Bereshit “In the beginning”

It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.

As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.

Torah Portion Name and Readings-

Bereshit is the Hebrew words for “In the beginning”, this is the name for the weekly Torah Portion reading for the Genesis starting in chapter 1 verse 1 and going through chapter 6 and verse 8.

Prophets and New Testament-

It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of 1 Samuel in chapter 20 verse 18 through verse 42.

The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 24 with verses 29 through 36.

Torah Portion Overview-

There is so much that happens in this Torah portion!! You could easily spend a book covering just the first chapters of Genesis, indeed, this has often been done. Genesis is my favorite book in the Old Testament and yet we do not have the time to do this book true justice (which would require encyclopedia size volumes) and so we will focus here on the Sabbath and limit our words. Indeed, you could easily devote a book to just the Sabbath, but we will be brief. Here in the start of Genesis 2 we get the creation of the Sabbath.

Genesis 2:1–3 (NRSVue)

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude. On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”

Here chapter divisions should be ignored, as this is clearly the final account of Genesis 1. The creation of the cosmos, the world, ends with the beauty of the sabbath. But there is something interesting here. As Gordon J. Wenham explains in the Word Biblical Commentary on Genesis 1-15 (vol 1),

“Though the seventh day is not called the Sabbath, God “blessed” it and “hallowed” it. These are striking terms to apply to a day. Biblical usage generally restricts blessing to animate beings—God, men, animals and so on—and it is not immediately obvious in what sense a day can be blessed (cf. 1:22, 28). Divine blessing on men and animals leads to fruitfulness and success, and it is paradoxical that the day on which God refrains from creative activity is pronounced blessed. Partly the Sabbath is blessed by being “hallowed,” but there is also the suggestion that those who observe the Sabbath will enjoy divine blessing in their lives.”

It is interesting that a day is blessed! People are often blessed, but why a day? Was it that special that God stopped working? Indeed, why are other days of fulfillment not also blessed? Why not the day of the cross, or the day of the resurrection, or the ascension? Why creation? Wenham suggests that the reason for this was, at least in part, to imply that there was a blessing for those who partook in the Sabbath. Does this sound familiar?

Hebrews 4:9-11 (NRSVue)

“So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, for those who enter God’s rest also rest from their labors as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.”

We will not here enter into the debate on whether the rest here is only the Sabbath or also includes a type of Sabbath. However, it is clear that this verse does at least include the weekly Sabbath. In our worship on the Sabbath we find a blessing! We have a rest that we may enter. Indeed, we enter into a spiritual rest in Christ where we not only cease from our physical work but we also cease from striving in our flesh! In Him we have peace.

Indeed, the Sabbath was created by God as a blessing for us. It is a gift from him that we can cherish. As someone who struggles with being a workaholic, I value this rest. And him I’m able to find peace and cease from struggle. And him I am able to commune with God. In him, I am able to enjoy my family. What a great and precious gift! The Sabbath was made for us!

Mark 2:27 (ESV)

“And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

The Sabbath is truly about Christ. For Christ is the creator!

John 1:1-3 (ESV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Here we can see the connection to Genesis one. In the beginning, bereshit. We can see you then that Jesus is the creator. Christ rested on the seventh day, He is the one who created the Sabbath. Perhaps this is why He is called the Lord of the Sabbath!

Matthew 12:8 (NASB20)

“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

There is more to it than this though! John H. Walton explains in his book “The Lost World of Genesis One” that the week of creation relates to the building of a temple. Indeed, we can view heaven and earth as a cosmic temple. In this the idea that God rested can have a meaning of a king that sits on His throne to reign as King. This then creates an idea that to celebrate the Sabbath is also to celebrate the kingship of Yahweh! I believe that the Sabbath is an “enthronement ceremony”, a time to celebrate the King! Since we know that Jesus created the Sabbath, it then holds that we are in fact celebrating Him as king!!

Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-

• Genesis 1:1 Elohim created the land, sea, and sky and everything in them

• Genesis 2:1 Elohim creates the Sabbath

• Genesis 2:5 Yahweh Elohim creates humans and places them in a garden He created

• Genesis 3:1 Eve and Adam fall and the serpent, Eve and Adam are punished and exiled

• Genesis 4:1 Cain murders Abel, Cain is punished and exiled

• Genesis 4:17 Cain’s family tree

• Genesis 5:1 Adam’s family tree

• Genesis 6:1 The sons of God mate with women and create the Nephilim and man’s wickedness grows

Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-

• 1 Samuel 20:18 Jonathan saves David’s life by warning him not to come to a new moon feast

Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-

• Matthew 24:29 The second coming of Christ

Bibliography

• Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1–15, vol. 1 of Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1987), 36.

To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE