"And he came near"
Blessing for the Torah Reading:
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,
you have selected us from among all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah.
Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
“And he came near” points us to another very important future event –
The Jews (Yehudah) including his brothers, the other tribes, recognizing the
true Messiah.
Zec 12:10 “And I shall pour on the house of Dawiḏ and on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim a
spirit of favour and prayers. And they shall look on Me whom they pierced, and
they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son. And they shall be in
bitterness over Him as a bitterness over the first-born.
This “drawing near” by Yehudah
and his brethren has significant implications for all of mankind. Paul
describes it this way:
Rom 8:19 For the intense longing1 of the
creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. Footnote: 1Lit.
anxiously looking with outstretched head.
Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility,
not from choice, but because of Him who subjected it, in anticipation,
Rom 8:21 that the creation itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage to corruption into the esteemed freedom of the
children of Elohim.
Rom 8:22 For we know that all the creation groans
together, and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only so, but even we ourselves who
have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we ourselves also groan within ourselves,
eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
This adoption Paul is speaking about could also be
pointing to the coming together of the family of Yisrael.
Rom 11:12 And if their fall (Yehudah and the Yehudim)
is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the gentiles, how much
more their completeness!
Rom 11:13 For I speak to you, the gentiles, inasmuch as
I am an emissary to the gentiles, I esteem my service,
Rom 11:14 if somehow I might provoke to jealousy those
who are my flesh and save some of them.
Rom 11:15 For if their casting away is the restoration
to favour of the world, what is their acceptance but life from the dead?
Rom 11:25 For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this
secret, brothers, lest you should be wise in your own estimation, that
hardening in part has come over Yisra’ĕl, until the completeness of the
gentiles1 has come in. Footnote: 1Gen. 48:19.
Rom 11:26 And so all Yisra’ĕl shall be saved, as it has
been written, “The Deliverer shall come out of Tsiyon, and He shall turn away
wickedness from Yaʽaqoḇ,
Rom 11:27
and this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”1
Footnote: 1Isa. 59:20-21.
Rom 11:28
Truly, as regards the Good News they are enemies for your sake,
but concerning the choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
Rom 11:29
For the gifts and the calling of Elohim are not to be repented of.
Rom 11:32 For Elohim has shut them all up to
disobedience, in order to have compassion on all.
Rom 11:33 Oh, the depth of riches, and wisdom and
knowledge of Elohim! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways!
Rom 11:34 “For who has known the mind of יהוה? Or who has become His
counsellor?”
Of course there
are many churchmen around today – even good ones – who attempt changing YHVH’s
counsel by claiming that the church has now replaced Yisrael and Yahshua has
come to do away with the Torah – bringing grace instead of condemnation – a lie
from the pit of hell.
We are once again reminded that all of Torah points us to Messiah.
Rom 10:4 For Messiah is the goal1 of the
‘Torah unto righteousness’ to everyone who believes. Footnote: 1Or
end purpose; not termination.
In this Torah portion the allegorical
conclusion is that this points to when Messiah is exalted by the Father to
bring about the final restoration of his brothers – the tribes of Yisrael.
We believe the sages who say that the
Messiah (Yahshua) will first come as Moshiach Ben Yosef and then will return
again as Moshiach Ben David – the ruler of Yisrael – all of scripture testifies
to this truth.
It is clear from this Torah portion that
Yosef is now the second most powerful man in Mitsrayim/ and even in the world.
This Torah portion also then points us to
our time of preparation for the coming Appointments (Moadim). This is the month
of Elul – the time when the bride prepares to meet her bridegroom – Yom Teruah.
It’s a time of repentance – Yom Kippur and it’s a time to pray that we may
found worthy of attending the marriage supper of the Lamb – Sukkot.
Gen 44:18 And Yehuḏah came near to him
and said, “O my master, please let your servant speak a word in my master’s
hearing, and do not let your displeasure burn against your servant, for you are
like Pharaoh.
We remember that at
this time Yehudah and his brothers are in great distress.
Gen 44:19
“My master asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’
Gen 44:20
“And we said to my master, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young
child of his old age, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of
his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’
Gen 44:21
“And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, and let me set my
eyes on him.’
Gen 44:22
“And we said to my master, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father, for
if he leaves his father, his father shall die.’
Does this possibly point to a small remnant
in the last days that are walking close to the Father who will embark on a
dangerous mission to bring about the restoration of the family of Yisrael ?-
some of this small remnant may even die! (Maybe not!)
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in the
heaven, “Now have come the deliverance and the power and the reign of our
Elohim,1 and the authority of His Messiah, for the accuser of our
brothers, who accused them before our Elohim day and night, has been thrown
down. Footnote: 1See 11:15.
Rev 12:11 “And they overcame him because of the Blood
of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness, and they did not love
their lives to the death.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands
of Elohim and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah.
All scripture can only
be understood in the light of all other scripture – these prophecies in Revelation
are pointing to the Torah and the return of Messiah.
Gen 44:23
“But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down
with you, you do not see my face again.’
Gen 44:24
“And it came to be, when we went up to your servant my father, that we
told him the words of my master.
Gen 44:25
“And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’
Gen 44:26
“But we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is
with us, then we shall go down, for we are not able to see the man’s face
unless our youngest brother is with us.’
Gen 44:27
“Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me
two sons,
Gen 44:28
and the one went out from me, and I said, “Truly, he is torn, torn to
pieces!” And I have not seen him since.
Gen 44:29
‘And if you take this one from me too, and harm comes to him, you shall
bring down my grey hair with evil to the grave.’
Gen 44:30
“And now, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us
– since his own life is bound up in his life –
Gen 44:31
then it shall be, when he sees that the boy is not with us, that he
shall die. So your servants shall bring down the grey hair of your servant our
father with evil to the grave.
Gen 44:32
“For your servant went guaranty for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I
do not bring him back to you, then I shall be a sinner before my father
forever.’
Gen 44:33
“And now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave
to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers.
Gen 44:34
“For how do I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see
the evil that would come upon my father?”
We can assume that this allegory points to
the time when Yehudah will once again enter into a mediatory role presenting
himself and his brothers to our Messiah who is just about to reveal himself to
his brothers – the tribes of Yisrael.
At this time we see the primary motivation
of the brothers is the love of their father –Yakov – because of all the grief
they brought to him as the result of the news of Yosef’s death.
Could it be that once again at the end of
this age we will discover the heart of our Heavenly Father and His grief over
the separation of His family for such a long time?
Imagine the joy in heaven when YHVH sends
His son to come and reconcile the family of Yisrael and establish His Kingdom
on earth forever and ever.
Benyamin seems to be an allegorical
representation of those who are similar of heart and spirit to Yosef – maybe
this is a restored messianic movement free from all forms of pagan mixture
clinging to YHVH and His Torah.
Yehudah seems very concerned in protecting
those who have the heart and spirit of a Benyamin.
The coming of Benyamin would
eventually cause Yakov the father to come to Mitsrayim/Egypt – maybe this
points to the coming restored messianic movement causing as it were YHVH to
once again to intervene for a last time bringing an end to this age - only when the Father is revealed is the family
able to be saved – It is striking to note the number of times Yakov is
mentioned in this portion. Only once the Egyptian influence is exposed and removed
could the family of Yakov be joined together again. Maybe this” Benyamin”
movement is what Shaul refers to as the “fullness of the gentiles”.
Rom 11:25 For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this
secret, brothers, lest you should be wise in your own estimation, that
hardening in part has come over Yisra’ĕl, until the completeness of the
gentiles1 has come in. Footnote: 1Gen. 48:19.
(Compare Greek word “pleroma” –
“fullness” in vs 12 and 25)
Many believe that the church with
its mixture of worship and ‘Replacement theology’ does not even feature in end
time prophecy because it has rejected YHVH’s agenda for Yisrael.
Gen 45:1 And Yosĕph was unable to restrain himself
before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out
from me!” So no one stood with him while Yosĕph made himself known to his
brothers.
Gen 45:2 And he wept aloud, and the Mitsrites and the
house of Pharaoh heard it.
Gen 45:3 And Yosĕph said to his brothers, “I am
Yosĕph, is my father still alive?” But his brothers were unable to answer him,
for they trembled before him.
Gen 45:4 Then Yosĕph said to his brothers, “Please
come near to me.” And when they came near, he said, “I am Yosĕph your brother,
whom you sold into Mitsrayim.
Gen 45:5 “And now, do not be grieved nor displeased
with yourselves because you sold me here, for Elohim sent me before you to
preserve life.
Gen 45:6 “For two years now the scarcity of food has
been in the land, and there are still five years in which there is neither
ploughing nor harvesting.
Gen 45:7
“And Elohim sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the
earth, and to give life to you by a great escape.
Gen 45:8 “So then, you did not send me here, but
Elohim. And He has set me for a father to Pharaoh, and master of all his house,
and a ruler throughout all the land of Mitsrayim.
Gen 45:9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to
him, ‘Thus says your son Yosĕph, “Elohim has made me master of all Mitsrayim.
Come down to me, do not delay.
Gen 45:10 “And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen,
and be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks
and your herds, and all that you have.
Gen 45:11 “And I shall provide for you there, lest you
and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty, because five years
of scarcity of food are still to come.” ’
Gen 45:12 “And look, your eyes and the eyes of my
brother Binyamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
Gen 45:13 “And you shall inform my father of all my esteem
in Mitsrayim, and of all that you have seen. And you shall hurry and bring my
father down here.”
Gen 45:14 And he fell on his brother Binyamin’s neck
and wept, and Binyamin wept on his neck.
Gen 45:15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them,
and after that his brothers spoke with him.
Gen 45:16 And the report of it was heard by the house
of Pharaoh, saying, “The brothers of Yosĕph have come.” And it was good in the
eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants.
Gen 45:17 And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “Say to your
brothers, ‘Do this: Load your beasts and go, enter the land of Kenaʽan,
Gen 45:18
and take your father and your households and come to me, and I give you
the best of the land of Mitsrayim, and you eat the fat of the land.
Gen 45:19
‘And you, you have been commanded, do this: Take wagons out of the land
of Mitsrayim for your little ones and your wives. And you shall bring your
father, and come.
Gen 45:20
‘And do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land
of Mitsrayim is yours.’ ”
Gen 45:21
And the sons of Yisra’ĕl did so. And Yosĕph gave them wagons, according
to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them food for the journey.
Gen 45:22
He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments, but to
Binyamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.
Gen 45:23
And he sent to his father this: ten donkeys loaded with the best of
Mitsrayim, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, and bread, and food for
his father for the journey.
Gen 45:24
So he sent his brothers away, and they left. And he said to them, “Do
not quarrel along the way.”
Gen 45:25
And they went up out of Mitsrayim, and came to the land of Kenaʽan to Yaʽaqoḇ their father.
Gen 45:26
And they told him, saying, “Yosĕph is still alive, and he is governor
over all the land of Mitsrayim.” And Yaʽaqoḇ’s heart ceased, for he did not believe
them.
Gen 45:27
But when they spoke to him all the words which Yosĕph had spoken to
them, and when he saw the wagons which Yosĕph had sent to transport him, the
spirit of Yaʽaqoḇ their father revived.
Gen 45:28
And Yisra’ĕl said, “Enough! My son Yosĕph is still alive. Let me go and
see him before I die.”
Gen 46:1 And Yisra’ĕl set out with all that he had,
and came to Be’ĕrsheḇa, and brought offerings to the Elohim of
his father Yitsḥaq.
Gen 46:2
And Elohim spoke to Yisra’ĕl in the visions of the night, and said, “Yaʽaqoḇ, Yaʽaqoḇ!” And he said, “Here
I am.”
Gen 46:3
And He said, “I am the Ěl, Elohim of your father. Do not be afraid to go
down to Mitsrayim, for I shall make you there into a great nation.
Gen 46:4
“I Myself am going down with you to Mitsrayim and I Myself shall
certainly bring you up again. And let Yosĕph put his hand on your eyes.”
Gen 46:5
And Yaʽaqoḇ rose up from
Be’ĕrsheḇa. And the sons of Yisra’ĕl brought their
father Yaʽaqoḇ, and their little
ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to transport him.
Gen 46:6
And they took their livestock and their property which they had acquired
in the land of Kenaʽan, and came into Mitsrayim, Yaʽaqoḇ and all his seed with
him.
Gen 46:7
His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and
all his seed he brought with him to Mitsrayim.
Gen 46:8
And these were the names of the children of Yisra’ĕl, Yaʽaqoḇ and his sons, who
came into Mitsrayim: Re’uḇĕn was Yaʽaqoḇ’s first-born.
Gen 46:9
And the sons of Re’uḇĕn: Ḥanoḵ, and Pallu, and Ḥetsron, and Karmi.
Gen 46:10
And the sons of Shimʽon: Yemu’ĕl, and Yamin, and Ohaḏ, and Yaḵin, and Tsoḥar, and Sha’ul, son of a Kenaʽanite woman.
Gen 46:11
And the sons of Lĕwi: Gĕreshon, Qehath, and Merari.
Gen 46:12
And the sons of Yehuḏah: Ěr, and Onan, and Shĕlah, and Perets,
and Zeraḥ – but Ěr and Onan died in the land of Kenaʽan. And the sons of Perets were Ḥetsron and Ḥamul.
Gen 46:13
And the sons of Yissasḵar: Tola, and Puwʽah, and Yoḇ, and Shimron.
Gen 46:14
And the sons of Zeḇulun: Sereḏ, and Ělon, and Yaḥle’ĕl.
Gen 46:15
These were the sons of Lĕ’ah, whom she bore to Yaʽaqoḇ in Paddan Aram, with
his daughter Dinah. All the beings, his sons and his daughters, were
thirty-three.
Gen 46:16
And the sons of Gaḏ: Tsiphyon and Ḥaggi, Shuni and Etsbon, Ěri and Aroḏi, and Arĕli.
Gen 46:17
And the sons of Ashĕr: Yimnah, and Yishwah, and Yishwi, and Beriʽah, and Seraḥ, their sister. And
the sons of Beriʽah: Ḥeḇer and Malki’ĕl.
Gen 46:18
These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laḇan gave to Lĕ’ah his
daughter. And these she bore to Yaʽaqoḇ: sixteen beings.
Gen 46:19
The sons of Raḥĕl, Yaʽaqoḇ’s wife: Yosĕph and Binyamin.
Gen 46:20
And to Yosĕph in the land of Mitsrayim were born Menashsheh and
Ephrayim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
Gen 46:21
And the sons of Binyamin: Belah, and Beḵer, and Ashbĕl, Gĕra
and Naʽaman, Ěḥi and Rosh, Muppim and
Ḥuppim, and Ard.
Gen 46:22
These were the sons of Raḥĕl who were born to Yaʽaqoḇ: fourteen beings in
all.
Gen 46:23
And the son of Dan: Ḥushim.
Gen 46:24
And the sons of Naphtali: Yaḥtse’ĕl, and Guni, and
Yĕtser, and Shillĕm.
Gen 46:25
These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laḇan gave to Raḥĕl his daughter, and she bore these to Yaʽaqoḇ: seven beings in all.
Gen 46:26
All the beings who went with Yaʽaqoḇ to Mitsrayim, who came from his body,
besides Yaʽaqoḇ’s sons’ wives, were
sixty-six beings in all.
Gen
46:27 And the sons of Yosĕph who were
born to him in Mitsrayim were two beings. All the beings of the house of Yaʽaqoḇ who went to Mitsrayim
were seventy.
But if you count them, you find only sixty-nine;
the seventieth is Jocheved the daughter of Levi, who was born between the boundary walls as they entered
Egypt.(Talmud, Bava Batra 123a)
Why the discrepancy with Acts? There are
several theories – We will not discuss them in this study.
Act 7:14
“And Yosĕph sent and called his father Yaʽaqoḇ and all his relatives to him, seventy-five
people.
There
is also much speculation as to what happened to the descendants of these
brothers. Here follows a quote that will possibly shed more light on this
question:
“What happened to these lost ten
tribes of Israel? They regrouped in various geographic areas, prospered, fought
wars, engaged in epic migrations, embarked on Phoenician vessels to establish
colonies across the Mediterranean Sea at Carthage, Tarshish (Spain), and places
beyond. The general trend through their histories was westward and north of the
Mediterranean Sea into the geographical area of what we would now call Western
Europe. This hidden history concerning the origin of the nations of Europe and
the lost ten tribes of Israel is a suppressed national memory. This national
amnesia concerning the true identities of the lost ten tribes in their
wanderings persists in both the lost ten tribes and also over in the Jewish
House of Judah. Judah is the faction who can trace their roots. The Jewish
house know that they belong to Israel (Yakov). The other party, in amnesia, and
not a little bit jealous of the other house does not remember. But as we have
seen in our histories, they would certainly like to be part of Israel!
The feud will be resolved eventually. This great wonder will all unfold in the
latter days.”
Yehudah may hold the key in solving this
mystery. It is possible that when the Jews begin to search for their long lost
brethren they will discover a remnant that refuses the influence of pagan
mixture and idolatry. This may open a door for these brothers to start
returning to Yisrael – The following
verse in our portion may give us an idea of when this will be:
Gen 45:11 “And I shall provide for you there, lest you
and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty, because five years
of scarcity of food are still to come.” ’
This coming
together could take place during the second year of the great tribulation!
It is not a co
incidence that the Hebrew spelling of YHVH and Yehudah differ only as regards
the “daleth” – It is possible that Yehudah has the key or will show the way
once again back to the Father’s heart.
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 YHVH, 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.