This Sabbath, April 4th, is the last Sabbath before Passover this year, which begins on Wednesday evening, April 8, 2020. Passover is a day of remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt and it is also a day for remembering the day Yeshua became the final Passover lamb.
As a result of the first great redemption which occurred at Passover 3500 years ago, the Jewish people anticipate their future redemption will also occur at the time of Passover in accordance with the words in Micah 7:15 “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles.” Therefore each year at Passover, there is great expectation of the future redemption that God will bring to the people of this earth which will be preceded by Elijah the prophet, as we read in Malachi 4:5, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.” Elijah the prophet, the Messianic age, and redemption are all anticipated as we enter the Passover season.
This prophecy at the end of the book of Malachi speaks of a day of great judgment upon the earth but is also speaks of a day of great deliverance for the people of God. This day is spoken of as “…the great and terrible day of the LORD…” which in Hebrew reads as follows: יום יהוה הגדול והנורא – Yom Adonai Hagadol Vehanora. The Hebrew word גדול – Gadol simply means great and in anticipation of this future day of redemption the Sabbath before Passover is always called “Shabbat Hagadol” – The Great Sabbath. This Sabbath, April 4th, is The Great Sabbath!
One of the traditions during the yearly celebration of Passover is to have an extra place setting for the prophet Elijah with anticipation that his coming would be this year and that redemption would follow thereafter. The context of this prophecy based in Malachi is combined with horrific judgment which will come upon this earth:
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall…” – Malachi 4:1-2
When this day comes, there will be fire like a furnace that will consume the wicked people of the earth but there will be deliverance for the people who know and fear the name of the LORD.
The element of fire has many physical properties and characteristics in the natural world which carry over into the spiritual world. Fire is a source of intense heat and it can be used to consume, to cleanse, and to purify. Fire also provides light and exposes darkness. In the Bible, fire is used as a means of judgment and destruction but it is also used as a vehicle to communicate God’s presence. For example, in the Bible we see that God appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-4) and God went before Israel by means of a pillar of fire by night in the desert (Ex. 13:21). Fire was also used as a symbol of God’s presence with His people in the Tabernacle. This week’s Torah Portion highlights one of the symbolic ways that fire was used in the Tabernacle service but first we will look at a story out of the life of the prophet Samuel to see how the fire of God burned brightly in the Tabernacle.
The Lamp of God
Within the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, the menorah provided light in the holy place by means of the fire which burned from its seven lamps. The light of the menorah is one of the means by which God’s presence was symbolically represented in the Tabernacle. We read specifically about the symbolic nature of the menorah in the story of Samuel the prophet:
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was,… – 1 Samuel 3:1-3
Samuel had been dedicated by his mother to serve in the house of God from a tender age when he was entrusted to the care of Eli the priest. Samuel had the unique opportunity to live and work in the Tabernacle although he was not born into a priestly family.
We read in the above verses how Eli’s eyesight had grown dim and we know from the rest of the story that his life was nearing its end. At the same time, Samuel’s life and ministry were just beginning and the word of the LORD was about to be revealed to Samuel in his youth. It was during that time that we read the phrase “…the lamp of God had not yet gone out,…” This phrase speaks of the spiritual condition of the nation and also references the menorah which burned in the Tabernacle. Samuel’s life and future ministry provided a flicker of hope for the people of Israel but the lamp of God was close to being snuffed out.
The phrase “lamp of God” is the literal translation of the Hebrew words “נר אלוהים” – Ner Elohim. When we read the phrase “…the lamp of God had not yet gone out,…” it is obvious that God was not only talking about the lamps of the menorah but also of the light of His presence with His people. The standing Tabernacle provided shelter for the menorah to burn bright, however, a darkness was growing in the Land of Israel because of corruption in the priesthood. This internal corruption would eventually extinguish the lamp of God, both physically and spiritually, at least for a time.
Extinguishing of the Lamp
Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served as priests with their father but they were wicked men and Eli did not properly rebuke them (1 Samuel 2). The LORD judged Eli for not taking adequate action against his sons and, as part of the judgment of God, his sons were killed in battle. It was during this same battle that the ark of the covenant was taken by the Philistines and the glory of the LORD departed from Israel (1 Samuel 4). The Tabernacle at Shiloh was then destroyed and the lamp of God was extinguished in Israel (Jer. 26:4-6).
The menorah in the Tabernacle was a literal free-standing light fixture with seven lamps which were to be kept continually burning by the priests (Lev. 24:1-4). The fire of this lamp represented the very presence of God which dwelt in the midst of His people by means of the Tabernacle. The extinguishing of the lamps of the menorah in the Tabernacle signified the extinguishing of the presence of God from His people at that time (Jer. 7:12-15). This is one example of how God’s presence was represented by the fire of the menorah in the Tabernacle. We will now turn to this week’s Torah Portion to see another significant use of fire in the Tabernacle service.
Fire on the Altar
There were certain fires which were to be continually kept burning in the Tabernacle without ever going out. The fire of the menorah in the Tabernacle was one of those fires, as we just reviewed above. In this week’s Torah Portion we read about another fire which was to be kept burning in connection to the Tabernacle:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law for the burnt offering: the burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire on the altar is to be kept burning on it. The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall put on undergarments next to his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out. – Leviticus 6:8-13
Aaron and his sons, the priests, were responsible to keep a fire continually burning on the altar which was located in front of the Tabernacle. The fire of the altar was never to be extinguished.
There is so much to be spiritually gleaned from these verses but I will try to keep it brief and focused in connection to fire. God commanded that a fire be continually maintained on the altar and in Leviticus 6:13 we read the phrase “Fire shall be kept burning…” which in Hebrew is אש תמיד תוקד – Esh Tamid Tookad, which literally translated is “fire shall burn continually.” The command to continually burn fire on the altar is connected to the burnt offering which in Hebrew is the word העולה – Ha’olah. The Hebrew word עולה – Olah simply means to arise or ascend and it is used of the burnt offering because it is completely consumed on the altar and ascends to God. We even read in the above verses that one of the reasons to keep fire continually burning on the altar is to continually consume the עולה – Olah, the burnt offering. What is significant about the burnt offering?
The Continual Sacrifice
Although there were burnt offerings that the Israelites could bring to the LORD as a sacrifice (Lev. 1), there was a daily burnt offering to the LORD which was offered twice each day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Since the verses in Leviticus chapter six above specifically mention the burnt offering which is to burn all night (Lev. 6:9) as well as the burnt offering which was offered each morning (Lev. 6:12), we know that this is referring to the continual burnt offering spoken of in Exodus chapter twenty-nine:
Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. – Ex. 29:38-42
The continual burnt offering served as a continual atoning sacrifice which made it possible for God to dwell with His people and have relationship with them.
The continual burnt offering, which was laid on the altar each morning and each evening, was to be left on the altar to be totally consumed by the fire of the altar. This is why the fire of the altar had to be continually kept burning without being extinguished so as to maintain this special relationship between Almighty God and the Israelites. With the exception of intervals when God was chastising and disciplining His people by having the Tabernacle or Temple destroyed and His people removed from the Land of Israel, the fire of the altar was to be continually kept burning. Where is this continual fire today?
The Fire of The Holy Spirit
We know that Yeshua came to this earth in order to fulfill the priestly function at the Temple as well as to fulfill the sacrifices of the Temple through His own death (Hebrews 7:26-28). After His death, Yeshua was resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). Fifty days after His resurrection, at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in Jerusalem:
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. – Acts 2:1-4
The initial baptism and filling of the believers with the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem was marked by tongues of fire. We do not know exactly what this looked like, however, we do see how the giving of the Holy Spirit came with a demonstration of fire in accordance with the New Covenant.
The spiritual concept of the Holy Spirit as fire is a consistent teaching throughout the New Testament. John the Baptist foretold that the One who would come after him would baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit and with fire:
As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. – Matt. 3:11-12
The baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit is a gift of God to each and every person who repents and believes on Yeshua as the Anointed One who takes away our sin. The Holy Spirit was first given to the believers in Jerusalem and He has continued to be poured out upon those who believe in the Messiah up until today.
Although the Holy Spirit is freely given to all of those who believe in Yeshua, we are personally responsible to maintain the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Just as the priests who served in the Tabernacle and the Temple were to continually add wood to the altar to keep the fire burning twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, we also have an obligation to maintain our relationship with God through His indwelling Holy Spirit by adding spiritual wood on the altar.
The fire of the Holy Spirit cannot be maintained in our lives by simply attending a weekly meeting with other believers. We must be proactive everyday of life through our actions, our words, and even in the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We read the following exhortation in the letter to the Ephesians in this regard:
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Messiah also has forgiven you. – Eph. 4:25-32
It is our words and actions in everyday life that literally have an effect on the Holy Spirit living within us. In order to not grieve or hinder the Holy Spirit who lives within us, we need to choose to live according to God’s holy ways.
We read similar instructions in the letter to the Thessalonians regarding how our words and actions affect the Holy Spirit burning within us. In the following verses we are actually warned to not quench or extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit:
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. – 1 Thess. 5:16-22
The command to “…not quench the Holy Spirit…” is given in the context of everyday choices we make and in how we live our lives. We are clearly instructed in these verses with practical ways of maintaining the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives: to be proactive in rejoicing, to pray, to give thanks, and to practice spiritual discernment in all things. Relationship with God has always been a partnership from the priests who maintained the wood on the altar to the individual believer in the Messiah today. We must fulfill our responsibility to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in our lives.
The Continual Fire
On this Great Sabbath, Shabbat HaGadol, we are reminded of a great day of judgment which will come upon this earth by the power of God through fire. We have the choice today to trust in Yeshua and allow the fire of His Holy Spirit to burn brightly within us or to reject faith in Yeshua and come face to face with the fire of God in the day of judgment. Either way, the continual fire of God will perpetually burn bright and bring glory to His Name.
Shabbat Shalom!
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*All Scripture take from NASB Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
**The Hebrew name “Yeshua” is used in the biblical quotations in place of the English name “Jesus” to give emphasis to the meaning of this name, salvation. The word “Messiah” is also used in place of the word “Christ” to bring clarity to the office of Yeshua.
Shabbat Shalom.Thank you for your message. It is so well written.Read it this morning and understood it like i never did before.Bless you with Numbers 6:23-27.Keep up the good work.
Praise God! Thank you!