Ruth: 3:1-9; a study on chesed – our Lord’s use of the word in reference to holy things.

Ruth: 3:1-9; a study on chesed - our Lord’s use of the word in reference to holy things.

 

We continue in His use of éleos by our Lord:

 

MAT 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.

 

MAT 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

 

The Lord does not begin a debate on the efficacy of Sabbath laws. There is always a greater principle in the balance that He addresses.

 

MAT 12:3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he became hungry, he and his companions;

 

MAT 12:4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?

 

MAT 12:5 "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath [perform sacrifices and circumcisions], and are innocent?

 

MAT 12:6 "But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here.

 

MAT 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion [éleos: mercy: chesed], and not a sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. 

 

MAT 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

 

The moral cult instituted by Israel after the captivity had them worshipping the veil and not the One who was behind it.

 

Was the bread in the holy place holy itself? In a way it was, but in another way, it was just bread. Should I worship the bread or that, or actually Whom, it represents? Should I worship Saturday or the One whom it represents? The Jews in Israel after the captivity came to worship items above the living God.

 

This continues in the hearts of people who do not worship that which has substance. The glory of God, kabod in the ancient Hebrew, literally means a great weight. It came to mean something without limit, and hence the glory of God. It refers to that which has substance. The resurrected Christ was the glory of victory over death, and when the disciples thought they had seen a ghost, He said “Touch Me.” The bread of the table will eventually mold and rot away. It is that, or rather Whom, which it represents who is truly holy.  

 

Holy Place

1SA 21:6 So the priest (Ahimelech) gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away (done every Sabbath).

 

1SA 21:7 Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds.

 

We have come across this Doeg recently, and it affords us a brief review of where we have been in our study of this wonderful word.

 

PSA 52:1 For the choir director. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech."

 

Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

 

PSA 52:2 Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit.

 

PSA 52:3 You love evil more than good, Falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.

 

PSA 52:4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

 

PSA 52:5 But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up, and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.

 

PSA 52:6 And the righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying,

 

PSA 52:7 "Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And was strong in his evil desire."

 

PSA 52:8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

 

PSA 52:9 I will give Thee thanks forever, because Thou hast done it, And I will wait on Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy godly ones.

 

David’s situation was unique and it was necessary that he nourish himself and the few servants with him. The bread’s actual name was Bread of the Presence or Bread of the Face (shewbread is a Latin term) and it was replaced with freshly baked ones every Sabbath and the priests and only the priests were to eat the old loaves, each of which was made from 18 cups of fine flour, and so they are quite large. If someone had waltzed into the Tabernacle and taken the bread for any reason, they would have violated the Law by not treating it as holy.  

 

The shewbread represented the Bread of Life come down from heaven to be present among men, which when eaten the man would never hunger again. This is substance or glory.   

 

The Bread of the Presence was joined by the Golden Candlestick or Menorah and the Golden Altar of Incense. The Bread was laid on the table on the northernmost part of the Holy Place in two piles with bowls of incense between them. The presence of the Bread meant that the covenant people owned “His Presence” as their bread and their life; the Candlestick was their Light giver; and the table of incense shows that light and life are joined together in the worshipper and result in praise and prayer.

 

Bread: God’s presence giving life. Candlestick: God’s Light giving truth and guidance. Incense: life and light combining in praise and prayer. This is the substance.

 

The items themselves are nothing without their real meaning being in the mind of the worshipper. Mercy or compassion only comes from the same substance. If I know Jesus as my bread of life, the presence of God in my life, and my only sustainer, and if I see Him and the Holy Spirit as my only light who fill me with light, and these things combine in me and burst forth praise and prayer to God, then what will also burst forth from me is mercy and lovingkindness to His people.

 

For the same reason, incense was placed between the stacks of Bread, for praise was to always accompany His presence.

 

The shewbread was eaten by the priests to indicate God’s acceptance and ratification of Israel’s dependence upon Him. All of this would be fully vouchsafed in Christ.

 

MAT 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.

 

MAT 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

 

MAT 12:3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he became hungry, he and his companions;

 

MAT 12:4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?

 

MAT 12:5 "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath [perform sacrifices and circumcisions], and are innocent?

 

MAT 12:6 "But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here.

 

MAT 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion [éleos: mercy: chesed], and not a sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. 

 

MAT 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

 

The Sabbath was holy. It was celebrated from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.

 

Sabbath: sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. “You shall do no work.” Also, no kindling fires, cooking, or gathering wood. It was a day of holiness. A sign between God and Israel.

 

Funny enough, Israel’s enemies called them slothful for doing it.

 

This day was celebrated by the Hebrews as a holy day, a day of rest and rejoicing, by ceasing from all labor, with their servants and all strangers, as well as cattle. There was a special burnt offering, presented in the Temple, in addition to the usual daily offering, which was doubled on this day, consisting of two yearling lambs, with the meat offerings and drink offerings belonging to it. In the holy place of the Temple, the shewbread was renewed, and the new division of priests appointed for that week took their places. The services of the priests and Levites in and about the tabernacle and Temple were not accounted as labor and continued through the Sabbath. Circumcision, too, as a religious ceremony, took place on the Sabbath, when that was the eighth day.

 

Deliberately profaning this day was punishable by death, and if by ignorance, a sin offering was required.

 

The meaning of work in reference to this day of the week was defined as the usual labor of a normal day. It was working in the fields or working as a servant. In other words, they simply had the day off to rest and celebrate. The instruction in the Mosaic Law does not define the work not to be done. God simply says, “You will not do any work.” (EXO 20:10)

 

The only particulars in addition to “no work” was the kindling of a fire, cooking, and gathering wood. All of this could be done the day before. Food was prepared, wood was gathered, and fires were lit and kept burning the day before. However, this was interpreted by the Jews after the captivity to mean even lighting a candle.

 

It is interesting that before the captivity, the sin of the Jews against this day was in not keeping it at all. After the captivity the Sabbath was kept religiously and their sin then became adding to it and making it a burden rather than a time of rest, refreshment, and celebration. Think of being a kid and getting a snow day. Then think of your parents giving you a hundred chores to do on your snow day.

 

It became a brilliant idea for the army of Israel not to fight on the Sabbath, which once this was learned by their enemies, made them an easy target. This was not a part of Sabbath law, and a law that was changed in the time of the Maccabees.

 

They forbade comforting the sick as improper work, hence their anger at Jesus healing on the Sabbath. 

 

The Jews of Jesus’ time kept the celebration of the Sabbath meal that was taken around noon. However, strict washing procedures were included.

 

After this brief learning on the Sabbath given to the Jews, which was a sign of the relationship of God to His people. It was to be a day of celebration and refreshment. What do we see the Pharisees condemning the disciples of Jesus for?

 

MAT 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.

 

MAT 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

 

Jesus also doesn’t argue Sabbath law or try to explain to them what “work” meant in reference to it in the Mosaic Law. He goes right to the practice of the priests during the Sabbath and so He tries to draw them close to the real reason for the Sabbath. If the priests are instructed to offer animals (and they have double the sacrifices than they do on the other six days) and they circumcise, and they change the shewbread, then why would you think God instructed you not to do anything at all? It was a day of rest and no work. It was a day to celebrate, as God did during the creation, that all work was complete. And in reference to Israel, God had done everything for them. All they had to do was love Him in return and this day was given so that they might have the time and the rest to consider that in faith and reverence and praise.