-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
What is sabbatical leave? Sabbatical leave is an extended time away from work that is granted to an employee for various purposes, including personal reasons, professional and academic growth, learning and developing new skills, or rest and recuperation—while maintaining their status as an existing employee.
The sabbatical definition is “a break from work.” During that time, the employee is still employed at their organization, but they don’t need to perform their normal job duties or report to work. Often, sabbatical leave is paid, either with the full salary or a percentage of that salary so the employee can have peace of mind that despite the work leave, there is provision.
Last parasha, the children of Israel complained twice against Moshe. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water because of its bitter taste. Moshe cried to God, and He showed him a tree. Upon casting it, the water turned sweet.
After the complaint, God tested His people by giving them instruction. But when they traveled from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin, they complained again. They were starving, and they doubted Moshe, thinking that he brought them into the wilderness to kill them with hunger.
Then God rained bread from heaven and tested them. He told the children of Israel to gather manna only according to each one's need. But some gathered much, yet nothing was left, and those who gathered little had no lack.
This Shabbat, our Torah portion is the continuation of God's instruction about the gathering of manna and the observance of the Shabbat. In Gen. 2:1–3, God rested on the seventh day after He finished creating the heavens and the earth. But here in our Torah portion, the word Shabbat was used in reference to the seventh day.
The Hebrew word Shabbat means “cease, rest.” It honors and remembers the day that God rested from His work. He is the perfect model that man should follow to rest on the seventh day, and He chose the nation of Israel as His ambassador to do the same. Romans 9:4 says: “Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.”
Going back to verse 23, Moshe told the children of Israel: “Tomorrow is a Shabbat rest, a holy Shabbat to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.” Then in verses 25–26, where our parasha begins, Moshe told the people: “Eat that today, for today is a Shabbat to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Shabbat, there will be none.” These two verses show that God wants His people Israel, and even us, to trust Him on the Shabbat. And trusting God on the Shabbat means:
After the fall of man, God cursed the ground, and part of the result is that man should work hard to live (Gen. 3:17–19). But since God is gracious, He told man to work for only six days. That’s why during creation, in six days God created first all the things that man needs—including food—so that on the seventh day man could rest.
When I was young, I often saw the KitKat commercial on television that said, “Have a break, have a KitKat,” and that is what our Torah portion is saying. We were created to work only for six days. God separated a Shabbat day of REST for each one of us so we could have fellowship with Him and enjoy resting in His presence. Hebrews 4:9–10: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”
Despite the complaints of the children of Israel about water and food, God provided them manna. In addition, He instructed them to take a pot and put an omer of manna in it (vv. 31–36) as a reminder and testimony for generations that He fed them in the wilderness. God provided manna, and in the end, He Himself is our manna in the presence of His Son Yeshua. He declared Himself as the bread of life which comes down from heaven, that if anyone eats, they will have eternal life (John 6:48–50).
Fresh from witnessing God's miracle in providing manna and quail, the children of Israel continued to complain against Moshe in chapter 17. It reflects the meaning of the word Massah, which means “testing,” and the word Meribah, which means “strife.” The children of Israel had conflict with each other, and they tested God by questioning if His presence was among them.
Now the children of Israel fought against the grandson of Esau, the Amalekites (Gen. 36:12). It was time for God’s people, through the leadership of Moshe, to defend themselves. Surprisingly, during the fight, the hand of Moshe dictated the result. Every time he raised his hands, they prevailed. But when he lowered them, the Amalekites prevailed.
It came to a point where the hands of Moshe grew tired, so Aaron and Hur helped him, and Moshe’s hands were steady until sundown. Amazingly, the Hebrew word for “steady” is emunah, which means “faithful.” So the steadiness of Moshe’s hands means that God is faithful to His people, and that is the reason why in verse 13 it says that Joshua, and not Moshe, defeated the Amalekites—because the name Joshua means “God is my salvation,” for He was the one who saved the children of Israel against the grandson of Esau.
Shabbat is not what we give up for ADONAI, it is what HE gives us so we can remember who truly sustains us.
Where in your life are you gathering out of fear instead of resting out of trust? What would it look like if you truly believed that God provides double even when you stop?
What is one area of your life right now where you find it hardest to trust Adonai as your Provider and why?
If Shabbat is a weekly test of trust, what does your current Shabbat practice reveal about your faith?
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
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In the Haftarah, it’s about how to remember Shabbat and its benefits. To remember Shabbat:
The Hebrew word for holy is kadosh, which means “set apart.” From this meaning, we have to declare that Shabbat is unique compared to the other days of the week. It was blessed and sanctified by God after He created the heavens and the earth. As we observe the Shabbat, we are setting ourselves apart from the pattern of this world. Remember—the God who rested on the seventh day is a holy God.
The Hebrew word for pleasure is hepes, which means “desire.” To not find our own pleasure on Shabbat means to discipline ourselves from our own desires or things we want to do. According to Merriam-Webster, discipline comes from discipulus, the Latin word for “pupil,” which is the source of the word disciple. As real pupils and disciples of Messiah Yeshua, we must discipline ourselves from pleasures that can become obstacles to our obedience in observing Shabbat.
There is Delight
Anag is the Hebrew word for delight, meaning “to be happy about.” We are happy to observe Shabbat because we know we follow God’s instruction. We are happy to observe Shabbat because we are off from work and have no stress. We are happy to observe Shabbat because we are with our brethren in Yeshua—studying the Torah, singing, and praising in one accord.
Verse 14 says those who keep the Shabbat will be caused to ride on the high hills/places of the earth by God. The Hebrew word for high places is bamah, which means “mountain, high places.” Verse 14 is quoted from Deuteronomy 32:13. My understanding here is: to ride on high places means there is protection.
Shabbat doesn’t take something from us. Shabbat returns us to who we were created to be.
What are the ‘desires’ that compete with your delight in the LORD? What would it take to truly set the day apart?
In your own walk, what blessing have you experienced from honoring Shabbat as set-apart?
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
Our Apostolic portion deals with the controversy over Shabbat work. The Pharisees questioned Yeshua and His talmidim (disciples) as they went through the grainfields and plucked the heads of grain on the Shabbat. For the Pharisees, they did what was not lawful on the Shabbat.
Then Yeshua answered them and said: “The Shabbat was made for man, and not man for the Shabbat. Therefore the Son of Man is also the Lord of the Shabbat.” When Yeshua said this, it means that God established the Shabbat since creation to be a blessing and profit for all mankind—not a burden like the Pharisees made it through their man-made laws.
With humility, Yeshua declared to the Pharisees that He is the Son of Man, also the Lord of the Shabbat, meaning He is the one in control of the Shabbat—so He did not violate anything.
Shabbat is God’s weekly reminder that our ultimate rest is found not in what we do, but in who He is.
What part of your heart struggles the most to slow down and trust that Yeshua is truly in control?
If Yeshua sat beside you this Shabbat and asked, “Will you rest in Me?” How would your heart respond?
The connection of our Parasha 58 is about the Shabbat. In the Torah, God told the children of Israel to gather manna twice on the sixth day and rest on the Shabbat day. In the Haftarah, observing Shabbat instead of doing our own pleasure will give us delight and unique blessing. In the Apostolic portion, Yeshua established the Shabbat as a blessing and profit for mankind and not a burden.
Back to my introduction… Of all the ten words of God, only the Shabbat has the word ‘remember.’ Why? Because in the rhythm of our lives, we are quick to forget. We forget that God provides, that He is faithful, that we are not defined by our work or worries. We forget to pause, to rest, to delight in Him. Jew and Gentile alike are called to this instruction because Shabbat was made for mankind—not mankind for the Shabbat. In the midst of our busyness, Adonai is calling us: stop, remember, and center your life on Him. The question is—will we?
Every missed Shabbat is a missed lesson in trusting God, in letting go, and in tasting the rest He offers for body, soul, and spirit.
We forget too easily that manna comes from heaven, that peace comes from Him, and that rest is not optional. It is a gift to be received.
If God asked you to truly rest this Shabbat, what would you have to stop doing, and would you trust Him to provide?
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
Sources:
blueletterbible.org
theberean.org
theisraelbible.com
reformjudaism.org
toriavey.com
wordview.com
hebrew4christians.com
thebiblesays.com
The MacArthur Study Bible
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