Blessed are those to whom You have shown mercy
to walk in Your Torah of truth in loving kindness and obedience. Amein.
ויהוה פקד
The Talmud (Rosh
Hashanah 10b–11a) teaches: Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were all “remembered” by
YHVH on Yom Teruah.
This day is
associated with miraculous births that change history, the Messiah is
expected to bring the ultimate historical transformation, later Jewish thought
links his arrival to the same appointed time – Yom Teruah.
Just as Adam (Yom
teruah) marked the beginning of human history, the Messiah marks the renewal
of human destiny –
The Birth of Isaac
Gen 21:1 And יהוה
visited (ויהוה
פקד) Sarah as He had said, and יהוה
did for Sarah as He had spoken.
Gen 21:2 So Sarah conceived and bore Aḇraham a son in his old age, at
the appointed time of which Elohim had spoken to him.
Gen 21:3 And Aḇraham
called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Yitsḥaq.
Gen 21:4 And Aḇraham
circumcised his son Yitsḥaq
when he was eight days old, as Elohim had commanded him.
Gen 21:5 And Aḇraham
was one hundred years old when his son Yitsḥaq
was born to him.
Gen 21:6 And Sarah said, “Elohim has made me laugh,
and everyone who hears of it laughs with me.”
Gen 21:7 And she said, “Who would have said to Aḇraham that Sarah would nurse
children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
YHVH Protects Hagar and Ishmael
Gen 21:8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Aḇraham made a great feast on
the day that Yitsḥaq was
weaned.
‘’Weaning symbolized the child's emerging independence
and entry into a new stage of life. The Hebrew verb gamal (translated as
"wean") literally means "to complete" or "deal fully
with," encompassing the full period of nursing and early care. Once
weaned, a child was often considered mature enough for certain responsibilities
or separations from the mother.
For instance, in 1 Samuel 1, Hannah weaned her son
Samuel (likely around age 3) before dedicating him to service at the tabernacle
in Shiloh, bringing offerings as part of the occasion.’’
Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Haḡar the Mitsrian, whom she had
borne to Aḇraham,
mocking. (Ishmael - rejection and rivalry over birthright) 1Sam 16:6-7
ELIAB: He Stood Before the Oil… Then Nothing Happened
| Bible Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9-N7hV3x-k
YHVH offends the mind to reveal what is in our hearts.
The
word “mocking” in Hebrew is “metzachek” and appears as a “piel participle” verb
-“to mock” or treat with contempt. This Hebrew word ‘’metzachek’’ first used
when Yisrael committed the sin of the golden calf also implies being sexually
perverse - Exo
32:6 And they rose early on the next day, and offered ascending
offerings, and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and
drink, and rose up to play.(Heb litzachek)
Gen 21:10 So she said to Aḇraham, “Drive out this female servant and her
son, for the son of this female servant shall not inherit with my son, with
Yitsḥaq.”
Principle of separation to protect the promised seed.
Hegg’s Main Theological Conclusions about Hagar
1. Hagar is never
“cast out of the covenant.” She and Ishmael are sent away from the
inheritance of the land and the messianic seed-line, but the covenant promises
made to them (great nation, 12 princes, blessing) remain in full force.
Circumcision continues in Ishmael’s descendants (Gen 17:23–27 shows Abraham
circumcised his entire household, including Ishmaelites).
2. Ishmael is a
circumcised covenant member. Hegg repeatedly stresses that Ishmael
received the sign of the covenant before Isaac was even born and 13
years before Isaac received it. This is decisive proof (in Hegg’s view)
that the sign (circumcision) does not equal “being the seed of
promise” or “being Jewish.” It simply marks covenant membership.
3. Hagar prefigures
Gentile inclusion. Hegg sees Hagar (an Egyptian) as the first Gentile
covenant member by faith and divine encounter. She believes the word of the
messenger, names YHVH, and returns in submission — all while still a slave.
This becomes a type of how Gentiles later enter the same Abrahamic covenant
without having to become physical descendants of Isaac/Jacob.
4. The expulsion
(Gen 21) is disciplinary, not rejection. Paul’s allegory in Galatians
4 (“cast out the bondwoman and her son”) refers to the Judaizers’ attempt to
force Gentile believers under the Sinai covenant and rabbinic conversion, not to
Hagar/Ishmael being outside the Abrahamic covenant. Hegg insists Paul is using
typology, not teaching that Ishmaelites are eternally excluded from YHVH’s
promises.
Hegg’s Summary Statement (paraphrased from his Genesis
teachings)
“Hagar and Ishmael are full members of the Abrahamic
covenant through the sign of circumcision and direct divine promise. The
distinction is not covenant vs. no covenant, but heir-of-promise (Isaac) vs.
recipient-of-blessing (Ishmael). This is exactly why Paul can later say that
Gentile believers are ‘children of Abraham’ by faith without having to become
physical Jews — because Hagar and Ishmael already model that very reality in
Genesis.”
In short: Hagar is not the villain or the outcast of the
covenant story. She is the first named Gentile believer, the recipient of a
unique revelation of God, and the mother of a circumcised covenant son who
receives massive divine blessing — all while remaining distinctly
non-Israelite. For Hegg, that makes her an essential foreshadowing of
New-Covenant Gentile inclusion. Is 2:3,4
Example
of Hagar and Sarah
Gal
4:21 Say to me, you who wish to be under Torah, do you not hear the
Torah?
‘’According to Tim Hegg, being "under the
Torah" means all believers (Jews and Gentiles) in Messiah Yeshua are
covenant members with the same obligation to obey God's
eternal Torah, seeing it as God's perfect guide for life, not abolished by
Jesus but fulfilled in its true, loving intent, with the Spirit
empowering believers to live it out as the evidence of being God's children, a
contrast to the traditional Christian idea that "under the law" means
condemnation. ‘’
Because
there is no Greek word for “legalism”, often times Paul would have to use the
phrase “works of the law” or even simply “law” in place of the idea of
legalism. Legalism is any attempt by man to earn acceptance before YHVH by
their own works.
“Under the Law” – What is the Meaning of this Critical
Phrase
https://pathofobedience.com/topics/under-the-law/
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,
An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that
can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or spiritual
one.
Hegg insists that most Christians (and many Messianics)
completely misread Paul’s allegory because they import later (church) theology
instead of letting Paul define his own terms from the Torah itself
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.” Isa_54:1.
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.” Gen_21:10.
Gal
4:31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the female servant but
of the free woman.
‘’The allegory is not ‘Hagar = Old Covenant, Sarah =
New Covenant.’ It is not ‘Ishmael = all Arabs/Muslims, Isaac = all
Jews/Christians.’ It is not teaching that the Torah or the Sinai covenant is
slavery.
So, then what does this allegory mean?
‘’Religion by whatever name has brought a ‘’bareness’’
upon humanity and upon the earth’’
Our haftarah portion seems to connect to the above
statement.
It is possible that we are already seeing the signs of a
fruitful spiritual renewal movement outside of any formal religious institutions.
‘’Some believers hold eschatological views that include
the possibility of significant numbers of Muslims coming to faith in Jesus as
the Messiah during the "last days" or end times.
A key biblical passage often cited is Isaiah 19:18–25,
which describes a future time when Egypt (a historically Muslim nation today)
will turn to YHVH, build altars to Him, cry out for deliverance, and be healed
by YHVH. The chapter ends with Egypt, Assyria (often linked to modern
Iraq/Syria regions, also Muslim-majority), and Israel worshiping together, with
YHVH calling Egypt "My people," Assyria "the work of My
hands," and Israel "My inheritance." Some Messianic and evangelical
teachers interpret this as a prophecy of spiritual revival and conversion in
Muslim lands during the end times, leading to a "highway" of unity in
worship of the true God through the Messiah.’’
There are Messianic believers (people who accept
Yeshua/Jesus as the Messiah while often maintaining Jewish or contextual
cultural practices) in several Arab countries today, including Gaza and the
West bank in Israel, though they are small in number, often face significant
persecution, and tend to keep a low profile for safety reasons.’’
Jas
1:25 But he that looked into the perfect Torah, that of freedom,d and
continues in it, not becoming a hearer that forgets, but a doer of work, this
one shall be blessed in his doing of the Torah
Paul’s allegory is laser-focused on the Galatian crisis:
· Hagar
represents the Sinai covenant as it was being misused and added to by the
Judaizers in “present Jerusalem.”
· Their
demand that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the whole rabbinic Torah to
be justified turned Sinai into a system of slavery. (the rabbinic Torah and
the Mosaic Torah are not always the same)
· Therefore,
Paul says, ‘Cast out this Hagar-and-her-son teaching!’ — meaning reject the
idea that justification comes through proselyte conversion and works. We (all
believers) are children of the free woman, Sarah — the Abrahamic covenant of
promise received by faith alone.”
Gentile believers do NOT need to become proselytes (“son
of Hagar/Sinai”) to be full members of the covenant. They are already children
of Sarah, the free woman, through faith — exactly like Isaac. Once they are in
by faith, they are free (and obligated) to obey Torah as beloved children, not
as slaves trying to earn justification.
This is why Hegg says the common supersessionist or
dispensational reading (“Hagar = Judaism/Torah, thrown away forever”) is the
exact opposite of what Paul is arguing. Paul is defending Torah (properly
understood) while rejecting the Judaizers’ addition of proselyte conversion to
the gospel.
Gen 21:11 And the matter was very evil in the eyes
of Aḇraham because of his
son.
Gen 21:12 But Elohim said to Aḇraham, “Let it not be evil
in your eyes because of the boy and because of your female servant. Whatever
Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice, for in Yitsḥaq your seed is called.
Gen 21:13 “And of the son of the female servant I
also make a nation, because he is your seed.”
Gen 21:14 And Aḇraham
rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, which he gave to
Haḡar, putting it on her
shoulder, also the boy, and sent her away. And she left and wandered in the
Wilderness of Be’ěrsheḇa.
Gen 21:15 And the water in the skin was used up,
and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.
Gen 21:16 And she went and sat down about a bowshot
away, for she said, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” And she sat opposite
him, and lifted her voice and wept.
Gen 21:17 And Elohim heard the voice of the boy,
and the messenger of Elohim called to Haḡar
from the heavens, and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Haḡar? Do not fear, for Elohim
has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
Gen 21:18 “Arise, lift up the boy and hold him with
your hand, for I make a great nation of him.”
Gen 21:19 And Elohim opened her eyes, and she saw a
well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a
drink.
Gen 21:20 And Elohim was with the boy, and he grew
and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
Gen 21:21 And he dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran,
and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Mitsrayim.
A Treaty with Abimelech
Gen 21:22 And it came to be at that time that Aḇimeleḵ and Piḵol,
the commander of his army, spoke to Aḇraham,
saying, “Elohim is with you in all that you do.
Gen 21:23 “And now, swear to me by Elohim, not to
be untrue to me, to my offspring, or to my descendants. Do to me according to
the loving-commitment that I have done to you and to the land in which you have
dwelt.”
Gen 21:24 And Aḇraham
said, “I swear.”
Gen 21:25 And Aḇraham
reproved Aḇimeleḵ because of a well of water
which Aḇimeleḵ’s servants had seized.
According to the Sages, Abraham would have been willing
to share the water, but not to surrender ownership.
It is possible that the Philistines were subtly making a
statement that salvation (water) does not come from your God but from ours.
Gen 21:27 So Aḇraham
took sheep and cattle and gave them to Aḇimeleḵ, and the two of them made a
covenant.
Gen 21:28 And Aḇraham
set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
Gen 21:29 And Aḇimeleḵ asked Aḇraham, “What are these seven
ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
Gen 21:30 And he said, “Take these seven ewe lambs
from my hand, to be my witness that I have dug this well.”
Gen 21:31 So he called that place Be’ěrsheḇa, because the two of them
swore an oath there.
Gen 21:32 Thus they made a covenant at Be’ěrsheḇa. And Aḇimeleḵ rose with Piḵol,
the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the
Philistines.
Gen 21:33 And he planted a tamarisk tree in
Be’ěrsheḇa, and there
called on the Name of יהוה, the Everlasting Ěl.
Gen 21:34 And Aḇraham
sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
Isa
1:2 Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth! For יהוה has spoken, “I have reared and brought up
children, but they have transgressed against Me.
Isa
1:3 An ox knows its owner and a donkey its master’s crib – Yisra’ěl does
not know, My people have not understood.”
Isa
1:4 Alas, sinning nation, a people loaded with crookedness, a seed of
evil-doers, sons acting corruptly! They have forsaken יהוה, they have provoked the Set-apart One of
Yisra’ěl, they went backward.
Isa
1:5 Why should you be stricken any more? You continue in apostasy! All
the head is sick, and all the heart faints.
Isa
1:6 From the sole of the foot, to the head, there is no soundness in it –
wounds and bruises and open sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or
soothed with ointment.
Isa
1:7 Your land is laid waste, your cities are burned with fire, strangers
devour your land in your presence. And it is laid waste, as overthrown by
strangers.
Isa
1:8 And the daughter of Tsiyon is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut
in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
Isa
1:9 Unless יהוה of hosts had left to us a
small remnant, we would have become like Seḏom, we would have been made like
Amorah.
Isa
1:10 Hear the worda of יהוה, you rulers of Seḏom; give ear to the Toraha of our Elohim, you
people of Amorah! Footnote: a“Word” and “Torah” (teaching) are used as
synonyms.
Isa
1:11 “Of what use to Me are your many slaughterings?” declares יהוה. “I have had enough of ascending offerings
of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or
of lambs or goats.
Isa
1:12 “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your
hand, to trample My courtyards?
Isa
1:13 “Stop bringing futile offerings, incense, it is an abomination to
Me. New moons, Sabbaths, the calling of gatherings – I am unable to bear
unrighteousness and assembly.
Isa
1:14 “My being hates your New moons and your appointed times, they
are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.
Isa
1:15 “And when you spread out your hands, I hide My eyes from you; even
though you make many prayers, I do not hear. Your hands have become filled with
blood.
Isa
1:16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your
doings from before My eyes. Stop doing evil!
Isa
1:17 “Learn to do good! Seek right-ruling, reprove the oppressor, defend
the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isa
1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together,” says יהוה. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as
wool.
Isa
1:19 “If you submit and obey, you shall eat the good of the land;
Isa
1:20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword,”
for the mouth of יהוה has spoken.
The
Unfaithful City
Isa
1:21 How the steadfast city has become a whore! I have filled it with
right-ruling; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.
Isa
1:22 Your silver has become dross, your wine is mixed with water.
Isa
1:23 Your rulers are stubborn, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves
bribes, and runs after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the
cause of the widow reach them.
Isa
1:24 Therefore the Master declares, יהוה of hosts, the Mighty One of Yisra’ěl, “Ah,
I shall be eased of My adversaries, and I shall be avenged of My enemies.
Isa
1:25 “And I shall turn My hand against you, and shall refine your dross
as with lye, and shall remove all your alloy.
Isa
1:26 “And I shall give back your judges as at the first, and your
counsellors as at the beginning. After this you shall be called the city of
righteousness, a steadfast city.”
Isa
1:27 Tsiyon shall be ransomed with right-ruling, and her returning ones
with righteousness.
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.
Additional
Midrash and Bible study:
Genesis
17:19 & 21:12: YHVH confirms to Abraham, "In
Isaac your seed shall be called," making Isaac the chosen line for the
promise.
The question some ask is that how does one reconcile
Isaac, which means laughter with Messiah who is called a man of sorrows,
acquainted with grief – Is 53:3
Ancient sages generally teach that joy and sorrow,
laughter and sadness are inseparable and impermanent aspects of the human
condition, which must be acknowledged to achieve true wisdom or inner
peace. They encourage finding balance and understanding their
interconnectedness rather than seeking one while avoiding the other.
Ecc 7:3
Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the face the heart
becomes better.
The "better
heart" (v. 3) The Hebrew phrase means the heart becomes more
healed/mended/mature/substantial. Prolonged avoidance of pain tends to produce
brittle, superficial people. Those who have been through deep sorrow (and
processed it) are frequently more compassionate, more realistic, more patient,
less easily shaken.
Ecc 7:4
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in
the house of rejoicing. (Wise people naturally gravitate toward the
serious; fools toward the perpetually festive)
The Preacher
(Qoheleth) is not saying that mourning is inherently good or that
laughter is inherently bad. He's making a comparative statement about what is
ultimately more valuable for the human soul in this broken world.
The Preacher
isn't calling everyone to be gloomy all the time. He's saying: Don't fear the
serious seasons. Don't run from them. They are often doing deeper work in you
than the happy seasons are.
‘’Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 is one of the most psychologically realistic and
sobering passages in the entire Bible. It goes against almost every piece of
conventional modern life advice ("live your best life," "stay
positive," "choose joy," etc.), and yet many people who have
lived long and/or suffered deeply quietly nod in agreement when they read it.
Luk
6:21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, because you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, because you shall laugh.’’
The Difference between Jews, Hebrews and Israelites
According to the Bible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahQJUCWef5Y
ELIAB: He Stood Before the Oil… Then Nothing Happened |
Bible Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9-N7hV3x-k