Definition of
barrenness – “producing no fruit or seed”
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and
the Spirit against the flesh. And these are opposed to each other, so that you
do not do what you desire to do.
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under Torah.
Paul uses the term “under the Torah” 11 times.
In general we may categorize this phrase under two general headings:
1. Under the
condemnation of the Torah,
2. Under the
errant teaching that a gentile gains righteous status through the ritual of the
proselyte ie submitting to the Torah as the rabbi’s defined it.
Unfortunately vs 18
has often been misunderstood by Christians to mean the YHVH has done away with
the Torah. See Galatians Commentary page 61,62 by Tim Hegg.
The resolution of the
conflict described in vs 17 is clearly laid out here: being led by the Ruach
(Spirit) is the prime characteristic of those born from above – see Rom
8:4&14
Rom 8:4 so that the righteousness of the Torah should
be completed in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit.
Rom 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of Elohim, these are sons of
Elohim.
Gal 5:19 And the works of the flesh are well-known,
which are these: adultery,1 whoring, uncleanness, indecency,
Footnote: 1Only Textus Receptus contains adultery.
Gal 5:20 idolatry, drug sorcery, hatred, quarrels,
jealousies, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions,
Gal 5:21 envy, murders, drunkenness, wild parties, and
the like – of which I forewarn you, even as I also said before, that those who
practise such as these shall not inherit the reign of Elohim.1
Footnote: 11 Cor. 6:10.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there
is no Torah.
Rabbi’s use this
expression “no Torah” to that which cannot be measured by a fixed measure.
There is no legislated prescription by which one can measure love joy peace
etc. The work of the Ruach is not fixed by a set measure.
Gal 5:24 And those who are of Messiah have impaled the
flesh with its passions and the desires.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in
the Spirit.
Paul is talking about
a life that those who are born from above yearn for. Most people who call
themselves believers are often busy scheming and trying to make things happen.
This is the essence of human religion – it is very tiring.
Matthew 11:28-30The Message (MSG) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned
out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how
I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or
ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and
lightly.”
Even our suffering is chosen for us in excellent places –
Psa 16:6 Boundary lines have fallen to me in
pleasant places; Indeed, a good inheritance is mine.
The Hebrew word for “boundry lines” is “chevel’ and
can also mean – “pain sorrow and travail” BDB – Strongs 2256
Our barrenness and suffering should cause us to
come to Yahshua – the living water.
Our Torah Portion:
Gen 16:1 And Sarai, Aḇram’s wife, had borne
him no child. And she had a Mitsrite female servant whose name was Haḡar.
This narrative presents different midrashim. We see
that there is a great temptation to go to Egypt/Mistzraim when those whom YHVH
has chosen go through a season of bareness. In fact they don’t just go to
Mitzraim – they run – Hagar means “flight,” it can also mean “the stranger” “ha
ger.”
Mitzraim means – “double straits” it is not only
restrictive it is doubly restrictive. It’s like jumping out of the frying pan
into the fire.
But YHVH knows this and we know that all things
work together for good to those who love Elohim and are called according to His purpose – Rom 8:28.
The sages refer to Mitzraim as a birth canal. In
other words even in the midst of trials and tribulations –new hope, new life,
heavenly life can be born.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all matters work
together for good to those who love Elohim, to those who are called according
to His purpose.
Note this context for
the next few verses:
Rom 8:29 Because those whom He knew beforehand, He
also ordained beforehand to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, for Him to
be the first-born among many brothers.
Rom 8:30 And whom He ordained beforehand, these He
also called, and whom He called, these He also declared right. And whom He
declared right, these He also esteemed.
Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to this? If Elohim is
for us, who is against us?
Yahshua’s brother quoted the following:
Yakov/Jas 1:2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall
into various trials,
Jas 1:3 knowing that the proving of your belief works
endurance.
Jas 1:4 And let endurance have a perfect work, so
that you be perfect and complete, lacking in naught.
Maybe we should take another look at barrenness.
Every great work and calling of YHVH seems to come from a place of barrenness –
Yochanan the immerser, the Nation of Yisrael and even the bride of Messiah in
the last days-
Hos 2:14 “Therefore, see, I am alluring her, and shall
lead her into the wilderness, and shall speak to her heart,
Gen 16:2 And
Sarai said to Aḇram, “See, יהוה has kept me
from bearing children. Please, go in to my female servant. It might be that I
am built up by her.” And Aḇram listened to the voice of Sarai.
YHVH was the source of her barrenness. This was not an
evil barrenness it was a set apart barrenness. This is why it so important to
discern what the source of barrenness is in our lives and to trust YHVH to
produce His life from our barrenness.
YHVH has given us a priesthood who have been anointed to
show us what is from Him and what is not from Him.
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י וּלְהַבְדִּיל, בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבֵין הַחֹל, וּבֵין הַטָּמֵא, וּבֵין הַטָּהוֹר.
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Lev 10:10 so as to make a distinction between the
set-apart(formed by YHVH) and the profane,(formed by the carnal man) and
between the unclean and the clean,
Gen 16:3 And
Sarai, Aḇram’s wife, took Haḡar her
female servant, the Mitsrite, and gave her to her husband Aḇram to
be his wife, after Aḇram had dwelt ten years in the land of Kenaʽan.
10 years speaks of testing and trials. Kena’an comes from
a Hebrew word S3665 and can mean to be “humbled.” We could conclude that after
being tested, Sarai could no longer bear the humiliation of being barren; she
was humbled in her own sight and went about doing something in her own wisdom
and strength to remedy her barrenness. This is usually always a bad idea.
Gen 16:4 And he
went in to Haḡar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had
conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
Hagar could have handled this whole situation with more
kindness, but she too responded according to her own wisdom and strength. Her
unkind response bought only more heartache and sorrow.
We see her that not trusting YHVH and been guided by “His
Ruach” can have all kinds of unintended consequences.
Gen 16:5 And Sarai
said to Aḇram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my female servant into
your bosom. And when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her
eyes. Let יהוה judge between
you and me.”
Gen 16:6 And Aḇram
said to Sarai, “See, your female servant is in your hand, do to her what is
good in your eyes.” And Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her
presence.
Gen 16:7 And the
Messenger of יהוה found her by a
spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur,
Gen 16:8 and He
said, “Haḡar, Sarai’s female servant, where have you come from, and
where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai,
my mistress.”
Gen 16:9 And the
Messenger of יהוה said to her,
“Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand.”
Gen 16:10 And the
Messenger of יהוה said to her,
“I am going to increase your seed greatly, too numerous to be counted.”
Gen 16:11 And the
Messenger of יהוה said to her,
“See, you are conceiving and bearing a son, and shall call his name Yishmaʽĕl,
because יהוה has heard your affliction.
Gen 16:12 “And he
is to be a wild man, his hand against every one and every one’s hand against
him, and dwell over against all his brothers.”
Gen 16:13 And she
called the Name of יהוה who spoke to
her, “You are the Ěl who sees,” for she said, “Even here have I seen after Him
who sees me?”
Gen 16:14 That is
why the well was called Be’ĕr Laḥai Ro’i, see, it is between Qaḏĕsh
and Bereḏ.
S883 - Beer-lahai-roi
= “well of the Living One seeing me” or “the well that belongs to one who sees
while he is living.”
http://thetorah.com/locating-beer-lahai-roi/
“About 5 Km north of Petra,
situated in a short Canyon is one of Petra’s business quarters. Tourists call
it “Little Petra,” on maps it appears as Beida, but the locals name the place
Siq el-Bared. On a dirt-road about half way between Ein Musa (that is Ein
Kadesh) and Siq el-Bared, are the ruins of a small Turkish village. The name of
the village is Chai,
and its spring is Ein el-Chai. This site matches all the requirements of
Beer-lahai-roi: it is situated between Kadesh and Bared, on the road running
east-west leading to Egypt and there is a spring at the site. I propose
identifying Ein el-Chai as biblical Beer-lahai-roi. – “
Wells prove to be very
significant meeting places in the scriptures, perhaps even in the future. Could
Petra be a possible meeting place for a future bride of Messiah? See also
Ber/Gen 24:62 where Yitzchak meets Rivkah; Ber 29:10 Yakov meets Rachel at a
well where he falls in love with her. Avraham sent Eliezer to find a wife for
Yitzchak. Eliezer found Rivkah by a well.
Yahshua also had an encounter
with a Samaritan woman at a well – Yoh/John 4:6 Yakov’s well. This Samaritan
woman was possibly barren as she was put away by five husbands. It was
acceptable in those times to put away a wife who was barren.
Note these people found water
(life) in barren places.
Yisraelites are called upon to
be “well diggers” see Psalm 84.
Gen 16:15 And Haḡar
bore Aḇram a son, and Aḇram
called the name of his son, whom Haḡar
bore, Yishmaʽĕl.
Gen 16:16 And Aḇram
was eighty-six years old when Haḡar bore Yishmaʽĕl to
Aḇram.
Paul gives us a brilliant midrash on this Torah portion:
Gal 4:21 Say to me, you who wish to be under Torah, do
you not hear the Torah?
Gal 4:22 For it has been written that Aḇraham had two sons,
one by a female servant, the other by a free woman.
Gal 4:23 But
he who was of the female servant was born according to the flesh, and he of the
free woman through promise.
Gal 4:24
This is allegorical, for these are the two covenants: one indeed from
Mount Sinai which brings forth slavery, which is Haḡar,
Gal 4:25 for
this Haḡar is Mount Sinai in
Araḇia, and corresponds to
Yerushalayim which now is, and is in slavery with her children.
Gal 4:26 But
the Yerushalayim above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27 For
it has been written, “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and
shout, you who do not have birth pains! For the deserted one has many more
children than she who has a husband.”
Gal 4:28 And
we, brothers, as Yitsḥaq was, are children
of promise.
Gal 4:29
But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him born
according to the Spirit, so also now.
Gal 4:30 But
what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the female servant and her son, for the
son of the female servant shall by no means be heir with the son of the free
woman.”
Gal 4:31
Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the female servant but of
the free woman.