Haftorah: – Yesh/Is 63:10-19 – Second Writings: Rom 4:10-25
Isa 63:17 O יהוה, why do You make us stray from Your ways, and harden our heart
from Your fear? Turn back, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your
inheritance.
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher
bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn
ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples, and
have given us your Torah.
Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Sinai was not the beginning of the
covenant relationship with Yisrael, it was a continuation of a covenant already
established. If one comes to Sinai without first participating in the faith of
Abraham, the Sinai experience inevitably produces slavery.
Only those who have been circumcised in their hearts
will understand and embrace the circumcision of the flesh. The true evidence of
those who follow in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham is willingly and
lovingly taking on the entire yoke of Torah.
The tragic testimony among both Jew and Gentile is
that they have created their own Torah’s (ways of following YHVH) according to
their own understanding and the traditions and doctrines handed down to them
from generation to generation. We do this because deep in our hearts we all
struggle to trust YHVH completely to do in us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Gen 17:1 And it came to be when Aḇram was ninety-nine
years old, that יהוה appeared to Aḇram and said to him, “I am Ěl Shaddai – walk before Me
and be perfect1. Footnote: 1Messiah gives the same
command in Mt. 5:48.
Why El Shaddai?
Abram is 99 years old, his wife Sarai is 90 years old.
Couples of this age simply do not give birth to children. The birth of a child
would be a miraculous event, an event that would no doubt have been recorded in
the Guinness Book of World Records.
The name that YHVH chooses to reveal Himself here “El
Shaddai” comes from the Hebrew word “shadad” which means “breast” and implies
“One who nurses” or “the One who gives the ability to nurse.” This reminds us
Who the source of the wonderful miracle of childbirth which is about to take
place, was.
This also reminds us of the miraculous conception and
virgin birth of Yahshua.
“walk before Me..” the verb “walk” is a “hitpael
imperative” (reflexive) verb and implies walking backwards and forwards or a
continuous walk of obedience we are to walk here on earth.
“and be” is another imperative (command) verb. These two
imperative verbs may be consequential ie if you walk (halacha) according to
YHVH’s will, you will be blameless or perfect AND HE WILL COMMAND THE BLESSING
OF PERFECTION UPON YOUR LIFE.
We can also understand “be perfect” (vav, hey, yud, hey –
vaheye) as a command that YHVH proclaims. In other words YHVH speaks our
perfection into being by uttering this command. YHVH will bring about our
perfection which is in progress even in the present. He does this by conforming
us into the image of His son Yahshua.
This reminds us of the definition of faith found in
Hebrews.
Heb 11:1 And belief is the substance of what is
expected, the proof of what is not seen. (This is YHVH’s definition of faith or
belief because this is how He operates)
LET US TAKE CAREFUL NOTE ABOUT HOW YHVH COMMANDS OUR
PERFECTION AND ONLY SPEAKS CREATION INTO EXISTENCE.
If we look at the verb “to be” in the creation account we
see that it is a normal “pa al” verb but when the verb “to be” is used in our
Parasha concerning our becoming perfect, complete and whole an imperative or
command “pa al” verb is used. This is our spiritual foundation, if it is not
sound our lives will not be sound.
This should be the basis of our faith, that we believe
that we are already being perfected. This goes on to be the foundation of
expressing and living by faith.
We have learned so much about faith over the years, but
how much faith do we really have?
Luk 18:8 ….. But when the Son of Aḏam comes, shall He
find the belief on the earth?”
How does faith come?
Rom 10:17 So then belief comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of Elohim.
This is not just some “New Testament” concept; this
has always been the way that faith operates. Example Abraham!!!
Once this foundational principle of faith has been
established we can move on to trust YHVH to bring to fulfilment His promises
given to us in scripture.
Gen 17:2 “And I
give My covenant between Me and you, and shall greatly increase you.”
Gen 17:3 And Aḇram
fell on his face, and Elohim spoke with him, saying,
Gen 17:4 “As for
Me, look, My covenant is with you, and you shall become a father of many
nations.
Gen 17:5 “And no
longer is your name called Aḇram, but your name shall be Aḇraham,
because I shall make you a father of many nations.
Gen 17:6 “And I
shall make you bear fruit exceedingly, and make nations of you, and sovereigns
shall come from you.
Gen 17:7 “And I
shall establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their
generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you and your seed
after you.
Gen 17:8 “And I
shall give to you and your seed after you the land of your sojournings, all the
land of Kenaʽan, as an everlasting possession. And I shall be their
Elohim.”
Gen 17:9 And
Elohim said to Aḇraham, “As for you, guard My covenant, you and your seed
after you throughout their generations.
Gen 17:10 “This is
My covenant which you guard between Me and you, and your seed after you: Every
male child among you is to be circumcised.
Gen 17:11 “And you
shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall become a sign of the
covenant between Me and you.
Gen 17:12 “And a
son of eight days is circumcised by you, every male child in your generations,
he who is born in your house or bought with silver from any foreigner who is
not of your seed.
Gen 17:13 “He who
is born in your house, and he who is bought with your silver, has to be
circumcised. So shall My covenant be in your flesh, for an everlasting
covenant.
Gen 17:14 “And an
uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin,
his life shall be cut off from his people – he has broken My covenant.”
All males were circumcised before they entered into the
promised land after 40 year wilderness experience.
Jos 5:7 And Yehoshua circumcised their sons whom He
raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not
been circumcised on the way.
Jos 5:8 And it came to be, when they had completed
circumcising all the nation, that they stayed in their places in the camp till
they were healed.
Jos 5:9 And יהוה said to Yehoshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of
Mitsrayim from you.” So the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.
Gen 17:15 And
Elohim said to Aḇraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her name
Sarai, for Sarah is her name.
Gen 17:16 “And I
shall bless her and also give you a son by her. And I shall bless her, and she
shall become nations – sovereigns of peoples are to be from her.”
Gen 17:17 And Aḇraham
fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Is a child born to
a man who is a hundred years old? Or is Sarah, who is ninety years old, to bear
a child?”
Gen 17:18 And Aḇraham
said to Elohim, “Oh, let Yishmaĕl live before You!”
Gen 17:19 And
Elohim said, “No, Sarah your wife is truly bearing a son to you, and you shall
call his name Yitsḥaq. And I shall establish My covenant with him for an
everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Gen 17:20 “And as
for Yishma’ĕl, I have heard you. See, I shall bless him, and shall
make him bear fruit, and greatly increase him. He is to bring forth twelve
princes, and I shall make him a great nation.
Gen 17:21 “But My
covenant I establish with Yitsḥaq, whom Sarah is to bear to you at this set time next
year.”
Gen 17:22 And when
He had ended speaking with him, Elohim went up from Aḇraham.
Gen 17:23 And Aḇraham
took Yishma’ĕl his son, and all those born in his house and all those
bought with his silver, every male among the men of Aḇraham’s
house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that same day, as Elohim
told him.
Gen 17:24 And Aḇraham
was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen 17:25 And
Yishma’ĕl his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen 17:26 Aḇraham
and his son Yishma’ĕl were circumcised that same day.
Gen 17:27 And all
the men of his house, born in the house or bought with silver from a foreigner,
were circumcised with him.
(Quote by
Tim Hegg:
The ritual of circumcision took on a different significance in the
nation of Israel as she wandered further and further away from the faith in
HaShem in which she was called to walk. Rather than understanding circumcision
as a sign of the Promised One, circumcision became a self-identity—a sign of
Israelite status. By the time of Yeshua, circumcision had been more strongly
attached to the giving of the Torah at Sinai than to the promise given to
Abraham. Moreover, its use as a status marker was so prevalent that it became
the primary focus of the proselyte’s ritual (though admittedly in the 1st
Century this was still being debated by some Sages.) This is one of the reasons
we often have difficulty understanding Paul’s teachings on circumcision. If, as
I have said, circumcision was (in its final analysis) a sign of the miraculous
birth of Messiah, why would it ever be prohibited to God-fearing non-Jews? What
we must understand, however, about Paul’s use of the word “circumcision” is
that it is a short-hand way of identifying the rabbinic ritual of proselytizing
as well as the native born Jew. Indeed, Paul can use the term “circumcision” to
mean “Jews” (Eph 2:11; Col 4:11; Tit 1:10). It seems clear when this is kept in
mind that what Paul is teaching against when he is telling the non-Jews not to
be circumcised was the widely held notion that only Israelites had a place in
the world to come (m.Sanhedrin 10:1, the Gemara is found at b. Sanhedrin
90a). If, as was being taught, only those with Jewish status are members of
Israel, and only Israelites have a place in the world to come, then for a
non-Jew to secure eternal life would require “becoming a Jew” through
proselytization. This, Paul argues, would amount to salvation by the works of
the Torah, something he knows is impossible. Therefore, showing that Abraham
himself, the first to be given circumcision, was justified not by his
circumcision (which, for the 1st Century Sages was viewed as making him a Jew)
but by faith, Paul stresses to the Jew and non-Jew alike that ethnic status
does not secure covenant membership for any one. Rather, eternal salvation is
by faith alone apart from any ritual of becoming a proselyte. Circumcision,
rather than providing covenant membership, points to the One through Whom
salvation comes, even Yeshua the Messiah, born by the miracle of the Ruach. It
is by faith in Him that the promise of the covenant comes to all the elect.
We note that in the instructions to Abram regarding circumcision, not only
were male family members to be circumcised, but also foreigners who were
purchased as servants, as well as male children that were born to them.)
“Baruch atah YHVH,
Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet,
v’chay-yeh o’lam
nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you Yahweh,
our Elohim, King of the Universe,
you have given us your
Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst.
Blessed are you, Yahweh
giver of the Torah – Ameyn
Please note these notes
are under construction and are subject to correction and are in no way a final
authority on any subject.