Weekly Drash - Pinchas

Compliments of First Fruits of Zion
reprinted by permission of FFOZ

Parasha: Pinchas

Shabbat: The Sabbath

Pinchas - פינחס : “Phinehas”
Torah : Numbers 25:10–30:1
Haftarah : 1 Kings 18:46–19:21
Gospel : John 15–17

Thought for the Week:

Sabbath is a weekly time of intimacy with the Father—twenty-four hours spent focused on the things of the kingdom. The Sabbath forces us to cease from creating, producing, making and providing. It teaches us patience and dependence; it reminds us who our provider really is.

Commentary:

This is the burnt offering of every sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. (Numbers 28:10)

On the Sabbath day, the burnt offerings of the daily appointed times are doubled. The Sabbath is a day of double blessing. Keeping the Sabbath is an important part of the cycle of sanctification. On an external level, keeping the weekly Sabbath sanctifies us as a people by training us in sanctification. It makes us different. Keeping the Sabbath requires, at times, great sacrifice and commitment. It requires us to be able to say no to enticements and opportunities that would break the Sabbath. Sabbath keepers are out of sync with the rest of the world. For example, keeping the Sabbath prevents us from participating in Saturday social events, sporting events and many fields of employment. That makes Sabbath keepers different, and being different is part of being sanctified.

The Sabbath is a weekly chance to regroup with God, a quiet sanctuary in time. The business, distractions and demands of the workweek fall away on the Sabbath, allowing us time to refocus our hearts on God. If not for the weekly Sabbath, the constant, crushing tyranny of the urgent would never cease. Our wayward hearts would drift far indeed.

The Sabbath is a day of peace. It is a time for setting aside the troubles of our world. On the Sabbath, we close the door to the troubles, stresses and anxieties of this present age, and we enter into the calm spirit of peace that comes from the presence of Messiah. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful,” (John 14:27) says the Master. On the Sabbath day, we quiet ourselves enough to feel the presence of His peace.

On the Sabbath we are to cease, rest, rejoice and worship.

Yeshua is our blessing and holiness, our deep peace and our sure salvation. He is our new creation, our source of grace and our great freedom. He is our Sabbath rest; thus we rest on the Sabbath in Him. The Lord of the Sabbath declares, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Shavuah Tov! Have a Good Week!

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