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Compliments of First Fruits of Zion
reprinted by permission of FFOZ
Vayakhel - ויקהל : “And He assembled”
Torah : Exodus 35:1–38:20
Haftarah : 1 Kings 7:40–50
Gospel : Mark 15
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he assembled the congregation of Israel and told them to build the Tabernacle. In the same way, when Messiah comes again, He will gather together His assembly from the four corners of the world and rebuild His Father’s house.
Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD’s contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. (Exodus 35:21)
The assembly of Messiah is metaphorically spoken of as “the Temple.” In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds us that we are to function as the holy temple of God, and again, in 2 Corinthians 6:16, he says that “we are the temple of the living God.”
But remember, Moses did not build the Tabernacle. He brought down the instructions, but the people did the building. This teaches us that the assembly of Messiah is created by the individuals within it. Just as the Israelites labored to make the various components of the Tabernacle, we labor together to create the assembly of Messiah on earth. The responsibility falls upon us. Unless we contribute to the project and set our hands to the task, the work does not get done.
The Israelites all brought different gifts as they were able, labored in different departments, and gave of their various talents to complete the Tabernacle. In the same way, we all have different roles and functions within the assembly.
In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul turns to the body of Messiah metaphor to explain this concept. He points out that a human body is comprised of many parts. One believer may be likened to a foot, another to a hand, yet another to an ear and still another to an eye. The body is healthy only when all the various parts of the body are functioning in their God-given roles. Paul further employs the metaphor to illustrate how ridiculous it is for some parts of the body to be envious of others. Though the body is comprised of different kinds of people, “Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,” (1 Corinthians 12:13) and just as the different members bring different gifts to the body, we are all one in the body of Messiah.
“There are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord,” Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:5. In the body of Messiah metaphor, Yeshua is likened to the head. Paul says, “[Messiah] is also head of the body, the Assembly.” (Colossians 1:18) Paul reminds us to hold “fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.” (Colossians 2:19)
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First Fruits of Zion, PO Box 620099, Littleton, CO
80162-0099 USA
Telephone 303 933 2119, Toll-free 800 775 4807, Fax 303 933 0997
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