2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Yesterday, we began a journey through the Scriptures that I was prompted by the Lord to take on the subject of bread. The Lord has had a lot to say on its meaning to us, so today we will continue. EX 16 tells the story of the manna and the quails. The Hebrews are wandering in the desert at this point, following the direction provided by God Who appeared as a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. In (4-5), the Lord appears before Moses with a most significant pronouncement. “Now I am going to cause food to rain down from the sky for all of you. The people must go out every day and gather enough for that day. In that way I can test them to see if they will follow My instructions. On the sixth day, they must bring in twice as much as usual and prepare it.” (26) “You must gather food for six days, but on the seventh day, the day of rest, there will be none.” God was responding to the complaints of the people about being taken to places where there was no food or potable water. Our own curiosity about what this food was like is taken care of in (31). “The people of Israel called the food manna. It was like a small white seed, and tasted like thing cakes made with honey.” When you look at these Scriptures to see the lessons in them for us, three important ones emerge. In (4-5), God is instituting the practice of observing the Sabbath here. God is giving the Hebrews a chance to show they can be obedient to Him, hoping to satisfying his overall purpose stated in (12), “that they will know that I am the Lord their God.” The third lesson has enormous impact for all of us. It is that what God supplies is sufficient for our needs. We should trust Him to be our Jevohah Jireh (God our Provider).
When the time finally came for Aaron and his sons to be called to the priesthood, bread played a prominent role in their ordination ceremonies. EX 29: 1-37 tells this story. God directed that Aaron and his two sons, Nadab and Abihu, were to have their lives dedicated to the service of God. This is the beginning of the Levitical priesthood, named that way because they and their descendants were from the tribe of Levi. EX 29: 2, “Use the best wheat flour, but no yeast, and make some bread with olive oil, some without it, and some in the form of thin cakes brushed with oil. Put them in the basket and offer them to Me when you sacrifice the bull and the two rams,” [God directed]. Look at the symbolism in this instruction. Since yeast symbolizes sin, there is to be none. Since olive oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit, He is to be present. Since manna was baked into the form of thin cakes, the people are to be reminded that what God provides is sufficient for their needs. God never misses a chance to convey His messages. The question we must ask is: Does mankind listen to them? Think about God’s instructions in (23-25), and ask yourself why he wants us to know them today. “From the basket of bread which has been offered to Me, take one loaf of each kind: one loaf made with olive oil and one made without it and one thin cake. Put all this food in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them dedicate it to Me as a special gift Then take it from them and burn it on the altar, on top of the burnt offering, as a food offering to Me. The odor of this offering pleases Me.” How gracious the Lord is in making clear what pleases Him! Ask yourself if you have any idea what the loaf without the olive oil might signify. Since God is present and the Holy Spirit is present, is it possible it could be the Son?
Jewish culture and festivals reflect the agricultural year in Israel. It is interesting to note that because of its climate, topography, and moisture conditions, there are actually two harvests, an early one and a later Fall harvest. In LV 23: 5-14, the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread are described. (5-8), “The Passover, celebrated to honor the Lord, begins at sunset on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day the Festival of Unleavened Bread begins, and for seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast. On the first of these days you shall gather for worship and do none of your daily work. Offer your food offerings to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day you shall again gather for worship, but you shall do none of your daily work.” The Israelites were then commanded by God to harvest their grain, offering the first sheaf of it to the priest who is then to present it the day after the Sabbath as a special offering to God. When we look to see God’s real message in this, it can be seen as life out of the ground, a foreshadowing of the burial of Christ- a message my Jewish ancestors and traditional Jews today miss.
LV 23: 15-22 reveals the Festival of the First Fruits, the Harvest Festival. (15-16), “Count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath on which you bring your sheaf of grain to present to the Lord. On the fiftieth day, the day after the seventh Sabbath, present to the Lord another new offering of grain. “ This placed the festival right at the time of the barley harvest. Note how the time lines up with Pentecost. This is no accident, Dear Ones. This is symbolic of Christ’s resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. There is another message in this festival that traditional Jews today miss. Look at 1 COR 15: 23 to see it. “But each one will be raised in his proper order: Christ, first of all; then, at the time of His coming, those who belong to Him.” Let me repeat some important examples of where Scripture interprets Scripture. RO 6: 4, “By our baptism then, we were buried with Him and shared His death in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.” RO 8: 29-30, “Those whom God had already chosen He also set apart to become like His Son, so that the Son would be the first among many brothers. And so, those whom God set apart, He called; and those He called He put right with Himself, and He shared His glory with them.”
PRAYER: O Lord, You have commanded us to observe the Sabbath and to be obedient to You. Your righteousness in both agenda and actions is perfect and unparalleled. You have asked us to turn from sinful ways. The sacrifice of Your Son on the cross makes forgiveness and salvation available to us. You grace us with the presence in our lives of Your three persons and direct us to listen to Your messages. How richly You deserve our faith, obedience, and love! We thank, worship, and praise You in humble adoration. In Christ’s name, amen.
God is delivering on His promise to me to make this journey a worthwhile one. I hope you agree. Tomorrow, we will continue on our way through more of His divine revelations on the subject of bread. Peter and I want you to know that God loves you and so do we.
Grace Be With You Forever,
Lynn