Daily Bible Portion (Sunday)
Daily Bible Portion -1 of 7
"AND HE ASSEMBLED"
(Weekly Reading>> Exodus 35:1-38:20, 1 Kings 7:13-26, Hebrews 9:1-14)
Review: We draw to the close of the book of Exodus with these next two studies. In Exodus we have studied the journey of the Israelites from a world of slavery in Egypt to being the betrothed Bride of Yahweh at Mount Sinai. After exchanging vows and sharing the cup of the Covenant, Moses was ushered into Yahweh’s Presence on the mountain for forty days and forty nights to receive the plans of the Bridal Chamber for Israel. This Bridal Chamber is the shadow of the true tabernacle/mishkan, and in many ways, a representation of the Messiah as well. It was not soon after Moses departed that the betrothed Bride broke her Wedding vow and adulterated herself before another god who was in the form of a golden calf. When Moses returned and saw this, he broke the tablets of the Marriage Covenant in the same place that they had made their original vows to Yahweh. After cleaning the camp of idol worship and the loss of three thousand lives in the plague that followed, the people witnessed Moses once again coming into the Presence of Yahweh. With the camp restored, the hearts of those who remained were moved to worship. Through Yahweh’s grace, Moses returned with a new set of tablets outlining the ketubah inscribed by the finger of Yahweh restoring the Israelites once again.
The Sabbath - Exodus 35:1-3
Up to this point, the people of Israel still had not heard what Yahweh shared with Moses the first time when he was up Mount Sinai those forty days and nights. He assembled the whole community to receive the words Yahweh shared, which began with the instruction for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a guideline for the Bride, as every seven days she is to be faithful to rest during this appointed time with her Bridegroom. The Sabbath is affectionately called the wedding ring and is a test to see if she will be a loyal Bride. Thus the Sabbath begins the teaching of the tabernacle/ mishkan , the Bridal Chamber . Without the Sabbath, there is no Bridal Chamber.
The Sabbath not only represents the seventh day, but also Yahweh’s Feast Days. In the Spring, the first and last day of the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread are both High Holy Sabbaths. Fifty days later, the Feast of Pentecost/Shavuot is also a High Holy Sabbath.
In the Fall, the Sabbath ushers in the prophetic Day of Blowing Trumpets or Yom Teruah, which falls on the New Moon Festival. This feast points the Bride to her wedding day ten days later called the Day of Atonement aka Yom Kippur, also a Sabbath. Five days after the wedding is the first day of the seven day Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot (the wedding reception), also a Sabbath. The Feast of Tabernacles closes with an extra day called the Eighth Day or New Beginnings. Shemini Atzeret is likened to the Bridegroom asking the Bride to linger one extra day with Him after all the wedding guests have returned home. This extra day is a Sabbath and is as a thousand years representing the 7000th year/Messianic Era – back to The Garden (Hebrews 3:1-4:16; 2 Peter 3:8).
The true Believer (Bride of Yeshua) wants to be found celebrating and keeping the Sabbath days holy, undefiled by activities such as work (trade and commerce) or by doing his or her own personal thing like shopping, yard work, garage sales, baseball games or other common preoccupations. The Bride is to set the Sabbath and Yahweh’s Feasts apart as holy. Six days she is to do all her work with this one day called Sabbath devoted entirely to being with her Bridegroom, the joy of her life. The Sabbath sets Yeshua’s Bride apart from all other associations.
Offerings - Exodus 35:4-5
After the instructions regarding Sabbath, Moses shared regarding the offerings and materials the children of Israel were to bring for the building of the tabernacle. They did not need to worry about where these would come from, as Yahweh had originally given the Israelites the resources to build the tabernacle when they left Egypt. This gave the people an opportunity to offer from the abundance they had. There was one condition: Yahweh would only accept the offerings if they were given from a willing heart . Those hearts that were truly circumcised would have the freedom to freely give to Him. An uncircumcised, compromised heart, one that was not totally surrendered to Yahweh, would not be able to give freely. Hard hearts have a rebellious nature. There would be conditions attached or justification for keeping what they had. This is idolatry. Unforgiveness and bitterroot judgments constrict and restrain the heart from walking freely in Yahweh’s will. The stone tablets represented the people’s stony hearts. Believers are to desire a heart that is after the Spirit life of Torah (Yeshua) realized through the redemptive process. The offerings given freely reveal what type of heart the people had. This is why Yahweh was looking for the free will offerings; offerings which had no conditions attached.
Current reports reveal that less than two percent of believers fulfill the commandment for freewill offerings or tithes. Of that percentage only a few give consistently. Some hold back portions for personal reasons or justify by giving it to an outside cause. Many do not understand redemption. The offerings are a redemptive act . A heart that is conditional is not redeemed and cannot build the tabernacle. If the offerings are based on conditions such as performance of leadership or a receipt for tax benefits or any reason outside of being exclusively given to Yahweh, then there is no foundation for the tabernacle to be built on. Yahweh’s house is not built on attitudes or conditions, as the whole tabernacle is built on a foundation of redemption.
Redemption is a free gift from our Messiah. Yahweh has given us the building materials to walk out His redemption. The Israelites in Exodus 35 gave from the abundance of what Yahweh had already given them. It was never theirs to begin with; but was a gift. If we understand this principle of the tabernacle and the house we are to build for Him, then there will always be enough in our storehouses to freely give. This is the redemptive lifestyle of Yeshua (Ezekiel 36:24-32).
continues tomorrow...
"AND HE ASSEMBLED"
(Weekly Reading>> Exodus 35:1-38:20, 1 Kings 7:13-26, Hebrews 9:1-14)
Review: We draw to the close of the book of Exodus with these next two studies. In Exodus we have studied the journey of the Israelites from a world of slavery in Egypt to being the betrothed Bride of Yahweh at Mount Sinai. After exchanging vows and sharing the cup of the Covenant, Moses was ushered into Yahweh’s Presence on the mountain for forty days and forty nights to receive the plans of the Bridal Chamber for Israel. This Bridal Chamber is the shadow of the true tabernacle/mishkan, and in many ways, a representation of the Messiah as well. It was not soon after Moses departed that the betrothed Bride broke her Wedding vow and adulterated herself before another god who was in the form of a golden calf. When Moses returned and saw this, he broke the tablets of the Marriage Covenant in the same place that they had made their original vows to Yahweh. After cleaning the camp of idol worship and the loss of three thousand lives in the plague that followed, the people witnessed Moses once again coming into the Presence of Yahweh. With the camp restored, the hearts of those who remained were moved to worship. Through Yahweh’s grace, Moses returned with a new set of tablets outlining the ketubah inscribed by the finger of Yahweh restoring the Israelites once again.
The Sabbath - Exodus 35:1-3
Up to this point, the people of Israel still had not heard what Yahweh shared with Moses the first time when he was up Mount Sinai those forty days and nights. He assembled the whole community to receive the words Yahweh shared, which began with the instruction for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a guideline for the Bride, as every seven days she is to be faithful to rest during this appointed time with her Bridegroom. The Sabbath is affectionately called the wedding ring and is a test to see if she will be a loyal Bride. Thus the Sabbath begins the teaching of the tabernacle/ mishkan , the Bridal Chamber . Without the Sabbath, there is no Bridal Chamber.
The Sabbath not only represents the seventh day, but also Yahweh’s Feast Days. In the Spring, the first and last day of the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread are both High Holy Sabbaths. Fifty days later, the Feast of Pentecost/Shavuot is also a High Holy Sabbath.
In the Fall, the Sabbath ushers in the prophetic Day of Blowing Trumpets or Yom Teruah, which falls on the New Moon Festival. This feast points the Bride to her wedding day ten days later called the Day of Atonement aka Yom Kippur, also a Sabbath. Five days after the wedding is the first day of the seven day Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot (the wedding reception), also a Sabbath. The Feast of Tabernacles closes with an extra day called the Eighth Day or New Beginnings. Shemini Atzeret is likened to the Bridegroom asking the Bride to linger one extra day with Him after all the wedding guests have returned home. This extra day is a Sabbath and is as a thousand years representing the 7000th year/Messianic Era – back to The Garden (Hebrews 3:1-4:16; 2 Peter 3:8).
The true Believer (Bride of Yeshua) wants to be found celebrating and keeping the Sabbath days holy, undefiled by activities such as work (trade and commerce) or by doing his or her own personal thing like shopping, yard work, garage sales, baseball games or other common preoccupations. The Bride is to set the Sabbath and Yahweh’s Feasts apart as holy. Six days she is to do all her work with this one day called Sabbath devoted entirely to being with her Bridegroom, the joy of her life. The Sabbath sets Yeshua’s Bride apart from all other associations.
Offerings - Exodus 35:4-5
After the instructions regarding Sabbath, Moses shared regarding the offerings and materials the children of Israel were to bring for the building of the tabernacle. They did not need to worry about where these would come from, as Yahweh had originally given the Israelites the resources to build the tabernacle when they left Egypt. This gave the people an opportunity to offer from the abundance they had. There was one condition: Yahweh would only accept the offerings if they were given from a willing heart . Those hearts that were truly circumcised would have the freedom to freely give to Him. An uncircumcised, compromised heart, one that was not totally surrendered to Yahweh, would not be able to give freely. Hard hearts have a rebellious nature. There would be conditions attached or justification for keeping what they had. This is idolatry. Unforgiveness and bitterroot judgments constrict and restrain the heart from walking freely in Yahweh’s will. The stone tablets represented the people’s stony hearts. Believers are to desire a heart that is after the Spirit life of Torah (Yeshua) realized through the redemptive process. The offerings given freely reveal what type of heart the people had. This is why Yahweh was looking for the free will offerings; offerings which had no conditions attached.
Current reports reveal that less than two percent of believers fulfill the commandment for freewill offerings or tithes. Of that percentage only a few give consistently. Some hold back portions for personal reasons or justify by giving it to an outside cause. Many do not understand redemption. The offerings are a redemptive act . A heart that is conditional is not redeemed and cannot build the tabernacle. If the offerings are based on conditions such as performance of leadership or a receipt for tax benefits or any reason outside of being exclusively given to Yahweh, then there is no foundation for the tabernacle to be built on. Yahweh’s house is not built on attitudes or conditions, as the whole tabernacle is built on a foundation of redemption.
Redemption is a free gift from our Messiah. Yahweh has given us the building materials to walk out His redemption. The Israelites in Exodus 35 gave from the abundance of what Yahweh had already given them. It was never theirs to begin with; but was a gift. If we understand this principle of the tabernacle and the house we are to build for Him, then there will always be enough in our storehouses to freely give. This is the redemptive lifestyle of Yeshua (Ezekiel 36:24-32).
Isaiah 66:1-2 “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool, where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?” (Hebrews 3:1-4:13)
continues tomorrow...