Connecting Shabbat to the Work of the Messiah Shabbat lesson Part I I. We know that observance of Shabbat is one of the most important mitzvot (commandments). Sadly, many of us do not understand how the Shabbat relates to the work of the Messiah. Lets look again at the verse describing the redemption at the Red Sea: Moses said to the people, Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of YHWH that He will perform for you today...YHWH will make war for you, and you shall remain silent (Exodus 14:13a, emphasis mine). Other translations of the phrase Stand fast, include, stand still, and stand where you are. Now put on your thematic thinking cap. Do you see the thematic connection between stand still and Shabbat? Moses just told the Israelites to stand still. In other words, dont do anything, no action, no work, cease, desist, rest, sit back… SHABBAT! In fact, he went on to say dont even talk. No actions, no words. Just look. The picture the Torah draws for us is this. When Adonai redeemed His people at the Red Sea, he told them to sit back and rest (Shabbat) while you watch My salvation, because Im going to do it all! So likewise, we are to cease from our own works and rest in the finished work of the Messiah! He secured salvation for us. There was nothing we could do to save ourselves. Yahshua did it all, with an outstretched arm on the execution stake. The ultimate fulfillment of the Shabbat occurs when we rest in the finished work of the Messiah! Part II I. Weve seen in previous studies that the Torah uses the sign of resurrection and deliverance from death unto life to signal to us that we are about to get a taste of the person and work of the Messiah. This weeks Torah portion makes another connection between the work of the Messiah and Shabbat. A. Read the seventh Parsha, Shemot(Exodus) 15:22 - 15:26—Where were the children of Israel traveling for three days? What is the wilderness a picture of? What is water a picture of? Relate these themes to the fact that Moses threw a tree into the waters of Marah to make them drinkable. 1. This story teaches the theme of life from death. The desert is a place of death. The waters (life) at Marah were bitter and couldnt be drunk (death). But, after traveling three days in a place of death, and after arriving at dead waters, the waters are made alive by casting a tree into them! Sounds like a… Tree of Life! This is a familiar theme—life from death and the number three—and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it signals to us that we are about to learn something about the Messiah. It teaches us that the Messiah is the source of life-giving waters. As confirmation, see John 4:13-14;40 and John 7:37-39.41 B. In the next story, the children of Israel complain because they dont have any food. But Adonai provides manna from heaven. This event also has Messianic significance. See John 6:32, 34 and 49-51 and I Corinthians 10:342. C. As we saw earlier, the Torah teaches that Shabbat is a rest we enter through the work of the Messiah. We rest in His finished work. 1. What Messianic picture is the Torah trying to convey by having Yahuah provide bread and water to the children of Israel? Therefore, we conclude that the provision of bread and water is a work of the Messiah. 2. By providing daily bread for the Israelites six days out of the week and a double portion on the sixth day, which commandment was Yahuah trying to teach Israel? This then, is another teaching that thematically links the work of the Messiah to Shabbat! It is the work of the Messiah to give us the bread and water of life. It is our responsibility to rest in His finished work. We must rest from our labors and allow Him to complete the good work He has begun. Shabbat Shalom Family*
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:32:55 +0000
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