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Romans 11:16
If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump. After Elijah is through with the contest of the prophets at Mt Carmel (1 Kings 18), he realizes that Jezebel who had been persecuting the prophets of Adonai does not appreciate getting some of her own 'medicine'. Discouraged and feeling that in spite of these glorious events, he was unsuccessful in bringing Israel back to her God, Elijah retreats in the desert and complains to God, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers." God denies Elijah the desired death but instead sends an angel to strengthen him. (Aren't we thankful for unanswered prayers sometimes?) The weary prophet then decides to return where it all started Mt Sinai. There he has conversation with the 'Word of the Lord'' who came to this prophet of doom and gloom in the 'still small voice'. The 'Word' then opens Elijah's eyes to see a 7,000 faithful man remnant for whose sake God will not destroy Israel (1 Kings 19: 1-18). This remnant principle is a very important one in the redemption program. Abraham understood it and even used it when pleading for the life of his nephew Lot. There Adonai who would destroy Sodom said, "For the sake of ten (righteous people) I will not destroy it." In his thesis on the subject of God not rejecting Israel in spite of unbelief, at the time when the Roman noose gets tighter and tighter around Israel, Paul comforts himself and others reminding us all of this remnant principle. At that time in Paul's mind the remnant is the Jewish growing community of believer. For their sake he says God had not rejected Israel (Romans 11:1-4). This represents a very different theology than the usual one claiming that God rejected His people to replace them with another. Even so in these ends of time Israel at large along with the world is sanctified before God by the 144,000 remnant of believers from all the tribes of Israel. They are called the 'firstfruit ' for the Lamb who is himself a 'firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep' (Corinthians 15:20; 15:23; Revelations 7:4; 14:4) Yes, If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches (Romans 11:16). From the beginning it was, is, and shall always be: redemption by representation. Another reality is that like 'Yeshua the Firstfruit', the firstfruit is also the one who takes the brunt of the punishment for the nation. Even though it did nothing to deserve such a fate, as the firstborn, it is consecrated to God and sometimes offered as an offering for the sanctification of the rest. May we when the time comes be willing offerings after the sample of the Master (Romans 12:1).
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Ephesians 2:14
For he himself (Messiah) is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Everything about the Tabernacle was designed to mirror immortality. It is the reason why offerings were salted and why honey and leaven were forbidden on the altar. Resinous shittim wood also like cedar is resistant to corruption. On the third after the offering meat turns rancid, so after two days (on the third day) any meat from peace offerings was to be burnt. Anyone who partook of the meat of a peace offering on the third invalidated the offering and was regarded as cut off (Leviticus 7:16-21). This brings us into the ‘third day’ reoccurring theme of the Scriptures. Rather than seeing corruption, on the third day meat from a peace offering put on incorruptibility through being burnt. The fire of the altar, a fire which originated from heaven, lifts the offering back to heaven in the form of smoke (Leviticus 9:23-24). In the story of Samson, we see an example of the ‘Angel of the Lord’, (who is really Messiah) rising back to Heaven through the smoke of a burnt offering called in Hebrew the ‘olah’ or the ‘ascent’ (Judges 13:20). The peace offering is the only one in which the offerer partakes. It is symbolic of communion and fellowship with God through a meal. Hospitality was a big thing in the East and to invite someone to eat showed great acceptance. In the same way eating with God shows He accepts us. Moses and seventy-three other people ate with God on the mountain and the whole congregation of Messiah’s people will eat with Him at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Exodus 24:11; Revelations 19:9). The Passover Lamb being a shadow of Messiah is a peace offering as people partake of it. Paul often used the imagery of the peace offering to describe Messiah’s role in our lives (1 Corinthians 10:18; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 1:20). In the same way, His body was not allowed to see corruption (Psalms 16:10; 49:9) but as a proper peace offering, He rose from the tomb on the third day. Hoseah prophecied on the resurrection of Israel’s great Diaspora (exile) in the following words: "Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him (Hoseah 6:1-2). Seeing as with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8), the prophet prophesied of the resurrection of Israel on the third millennium of the present exile, third millennium in which we are also witnessing the resurrection of the Jewish state which contains a strong Messianic first fruit element of believers which brings it incorruptibility. In this day, in our day, the peace offering is finally being consumed. At the time appointed, at the sound of the great shofar of the Last Day, it will rise to Him in immortality and find fellowship with God. All those who partake of Messiah’s offering of peace are part of this everlasting promise. |
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