Terumah
(contribution)
Exodus 25:1 - 27:19
Haftorah
1 Kings 5:12;(5:26H) - 6:13
The theme of both the Torah portion as well as the Haftorah
portion is building - building the house of God. In the Torah we read of the
portable house of God called the Tabernacle or Mishkan
in Hebrew. The Haftorah portion describes the
building of the permanent
Temple
. In both passages we read of the purpose of these buildings.
Ex. 25:8 says, "Let them construct a sanctuary
for Me, that I may dwell among them. In the Haftorah
in 1 Kings 6:12-13 we read Concerning
this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute
My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will
carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father.
"I will dwell among the sons of
Israel
, and will not forsake My people
Israel
." Both of these
passages quite clearly state that these buildings were not an end unto
themselves. Both of these structures were designed to be places where man
would dwell with God. These
important truths help us to understand much about the ways in which we relate
to God. Even though it is very true that Yeshua told the
woman at the well that a new day was arriving where man did not meet with God
in a
Temple
. Yeshua said to her,
"Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor
in Jerusalem will you worship the Father…"But an hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
John
4:21, 23. Having
said that, it is interesting that the followers of Messiah have always met
together in physical locations and have always participated in traditions that
help us to experience the presence of the Lord in our lives.
Judaism teaches that the Tabernacle /
Temple
was designed to be an extension of the
Mt.
Sinai
experience. At Sinai, God revealed Himself in a most powerful way. The
tabernacle/Temple gave
Israel
a framework for experiencing the presence of God. Today, it is understood that
the synagogue fulfills this purpose. As I have already stated, it is
interesting that from the beginning, believers have been worshipping in real
places. Part of the human
condition is that symbolism is often necessary
to help us experience the presence of God.
In both the Tabernacle and
Temple
, all of the elements were designed to teach the people about God
and to make atonement for their sins and to help them to draw
closer to God. Today church and
synagogue buildings as well as worship services are designed in a sense to
help people experience the presence of God. today
the shape of a sanctuary or the right music helps individuals to feel the
presence of God. When we have Messiah’s Table, the goal is for us to
experience Yeshua in the midst of the bread and the cup.
Liturgy is another vehicle to bring us into the presence of the Lord.
Even (and you knew it was coming)
a new building by its design and use serves as a vehicle to draw
people into the presence of God. Unfortunately for some people, engaging in
the symbolism becomes the worship experience rather then it being a way of
being drawn to God. Our Haftorah
portion gives us the key to experiencing God. as
was stated at the beginning, 1 Kings 6:12 - 13 tells us that in order to use
symbolism correctly, we must walk in the commandments of God. Some people
crave the outward symbolism or they substitute the practice of “religion”
for true inward spirituality. Inward
spirituality or experiencing the presence of God comes via obedience and
prayer. This means that
true spirituality cannot be manufactured by performing certain rites but must
be cultivated by studying the Bible, prayer as well as living a life of
service and dependence on God.
Shabbat
shalom!