Thanksgiving

      We are in the season of Thanksgiving in several nations.  One of the most difficult things in our spiritual walk is the giving of thanks to God. You may question that statement, but the lack of thanks happens in our lives every day, especially if we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, but it is in those hardships that thanksgiving to God is our most powerful spiritual gift. We know this scripture: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thess. 5:18). Do we do it? I know that I don't. I am quick to thank the Lord for the good things in my life, but rarely think to thank God when I am suffering, or in difficulty. If anything, I am looking for where to place the blame!

     Paul wrote this about our incomplete understanding or knowledge of God: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, that which is in part will be done away." (1 Cor. 13:9-10). This is what the LORD says about our understanding of Him: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55:7-8). The LORD makes very clear what His thoughts are towards us: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you...and I will bring you back from your captivity..." (Jer. 29:11-14).  Although Judah was headed into Babylonian captivity at the time of this prophecy from Jeremiah, a fate they tried to avoid by any means, the LORD assured them that He still had thoughts and plans for them if they would seek Him. They didn't believe Him then, but God's thoughts and plans towards them are still in effect!

     This week's Sabbath portion is titled Va-yeitze, which means "And he left", referring to Jacob. It takes place in Gen. 28 through 31. Jacob is being forced to leave his home because his brother, Esau, has threatened to kill him. Esau believes that Jacob has repeatedly sought to steal his blessing from him. While Esau willingly gave away his birthright as firstborn to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew, Jacob had indeed used deception to gain the blessing of his father, Isaac, for himself. In another reading portion from this Sabbath, Jacob (and his descendants, Israel) would later be noted by God as trying to gain God's blessing by his own strength: "...I will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his deeds...He (Jacob) took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought favor from Him...that is the LORD God of hosts." (Hos. 12:2-5, see also Gen. 32:22-32). 

     As we go back to the moment when Jacob was forced to leave his home, we read: "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones from that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." (Gen. 28:10-12). 

    Jacob left Beersheba behind. Beersheba was one of the great wells in Israel, established by Abraham (see Gen. 21:29-31, Gen. 21:14, 19), Jacob's grandfather. From this place of well-watered, covenant provision, Jacob was headed towards his mother's relatives in Haran, a place whose name means "parched, dried up, to burn, be hot, scorched, charred, be angry, kindle, to melt, fire, roast, a man in judgment". We don't know what Jacob, a man who was used to determining his own destiny, was thinking, but things were not looking good. An observer might think that a terrible fate awaited Jacob. A religious person might assume that Jacob was doomed for hell, according to the meaning of "Haran", but what are God's thoughts and plans for Jacob, which no man can know? It might help if we know that "Haran" also means "to be free, set at liberty, the brightness and purity of a man obscured by no stain". So which way will this story go?

     We need to look at the rest of the verses from above. The account in Gen. 28 tells us that Jacob "came (paga - encounter, meet, entreat, make intercession, join to, pray, meet together, reach) to a certain place". In Hebrew, "certain place", or maqom/qum, has great significance, meaning "a place to be raised up, "Arise!", raise up one fallen down, raise up a name, a seed or a posterity, become powerful, continue, be proven, be fulfilled, be established, confirm, the birth of a king or a prophet". Then it is written that Jacob took the (building) stone of raising up, or resurrection, and placed it at his head (mera'asot/ros - dominion, head place, headpiece, headship, principality/head, captain, chief, top, choicest). Through paga intercession and entreaty, Jacob made the building stone of resurrection, Jesus, his headship, his headpiece! Then Jacob laid down to sleep (sakab + sakab - lie down, rest, to be poured out of a vessel, decrease, to be prostrated, of those who are dying). In a moment, a life has been changed. A man, Jacob, has died to self, and surrendered himself to the One who lives forever, and can raise him up again. Could Jacob, at his lowest point, have remembered the story of his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac, who experienced that same ram of sacrifice on Mount Moriah? (Gen. 22:1-19)?

     What were God's thoughts and plans toward Jacob all along? The LORD stood at the top of that ladder that extended from earth to heaven that Jacob saw in his dream, and said to Jacob: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." (Gen. 28:13-15).

     When Jacob awoke he said: "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it...How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"  And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega/ Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:, Rev. 22:13) stone, or headship, of resurrection, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it." And he called the name of that (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) place Bethel (meaning "House/family/temple/descendants of God"); but the name of that city had been Luz ("Almond Tree") previously." (Gen. 28:18-19).

     Jacob anointed with oil a physical place, but, to me, "Bethel" is any place where an earnest heart in prayer dies to self, and places the Resurrection and the Life, the Son of God, Jesus, at the headship over his life. To me, the ladder in the dream is the connection between earth and heaven and God, that is built through the prayer of one who seeks the Lord. Jacob sought blessing and favor by his own strength, but, blessing and favor was the LORD's plan for Jacob's life from the beginning. From our Sabbath reading this week, Proverbs says: "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life." (Prov. 22:4). Jesus taught the same: "Therefore do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Mt. 6:31-33).

     We can give God thanks even in the most difficult times, because, as Paul wrote: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is the predestination and foreknowledge of God for each of us. (Rom. 8:28-30).  It was the plan of God for Jacob's life that he would be the father of the twelve tribes/princes of Israel. One of his sons, Joseph, would save the nation of Egypt from destruction. That same son, Joseph, although betrayed by his brothers, was able to forgive them when he saw them again, saying, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.'...And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." (Gen. 50:19-21).

     Jesus thanked His Father, even on the night that He was betrayed, was to be arrested, broken and sacrificed for our salvation. (1 Cor. 11:23-26). The word used for Communion, or Eucharist, is from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning "thanksgiving". If Jesus could give thanks to God for His own sacrifice, and looking beyond it to the great victory for many that would result from it, what circumstance would entitle us to withhold our own thanksgiving?

     If we can receive and believe this about our God, then we can and should thank Him in all circumstances. If you would like to know more about thankfulness, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, I know that your thoughts and plans for me are perfect in wisdom and grace. Forgive me, Lord, when I fail to give You the thanks that acknowledges Your constant favor towards me, even in difficult times and circumstances. When I rely upon my own sight, understanding and strength, I fail to see Your thoughts towards me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I will be able to say, "Teach me more, Lord!". Teach me the faith of the Son of man, a faith that goes beyond what I can see with my natural eyes, and beyond my own understanding, and relies instead upon what You have declared. Above all other things, Lord, I give You my thanks. Increase my thankfulness to You, Lord. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Hearts&Nations

"And He (God) has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being..." (Acts 17:26-28, Deut. 32:7-8, Job 12:23). There isn't a nation or group of people in the world for whom God has not ordained a time that they should find and know Him. The nations are not about race, as we read here in Acts, but about the blood of all life, and the heart of worship. In this week's Sabbath reading portion called Toldot, or "generations/genealogy", from Gen. 25 through 27, it seems to me that the LORD is teaching a principle that can be a mystery to us. The starting verse is: "This is the genealogy (toldot/yalad - descendants, results, proceedings, generations, genealogies, account of men and their descendants, origin of things/to bear, bring forth, declare pedigree, gender, birth, midwife, lineage) of (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega [see Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13, as relating to Jesus Christ]) Isaac, Abraham's son." (Gen. 25:19). The concept of toldot, as we know from scripture, is very important to God and His plans. He makes careful mention of who begat whom. There is an additional meaning of the Hebrew word toldot that captures interest in regard to this Sabbath's reading portion. Toldot also includes the root meaning "wicked bringing forth iniquity, to bring forth fraud, iniquity". Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. The LORD made a separation and difference between the two brothers that will carry through their generations forever. Esau, the elder brother, sold his birthright to his younger brother, Jacob, for a serving of lentil stew. Scripture says that Esau despised his birthright as the elder son (Gen. 25:34). Esau later sought the blessing as his father's favorite, but it was too late (v. 34-37), and when he discovered this, he threatened to kill his brother, Jacob. Esau's hatred of his brother carried down the generations, as we will see, and Jesus would also warn of this hatred (Mt. 5:21, 1 Jn. 3:14-15). Jacob was sent to his mother's family to find a wife, but Esau married local Canaanite women, and then a daughter of Ishmael (Gen. 28:8-9). Before Esau married the daughter of Ishmael, we read: "When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah." (Gen. 26:34). The Hittites descended from Ham, a son of Noah, and Ham's son, Canaan. The Hittites were a very ancient nation of people whose name in Hebrew means "fear, terror, dismayed, break in pieces, discourage, beaten down, shattered, broken, break down by violence, confusion and fear". Abraham, Esau's grandfather, would not accept any free land from the Hittites for the burial of Sarah, his wife, but insisted on paying them market price in silver, with the transfer done by deed in front of witnesses (Gen. 23:12-18). He was very cautious in dealing with the Hittites, and perhaps he would have been very shocked to find that his grandson had married into that nation. According to Jewish oral history, but not mentioned in scripture, Esau's wife, Judith, was also known as Oholibamah/Aholibamah (meaning "tent of the high place") because she built altars in the high places, or bamot, for idol worship. There is further mention of her as a matriarch of Esau's children in Gen. 36. We had the initial problem with Esau regarding his despised birthright and intention to kill his brother because of it, and now we see Esau has begun a toldot, or genealogy, with the Hittites. As we saw in part of the definition of toldot, this will be a matter of the "wicked bringing forth iniquity" throughout history. In another portion from this Sabbath's Toldot reading, the prophet Obadiah will speak the judgment of the LORD against the descendants of Esau, which became the nation of Edom. While Esau and Jacob struggled against each other even from the womb, that struggle continued between the two nations that would come from them: Edom and Israel. When Israel was travelling through the wilderness under Moses, Edom refused to sell them anything to help them survive, nor to allow the Israelites to cross their territory (see Num. 20:14-20). When Judah was taken away into Babylonian captivity generations later, Edom took advantage of it, and settled onto their land near Hebron. Obadiah wrote the judgment of the LORD: "In the day that you stood on the other side - in the day that strangers carried captive his forces, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem - even you were as one of them. But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity; nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in their day of destruction; nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress. You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity...nor laid hands on their substance...You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; nor...delivered up those among them who remained..." (Obad. v. 11-14). The LORD said to Edom: "The pride of your heart has deceived you...You who say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" (v. 3). For their violence against their brother Jacob/Israel, "...shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever...and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,' for the LORD has spoken." (v. 10, 18). Present-day nations should heed the warning as to how they should treat Israel, especially during Israel's times of trial. Obadiah said: "For the day of the LORD upon all nations is near. As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head." (v. 18). Scripture tells us that the LORD sets the boundaries of the nations, and we read here that the LORD sees the condition of the heart of a nation. Edom continued to carry the hatred of a brother in their hearts as their forefather Esau had done. After the Babylonian captivity of Judah, mentioned above by Obadiah, the Edomites inhabited a portion of Judea, and that territory was called Idumea. Herod the Great was an Idumaean/Edomite who married into what was left of the once-ruling Jewish Maccabee family, and whom Rome supported as it declared Herod to be "King of the Jews". Although Herod was also said to be half-Jewish through his mother, he was no doubt one of the most blood-thirsty tyrants of his age, and killer of the children of Bethlehem as he unsuccessfully sought to destroy the baby Jesus. His son, Herod Antipas, also known as Philip Tetrarch, who had previously ordered the execution of John the Baptist, had Jesus mocked and beaten in his court before Christ's death (Lk. 23:6-12). Here again we see the wickedness in the heart of Esau against his brother, Jacob/Israel, carried to a future generation. In another portion from this Toldot Sabbath reading, the prophet Malachi also wrote the Word of the LORD against Edom: "They (Edom) may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever. Your eyes shall see, and you shall say, 'The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel'." (Mal. 1:4-5). The LORD traces their history of wickedness back to Esau (v. 3). History tells us that the Edomites had turned their backs on any knowledge of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God of their grandfather, Abraham, and their father, Isaac, and had instead worshipped a false god called Qaus, or Qos. However, the purpose of the Book of Malachi was not to write the judgment against Edom, but to indict God's own people, His own nation, Israel. Even as the LORD pointed out to Israel that He had graciously loved and chosen them, Jacob, long ago instead of Esau, saying to them, "I have loved you", Israel had stopped loving the LORD in return. Even though the nation was still carrying out its worship of the LORD, God knew the resentment that was secretly harbored in their hearts. He said that His priests despised His name! They expressed their contempt for Him by bringing to Him their least, rather than their best (v. 7-8). They treated the LORD with less fear and honor than they treated their political leaders. The LORD's name was profaned, as the LORD saw that in their hearts they said: "The table of the LORD is defiled; and its fruit, its food, is contemptible'. You also say, 'Oh, what a weariness!' And you sneer at it, says the LORD of hosts." (v. 12-13). By the end of the Book of Malachi, the LORD prophesied of a work that He would do to cleanse, purge, refine, and renew their hearts towards Him (Mal. 3:1-3). God's people of the heart do not worship and give to Him to fulfill a religious obligation only, but to express their love and understanding of Who He is, and what He has done, and will do, for them. The LORD sees the hearts of the people and the nations. Finally from this Sabbath, the Book of Proverbs contrasts the paths of the wicked with those who learn the ways of the LORD: "Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil...For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day...give attention to my words...Keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." (Prov. 4:14-23, excerpt). Others may judge by the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7), including the heart of a nation. What are our hearts revealing of us to the LORD, and what is the heart of our nation revealing to Him? This is His promise: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You." (Ps. 22:27). If you would like to know more about the LORD's dealings with the toldot generations, the nations, and the people, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You are King over all of the earth. You have set the nations, and You will weigh them in the balance. You promised Abraham to make of him a great nation, and that all of the nations of the earth would be blessed because of him. Your Son, Jesus, the returning Messiah, will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Let my heart be cleansed and filled with love for You, and let my manner of life reflect that love and worship. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that Your Word would dwell in my heart as an inward circumcision, an inward renewal. I pray also for my nation. It exists because, at the appointed time, You created and set its boundaries so that my nation would know that You are God. Help the heart of my nation to turn back to You as we seek Your face, and Your forgiveness. I thank You, Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus. AMEN."

RoyalMothers

This week's Sabbath reading portion seems to speak a great deal about the importance of mothers, not just as biological parents, but as spiritual determiners. The Book of Proverbs begins: "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel." (Prov. 1:1). While kings inherit the throne through their fathers, as we see here, the kings are often identified specifically in scripture by their mothers, as well. Further along in the first chapter of Proverbs, Solomon writes about attaining wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He wrote: "My son, hear the instruction (musar/yasar - discipline, chastening, correction, restraint, warning, reproof, rebuke, instruction, doctrine (see also 2 Tim. 4:1-2)/reform, chastise with blows, punish) of your father, and do not forsake (natas - leave, cease, abandon, cast off, let fall, lie fallow) the law (torah/yara - law, direction, human or divine instruction and direction, body of prophetic teaching, precept, law of sacrifice/shoot arrows, teach, point out, flow as water) of your mother (em - mother, point of departure or division, mother of the way, a parting of the road, source and head of the way, leading city, to set an example, to teach, she who bestows benefits on others); For they will be a graceful (hen - favor, grace, kindness, good will) ornament (livya/lava - wreath, garland/to be joined to, cleave, abide, to unite by twining, joined closely) on your head, and chains (anaq - necklace, stature, adorn with neck ornament, liberally furnish, supply, carried on the neck by a shepherd) about your neck." (v. 8-9). We can see here that the role of the mother who sets the direction, is to be related to the Torah, the Word of God. As a result of the influence of both parents, the child's life will be full of the honor, grace, and favor of God. This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Chayyei Sarah, or "The life of Sarah". It covers Gen. 23 through 24, and actually begins with Sarah's death! So why is it called "The life of Sarah"? Sarah's death will create a new direction, a point of departure from current circumstances (see above Hebrew meaning of "mother"), as Abraham sends his servant out of Canaan to find his son, Isaac, a wife from Abraham's relatives. Sarah's name plays a very important role in this new direction. Her original name, Sarai, means "princess, nobility/prince, captain, ruler, governor, keeper, leader, commander/to have power, prevail over, reign, dominion". The LORD earlier said to Abraham: "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah (sara - noblewoman or lady, princess, queen, wife of a nobly-born king) shall be (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega: see Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13) her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her; and she shall be a (mother) of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." (Gen. 17:15-16). Eve was called "the mother of all living", but, as we can see from this, Sarah could be considered to be "the mother of the royalty of God's covenant people", as God renamed her. Before we leave the generation of Sarah, we can look at another mother of kings, which was Hagar, the Egyptian maid of Sarah, and the mother of Abraham's first born son, Ishmael. Isaac would be the son of the covenant with God, but Ishmael would be blessed by God also for Abraham's sake. The LORD said to Abraham: "And as for Ishmael, ...Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you..." (Gen. 17:20-21). How did Hagar, Ishmael's mother, play a role as a royal "point of departure" (see definition of "mother", above)? Sarah had Hagar and Ishmael cast out of Abraham's camp because Ishmael had mocked the covenant heir, Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael were in the wilderness, out of water, and dying of thirst (Gen. 21:9-14), but God had made a promise. Hagar threw (salak - throw, hurl, fling, cast away, cast forth) her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) child, Ishmael, under (tahat/toah - beneath, at the foot of, under subjection/humble, lowly) a bush (siah - bush, shrub, meditation, speak, commune, pray, declare, ponder, to bring forth). (v. 15). Hagar didn't place her son under the shrub, but threw him under it. The word for "shrub" is siah, which is part of the word "Messiah", who is also called The Branch. At this moment, God opened Hagar's (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes to see a well of water, and she and her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) son filled their (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) skins or bottles with the water of the well: "So God was with the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) child." (v. 19-20). Hagar established the life of her son under the covering of the yet-to-be-born Messiah, Jesus. This makes Hagar the Egyptian a "mother" in the spiritual sense as well as an instructor in the Torah, the prophetic teaching, the law of sacrifice, flowing like water, as defined above, as she threw her son at the feet of the prophesied Messiah. She had learned well while in Abraham's household. The LORD spoke twice into Hagar's life, giving her direction, and she listened to the LORD, and both she and her son were preserved, prospered, and the kings came forth from Ishmael as promised. We read about another woman who walked in the life or manner of Sarah in this Sabbath reading. Abraham sent his servant back to his family to find a wife for his son, Isaac, after Sarah died. Abraham assured his servant that the angel of the LORD would be sent before him to help him (Gen. 24:7). The servant asked the LORD's help in identifying the right one for his master's son. The servant waited by a well because the women of the town would come to draw water (v. 10-11). The servant prayed: "Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, "Please let down your pitcher (kad - earthen vessel) that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' - let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant, Isaac..." (v. 14). Rebekah approached the well, and did all that Abraham's servant had prayed. She gave the servant water, and watered the ten camels (v. 18-20). We see here in Rebekah the qualities of a mother by God's definition: she was quick to bestow benefits upon others, and she exhibited the Torah, the Word of God, as flowing water. This is the one whom the LORD had appointed for Isaac. She ultimately agreed to go back to Canaan to marry Isaac. As they approached the area of Isaac's tent, which had been his mother, Sarah's, tent, "Then Rebekah lifted her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes, and when she saw (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Isaac, she dismounted from her camel.." (v. 64). She asked the servant who the man was who was walking to meet them. The man was Isaac, the servant answered. We have discovered before that when the expression "lifted the eyes and saw" is used, the person is seeing by nasa resurrection, or spiritual, ra'a sight. Rebekah was a comfort to Isaac in the loss of his mother, Sarah (v. 67). We know that in the future, Rebekah will hear from the LORD regarding the twins she is carrying in her womb, and she will "set the point of departure or division, the parting of the road" between the two sons, according to the direction and election of the LORD. One of the sons, Jacob, who is named in the genealogy of Jesus, will later be renamed "Israel" by the LORD who said to him: "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel (yisrael/sara - "God prevails"/ have power as a prince, contend, persevere, leader, commander, prince, to set in order): for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." (Gen. 32:28 KJV). It is also interesting to note that scripture makes sure to tell us that Rebekah is the granddaughter of Nahor and his wife Milcah, whose name means "queen"! (Gen. 24:15). In another portion from this Sabbath's reading, Chayyei Sarah, from 1 Kings 1, another mother, Bathsheba, will heed the words of the prophet, Nathan, joining herself to that part of the Torah that is the "body of prophetic teaching" (see above), and will insure that the Kingdom of Israel will pass from King David, who at this time was very old, to his tenth son, Solomon, Bathsheba's son, who is named in the genealogy of Jesus (see Mt. 1:6-7). David's fourth son, Adonijah, had tried to take the throne before his father's death, saying, "I will be king." (1 Kings 1:5). Scripture tells us that David had not rebuked Adonijah at any time for this (v. 6), which is part of the instruction of a father, as we saw above in Proverbs. Because of the intervention of Nathan and Bathsheba, David commanded that Solomon be anointed king while David was still alive (v. 32-35), to be king in David's place, a remarkable thing for a sitting king to do. Again we see that a mother in the Spirit will point to the royal path appointed by God, in addition to other attributes. Finally, in the last reading portion from this Sabbath, we see another mother who will stand at the head of the way, at the fork of the road. She will establish the line that will lead to David, a future king, and forefather of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the greatest King in heaven and earth. Ruth's mother-in-law, Naomi, was the widow of Elimelech ("My God is King"). (Ruth 1:1-2). We are speaking here of the royalty of God, Himself. Not only was Naomi's husband dead, but so were her two sons. Would the royal line of God end here? No! Naomi accepted the Moabitess Ruth's plea to return with Naomi to Israel, near Bethlehem, even as Ruth accepted the God of Israel, Naomi's God, as her God also (Ruth 1:16). There lived an older unmarried (therefore also having no descendants) relative of Elimelech, Boaz (meaning "fleetness"). Boaz first saw Ruth gleaning in his field after the reapers had gone through to harvest the main crop. Ruth sought to feed Naomi and herself in this manner. She valued every blade of grain, even those left behind from the larger harvest. She and Naomi, being widows, had no other source of provision. Boaz made sure that Ruth would come to no harm (Ruth 2:8-9). Ruth asked Boaz why she had found such favor with him, and he answered: "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." (v. 11-12). Naomi lived in the manner of a spiritual mother, who bestows benefits on others (see above). Boaz made haste, as his name "fleetness" tells us, to clear the way for him to marry Ruth. Her mother-in-law, Naomi assured Ruth: "...the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day." (Ruth 3:18). Their son, Obed (meaning "servant, laborer, worshipper [of God]"), was the grandfather of David. Ruth was well deserving by her character to have become a mother to the royalty of God. To me, all of these examples of spiritually appointed mothers of the royalty of God is what is meant as following after "Chayyai Sarah", the life of Sarah. Man has its set idea regarding the meaning of "mother", considering only the natural condition, and many limit themselves to, and are directed by this understanding. However, God expects us "to lift up our eyes and see" His revelation in the Spirit. The believers in Christ are called to be kings and priests, and a royal priesthood, serving after the royalty and priesthood of Jesus. If you would like to know more about the call of royalty of God in Christ, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You have provided spiritual mothers and fathers for us, and have called us to be spiritual mothers and fathers to others, to direct the way to the royal household and calling of God. Teach us through Your Word, Jesus, and by Your Holy Spirit, to understand and to walk in this by the examples that You have given to us in this Sabbath reading. I ask this in the name of Jesus, AMEN."

LIFE

This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Va-yeira, meaning "And He appeared". The Hebrew letters used to write Va-yeira are vaw, yod, reysh, aleph. Each of these pictographic letters, when put together, can mean, "The nail in the hand of the Most High Adonai (Lord)". Va-yeira comes from the first verse of Gen. 18: "Then the LORD (YHWY, the Hebrew letters of which mean "Behold the hand, behold the nail") appeared (ra'a, ra'a [2X] - to see, look at, perceive, have vision, foresee, give attention to, discern, to be visible, to be seen, to cause to see, to be exhibited to, to look at each other, face) to him (Abraham) by the terebinth trees (elon/ayil - plain, great tree, oak, strong tree, terebinth/rams, mighty men, posts and lintel) of Mamre, as he was sitting (yasab - sit, inhabit, remain, continue, stay, dwell, have one's abode, to marry, endure, establish, thrones of kings or judges, an army that holds possession of, to lie in wait to spring on a prey) in the tent (ohel/ahal - tabernacle, tent, dwelling, covering, temple/to be clear, shine, to be bright) door (petah/patah - opening, doorway, entrance, gate/to open, appear, engrave, break forth, go free, let loose, be thrown open, unstop, set open, loose bonds) in the heat of the day (yom - day, time, year, lifetime, perpetually, continually, age, season, certain day, now, yesterday-today-tomorrow, all days)." All of these Hebrew words have significant meanings, but we can summarize by saying that Abraham is inhabiting a very special place - the door of his shining tent, or tabernacle/temple, the place of the doorpost and lintel (where later generations would apply the blood of the lamb for Passover), where things are let loose, set free, break forth and appear continually and forever. Abraham was "sitting", dwelling, remaining, married, in the throne of a king or judge in a time of enflaming, kindling heat. It is in this place that the LORD appears (ra'a - see above) to him. What is going to be let loose? Verses 2 and 3 of Chapter 18 tells us: "So he (Abraham) lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw (them), he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor (hen - favor, grace, acceptance) in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant." (v. 3). As we discovered in last week's Sabbath reading (see previous blog entry "Go!", below), when the expression "lifted up his eyes and looked, or saw" is used, "lifted up" is the Hebrew word nasa (to lift, bear up, carry, suport, sustain, endure, forgive, pardon, exalted, desire, long for, to cause to bring, support, aid, assist), and "looked/saw" in this case is the Hebrew word ra'a, which is defined above. Abraham begins to "see" by revelation, and the meaning also gives us the understanding that what he "sees", he spiritually carries, bears, supports, assists, and causes to bring about by doing so. The first loosing, breaking forth, and setting free that the LORD would engage in during His appearance would be the promise of a child to childless and elderly Abraham and Sarah as the LORD said: "I will certainly return (sub - return, restore, refresh, repair, bring back, deliver, recover) to you according to the time of life (et/ad + hay/haya/hava - time, season + forever, eternity, everlasting, world without end/live, life, alive, revival, renewal/alive, restored to life, revive, save/to breathe, live, declare), and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son...Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time (mo'ed/ya'ad - appointed place and time, sacred season, set feast, solemn assembly/betroth, assemble, engage for marriage), I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." (Gen. 18:10, 14). When the LORD said, "according to the time of life", as translated into English, the Hebrew means "everlasting life" and "restored to life", or "revived life". This is what Abraham ra'a "saw" and "carried" that brought forth the birth of his son, Isaac, as promised, with his wife Sarah. However, during this appearance of the LORD to Abraham, there was also a judgment determined against Sodom (and Gomorrha). The appointed time, is the same word used for the feasts of the LORD, as the LORD would command Moses to establish in a future generation. In this case, the appointed time was an appointment with everlasting life, and revival of life, through which a new life, a son to Abraham and Sarah, would be born. This is what can happen when we "lift up our eyes and see". The LORD has also appeared before Abraham for another ministry pertaining to life. It will be the judgment against, and obliteration of Sodom and Gomorrah. How could this possibly be viewed as "pertaining to life"? We will see: And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing...since...all nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?'...And the LORD said, 'Because the outcry (za'aq - cry, outcry, distress, shriek from anguish, crying, clamor, summon, company) against Sodom (meaning "burning, to scorch") and Gomorrah (amora/amar - submersion, ruined heap/treat as a slave, to manipulate, deal tyrannically with, bind sheaves of grain, make merchandise of, plunge into conflict, rancor, or malice) is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry (se-aqa/sa'aq - cry of distress as heard by God, a shriek/cry for help) against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know." (Gen. 18:16-21, excerpt). As we read the disturbing account of the angels of the LORD visiting Sodom to view the conditions there, we know that the sin of Sodom included perversion, molestation and sexual violence against those who could not defend themselves (see Gen. 19:4-11). The anguish of their victims was so great, that their cries came up as clamorous shrieks before the LORD. In the case of Gomorrah, there is a binding together of sheaves in an evil false harvest, rather than the harvest unto salvation of the LORD. There is a merchandising and enslavement of human beings that is called trafficking. We can see this evil revealed earlier in scripture, when Abraham saved the captives of Sodom from an invading king for the sake of his nephew Lot who lived in Sodom. The king of Sodom wanted to reward Abraham for his victory: "Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.' But Abram said...'I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich..." (Gen. 14:21-23). The king of Sodom coveted the "persons", but the Hebrew word used is nepes/napas, meaning "soul, life, mind, heart, body, living being, seat of the appetites, activity of the will, breath/to take breath, refresh oneself, to be breathed upon". They used sexual predation and molestation to harvest and harm the souls of the living. However, the souls of men do not belong to them. God created that living soul of man by breathing into him (Gen. 2:7). Man may try to justify and excuse their ways of slavery, death, and darkness, but God hears the cries of the souls that He has created with His own breath of life, and He will answer those cries. For those who have suffered the manipulation, the trafficking, the enslavement: if you have been the victim of this kind of attack upon your soul, know that God is the healer and restorer of souls, and cry to Him. He IS life. King David wrote of the LORD as his (Good) Shepherd, saying, "He restoreth (sub - see above) my soul (nepes - see above)." (Ps. 23:3). Scripture describes the LORD as the Shepherd, Bishop, Savior, and Preserver (samar - keep, guard, observe, have charge of, to watch for, to wait for, to treasure up, to celebrate, protect, save, take care) of our (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega: See Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13) souls (see 1 Pet. 2:25, Ps. 121:7, 1 Pet. 1:6-9). In this Sabbath reading portion of Va-yeira, there are two other miraculous births, and a raising of the dead. In 2 Kings 4, a woman from Shunem (meaning double resting place; quiet) in northern Israel, wanted to establish an upper room for the prophet Elisha in her home, for when he travels through their area. She says to her husband: "Look (hinna/hen - behold, see having a demonstrable power) now, I know (yada - perceive and see, discern, be revealed, cause to know, discover, know by experience, see with the eyes) that this Elisha is a holy man of God who passes by us regularly..." (v. 9). Because of her works based upon this sight and knowledge, the addition of a chamber for him in her home, Elisha prophesied that the Shunammite woman would have a son: "...according to the time of life (see above), you shall embrace a son." (v. 16). Again, as with Abraham, a child is prophesied out of eternal life, according to the Hebrew meanings of the words used. This son was indeed born, but as he grew, he suffered a sharp pain in his head, and died. The Shunammite woman rode a number of miles to Mt. Carmel, to bring back Elisha to her son, all the while declaring "It is well." (v. 23, 26). With prayer, Elisha was able to bring her son back to life as the son laid in the upper chamber that had been built for the prophet (v. 32-35). Elisha did this by being stretched out on top of the child. As this scene is described specifically in v. 34, the formation of their bodies would be in the shape of a cross. In English, Elisha is described as "walking the house to and fro", but in Hebrew it is yalak (to walk, follow, carry, flow, bear, vanish), and ehad,ehad (one, united, alike, together). This reminds me of what Jesus said: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Mt. 16:24-25, Mk. 8:34, Lk. 9:23). Do we want to find the kind of life that is everlasting? We are being given the key by Jesus here, and in the account of Elisha and the Shunammite woman. This is indeed our "double resting place", or Shunem. In 1 Sam. 1, from the Va-yeira reading, Hannah, whose name means "grace", was childless. As she brought her feast offering to the tabernacle at Shiloh, she was overcome by sadness, and launched into deep prayer before the door of the house of the LORD. The high priest, Eli, who was sitting by the doorpost of the tabernacle, observes her and finally says, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him...So it came to pass in the process of time (haya/hava +tequpa,tequpa 2X/naqap - arise, appear, to be established, to exist/to breathe + in the complete circuit of time [to strike with violence, to cut down, detroy, join together by nails, to cut], time continually and ever) that Hannah, or "Grace", conceived and bore a son, and called his (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) name Samuel (meaning "name of God" or "Heard of God"), saying, 'Because I have asked for him from the LORD." (v. 17, 20). So again, we have a reference to a life coming from the completed circuit of time. It is interesting that with the use of the Hebrew root word naqap in this verse, the image of the crucifixion is connected to the completed or compassing circuit of time. Scripture tells us that the Lamb of God, Jesus, was sacrificed before the foundation of the world, before time began (Rev. 13:8, 1 Pet. 1:19-20, Jn. 1:29, 32-36). Before closing Va-yeira, we go back to Abraham, who "saw" into eternity to the sacrificial death, and resurrection to life of the Son. This is how it happened. Abraham was commanded by God to take his miracle (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) son, (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Isaac, whom the LORD called "your only son whom you love, and offer him as a burnt offering on the mountains of Moriah, which the LORD would "show" him. (Gen. 22:1-2). So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took his son with him. "Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) place afar off." (v. 4). We know the story of the offering of Isaac, of how Isaac asked, "...where is the lamb for a burnt offering?", and of how Abraham answered, "God will provide for Himself the lamb." (v. 7-8). At the last moment, the Angel of the LORD stopped Abraham. Then Abraham lifted (nasa) his eyes and looked (ra'a), and behind him was a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. It was the ram of offering provided by God (v. 11-13). The mountains of Moriah are the mountains that Jerusalem, established long after Abraham's time, sits on. We see the phrase saying that Abraham "lifted up his eyes and saw". From our previous Sabbath reading, we know that this means that Abraham was seeing by the Spirit, by revelation. Abraham saw "the place". This is the Hebrew word maqom, meaning "place", but the root word qum means "arise, raise, proven, valid, fulfilled, become powerful, be established, ordain, perform, accomplish, confirmed, ratify, to raise oneself, raise up, set up, be raised up"! Abraham saw this "place" afar off, the Hebrew words rahoq/rahaq, which not only mean far in physical distance, but far in distance of time, also precious, dear, long ago, of old, great while to come (future) arduous, difficult. I think that when Abraham lifted his eyes and saw in revelation, he saw the cross, and, considering his complete faith, perhaps he also saw the resurrection, as Jesus seems to say: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." (Jn. 8:56). We can see Abraham's intimate knowledge of Christ here in these verses. God is the God of the living, not the dead. He is the God of LIFE forever more. The LORD felt that His people had no excuse for their continual failure to "see" and "understand" who He is. They had no excuse, the LORD told Jeremiah, for relying upon themselves and their meaningless and useless idols, which they honored instead of Him (see Jer. 7). How can we not ra'a see this awesome God who has appeared to us? There are many other lessons to learn from Va-yeira, "And He appeared", but we have enough here to think about! If you would like to know more about our LORD of life and appearing, you can pray with me: "Father in heaven, anoint my eyes to see You and all of Your glory, and the glory of Your resurrected Son, who died for me. You are life, and You hold eternity in Your hand. You know the end from the beginning, and You reveal Yourself to us. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and open my heart to understand how You guard my soul, Your breath of life in me. My soul, spirit, and body belong to you, and are entrusted into Your hands all the days of my life. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."