Parasha "Lech-Lecha" GEN 12:1-17:27

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

PARASHAH: “Lech Lecha” (go forth yourself)

 

GENESIS 12:1-17:27……………………...ISAIAH 40:27-41:16……………MATTHEW 5:1-48

 

 

     “Now YHVH said unto Abram: Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee” these are the opening words that YHVH speaks unto Abram.  Now we might ask, “why did YHVH choose Abram to begin his chosen people?” No one really knows the “why?” only that he DID choose him.  Perhaps he had a curious and searching mind, searching for the real and true God. 

     We must remember that there was no such person as a “Jew” back then.  Abram was a Mesopotamian, from the Chaldean city of “Ur” similar to the Hebrew “Ir” which means “city”.  He was raised as an idol worshipper, and his family’s business, according to the rabbis, was making and selling idols.

     We only know that YHVH chose Abram, and he accepted and obeyed the voice of YHVH.  Here is a commandment and the blessings of obeying the commandment.  “Leave your father’s house and go to land which I will show you.” We see that G-d wanted Abram to distance himself from idol worshipping and everything connected with the such.  Once he obeyed the voice of HaShem, THEN… the blessings would come;

     “I will make of thee a great nation” , “I will bless thee and make thy name great (shem gadol) and be thou a blessing” , “I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee” , “In thee shall all the families of the world be blessed”  we later see that under “being a great nation” we could add the promise; “Your seed will be like the dust of the earth” and also “like the stars of heaven”  What do these promises involve?

     Once that Abram obey the voice of YHVH, and he arrived in the land of C’anaan, then came the testings. 

We see that Adonai wanted to test his faith, like he tests us all in many different ways.  Yes, we all want blessings, but at times, blessings come with a price. 

    “Am gadol” a great nation, or a great people.  It started with Yitzchak, the first and only son of Abram and Sarah.  From him we know the story; Yitzchak > Ya’akov > 12 tribes > multitudes! As a sign, YHVH changed the name of Abram to Abraham.  If we look at the paleo Hebrew symbolism in the name “Abram” we see “Alef” “beit” “resh” “mem”.  4 letters, “4” symbolized the 4 corners of the earth.  The descendants of Abraham are in all 4 corners of the earth.  But we can see these letters meaning or symbolizing “the father who is the head of a multitude”. Also, we can read this as; God blesses the first house with a multitude”.

     Later, YHVH changes his name by adding the letter “hey” (h).  Now it is “abraHam”.  What is the significance of the “H”? Well, one way we can look at it is that the “hey” (h) is the only letter in the Hebrew Alef-bet that is pronounced with one “breathing out air”.  When you pronounce “h” we send out a puff of air from our mouth.  We can also say “wind” in Hebrew; “Ruach” it also means “spirit”.  SO…we can say that “YHVH sent out the “spirit of life” into the womb of Sarah through the seed of Abraham.  Also, the ancient meaning of the letter “hey” is “Behold!”  so, we can say “Behold, a multitude is coming from Abraham and Sarah!” starting with Yitzchak.

     Yet we cannot forget about Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian.  The promise extended to him too, although this was not part of God’s “perfect” will.  He “permitted” the union between Abraham and Hagar, yet with consequences; the Arab nations who are the enemies of Israel.  “Ishmael” means “God listens (to man)” “Ish+shema+El. (reading right to left) HOWEVER if we read from left to right we get “Man listens to God” and every man that listens to God, in obedience, whether Arab or any other ethnic identity, that man will be blessed also.

     Adonai stated also that “in thee, all of the families of the world would be blessed”.  The greatest blessing is in Yeshua HaMashiach.  From the seed of Abraham, came the nation of Israel, and we know that Mary and Joseph, the guardians of Yeshua were of the seed of Abraham, and more closely, the seed of David.  We need to look not so much at physical blessings, nor biological/genealogical blessings. We might be of Jewish ancestry, but that does not secure for us salvation, we need to look at Yeshua our Messiah, who is our “Yeshuateinu” (our salvation)

     Now we look at Lot, Abraham’s nephew, if only Abraham had left him behind! But he didn’t.  Didn’t YHVH state specifically, “Leave your father’s house and your KINDRED!” isn’t Lot kin folk?  Lot started arguing over land for cattle.  So, Abraham says for him to select one area and he would go in the other direction.  So, Lot chose “Sodom!” the land around it looked very fertile.  That is the way the land of sin appears to people.  It looks attractive.  So, Lot pitched his tent TOWARDS Sodom…then…he actually enters and LIVES in Sodom. And so, it is with sin.  We might get attracted to it, get closer to it, and finally, indulge in it! So, be careful!

     There were three promises made to Abraham.  His seed would be like the dust of the earth. His seed would be like the stars of heaven, his seed would be like the sands of the sea.  Can you count the stars? Can you count the grains of sand on the beach? Can you count dust?  Here is something to think about.  We walk on dust, we trample it under foot.  Israel has been trampled underfoot and has been looked down upon by many nations, yet, the dust still lasts, it will always be.  Leave a car out in the desert for 50 years, and the dust will wear it away into rusted metal, yet the “dust” will always be, and so will Israel. 

     Circumcision! This is an important area, but some make it TOO important.  YHVH instructed Abraham to be circumcised and that every male should also be circumcised.  This was and is a mark of the covenant.  But what about today? Is it still important? Yes, it is, but in the physical aspect of the same.  For male health and cleanliness, it is good for every baby boy be circumcised.  YHVH is more concerned in our heart condition.  Moshe stated that the “foreskin of our hearts should be circumcised”.  Spiritually speaking, the “foreskin” of our hearts is the carnal ways that we all have, being that we are a fallen race and have the inbred original sin.

“So circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer” (Deut 10:16)

    

ISAIAH 40:27-41:16

 

     The prophet is encouraging Israel saying that YHVH will support them, will protect them.  Israel has been through a lot, they are weary of being persecuted, well, they went away from the LORD, and went after false gods, yet, when the repent, YHVH will be there.

     They are weary, weak, tired.  Yes, when we do it in our own strength, yet when we go in the strength of YHVH, HE is our strength.  We are not talking about physical strength, but spiritual strength.  The physical is and always be physical.  We can be strong physically by eat right, exercise, etc.…but we can be spiritually strong through prayer, reading God’s word, and just trusting in HIM for our needs.

     “Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away, fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I strengthen thee, help thee, uphold thee… (41:10)

     What better promise from God do we have? He has chosen us as HIS people, through Yeshua, we become an active part of the commonwealth of Israel, and, as our LORD, and Master, He will provide.  

 

   MATT 5:1-48 

 

     There is a lot of meat in this chapter, besides the Beatitudes, which are “blessed are the…” poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek (or humble) etc.… these we can understand, Yeshua is explaining this quite clearly. But there is another part which needs explanation. 5:17-18

     “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets.  I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For verily I say unto thee, till heaven and earth pass, not one yod or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled”

     This has been a misunderstood verse in many if not all Bible churches today.  What is “Law?” in the Latin we have the word “legis” which when translated into English, we get “law”.  The problem is when we go into the original Hebrew the word in “Torah” which means “instruction, teaching".  When translated correctly into Latin, it would have been; “disciplinam” , “educatio” “instructio” “mandatum”  Any of these words would have been better than “legis”

     In the ancient Hebrew, when worded “destroy” and “fulfill” meant that “destroying” is “erroneous interpretation” and “fulfilling” meant “correctly interpreting”.  Yeshua did indeed “fulfill” the Torah, the biggest and most important fulfillment was dying for our sins.  He fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system of animal blood, using his own blood.

     The Torah consists of commandments, 613 to be exact.  If we say, “we no longer have to live by those old-fashioned laws, the “law” is over, finished, ended, then…why don’t we go out to rob a house, to take your neighbor’s wife, to murder someone you don’t like? Those commandments are part of the “law”, aren’t they? So, if it is over with, well, why not?  Because Yeshua himself said so! That he didn’t come to “end “or “get rid of, or “abrogate” as some translations have.

     Of course, many of the 613 commandments are not for today, since there is no more animal sacrifice nor Levitical priesthood, but many are STILL for today.  That is the reason for Bible study, which ones are or not.

As our rabbi (now in heaven) once said; “Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater” Now, someone is going to write a comment saying; “But doesn’t the Word say if we break one commandment it is like breaking them all?” we are guilty then of breaking the entire “law”

     The answer is that if one is trusting in obedience to the commandments as our method of gaining eternal life and acceptance by God, then, YES, we are guilty, since YHVH demands PERFECT holiness, Yet, our salvation does NOT depend on our obedience to the commandments, but in accepting Yeshua’s sacrifice, and trusting HIM as LORD and Savior.  Our obedience to the commandments comes AS A RESULT OF our renewed relationship with YHVH through Yeshua

     Are the heavens passed away yet? NO! is the earth still here? YES, is the WORD of God still here in our midst? YES, is the LIVING WORD in our hearts? YES! 

 

Have a blessed Sabbath.