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The name
of this parasha is “Va-yak-hel” - “and he (meaning
Moses) assembled”. Moses had come down a second
time from Mount Sinai. He had been on Mount Sinai
for a second forty days and forty nights, drawing
near to God, and receiving God’s laws and teachings
for Israel.
He came
down the second time, with the new pair of stone
tablets of the Ten Commandments. This was the
copy of the first set that Moses had ruined when
he came down the first time, and saw most of Israel
worshiping the golden calf. When he saw that,
Moses threw the Two Tablets, written by the finger
of God, from his hand, and they were shattered
at the foot of the mountain.
When Moses
came down among the people this second time, the
Torah records that his face was shining, because
he had been in the presence of the God of glory,
and the face of Moses reflected some of the glory
of God, just as face of the moon reflects the
glory of the mighty sun. And, we will radiate
the glory of God the closer we draw near to Him
and His Son, praying, worshiping, studying, witnessing,
fellowshipping, serving.
Va-yak-hel
- then Moses assembled all the Adat B’nai
Yisrael - the congregation of the sons of Israel
and said to them, "These are the things that the
Lord has commanded you to do. And what is
the first thing Moses mentions? The Sabbath. For
six days work may be done, but on the seventh
day you shall have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete
rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it
shall be put to death. You shall not kindle a
fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day."
Perhaps
the Sabbath is listed first because it is so important
for the life of the Holy People. It is kodesh
- special, unique, holy. A Holy God demands a
Holy People, with Holy Priests, serving in a Holy
House, within which is a Holy Place, in which
is a Most Holt Place. There is also a Holy Day
- the Sabbath, which is set apart to accomplish
God’s special purposes. What are some of those
holy purposes?
Shabbat
gives us lessons in holiness. The Holy God has
given us a way of holiness, with a holy book,
and holy sacrifices, with holy commands, all leading
us to the Holy Messiah, who with His Holy Spirit,
make us truly holy. The Sabbath helps us understand
that it is the Lord who makes us holy. We don’t
make ourselves holy.
It helps
us remember the Creator and His mighty work of
creation. At the beginning of the Shabbat, when
the sun starts setting, we should consider what
a great God we have, who made this incredible
and beautiful universe, and everything in it,
in just six literal days. We understand that the
Creator is independent of His creation. He existed
before it. He is almighty, infinite in knowledge,
wisdom and goodness. This is so important, especially
as our society drifts away from Biblical values
and denies the Creator and creations. The Sabbath
helps us in our fight against secularism, humanism,
evolution and post-modernism.
The Sabbath
helps us remember that God is not only our Creator,
but also our Savior and Redeemer. God didn’t just
create the universe and then abandon it. He is
a God who intervenes in the universe to save human
beings. This great saving God saved a whole nation,
who were slaves, out from under the terrible power
of Egypt, one of the most powerful nations of
its day. Sabbath reminds us our salvation out
of Egypt. It wasn't until the Jewish people were
delivered out of Egypt that we began observing
the Sabbath.
The Sabbath
also points us to the salvation found in the Messiah,
who called Himself the "Lord of the Sabbath."
As the Lord of the Sabbath, He is able to give
us His rest, as He promised when He said, "Come
to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and
I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart;
and you shall find rest for your souls" (Matthew
11:28-29). The rest Messiah provides is daily;
it's acquired by faith, not self-effort. The secret
of victorious living is that we learning to rest
in Him and His perfect work! As we trust Him,
abide in Him, believe in Him, and as we rest in
Him, He works through us, giving us moment by
moment victory and success!
The Sabbath
reminds us of the future completion of all things.
There will be a completion to history; there will
be a fulfillment to salvation. There is a tradition
that the seven days of creation are symbolic of
seven thousand years of human history. As is typical
for a normal week, the first six thousand years
would be full of work and weariness. But the Sabbath
represents a future time when the Messiah will
rule over the entire world, which will enjoy one
thousand years of salvation, peace, wholeness,
and rest. When the Garden of Eden blooms again
on Earth, Shabbat will be there. And, after the
Millennium, there will be an eternal Sabbath that
awaits us in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
The Sabbath
reminds us of the unseen and the spiritual. Human
beings are prone to be engrossed by the things
of this world so that they forget the spiritual.
There is to be one day in seven that we are forbidden
to think of the things of the world and encouraged
to think of things unseen and eternal.
The Sabbath
helps free us from materialism and greed. Man
need not be subject to work as though work was
the dominating force in our lives. God knew that
there was a danger of working ceaselessly for
material things until you burnt yourself out so
much so that you can't enjoy them. God command
us to stop working, stop acquiring wealth, stop
reaching for more and more material things and
reach for the spiritual instead. So, He gave us
one special day to be grateful, not greedy. It’s
a day for freedom from work, from human exploitation,
from over-attachment to things.
&Shabbat
reminds us that life is not about working all
the time. There are six days for that, but life
is also about resting, thinking about our great
God, and enjoying the good things in life that
our good Creator has blessed us with - Himself,
our families and a good religious community, the
ability to enjoy good fine, good wine. It’s about
considering Him, and thanking Him for all these
good gifts.
Making
a commitment to observe the Sabbath can increase
our faith. We will understand that the universe
will not fall apart if we take a day off. God
is in control and He will provide for our needs,
both physically and spiritually. Our faith is
in Him, not in our own ability to provide for
ourselves.
Not only
does your soul needs to rest, but so does your
body. It needs to be refreshed as well. We need
time when the cares of this world are eliminated.
No work, no boss, no bills, no fixing broken faucets.
It is like an oasis of peace in the middle of
a hectic life. The Sabbat is to be a break from
the routine of work. By the prohibition of all
work the Sabbath provides rest for all those on
whom the curse has fallen. It helps soften the
curse.
The Sabbath
can strengthen the family. The average American
father spends little time each day with his children.
This can produce angry, damaged adults. As the
family faces more and more pressures in our fast
paced society, as homes are left in shambles,
as we are vulnerable to more and more bad influences,
we need extra protection. A family that spends
Shabbat together will be a happier home, a blessed
home, with children who are blessed.
The Sabbath
is an “ot” a sign between Israel and God. It is
a sign pointing us to Israel’s unique relationship
to God. We were to be distinguished as Sabbath
keeping people among all the nations on earth
(Exodus 31:13-17, Ezekiel 20:12).
The Sabbath
also reminds us of the Breet Olam - the eternal
covenant between God and Israel. God has created
and chosen the Jewish people, and this relationship,
where He will be our God, and we will be His people,
will last forever. The Sabbath is at the heart
of this covenant. Observing it is part of our
covenant obligation with God. It is to be observed
It is to be perpetually observed, eternally celebrated,
throughout our generations, including our generation.
“But Rabbi
Loren, Israel has sinned so often. From the golden
calf, to the rejection of the Messiah, the majority
of the Jewish people have not been faithful to
God. Hasn’t that covenant been broken? Do we still
need to keep the Sabbath?” Remember the words
of the Lord found in the book of the prophet Jeremiah:
Thus
says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by
day (that’s power!) and the fixed order
of the moon and the stars for light by night
( that’s intelligence, that’s design, that’s beauty,
that’s power) who stirs up the sea so that
its waves roar (that’s more evidence of His
great power); Adonai Tz’vaot - the Lord of
hosts is His name: Adonai, the One who is
who He is, who has absolute being, existence,
reality, and life in Himself. He is the eternal
and all-existing God. He is without beginning
and without end because He always is. He has being
inherent in Himself. Everything else derives its
being from Him. Our life, our existence, is completely,
totally dependent on Him.
But not
only is He Adonai, He is Adonai Tz’vaot - the
Lord of Armies. He is the most powerful Being
in the universe, the most powerful force in the
universe. He is the supreme Commander in Chief
of the millions of powerful angels in Heaven and
the forces of His people on Earth, and all the
forces of nature and creation. Does He have the
power and the ability to fulfill His word and
His promises regarding the nations of Israel?
Absolutely! Completely! Most assuredly!
The Lord
continues: “If this fixed order departs from
before Me," declares the Lord (and it won’t),
“Then the offspring of Israel also will cease
from being a nation before Me forever." (And
we won’t - we will never cease from being a special
nation in the mind, heart, plans and councils
of this Supreme God).
Thus
says the Lord, "If the heavens above can be measured
(and they can’t be explored by man. We have no
starship capable of going Warp 10 that will enable
us to explore and measure the farthest reaches
of the universe) and the foundations of the
Earth searched out below (and they won’t be
- no human exploratory team will make it to the
center of the Earth) then I will also cast
off all the offspring of Israel for all that they
have done," declares the Lord.
In spite
of our sins, Israel still has a covenant relationship
with God, and therefore the Sabbath is an essential
part of a healthy Jewish life, including a Messianic
Jewish life. I know that in my own life, it has
become, and continues to become, even more important.
I want so much that all Jewish Believers everywhere
would really take this seriously, and enter into
the importance and the blessings of the Sabbath.
And, I am also delighted when my non-Jewish brothers
join me, setting this day apart, making it special,
wanting to draw nearer to the God of Israel and
His Chosen Nation.
The Sabbath
is not a burden but a precious gift. The Sabbath
was made for man (Mark 2:27). Isn’t is nice when
someone makes something special for you? Shabbat
is a custom made gift for us, given to us by our
Heavenly Father. It is meant to be a joyful festival,
a celebration, with the best meals of the week,
the best foods, the best drinks, rest, worship,
time with family, time with friends, time with
God. It is a wonderful gift from God to us.
It is
Shabbat Shabbaton - a Sabbath of complete rest
to the Lord; no ordinary work is to be done.
This Shabbat
Shabbaton is “Lah Adonai” - it’s for the Lord.
It’s not just about you. It’s deeply connected
to God. Before the Sabbath starts, can I recommend
that we pray, “Lord, this day is Lah Adonai -
it’s for You. What do You want to accomplish this
day? What good and spiritual purposes do you have
in store for me, my family, my congregation? Lord,
this day is for You. What can I do? How can I
help You today?”
To show
us how serious this commandment is for Israel,
the Lord says that whoever does any work on
it shall be put to death. You don’t put someone
to death for a misdemeanor, for a small violation,
but the Sabbath is a “biggie”. It’s really important.
You
shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings
on the Sabbath day. I don’t think that this
command is teaching us that we can’t enjoy light
or fire on the Sabbath, as some Jewish sects have
understood it to mean. It seems to have to do
with the family cooking and baking (see Exodus
12:16 and 16:23). Just as a double portion of
the manna was collected on Friday, but not collected
on Shabbat, so too we should make extra preparations
on the Day of Preparation before the Sabbath.
All the work that goes into ordinary food preparation
and cooking should be avoided. Those who make
the meals for the family need a rest too!
Next,
Moses moves on to the building of the Mishkan.
He had received the plan to build the Mishkan
from the Lord Himself, while up on Mount Sinai.
The earthly tabernacle was a copy of the Temple
in Heaven, which is where God is present and is
manifested in a much greater way.
Moses
spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel,
saying, "This is the thing which the Lord has
commanded, saying, 'Take from among you a t’rumah
- an offering, a contribution to the Lord;
whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it
as the Lord's contribution
And, it
this was to be a voluntary offering, only from
those whose hearts, whose innermost beings, freely
willingly wanted to give. There was no pressure
to give, no appeal letters, no taxes, no manipulations
or coercions of any kind. The same holds true
of our giving. We should want to give to and support
building the dwelling place of God on Earth in
our day - which is Messiah’s Holy Community of
Jews and Gentiles. We are God’s Temple the place
where God lives and dwells on Earth in the most
powerful way, and we should want to bring our
contributions to help build it.
And, that
is how Congregation Shema Yisrael operates. We
don’t coerce, we don’t tax. We allow those who
have willing hearts the opportunity to give. And,
when things are right, people will want to give.
The people kept bring more, and more, and more,
until there was more than enough and Moses had
to issue a command for them to stop giving.
Now, most
of the people here at Congregation Shema Yisrael
have been generous, but we’ve never reached this
place, where we’ve had to issue a command to stop
giving because there was t too much! Maybe we
will come to that place some day, but it hasn’t
happened yet!
When Moses
finished speaking, everyone whose heart stirred
him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, both
men and women, brought jewelry and items of gold
and silver and bronze, and blue, purple, and scarlet
material, and fine linen, and goats’ hair and
rams’ and porpoise skins.
And not
only were there contributions of these precious
materials, but those who had skill, like the skilled
women, spun and wove the material into a usable
form. And the special men that God raised up -
B’tzalel, Oholiav, who were master craftsman,
along with other artisans, and other skillful
persons in whom the Lord put skill and understanding,
helped build the Mishkan.
Maybe
you can’t give much - but you can give something!
Maybe you can’t do much - but please, do something!
Use whatever ability, whatever skill that you
have, to build up the Holy Community, the Temple
of God.
The materials
that the people were asked to give were valuable,
since the Mishkan was made out of precious metals
and valuable other materials. That tells us that
God is valuable, precious, and the things connected
to the Lord are likewise of great value. Are they
to you?
That brings
us to 36:8 to the end at 38:20, the details for
the actual building of the Mishkan. The curtains
and boards and veil provided boundaries. They
were designed to keep people at various distances
from God. Israelis could enter the court, but
not the Holy Place. Priests could enter the Holy
Place, but not the Most Holy Place. Only the High
Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only
on Yom Kippur. God is too holy and pure for sinful
men and women to approach directly. Access to
the dwelling presence of God, in the Most Holy
Place, was severely limited to mankind.
The precious
metals used were gold, silver and bronze. Gold
was and is the most valuable, silver the next,
and then bronze. The closer to the ark, the more
gold was used. Outside in the court, there was
more bronze. The point is that God is precious,
and the closer we get to Him, the more we realize
how beautiful, how valuable, how precious the
Glorious One is. Do you?
In the
Most Holy Place of the Mishkan was the Ark and
the Ark Cover. This is the exact location where
God most especially and powerfully dwelt on Planet
Earth. Atop the Ark was the Ark Cover, with two
golden Cherubim, their wings touching each other.
Just as in Heaven, the Living Being, and the Cherubim
and Seraphim, surround and protect the throne
of God, so from above the Ark Cover, the Creator
would manifest His Presence on Earth.
Inside
the Aron were the two tablets of the Ten Commandments,
Aaron's rod that budded, and a golden jar with
manna. The Two Tablets tell us that the God of
Israel is a God of law and justice. His laws are
of central importance to Him. If we are going
to have any kind of genuine relationship with
God, it will only happen on the basis of His laws.
We must come to Him on His terms - there is no
other way. The demands of His Torah must be met
- not bypassed. If you violate God's laws, ignore
them or try to circumvent them, you will not dwell
with God. It’s that simple.
The golden
jar with manna reminded us that God promised to
supernaturally provide for His people - even in
a desert wilderness. Just as He miraculously provided
for Israel, so He will provide for us too!
Aaron's
rod tells us that we need a God-appointed, God-ordained
mediator to approach God for us. Man in his fallen
state cannot enter the Presence of God. Sin has
damaged us too deeply to approach the presence
of God directly. We can't approach Him directly
ourselves, and we can't appoint anyone we please.
The Golden
Table, which held bread and wine, speaks to us
of God's provision. God will provide for the spiritual
and physical needs of His people. It also speaks
of chah-vay-root - fellowship. Eating together
has always represented sharing and friendship.
The God of Israel wants to be intimate with us,
sharing in our lives, so that we are His friends.
Are you?
The Golden
Seven Branched Menorah, which gave light for the
priests to serve the Lord in the Holy Place, tells
us that God and the source of truth and victory.
Let me point out that the seven cups that held
the oil were shaped like almond blossoms. That
tells me that some of God’s light shines to us
in nature. God reveals Himself to us in the beautiful
creation, in the flowers, the trees. Creation
reveals His power, His glory, His artistry, His
subtlety, His intelligence. I love trying to discover
something about God as I observe nature. Do you
look for it? I do, and it greatly enriches my
life.
The Golden
Altar of Incense, on which every morning, and
every evening, k’toret samim - fragrant spices
were burned on it, ascending upward to Heaven,
teaches us that God does listen to the prayers
of His people. He is a who hears, enjoys and answers
the good prayers and praises of His sons and daughters.
Our prayers and praises should ascend to God at
the beginning and at the end of every day.
The Bronze
altar teaches us that God is a God who provides
atonement through the sacrifices, ultimately the
Final Sacrifice of the Son of God.
The Bronze
Wash Basin was made from the bronze mirrors given
by the women who served the Lord at the doorway
of the Mishkan. Godly women are great, and have
a special place. Godly women should be moving
from vanity to purity, from the physical to the
spiritual, from outward beauty to inward beauty.
The Mishkan
is gone. Everything in it is missing or destroyed.
We have no High Priest with his beautiful clothes,
with the ephod, the Urim and Tumim. The other
sons of Aaron, the other priests, are not serving.
There are no sacrifices being offered to make
atonement. No fragrant spices. But Messiah, who
is the Substance to which the Shadows pointed,
remains. He is serving in the True Temple, the
Greater Temple, which is in Heaven itself. In
fact, He is our Temple, where God most fully dwells
and manifests His presence among human beings.
And He enable us to become part of the Temple
of God.
He is
our Ark, the place where God and man meet. He
is like the Veil: He opens the way to God for
all mankind. He is like the Table: He provides
us with the Bread of Life, and the Wine of Joy.
He is our Golden Altar, making our prayers rise
up and ascend into the presence of God, and be
accepted by Him. He is our Golden Menorah, who
gives us blazing light, total victory and the
fullness of salvation, and the knowledge of God.
He is our Bronze Altar, where the Ultimate Sacrifice
- Himself, was offered, bring us Final Atonement.
Like the Bronze Wash Basin, He cleanses us. He
is our Great and Holy High Priest, and, He makes
us a kingdom of priests, giving each one of us
skills and abilities to serve God. Do you know
Him? Do you trust Him? Do you have Him? Are you
serving Him?
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