Torah Cycle for Markh 1, 2008
by Paul Sides
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22 |
And He Assembled |
Exodus 35:1–38:20, I Kings 7:13–26 & 40–50, II Corinthians 9:1-15 |
3/01/08 (Adar I 24) |
This Torah Cycle is YHVH’s instruction to build first His Physical Tabernacle then ultimately His Physical Temple through the individual contributions of the children of Israel as they had been enriched by YHVH to do so. After we read in Exodus the construction of the Tabernacle/Ark we read in 1 Kings the construction of the Temple and how YHVH’s people contributed to these structures. Then we read in 1 Corinthians how we now are enriched in every way to perform our individual role in the Kingdom as members of the body to supply our part in taking care of the needs of the saints.
How does 1 Corinthians tie in to the Torah reading which was concerning the building of YHVH’s Tabernacle and Temple? The physical Temple was a “type” or “shadow” or “physical metaphor” of the ultimate Spiritual House of YHVH or Temple of YHVH which is the human body of His redeemed sons. For an in depth analysis of how the Temple was built to foreshadow the redeemed human form, see:
http://www.kingsolomonsastonishingtemplesecrets.org/
Just as YHVH had enriched ancient Israel to build His physical Tabernacle and Temple and individually blessed men with special skills, so too YHVH has enriched us Spiritually to contribute as living stones in the on-going construction of His final Spiritual Temple or dwelling place. This is how 1 Corinthians ties into the Torah Cycle.
Ultimately the physical Temple was destroyed after the resurrection of the body was demonstrated in the Messiah. Why? Because the physical “type” had no more need as the Spiritual had come to pass when the Chief Corner Stone was laid and fulfilled the physical portrait. After that point and from then on there has been no physical temple. Not for 2,000 years. Whether there will ever be another physical temple is not for this discussion. Yes, the physical temple was a physical “shadow” or metaphor of the greatest spiritual truth… The Tabernacle of YHVH was intended ultimately to be the individual body of His sons and the Temple of YHVH the totality of the sons of YHVH; Yahshua being the head and the rest of the sons being the body. Yahshua being the Corner Stone and the rest of the sons being living stones. This is called “The Church” but it was never intended to be a physical building. The Church is another name for the Temple of YHVH which is literally made up of the family of YHVH, built living stone upon living stone!
The New Covenant to build the Temple of YHVH
The Holy House of YHVH or Temple of YHVH in its perfect form is currently under construction. That House or Temple is the body of redeemed sons fit together and fashioned unto a Spiritual Body that will serve YHVH for eternity as His Temple through which YHVH will reign over creation. The physical Temple literally was built in the form of a human body as a "type" of what was to come... the resurrected body.
The construction of this final perfect Temple began with the resurrection of the body of the Messiah. Yahshua himself declared the beginning of this construction:
John 2:19 (New International Version)
19 Yahshua answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
What was risen in 3 days was the body of the Messiah, the Chief Corner Stone was laid and construction began. Yahshua then became the rejected stone prophesied in Psalm 118:22 that would become the corner stone of the final Temple of YHVH, and the body of the resurrected Messiah was then laid by YHVH as the Corner stone of His Holy Temple:
Luke 20:17 (New American Standard Bible)
17But
Yahshua looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:
'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone'?
1 Peter 2:6
6For
this is contained in Scripture:
"BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND
HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
Construction of YHVH’s Holy Temple then continued, after the Choice Precious Corner Stone was laid in Zion, YHVH began laying the foundation, and then building on that foundation a Holy Temple Made up of His redeemed sons:
Ephesians 2:20
20You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Yahshua Himself the chief Cornerstone.
21In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].
22In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.
Jeremiah prophesied this event, the building of the Final Spiritual Temple, as a “New Covenant” whereby each individual “stone” in YHVH’s Holy Temple would be an Ark of the New Covenant, having His Law transposed from stone tablets in a physical ark to the hearts of His redeemed sons making them living vessels or arks. These redeemed sons would be a remnant taken from among the House of Judah and the House of Israel, it would be unlike the previous covenant in that it would be Spiritual not physical:
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (Amplified Bible)
31Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,(A)
32Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was their Husband, says the Lord.
33But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
34And they will no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they will all know Me [recognize, understand, and be acquainted with Me], from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will [seriously] remember their sin no more.
No longer would the Law be contained in a physical Ark written in stone and YHVH would be known from a distance! Each redeemed son would be an Ark of His New Covenant and know Him personally through the Spirit or living Manna. No longer would there be a human priesthood in the order of Aaron and Levi, but each redeemed son would be His Priest in the order of Zadok, the High Priest would be in the Order of Melchizedek. No longer would we be fed physically by Manna, but Spiritually through Manna from Heaven in the form of the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. The bodies of these chosen ones, would be redeemed and become living Tabernacles of YHVH:
1 Corinthians 6 (Amplified Bible)
19Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
20You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
And each one of these “living stones” would be enriched by YHVH Spiritually to contribute "gifts" to the building of His Holy Temple, just like the Israelites were enriched to contribute physically to the building of the physical Temple:
Romans 12
1I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
2Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
3For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.
4For as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members) and all of these parts do not have the same function or use,
5So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another].
6Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith;
7[He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching;
8He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness.
Each living stone in the form of an Ark of this New Covenant would be given specific Spiritual Gifts, then assembled together to fit perfectly like a working “body” also called The Church of the Messiah:
Ephesians 4:11-16 (Amplified Bible)
11And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.
12His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church, the Temple of YHVH),
13[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.
14So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
15Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
16For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.
Summary
In a very real sense, the “New Covenant” is a Spiritual Covenant to build the final House of YHVH from the redeemed Remnant sons, and inside each of these redeemed ones, exists the same contents of the physical Ark of the Pervious Covenant…
What I am trying to say, is that this Torah reading from Exodus and 1 Kings combined with 1 Corinthians is describing how ancient Israelites were enriched to contribute individually to the building of YHVH’s Temple. And we now, have been enriched to contribute as part of His Living Temple. One was a physical portrait pointing to the greater Spiritual Truth.
The previous Covenant defined:
What YHVH disclosed with the coming of the Messiah is a Re-Newed Covenant that fulfilled the previous covenant:
HBS,
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