Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity. 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. Amein.
לך לך
Many who are responding to the call of the restoration
to the Hebraic roots of our faith realize that a paradigm shift is required.
The magnitude of this shift in our way of life and thinking is far greater than
what most of us have realized. Many on this journey continue to seek the safety
of that which is known; very few seem willing to abandon everything that seems
‘’safe and normal’’ to pursue a Messianic calling along a journey that is
filled with uncertainty risk and even danger. Those who embark on this “risky”
journey are usually willing to surrender everything that will hinder their
journey back to the ‘’ancient paths’’ and back to the land of Yisrael. (Jer
6:16-19)
This Messianic kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field …. a pearl of great price – Mat 13:44-46 – How much are we willing to surrender in order to obtain this treasure?
Avraham is the father of the
Messianic movement. The apostle Paul defines the ‘’Good news’’ as that all the
nations of the earth will blessed through Avraham’s seed - Gal 3:8 And the Scripture, having foreseen that Elohim would
declare right the nations by belief, announced the Good News to Aḇraham
beforehand, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you,”a Gen_12:3.
Footnote: aGen_18:18.
Gal 3:9 so that those who are of (the)belief are blessed with Aḇraham, the believer.
Today there are three Avrahamic faiths however, the Avrahamic promise was given to the seed of Yitzchak.
Heb 11:17 By belief, Aḇraham, when he was tried, offered up Yitsḥaq, and he who had received the promises offered up his only brought-forth son, Heb 11:18 of whom it was said, “In Yitsḥaq your seed shall be called,” Gen_21:12. Heb 11:19 reckoning that Elohim was able to raise, even from the dead, from which he received him back, as a type.
Eph 3:3 that by revelation was made known to me the secret, as I wrote before briefly. Eph 3:4 In reading this, then, you are able to understand my insight into the secret of Messiah, Eph 3:5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His set-apart emissaries and prophets: Eph 3:6 The nations to be co-heirs, united in the same body, and partakers together[a in the promise in Messiah through the Good News, Footnote: aSee Rom_11:17-24, Isa_14:1.
Col 1:26 the secret which has been hidden from
ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His set-apart
ones,
The only time we will ever truly discover our life’s
purpose and our destiny is when we agree to “lech lecha” This means a
willingness and courage to separate ourselves from everything that will
separate us from YHVH’s calling and purpose. This is the nature and heart of
the Hebrew. The word “Hebrew” comes from the Hebrew word “avar” which speaks of
one who has “crossed over”. Crossed over from Babylon or from man- made
religion to embrace the Sovereignty of YHVH and His Torah as taught to us by
Moshe rabbeinu and Yahshua the Messiah. (Gk – ekllessia – called out)
Stones Chumash page 55 “Though Abraham and Sarah had many disciples, they were essentially alone; they could never blend into whatever culture surrounded them. Abraham was called an “ivri” from the word “avar” which essentially means “from the other side” Literally this means that he came to Kena’an from the other side of the Euphrates, but the sages interpret the title in a deeper sense, too. He was on one side of a moral and spiritual divide and the rest of the world was on the other. Righteous people must be ready to endure such isolation; popularity is pleasant, but it can also be a snare, because the natural desire to win the approval of others can lead people to bend their principles.’’
There is often much talk in the church of “we need to make a paradigm shift’’ to stay relevant and remain in the kingdom of “God”. The following is a quote from a sincere serious leader in the charismatic movement about making a paradigm shift: ‘’What if we were wrong and they are right …. And the reason was that we misunderstood, mistranslated, and misinterpreted the scriptures?’’
Gen 12:2 “And I shall make you a great nation,(וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל ) and bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing! (Heb – I have already made you a great nation; blessed you)
Gen 12:3 “And I shall bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you. And in you all the clans of the earth shall be blessed.”
In Hebrew there are
various words used for the verb "to curse" they are "arar,
qualal, quabab".
"Arar" means
"to curse thoroughly and properly in a premeditated manner with intention
of bringing about great harm"
Qualal means "to revile or vilify in a casual way, to esteem
lightly, to make a contemptuous comment to slight". It is a hasty
reaction.
Quabab means "to pierce or bore through
with a hole, to execrate, to stab with words".
The Arabic kebab derives from "quabab" it has come to be the word
used to show the practice of sticking a pin into the effigy of a person to hurt
him by an accident illness disaster or even death, is a common demonic
exercise
To understand best the meaning of a word, one needs to go to the first time the word was used. In the case of the word “arar” or curse, this word first appears in Gen/Ber 3:14 When YHVH cursed the serpent. This was an extremely severe curse which resulted in ha satan’s eternal separation from YHVH and with no possibility to ever repent and return.
Here in vs 3 it tells us that YHVH will "arar"(curse) those who "qualal" Abram.
Two different words for curse are used in this sentence. The word “qualal” (779) is a piel verb and carries a meaning of treating with utter contempt.
We have seen over the years how the Jewish people have
been treated with “utter contempt”
Sadly, some in the Messianic restoration are too treated with contempt. This is an extremely dangerous position to take against someone who YHVH has chosen and called.
Gen 12:4 So Aḇram left, as יהוה had commanded
him, and Lot went with him. And Aḇram was seventy-five years old when he set
out from Ḥaran.
Gen 12:5 And Aḇram took Sarai his wife and Lot
his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the beings
whom they had acquired in Ḥaran, and they set out for the land of Kena‛an. And
they came to the land of Kena‛an.
Gen 12:6 And Aḇram passed through the land to
the place of Sheḵem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. At that time the
Kena‛anites were in the land.
“Shechem” means back or shoulder. The Hebrew word “elyon” is used for
“Terebinth”. ”Elyon” means “supreme” or
an oak or Terebinth tree, ploughs were made from these trees. ‘’Moreh” means
“Teacher”. The Torah is referred to as a ‘’yoke’’ – Yahshua taught us that his
yoke was not burdensome - Mat 11:28
"Come to Me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I shall give you
rest.
Mat 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your beings.[d] Footnote: d Jer 6:16. Mat 11:30 “For My yoke is gentle and My burden is light.”
Gen 12:7 And יהוה appeared to Aḇram
and said, “To your seed I give this land.” And he built there a slaughter-place
to יהוה, who had appeared to him. (Please note the land was not given to the Palestinians or Jebusites)
Gen 12:8 And from there he moved to the mountain
east of Běyth Ěl, and he pitched his
(her) tent, with Běyth Ěl on the west and Ai on the east. And he built there
a slaughter-place to יהוה, and called on the Name of יהוה. (Gen 3:15)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJQAQFHm5Ys
This is the
pattern of Abraham’s seed; before we enter the Promised Land we go into the
wilderness.
Avram and
Sarai in Mitsrayim/Egypt
Gen 12:10 And a scarcity of food came to be in
the land, and Aḇram went down to Mitsrayim to dwell there, for the scarcity of
food was severe in the land.
Gen 12:11 And it came to be, when he was close
to entering Mitsrayim, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See, I know that you
are a beautiful woman to look at.
Gen 12:12 “And it shall be, when the Mitsrites
see you, that they shall say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they shall kill me, but
let you live.
Gen 12:13 “Please say you are my sister, so that
it shall be well with me for your sake, and my life be spared because of
you.”
Gen 12:14 And it came to be, when Aḇram came
into Mitsrayim, that the Mitsrites saw the woman, that she was very
beautiful.
Gen 12:15 And Pharaoh’s officials saw her and
praised her before Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
Gen 12:16 And he treated Aḇram well for her
sake, and he had sheep, and cattle, and male donkeys, and male and female
servants, and female donkeys, and camels.
Gen 12:17 But יהוה plagued
Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Aḇram’s wife.
Gen 12:18 And Pharaoh called Aḇram and said,
“What is this you have done to me? Why did you not inform me that she was your
wife?
Gen 12:19 “Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?
And so I was going to take her for my wife. Look, here is your wife, take her
and go.”
Gen 12:20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
Avram and
Lot Separate
Gen 13:1 And Aḇram went up from Mitsrayim into
the South, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him.
Gen 13:2 And Aḇram was very rich in livestock,
in silver, and in gold.
Gen 13:3 And he went on his journey from the
South as far as Běyth Ěl, to the place where his tent had been at the
beginning, between Běyth Ěl and Ai,
Gen 13:4 to the place of the slaughter-place
which he had made there at first. And there Aḇram called on the Name of יהוה.
Gen 13:5 Now Lot, who went with Aḇram, also had
flocks and herds and tents.
Gen 13:6 And the land was not able to bear them,
that they might dwell together, for their possessions were great, so that they
could not dwell together.
Gen 13:7 And there was strife between the
herdsmen of Aḇram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. And at that
time the Kena‛anites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land.
Gen 13:8 Then Aḇram said to Lot, “Let there be
no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we
are brothers.
Gen 13:9 “Is not all the land before you? Please
separate from me. If you take the left, then I go to the right; or, if you go
to the right, then I go to the left.”
Gen 13:10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all
the plain of the Yarděn, that it was well watered everywhere – before יהוה destroyed Seḏom and Amorah – like the garden of יהוה,
like the land of Mitsrayim as you go toward Tso‛ar.
Gen 13:11 So Lot chose for himself all the plain
of the Yarděn, and Lot moved east. Thus they separated from each other,
Gen 13:12 Aḇram dwelling in the land of Kena‛an,
and Lot dwelling in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent(va eohal- tenting or pilgrimaging) as far as
Seḏom.
Gen 13:13 But the men of Seḏom were evil and
sinned before יהוה, exceedingly so.
Gen 13:14 And after Lot had separated from him, יהוה said to Aḇram, “Now lift up your eyes and look
from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and
westward,
Gen 13:15 for all the land which you see I
shall give to you and your seed forever.
Gen 13:16 “And I shall make your seed as the
dust of the earth, so that, if a man could count the dust of the earth,
then your seed also could be counted.
Gen 13:17 “Arise, walk in the land through its
length and its width, for I give it to you.”
Gen 13:18 So Aḇram moved his tent,(va eohal – tenting) and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamrě, which are in Ḥeḇron, and built a slaughter-place there to יהוה.
The Book of Yasher, however, as well as
some other Midrash literature, speaks about Terach (Avram’s father) being a
general in King Nimrod’s army when Avram was born. Because of an astrological
omen, Nimrod decided to kill all newborn children in his kingdom, since he was
afraid that a new king had been born that would oust him from his throne. Terach
gave Nimrod a newborn child of one of his maidservants and said that it was
Avram. By this ruse, Avram was able to survive the first attack on his life and
was hidden in a cave for 13 years. This was the first of the ten great trials
that our forefather Avram was exposed to.
The second test that the Midrash literatures tell us
about was when Avram refused to worship his father Terach’s gods of wood and
stone. He also challenged King Nimrod’s idolatry and was therefore imprisoned
for 10 years and afterward thrown into a burning oven together with his brother
Haran. Elohim delivered him from the test by a miracle, but his brother was
consumed by the flames.
Because of all this Terach decided to leave Ur; in order to have peace in the family. He had planned to travel all the way to the land of Kana’an. He never succeeded in reaching it, but stopped halfway, in Charan, which is in the southeast part of what is known today as Turkey.
Midrash:
The Patriarchy is the underlying central theme of the
entire Torah. It is easily missed if we are not attentive to its centrality in
our study of all scripture.
Yahshua said: Joh 5:38 “And
you do not have His Word staying in you, because you do not believe Him whom He
sent. Joh 5:45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father.
There is one who accuses you: Mosheh, in whom you have set your
expectation.
Joh 5:46 “For if you believed Mosheh, you
would have believed Me, since he wrote about Me.
Joh 5:47 “But if you do not believe his writings,[]c how shall you believe My words?” Footnote: c Luk_16:31.
In the scriptures YHVH often describes Himself as the Elohim of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov.
According to Romans 4 – Avraham is the father of our faith –
Mal 4:4 “Remember the Torah of Mosheh, My
servant, which I commanded him in Ḥorěḇ for all Yisra’ěl – laws and
right-rulings.
Mal 4:5 “See, I am sending you Ěliyah the
prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of יהוה.
Mal 4:6 “And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with utter destruction.”[a] Footnote: aSee also Zec_14:13.
In this week’s Torah portion we are introduced to
Avraham and it appears he does not exactly cover himself with honour.
He is told to leave his country and his relatives. He
leaves his country but takes along his cousin Lot, who will prove to be
somewhat bothersome to him.
Avram then goes on to tell a ‘’lie’’ or ‘’half truth’’ about his wife Sarah.
In spite of this we find no accusation against him – his wife submits to his lie at the peril of been sexually defiled – but she trusts YHVH who delivers her.
1Pe 3:6 as Sarah obeyed Aḇraham, calling him master, of whom you became children, doing good, and not frightened by any fear.
Eph 5:33 However, you too, everyone, let each one love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she fears her husband. Eph 6:2 “Respect your father and mother,” which is the first command with promise, Eph 6:3 in order that it might be well with you, and you might live long on the earth.” Exo_20:12, Deu_5:16.
2Pe 3:3 knowing this first: that mockers shall come in the last days with mocking, walking according to their own lusts, 2Pe 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all continues as from the beginning of creation.” 2Pe 3:5 For they choose to have this hidden from them: that the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by the Word of Elohim,[a] Footnote: a Heb_11:3. 2Pe 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 2Pe 3:7 And the present heavens and the earth are treasured up by the same Word, being kept for fire, to a day of judgment and destruction of wicked men.
The fathers have ‘not fallen asleep’ – they have, but in a symbolic way, they are alive and well on planet earth – today.
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, YHVH giver of the Torah – Amein.