Fulfill your week
Opening Song: all creatures of our God and King
Closing Song: redeemed
Scripture Gen 2:18-24
2:18 And the LORD God said, [It is] not good
that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
2:19 And
out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl
of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and
whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof.
2:20 And
Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast
of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
2:21 And
the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took
one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
2:22 And
the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought
her unto the man.
2:23 And
Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be
called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
2:24 Therefore
shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall be one flesh.
Introduction
Although
not very vivid, what our scripture reading is speaking about is the first
marriage
performed
on Earth.
Most of us will
brag that we know the story very well. However, if we take another look at Gen 2:24, this time likening the man to
Christ and the woman to the church we will begin to understand why it is that
we will be clothed with immortality in the hereafter and why it is that Christ
had to take on flesh for eternity.
Let us pray
Who is the bride and who is the groom?
In Scripture the church is often referred to
as the bride of Christ. Before moving on, let
me
momentarily address this fact that Christ is the groom and the church is his
bride.
2Cor 11:2 "...I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ.", Rom 7:4...."ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead..."
Eph 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church... ",
Matt 22:2-14
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage
for his son,
Matt 25: 1-13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened
unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom.
Rev. 19:9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto
the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true
sayings of God.
Rev 21:2
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Luke 12:36
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will
return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto
him immediately.
The announcement
There is a lot
more to be understood from these texts, but it is only to be revealed to the
honest enquiring mind. You’ll be surprised at the answers you will find when
you question scripture.
Zeroing in on our
scripture reading we can also glean much by asking questions. For example, let’s
consider the question “why did Adam make the declaration that he did in verse Gen 2:23.
I think it is common
knowledge that this announcement made by Adam on Earth, was also made by Christ
in heaven.
This idea is also
supported by Stephen Bohr in his series titled “Catching up to Jesus.” He says
that – heavenly announcements are made and then Earth catches up to them. As in
the case of the 1st advent (the church was looking for a King)….the great
disappointment (Second Advent). Heavenly announcements were made, they were
mis-interpreted at first but then they were interpreted correctly later.
As it relates to the
announcement made by Adam, the explanation can be derived by comparing what
takes place in a Jewish wedding.
Jewish Wedding: A special ceremony (Ufruf) is
arranged for the groom. This involves him going to the synagogue and taking an
active part in the service, as well as announcing the impending wedding to the
congregation. Often when the groom is playing his part in the service, members
of the congregation will shower him with sweets. (which emphasizes their wish
for children and sweetness in the marriage)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/rites/weddings_1.shtml
Do you see the
parallel?
Do you
understand why there would be such a service in heaven?
As a result, “Who
are the members of the congregation?”
I believe that
what we are witnessing now is the separation for a week which is typical of the
Jewish wedding.
As I read about
the Jewish wedding, I found it very interesting that in the Jewish wedding the
bride was supposed to have a ceremonial bath and strip herself of any jewelry.
I have not made
any application of this event other than what it physically represents. Being
clean. Some might understand that the bath is symbolic of baptism and the
stripping of Jewelry and nail polish, represents the putting away of falsehood.
No Jewelry
In
order to properly fulfill the requirements of the mikveh, the woman/bride
removed all jewellery and even nail polish before entering the bath and must
fully immerse herself in the water while reciting a special prayer. She was
usually supervised and assisted during the ritual to ensure it was done
correctly.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/rites/weddings_1.shtml
Fulfil/week
explained
We can
deduce that before the marriage of Adam or Christ could be consummated, both
brides had to fulfil their week. Consequently, there
was something that each bride had to do/accomplish before they could have
intimate relations with their husband. The period that was set aside was one
week. This too was consistent with Jewish custom.
One week before the wedding the bride and groom, the chosson and kallah,
stop seeing each other, in order to enhance the joy of their wedding through
their separation.
This week is an exciting time.
I first stumbled into the phrase “fulfill your week” one day
while reading Gen29: 21-28. The
bible students present here know that this is referring to the time when Laban
tricked Jacob into marrying his elder daughter Leah in place of Rachel which
Jacob truly loved.
At the time I read this statement I was bewildered, and it
did not make sense to me. “What could this ‘fulfill her week’ mean?” So I set
in search of the history of Weddings, particularly the Jewish wedding to gain
the answer to my question.
Fulfil/week
explained
The word "week", or shavuah in Hebrew, simply
means seven. It has been represented in scripture in different ways. You first
have a literal 7 day period but it can also be used to apply to periods
covering 10’s of years 100’s of years even 1000’s years.
Let us look at a an example of these.
(1)
A literal 7 day period – gen 1
Gen 2:4 These are the
generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created. (this is
the entire story)
God gives us the productions of
his work at the close of each literal day. Each day was accounted of him a
generation, because every day he generated or produced some new portion of his
work. On the seventh day of the first week God rested from his work, and then
blessed the day of his rest, and set it apart for the use of man. The weekly
cycle of seven literal days, six for labor, and the seventh for rest, which has
been preserved and brought down through Bible history, originated in the great
facts of the first seven days (volume 3-spiritual gifts page 9)
(2)
A day for a year - gen 29:28, numb 14:34, ezek 4:6
This should need no explanation, as it is this principle that
is commonly used to explain the 2300 days prophecy mentioned in Daniel.
(3)
A day for a decade - Jer 29:10(fulfill a week), psal 90:10 (our
years)
Although this is not commonly understood, from the scripture
text given we can deduce that this was a principle advanced.
(4)
A day for a
hundred years - acts 7:22-25 (Moses thinks he is the chosen
one)
This one is not so clear. However, there was an
understanding among the Israelites that according to creation, day 4 was the
day of the sun i.e the day of the deliverer. Where did they get that idea? By
applying the day for a hundred years principle, they understood that on the 400th year of slavery a messiah/deliverer would
come. It was a similar principle at work when they understood that 4000 years
after sin the messiah would come?
(5)
A day for a thousand years - psalm 90:4, 2 Pet 3:8
2 peter 3:8-9
3:8
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
This is fully developed in day 7
of this study. If you have any doubts about this one you can revisit that
study.
To fulfil
Now that we understand the time frame, let me just say what
it means to fulfil something. To fulfil means to accomplish something that is
assigned. Consequently, when Jacob used the phrase fulfill her week, he simply
meant that he would be comfortable working an additional “week” or seven years
for Rachel. The event was working and the time frame was a week, seven literal
years.
Although Gen 29 is the only place in which the phrase
“fulfil her week” is used in the bible, there is abundant reference to the
concept of fulfilling a particular event during a specific time period, all
through scripture.
Our week which
need be fulfilled
The church/we also has a week to fulfil. The event is to
achieve Christ-like-ness and the time frame given is 7000 literal years to
complete it.
Where did I get this concept?
You’ll remember that I said that a day is sometimes
represented as a 1000 years. Well in our case this is the exact application.
Let us revisit the scripture that makes this point.
Turn with me to
2 peter 3:8-9
3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one
thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day.
3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The Lord
gave us 7000 years because He is not willing that any should perish. This is
the
longest
possible period God could give us before putting an end to sin.
Now we have a problem!!
We
know that God has a representative type of government and as a result, gets
input from His subjects before enforcing a law.
We
find an example of this in the book of Job chapter 1 verses 6 & 7.
You’ll remember that this was the time when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD. Adam was supposed to be in this meeting, but could
not attend and Satan came in his place.
Job 1:7 The LORD said to Satan, "From where
have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and
fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it."
So the representative of the various worlds came
before God and Satan went to represent earth. Not Adam but Satan.
Since Adam had yielded to temptation he could no
longer represent us before the father,
Consequently, the need arose for a new
representative, a new Adam if you will.
When Jesus came he needed to be both our genetic
father as well as our representative/ ambassador before the Father.
This explains the need for a rebirth. The first Adam
is condemned to death because of Sin
and that is the nature in which we are born. Unless
we are born again under the banner of
Christ we are all subject to death.
Let us look at the scripture that tells us that you
must be born again under the banner of Christ.
Rom 5:15-19
Romans 5:18-19
18 Therefore as by
the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life.
19 For as by one
man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous.
There is only one of two paradigms in which you
can live.
You are either living in the world of the first Adam,
i.e. in the world of carnality/the
world of condemnation and the world that is condemned
to death because of his sin...
or
You are living
in the world of the second Adam/ the new representative of the world Jesus
Christ where there is no condemnation. Romans chapter 8:1.
2 Adams
Remember
I had said previously that Christ is the groom and we/the church are His bride.
In
the bible there are two Adams. The first Adam that we are introduced to is Adam
in Eden; the second Adam is Jesus Christ.
Adam in Eden was two things to the human race; number one he
was our genetic father and Secondly: He was our representative ambassador
before God.
The
entire human race was genetically constituted in Adam, he is our genetic
father, we are all the legitimate genealogical descendants of Adam.
Although
it seemed like a pre-cursor to what the second Adam was going to do, “What did
the first Adam do when his bride stepped out of line?”
He
laid down his life along with hers. We know that Adam was not deceived, (1Tim
2:14) it was a conscious decision on his part to eat of the fruit with his
wife….we don’t know what was the mindset….but whatever it was, him also
partaking of the fruit could not save Eve.
However,
when the second Adam lays down his life, when this second Adam springs into
action, his bride is saved.
So the first Adam was Adam in Eden, the second Adam
was Christ. Let us read one more text
that puts this idea to rest.
1st Corinthians 15:45-47
45 Thus it is written, "The first man Adam
became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
1Co 15:46 But it is not the spiritual that is
first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man was
from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
The Bride of Adam how was she
prepared?
Now
consider with me the following question: “How did God prepare a bride for the
first Adam? Turn with me to
Gen
2:21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he
slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
Verse
22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman
and brought her to the man.
Verse 23 Then the man said, "This at last
is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because
she was taken out of Man."
Adam was put into a deep sleep and God removed from
his side the raw materials necessary to make a bride for Adam.
Had the couple passed the test of obedience they
would have been made to dwell in eternity with God. Since they sinned they
forfeited that promise, and were condemned to death. But we should be thankful
that we have such a loving God that he did not leave his creatures in that
hopeless state, but laid out a plan that Adam’s race could receive that promise
again.
He restored the covenant if you will.
Let us read Hebrews
chapter 4 to have a clearer understanding.
Q. How did he restore the covenant?
A. By creating a second Adam/Jesus Christ that
stood in the gap.
Now with that in mind consider this question: How
would God prepare a bride for the second Adam?
We find a remarkable parallel in the gospel of John
Chapter 19:32 – 34
32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the
first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he
was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34 But one
of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood
and water.
Now you would agree with me that this is a strange
phenomenon – if someone is pierced in the side you expect blood to come out but
here John records that when Jesus’ side was pierced out flowed blood and water.
And John makes it quite clear that he is not
recording this because he was interested in this little medical nuance, he is
recording this because to him it had significant theological importance. John
Chapter 19:35
And so just in case you missed it, he re-records it again
in 1st John 5:5-6.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcomes the world, but he
that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even
Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.
God
prepared a wife for the first Adam by putting him into a REGULAR sleep right?
No the
scripture is emphatic and descriptive. God prepared a wife for the first Adam
by putting him into a DEEP sleep then removed from his SIDE the raw materials
necessary to prepare a bride.
Now
the second Adam had gone into a DEEP sleep (the bible teaches that death is but
a sleep – acts 7:58-60) and here is this interesting detail recorded in
the gospel of John.
While Jesus was in this DEEP sleep, the soldier
pierced his side and out flowed these two distinct elements, blood and water.
But you say
how is blood and water going to serve as the raw material to prepare a bride
for the second Adam?
Eph 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it;
Verse 26 That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Verse 27 That
he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
In
order for the church to be without blemish, without spot or wrinkle it needs
the washing of water but that will do no good unless the blood, the cleansing
agent is applied.
You
will recall in Revelation 19:1-7 that the saints were dressed in white
robes.
Q. Well
pray tell how did they get this way?
Two
well-known songs say it best…
A. Because
there is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners
plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.
Have
you been to Jesus for the cleansing blood, are you washed in the blood of the
Lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they whiter than snow, are you washed in
the blood of the Lamb?
Isa 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the
LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though
they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Ladies and Gentlemen God is preparing a bride for his
son Jesus the second Adam and the song writer catches a glimpse of the process
and pens the words: O now I see that crimson wave, the fountain deep and wide,
Jesus my Lord mighty to save points to his wounded side. The cleansing stream I see, I see, I plunge and O he cleanseth me,
O praise the Lord he cleanseth me, he cleanseth me, yes cleanseth me.
It’s no wonder then why the bible says in
Hebrews
chapter 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission.
Rev 1:5
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first
begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Appeal - Significance
of the events Post-fall
After the sin of Adam, we had lost the ability to choose and
to do right. However, God has restored out ability to choose/do and has said to
us again…..fulfill your week. Toil till I come.
While the evidence is still
lacking God has declared us to be his sons, and has given us a week to fulfill.
Let us not like our fore father Adam forfeit eternity for some fleeting moments
of pleasure.
What is it that you can’t give up? What on Earth is worth
eternity? Is it Sex, lying, stealing, gambling, Sabbath breaking…what is it?
Sister white advises us in steps to Christ the sin that you
fail to overcome will eventually overcome you and work out your destiny.
Adam’s test was not to eat the fruit…I don’t know what is
your test...but the big question is “Will we be found to be obedient or disobedient?
No doubt we have been given the very same opportunity that the first Adam was
given. Let us not make the same mistake that he did.
Seeing then that we have been appointed a certain amount of time to
qualify for eternity, let us then run the race that is set before us with
patience and fulfill our purpose in the time that we have been allotted whether
it be days or years, because our God of Love has paid the price so that we can fulfill
our week and gain Heaven.
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