Jesus Christ is our double portion. He is our complete rest, now and for eternity.
The Jews who celebrate Shabbat every Friday evening take two loaves of bread representing the double portion which was gathered on the day before Shabbat (the seventh day). God did not give them manna on the seventh day.
On Friday evening following sundown, which according to the law, is the beginning of Sabbath, they sit down at their tables and break bread together. They give thanks in Hebrew for the wine, which translated into English says: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, King of the universe, who bringeth forth the fruit of the vine.” They then give thanks in Hebrew for the bread, but translated into English says: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, King of the universe, who bringeth forth bread from the earth.”
The two loaves represent the double portion which had to be gathered on the sixth day.
Exodus 16:16 says: “Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.” I think that every person in the family was given an omer measurement, approximately three quarts, one pint daily for five days. On the sixth day they collected two omers prepared for both the sixth and seventh days. They could not bake bread on Shabbat as it was their day of rest.
In Exodus 16:36 we note that an omer is the tenth part of an ephah, approximately ½ gallon per person. Therefore, on the sixth day, each person received a double portion to hold them over until the Sabbath ended. They received a two tenths deal.
Jesus Christ is our two tenths deal. He is our double portion for He is our Sabbath rest, not only for the Sabbath, but on every day of the week.
The typology points to the fact that we cannot earn our salvation through our own works of keeping the law. It was a serious offence to go out to get manna on the sixth day. Salvation can only come by accepting Jesus Christ as our complete rest for every day of our lives.
Ephesians 2:8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
The rest that the law granted Israel was for one-day per week. The rest, spiritually speaking, that grace gives us without the law is never ending. In this way, Jesus is our eternal Sabbath.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell