne, the Levitical priesthood will also take their place in a rebuilt Temple. Ezekiel 44:15-31 gives us a detailed discription this. At that time, the question that the disciples asked in Acts 1:6 will become a reality - the physical Kingdom will be restored and Yeshua will be their King! But isn't Yeshua also a Priest? Absolutely - but not from the Levitical order.

The Current Priesthood

In Psalm 110:4 as well as in Hebrews 7:17, 21 we read that Yeshua is a Priest in the order of Melchizedek. The Melchizedek priesthood is a superior order that existed long before the Levitical priesthood. It is not based on one's tribe or man's appointment but is passed on from a Father to a Son. It is also eternal. As an aside, the first priest from this superior order of priesthood would be Adam - but that is for another discussion.

A closer look at Hebrews 7 shows us how Yeshua entered into the Most Holy Place once and for all and sprinkled His own blood upon the mercy seat and made atonement for our sins. Today, Yeshua is seated at the right hand of the Father, carrying out His High Priestly duties in the heavenly Tabernacle making intercession for us. He is an Eternal Priest!

As believers in Yeshua, we are a part of a royal priesthood and a holy nation in the earth (1 Peter 2:9). Our bodies are the Temple and as priests we minister before ADONAI daily. However, this does not take away from the fact that in the Millennial Kingdom, the sons of Zadok will daily offer up sacrifices before God. Why? Because God never breaks His covenant!

Shabbat Shalom!

Do you have questions on the Levitical or the Melchizedek Priesthood? Feel free to comment below or drop us a line at greaterworksapostoliccenter@gmail.com

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