Just What is the Bible All About?
Genesis 1:1 all the way to Revelation 22:21. All of the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the Main Event. The Climax of the whole story: Jesus. I recently learned that even the very first verse of the Bible, in the original Hebrew (which was written in picture characters, similar to Chinese), shows the story of salvation in the word pictures. Jesus and His Plan of Salvation and Grace is woven through all of the Old Testament histories. Jesus is found in the histories of Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Esther and Ruth. Jesus is the Torah (the law, the Word). Jesus is found in all the Biblical Feasts. Jesus is found in the specifics of the Temple. Jesus is found in the Tithe. Jesus is found in the prophecies about The Day of Wrath.
We are all aware of how the blood on the doorposts of the Israelites was a foreshadowing of the Passover Lamb, Jesus. Right? We know that death passed by their houses if they had the blood of the lamb painted on their doorframes. And we know that Jesus died during the Passover Celebration in Jerusalem, which drew thousands and thousands of pilgrims. He became the actual Passover Lamb. For so long the Jews had been remembering the freedom from death in Egypt during the Passover, and here Jesus came and fulfilled that promise. The promise of freedom from sin and death. Jesus was the Permanent Solution to sin and death. No more sacrifices. He was the ultimate sacrifice. His death atoned for the past, present and future sins. It is finished. That's enough to get excited about, but I want to tell you something more.
Shavuot (which means weeks) is another celebration that drew the Jews to Jerusalem. They Counted the Omer beginning the day after Passover until Shavuot (the giving of the Torah (law) to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The reason it was 49 days after Passover was because it took the Israelites 49 days to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mt. Sinai. It was also the time to celebrate the wheat harvest. They brought the first fruits of the harvest to the Temple.
chabad.org says, "The giving of the Torah was a far-reaching spiritual event—one that touched the essence of the Jewish soul for all times. Our sages have compared it to a wedding between G‑d and the Jewish people. Shavuot also means “oaths,” for on this day G‑d swore eternal devotion to us, and we in turn pledged everlasting loyalty to Him. In ancient times, two wheat loaves would be offered in the Holy Temple on Shavuot. It was also at this time that people would begin to bring bikkurim, their first and choicest fruits, to thank G‑d for Israel’s bounty."
atthewellproject.com says, "In a ritual known as “The Counting of the Omer” sefirat ha’omer in Hebrew, the Torah instructs us to number off every day of the 49 days that separate Passover, our festival of freedom, from Shavuot, the day we celebrate the receiving of the Torah. Like all Biblical holidays, all three - Passover, the Omer, and Shavuot (and Sukkot as well) - have agriculturally connections, so an “Omer” is a sheaf of grain, and the “counting of the Omer” happens during the seven weeks that separate the wheat and barley harvest from the First Fruits offerings on Shavuot. So, why counting and why these days? The answer is found in the secret of the number seven. The number seven is code for two things in the Torah - wholeness and holiness - and its the base unit for the way sacred time is arranged in the biblical view. The seventh day is the day of rest. When the priests get the tabernacle ready to be God’s house, they do a seven day ritual to prepare. Harvest festivals last seven days, and a baby boy gets seven days in the world before undergoing circumcision. When we count the omer, we count seven sets of seven, each week building on the one before, like a spiral staircase, helping us to make the climb up to wherever it is that revelation happens for us."
The Spirit was given when all the people were gathered for Shavuot, after Jesus died, resurrected, and left.
There is a great spiritual connection in this. It was not a coincidence that the very Spirit of God was given the very day they were celebrating receiving the Law!
Just like Jesus was a Perfect Solution for the freedom from sin and death when he became the Permanent Passover Lamb, so too the Spirit was a Perfect Solution for wisdom and direction when He became the Permanent Law in our lives.
31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant which I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their hearts, and write them on their mind,” He then says, 17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will no longer remember.” (Hebrews 10:15-17)
The same day God made His covenant with His people when He gave them the Torah (law) was the same day God made His New Covenant with His people when he gave them the Spirit. It is a marriage. We are sealed with the Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13-14) which is like a wedding ring for the Great Wedding when He comes back for His Bride, the whole church, the Body of Christ.
Why am I pointing this out? What is the significance in our every day lives?
Are we reading the Bible like an instruction book? Or are we reading it to find the Treasure of Jesus? (For more information, read chapter 5 in Transplanted: Finding Rest in Your Walk with Jesus.)
Do we feel the need to use a list of rules and regulations to help us live a righteous, holy life? Or are we relying on the constant communication with the Spirit to lead us, guide us, direct us and give us wisdom?
If we fix our eyes on Jesus, through the very power and breath of the Spirit, our behavior and actions will be a result of the overflow and outpouring of HIM in our lives. True freedom is recognizing we have died, and allowing Christ to live in and through us.
Your turn! Tell me all about it.
Do you feel the need to use a list of rules and regulations to help you live a righteous, holy life? Are you relying on the constant communication with the Spirit to lead, guide, direct, and give you wisdom?
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