Foundation

We are still in the Book of Genesis, or B'reshit: The Beginning, in the sabbath schedule of readings, and we will see another beginning this week. This week's Sabbath portion deals with a beginning of a people, a nation, a line of kings, a faith, and even principles of the Church, all accomplished through one man. An eternal, earth-shaking, history-changing foundation was established, and it was established by God out of nothing, and from nowhere. It starts with God saying to a man, "Go, leave!", or Lech L'cha, the title of this sabbath's assigned reading. The man receiving the order to "Go!" was, of course, Abram, who would later be renamed Abraham by God, meaning "Father of a multitude". This man who had no children at the time, would become the patriarch of multiple millions over many generations, because of a promise from God. Abram is described in scripture as having originally come from out of the Chaldees, which is geographically located at the end of the Tigris-Euphrates River system, at the head of the Persian Gulf. The Chaldeans were reportedly made up of Aramaic speaking tribes that had migrated there from the Levant (Middle Eastern area). The Chaldeans were under the rule of Neo-Babylon, which was under the rule of the sprawling Assyrian Empire. As we can see then, Abram was well "buried" in "the back of beyond" obscurity, but God knew him, found him, and called him out. This is the beginning of our foundation as God commanded Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' So Abram departed (yalak/halak - go, go away, walk, to die, live, manner of life, carry) as the LORD had spoken to him..." (Gen. 12:1-4). The Hebrew word that is translated "departed" here also means "carry". Abram did not leave alone, but carried his wife, his nephew, all of the servants of his household, and the future generations within him that he never thought he would father (including all of us) with him as he began this walk into the unknown land to which the LORD was leading him. At one point in his relationship with God, Abraham was taken outside by the LORD to view the night sky, and the LORD said to him: "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them...so shall your descendants be." (Gen. 15:5, Heb. 11:12). Abraham believed this promise although his wife, Sarah, was barren, and, like himself, of advanced age. In order for a true foundation of God to be established, it is written that Jesus is, and must be, the Chief Cornerstone of that foundation of God's living temple of faith and salvation (Mt. 21:39-44, Eph. 2:19-22), 1 Pet. 2:4-8). We will soon see how Jesus was indeed the Chief Cornerstone of this foundation established by God in Abraham. From another of this sabbath's readings, the LORD reveals how He called the generations, including the generations of Abraham, before they ever appeared: "Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first; And with the last I am He." (Isa. 41:4). As this verse refers to God as "the First" and "the Last", we can see Christ emerge because this was the name that identified Him to us (see Rev. 22:13). Many generations later, the descendants of Abraham would be told by the prophet how to be restored back to God from their rebellious ways: "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him." (Isa. 51:1-2). From this prophecy in Isaiah, which is also part of this sabbath's reading, while the LORD points Israel back to its foundation in Abraham, He also seeks to comfort Zion with the mention of His salvation in the same passage: "Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation...My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth...The earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished." (v. 3-6, excerpt). The LORD speaks of His foundation in Abraham and connects it to His salvation here. We see Jesus make the same connection, as He admonished a generation who had not truly looked back to their foundation, their father, Abraham: "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you...If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this...Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad...Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (Jn. 8:37-58, excerpt). Abraham, who, it is estimated, lived 2,000 years before Christ was born, "saw" Jesus' day of salvation, and rejoiced in it! Jesus, as the slain Lamb of God, existed in eternity with the Father before Abraham, and before the creation itself (see Rev. 13:8). The foundation that God built from Abraham definitely included Jesus as its Chief Cornerstone! The sovereign prophetic power of the foreknowledge of God is awesome to behold as He reveals it to His prophets and apostles (Eph. 2:20), as He did with Abraham. The Book of Hebrews tells us that the heroes of our faith, which included Abraham, saw the promises afar off, were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth because of them (Heb. 11:13). The promises of God that they received by faith separated them from the earth and its other inhabitants. Their home became not this world, but the heavenly realms. Hebrews 11 continues that Abraham specifically knew to wait "for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (v. 10). Abraham shared in the promise of the salvation of Christ by faith, because he had to wait for its fulfillment in us. (Heb. 11:39-40). In fact, many prophets saw and desired to receive the fulfillment of this promise of salvation through Christ in their lifetimes, but had to receive its fulfillment by faith as it was not yet time for Christ to appear (see Lk. 10:23-24). This is the purpose of this part of the foundation of faith that God established in Abraham - many additions would be built, and elevations added upon this foundation, of generations in Christ not yet born, in order to build that living city of God for which Abraham waited (Rev. 21:2-3). There is another interaction between God and Abraham included in this week's sabbath reading that will again mysteriously connect Abraham to Christ, and to the Church of believers. In Gen 17, the LORD appeared to Abraham and said: "I am Almighty God (Shaddai/saday- most powerful); walk before (halak + panim - come away, walk, depart, die, live, carry + face, presence, turn oneself to look at anything) Me and be blameless/perfect (tamim/tamam - without blemish, complete, whole, entirely in accord with truth/ finished, to be completely crossed over)...As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations...I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you, and to your descendants after you." (Gen. 17:1-7). As God called Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect, we also are called to do the same (see Eph. 4:11-13, Eph. 5:25-27). These are principles established by the foundation created by God in Abraham. Again God called Abraham to "depart", but this departure would be with God's presence in covenant. "Covenant", meaning alliance, is the Hebrew word berit, meaning "create, birth, something new, cut, separate, cause to eat, cut in order to choose and separate". The word, berit, is composed of the Hebrew letters beth, reysh, yod, and tav. The meanings of these letters put together could be: "The house, body or family by the Highest's hand on the cross". There is no covenant made between God and man except through Jesus Christ, who is present in the very word "covenant", whether it was made before or after His physical appearing. Abraham was told of a token or sign that he and his generations must carry as part of this "cut" covenant. The sign or token, which is the Hebrew word ot, formed by the letters aleph, vaw, and tav, meaning "Adonai God nailed to the cross", is circumcision (mul - cut down, cut in pieces, cut off, destroy). Circumcision is meant to distinguish one from uncircumcision, which means "uncircumcised of the lips and heart, to remain unharvested, to regard as profane or unpure". Paul wrote that circumcision, rather than an outer, fleshly work, is truly fulfilled as an inner, spiritual work in the heart (Rom. 2:28-29). This is not just a New Testament concept, but this inner circumcision was also expressed clearly by Moses (Deut. 10:12-17, Deut. 30:6). In this week's sabbath reading, the prophet Jeremiah also repeated this truth: "For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem... 'Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts...lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings." (Jer. 4:3-4). However, Paul went even further regarding inner circumcision, writing: "For we ARE the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Phil. 3:3). We, as the circumcision, are the sign or token of God's covenant of eternal life through Jesus, His Salvation. This was established in the foundation that God created in Abraham. God's encounters with Abraham are too numerous to be detailed here, but, as we read the words of Jesus, we can see that His words are life for the children of Abraham, Jew and Gentile, for Abraham was the father (ab- founder of a household, group, family, clan) of many nations, and a hero of faith. The children of Abraham are built upon his apostolic and prophetic foundation, with Christ as its Chief Cornerstone, who do as their father Abraham did. If you would like to know more about this foundation that was established by God in Abraham, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You called Abram out of the world and its empires, and into Your Presence. You revealed great mysteries of Christ to him as Your apostle and prophet for future generations. You gave him a new name, and separated him as You cut covenant with him, and all of his household. You have given him to us as a reminder of Your foundation, and the work of Christ in him, and in his descendants. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that the work of Christ may be perfected and completed in my heart also. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."