Shabbat Studies

Shabbat 2020-04-18 – Baptisms

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We’re starting a study series as we count the Omer – today being Day 7 – that will culminate with Shavuot / Pentecost here in 43 more days when we’re planning to get together at the lake for those who want to plunge into water and spirit baptism. As we count the days and prepare our hearts and minds, we’re taking this time to understand from Yah’s Word the purpose and mechanics of the Mikvah (immersion, baptism). These mechanisms span every area of our multidimensional existence: heart, soul, mind, body. What Scripture teaches – and how all the passages below are connected – is really profound.

Foundations

Therefore, having left the word of the beginning of the Messiah, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of belief toward Elohim, of the teaching of immersions [baptisms, mikvahs], and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of everlasting judgment.

Hebrews 6:1-2

Circumcision

When most people hear the word “baptism” or think about the concept of being baptized they don’t usually think of circumcision. And yet, properly understanding the covenant seal of circumcision is critical to grasping what is happening during water baptism as we see in Colossians:

In Him [Messiah] you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Messiah, having been buried with Him in immersion [baptism, mikvah], in which you also were raised with Him through the belief in the working of Elohim, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having blotted out the certificate of debt against us – by the dogmas – which stood against us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the stake.

Colossians 2:11-14

As a quick side-note, this passage (especially v.14) is often misunderstood out of context and taken to mean that Messiah nailed His Law to the cross and therefore “did away with it.” But we can clearly see from the context that what is nailed to the cross is actually our sin and the consequences of death required by our sin in the absence of deliverance through Messiah.

Of the Heart

YHWH has always been about the transformation of the heart. The physical tokens / signs / marks / seals of His Covenant of restoration are all expressions of the identity transformation that takes place when we repent and believe in Messiah and submit to Him as King of our life.

…giving thanks to the Father who has made us fit to share in the inheritance of the set-apart ones in the light, who has delivered us from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…

Colossians 1:12-14; See also: Acts 26:16-18; Eph 5:8-10

We see that it has ALWAYS been about the heart throughout all of history (consider these passages in their context, always reading before and after the verses listed):

  • Deut 10:16
  • Deut 30:6
  • Jer 4:4
  • Rom 2:24-29

In Romans 2 we clearly see the interesting reality that it’s possible to have the outward / visible signs (like circumcision) without the inward / invisible transformation. This is also true of baptism – it’s possible to go through the physical actions without receiving the heart-transformation bearing the fruit of life in Messiah and habitual “fruit of His Spirit.” We see a tangible example of this in Joshua 5 – the first generation who left Egypt, who had been circumcised before that first Passover, did not obey through faith. They perished in the wilderness because of, as Hebrews 3 reveals, their unbelief. In addition, they failed to pass on to the next generation the faith which they themselves did not possess. And, in Joshua 5, as a corrective measure YHWH instructs Joshua to circumcise that next generation before they could inherit the Promise.

The Mark / Sign / Token / Seal

  • Gen 17:1-14
  • Ex 31:16-17
  • Lev 12:3
  • Lev 23:15-17
  • Eze 20:12, 20
  • Acts 1:1-5
  • Acts 2:1-4
  • Acts 7:8
  • Rom 4:11

YHWH calls all the following things a token or seal of His Covenant(s):

  • Rainbows (now you know why Yahushua and the Throne often appear in prophetic dreams and visions with a Rainbow at the foot)
  • Circumcision (came after / as a manifestation of righteousness by faith and was still required as a sign / seal even though faith was already present)
  • Sabbath (embedded into the very fabric of creation and time itself)
  • Torah (all of YHWH’s instructions and commandments are called both the “Book of the Covenant” – Ex 24:7; 2 Kings 23:21; 2 Chron 43:30 – and a “sign” / “seal” for us when we do them – Deut 6; 11; 2 Tim 2:19)
  • Spirit (the Holy Spirit of Yah – 2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30)

Why were the passages about counting the Omer, Shavuot, and Pentecost in that same list? Check these “clues” out, and study more deeply for yourself how all these things connect throughout Scripture, and are listed here in a (somewhat) random order:

  • Passover includes a 7-day period of eating bread without leaven and then on the 8th day (after Passover) bread with leaven may be eaten again. Counting the Omer is a 7 x 7-day period and then on the 8th day after the 7th week and on the first day of the 8th week we are instructed to bring 2 loaves of bread with leaven as an offering of (wheat) First Fruits.
  • Passover includes an offering of (barley) First Fruits without leaven which is also Day 1 of the Counting of the Omer.
  • Biblically speaking the number 8 means “new beginnings.”
  • The Torah was given at Sinai during the season of and very likely on the exact day of Shavuot / Pentecost.
  • The Spirit was given in Jerusalem on the day of Shavuot / Pentecost.
  • This followed a period of 40 days specifically mentioned in Acts as a time during which Yahushua was teaching his disciples about the Kingdom of Yah including his promise that the baptism of Yah’s Spirit was coming even as Yochanan (John) had baptized with water.
  • Yahushua was in the wilderness for 40 days following his water baptism with Yochanan.
  • A period of 40 days with Moses fasting on Mount Sinai followed the ratification of the Torah Covenant where the 70 elders of Israel, Moses, and Yehoshua (Joshua) all confirmed that they would do all which YHWH had commanded.
  • Sukkot / Tabernacles has, and is the only Feast of YHWH which has an 8th day.
  • New beginnings also represents the start of everything which comes after deliverance.
  • The 7th month (which includes Trumpets / Yom Teruah, Atonement / Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles / Sukkot ending on the 8th day) is also the month which marks the official release (shmitah) of debts every 7 years and the release (shmitah) & return / restoration / deliverance (shuv) of all the people back to their inherited land during the 50th Jubilee year.
  • This moment in time for declaring declaring the Jubilee was on Day 10 of the 7th month – the Day of Atonement / Yom Kippur.
  • Lev 25, Deut 15, Deu 31
  • Putting (some of) it all together:
  • Sukkot / Tabernacles with an 8th day initiates the beginning of the 50th (civil) Jubilee year after a period of 7 x 7 years – RETURNING / DELIVERING the people back to their inheritance in the Land.
  • Sukkot / Tabernacles with an 8th day initiates the beginning of the 8th (civil) Shmitah year after a period of 7 years – RELEASING the debt of the people.
  • Shavuot / Pentecost begins the 8th day after the previous week and begins the 8th week and is the 50th day after a period of 7 x 7 days – PROCLAIMING, GATHERING, and WAVING the 2 loaves of bread with leaven.

Grace

But what about grace? 🙂 Grace is seen everywhere throughout that entire picture. It was YHWH’s grace that put Abraham to sleep and walked through the parts establishing a covenant by His own infallibility (Gen 15). It was YHWH’s grace that protected Israel during the first Passover and delivered Israel from Egypt. It was YHWH’s grace that gave Israel the Torah. It was YHWH’s grace that sent Yahushua to die at Passover and rise again at First Fruits. It was YHWH’s grace that sent His Spirit to fill His people at Shavuot / Pentecost.

For the grace of YHWH that brings deliverance has appeared to all men, teaching us to renounce wickedness and worldly lusts, and to live sensibly, righteously, and reverently in the present age…

Titus 2:11-12

Next Week

Next week we are planning to continue are study series by looking at 8 Proclamations / Declarations and the Scripture passages supporting then, which we’ll be using as a guide for the public confessions of faith and statements of allegiance to Yahushua that each person will make prior to their baptism.

Shabbat 2020-04-11 – Encouragement

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Today, during a season of intensity with implications of the coronavirus pandemic continuing to unfold, we looked at encouraging Scriptures; especially from the perspective that there is a time coming when the anti-messiah will make war against and “wear out” the people of Yah. It feels easy to start relating to this a little already – feeling worn out from all the changes happening in the world while at the same time everything has not yet totally broken down in the apocalyptic sense of Revelation. Everything is in a sort of limbo right now, with massive potential energy to collapse completely and yet also at the same time so much effort going into keeping everything as normal as possible. In all of this, we turn to Yah’s Word for understanding.

The Sports Pregame Warm-up Analogy

I was recently asking Father for understanding about the season we are in, trying to discern through Scripture how current events fit into the overall scheme of past, present, and future history. This is not “thus saith the Lord” but the picture that formed in my understanding was like a basketball team working through the pregame warm-up drills. The stands were full (Heb 12:1) and both coaches were preparing for the confrontation and both teams were doing one final practice routine to warm up for the conflict. There was a new sense of urgency (beyond a normal practice), but the game had not started yet – the official whistle had not yet initiated the contest. In this picture I had no sense of how long the pregame timing would carry on in mapping it to present events. It could feel like a long warm-up. There’s a cosmic impatience to it all as communicated by Yahushua’s disciples 2000 years ago already: “how long will be…” (Matt 24) and “will you at this time restore the Kingdom…” (Acts 1). And yet this pregame definitely feels different than the normal practice seasons extending back through past centuries. Our coach (Yahushua) is getting us ready. He’s letting us know: this is going to be a hard game. So hard in fact that at times it will look like the enemy is going to win. But take courage, be comforted, remember the encouragement, don’t give up – you know the scoreboard at the final end of it all.

War Against the Saints

At some point in the future we know Satan himself will be completely barred from the Heavens and quarantined to the earth and will then – filled with great wrath – possess the man who becomes the anti-messiah and makes war against Yah’s people throughout the earth. We looked at these related passages:

  • Daniel 2:40
  • Daniel 7:16-28
  • Daniel 12:1-10
  • Rev 12:3-17
  • 2 Thess 2:1-17

Therefore be Encouraged & Take Comfort

  • 1 Thess 4:13-10
  • 1 Thess 5:1-11
  • [Thinking about how King David probably went through as full of a spectrum of human experience as any other person throughout all of history – shepherding, fighting wild beasts, military service and heroic exploits, betrayal and fleeing for his life, hiding in caves, survival, isolation, social distancing, quarantine 🙂 , leadership, kingship, wealth and prosperity, morbid sin, adultery, murder, conviction and repentance, loss of children, rebellion in his home, companionship and loyalty, great loss and profound restoration, old age, and so much more – in that light examining his Psalms with the understanding they were written from a profound wealth of wisdom and experiential understanding, which contribute a really deep weight of meaning to them…
  • Psalm 50 (a Psalm of Asaph)
  • Psalm 107 (probably of David)
  • Psalm 146 (probably of David)
  • Isaiah 65:8+

Two Groups of People

We see through all those passages several recurring themes. One of them is this idea of two distinct groups of people: the righteous and the wicked, the people of Yah and everyone else, those in YHWH’s family through Yahushua and the gentiles outside of and separate from Messiah. We see in the verses above the distinction and the difference of Yah’s treatment and promises between those two groups. We want to be those in Messiah who receive the destiny of the Kingdom Sabbath coming.