EnduringBlessing

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Lech-L'cha, which means "Go!", or "Leave!" This title comes from the first group of verses from Gen. 12: "Now the LORD had said to Abram, whom we now know as Abraham: 'Get out (yalak/halak - go, depart, follow, proceed, to walk, carry, bear, bring, carry away, spread, vanish, starting point/to lead, to bring, lead away, carry, be at the point) of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you." (v. 1).

     Abram's father, Terah (tarah - delay) had removed his family from Ur of the Chaldeans in Mesopotamia previously and came to Haran to live. Ur, the family's place of origin, means "flame, light of fire, brightness of fire, revelation, become light, glorious". Ur/or refers to the supernatural light spoken into being by God in the beginning of creation, but the city became the center for moon worship at the time. The family's original destination had been the land of Canaan, but they settled at Haran. Haran or Harran was an ancient city of strategic importance located in southeastern Turkey. After Abram's father died, Abram left Haran at the command of the LORD to go to Canaan at the age of seventy-five with His wife, his nephew Lot, and all of the people and possessions that they had acquired in Haran. (Gen. 11:27-32).

     We understand the command "Go out!" in English as issued by the LORD to Abram, but as we see in the Hebrew meaning above, it also means "to bring, to carry (away), to bear" while one "goes out". What was Abram carrying with him to Canaan? We will see more about this later, but we can find an important clue in the meaning of Abram's name. Abram/abiram/rum has the meaning: "exalted father"/Exalted One is my father, father of height/to rise, rise up, set on high, to be raised, be uplifted, to be lifted, heave, to rise or raise, set up on, sound of the trumpet, to offer sacrifices." Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.' This He said, signifying by what death He would die." (Jn. 12:32-33). Not only was Jesus "lifted up" in His death, but He was raised up in resurrection life after His death. He was also hidden within Abram's name.

     The LORD told Abram that He called Abram out of Mesopotamia into Canaan to be a father of a multitude and a great nation, even though Abram and his wife Sarai were old, and she was barren: "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing...And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed...for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth...Arise, walk (halak/yalak - see above) in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." Gen. 12:2-3, Gen. 13:15-17). The blessings that God spoke over Abram at this time would change the lives of billions yet to come.

     So Abram brought or carried (see yalak/halak above) the eternal but physically yet unborn Messiah/Christ Jesus, who was concealed within Abram's future generations, to the land that would inevitably and unstoppably become the nation of Israel by the Word of the LORD.  Of course, we find Jesus, or Yeshua in Hebrew, listed in scripture as a descendant of Abraham. (Mt. 1:1, Lk. 3:34). As far as establishing a nation of Israel is concerned, the prophetic Word of God says that out of Zion, not Ur of the Chaldees nor Haran of Asia Minor, comes the Deliverer (see Rom. 11:26, Isa. 59:20, Joel 2:32). The prophet Jeremiah, in another reading portion for this Sabbath, said that Jerusalem "shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts." (Jer. 3:17). One nation, Israel, created from one man, Abraham, as promised by the LORD would gather all nations to it and to the Throne of the LORD and to the name of the LORD.

     Jesus, speaking of Abraham, said: "Your father Abraham rejoiced (agalliao/hallomai - exceedingly glad, to exult, to jump for joy, to rejoice exceedingly/leap, spring up, to jump, to gush) to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." (Jn. 8:56). Jesus let us know that Abraham was either given a prophetic vision or revelation of his descendant, Jesus, as the Savior of the world, or saw it fulfilled from Paradise, and jumped for exceeding joy when he saw it. We can picture the scene when Abraham saw this wonderful thing and began "jumping for joy"!

     From another reading portion of this Sabbath, the LORD identifies Himself as the One who called the generations of Israel forth: "Who has performed and done it, calling (qara - call, cry out, preach, bidden, appoint, call and endow, give name to, address by name, call forth, proclaim, publish) the generations (dor/dur - all, many, an age as a period of time, dwelling place, evermore, posterity/in a circle, everlasting) from the beginning? I, the LORD, am the first; and with the last I am He...you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends (qasa - lowest, uttermost part, edges, extremity, from the whole of) of the earth, and called from its farthest regions (asil/asal - support, origins, rooted, from ancient and noble stock, deep roots into the earth/reserved, kept, set apart, separated, selected, a root joined and connected), and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isa. 41:4, 8-10).

    

     The LORD called forth the generations of Abraham by name from the beginning, the time of creation, before Abraham physically existed. The LORD's promise to old Abram and barren Sarai of many descendants was based upon the fact that the LORD had already fulfilled the promise before time began. Because of this purposeful prophetic calling of each by name from the beginning, the LORD can say this to the descendants of Abraham, and to us, his adopted descendants through Messiah/Christ: "...Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing. For I the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you." (Isa. 41:12-13). Scripture states: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Gal. 3:13-14). God set apart Abraham as His friend in one of the verses above. Jesus called His disciples His friends in the same manner if we do as He commands us to do. (Jn. 15:13-15). Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:5-6, James 2:23, Rom. 4:3). In the same way, our faith in Christ is directly joined in scripture to the faith of Abraham and as having the same result of righteousness. (Rom. 4:16-24, Gal. 3:6-9). Galatians 3:8 says that Abraham was preached the Gospel beforehand in the blessings promised to him (Gen. 12:2-3) as a prophetic promise of our salvation.

      In another reading portion from this Sabbath, the LORD directly connects His blessing spoken over Abraham and Sarah to righteousness and salvation: "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the LORD...Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him. For the LORD will comfort Zion...Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me O My nation: for the law will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth...My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished...Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law....My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation." (Isa. 51:1-6 excerpt, and v. 8). 

     We often consider the blessings and promises that God spoke to Abraham as an "old" covenant, however, I hope we can see that the blessings spoken over Abraham by the LORD in Gen. 12 and the subsequent works that the LORD performed in Abraham's life still live and still produce the fruit of righteousness and salvation throughout all future generations of Abraham and all families of peoples (see again Gen. 12:2-3 above).

     If you would like to know more about the everlasting blessings of God of righteousness and salvation spoken over Abraham, his generations, and all families in the earth, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, You called Abraham's generations forth by name from the beginning. You ordained a nation to come from Abraham, and You also promised that all families would be blessed because of it. Father, I hold onto those promised blessings of righteousness and salvation for my own family near and far, but also for all of the families of the earth, and especially Abraham's family. You said that all who bless Abraham would be blessed, and all who curse Abraham would be cursed. I bless Abraham and his descendants today as You blessed them. I bless the powerful omniscient work that You foresaw and accomplished for all of us through Your friendship with Abraham. I bless the Messiah/Christ Jesus who saved me and whom You called forth in due time from the generations of Abraham. I join Abraham, Father, in jumping for joy in all that You brought forth through him, and I pray that You bring forth the same kind of fruit from my life. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."