Kings

This week's sabbath reading is titled Chayyai Sarah, or "The Life of Sarah". Sarah was the wife of Abraham, and had miraculously become a mother in her old age, as the LORD had promised her. It is interesting and important to us that the reading portion titled upon "the life of Sarah" begins with her death in Genesis 23. Genesis, or B'resheit in Hebrew, is about "Beginnings", and we will see another important "beginning" established here. I found that this week's reading portion is about two kinds of kings, and therefore two kinds of kingdoms as well. One thing we should know before we look at Gen. 23, is how the LORD changed Sarai's name to Sarah earlier in Gen. 17: "Then God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be 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 be by her. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed..." (Gen. 17:15-17a). Her original name, Sarai, means in Hebrew "princess; ruler, steward, commander; prevail over, dominion, be a prince". All good stuff. so why rename her? As renamed by the LORD, Sarah, she becomes "a queen, the wife of a king". As we go then to Gen. 23 from this week's reading, there are at least two beginnings that we will see with Sarah's death. First of sll, the place of Sarah's death, Hebron/Kirjath Arba, has an important meaning. Hebron means "association, joining, join together, fellowship; to be marked with stripes and blows". It can also mean "charmer, spell, incantation". The other name that Hebron was known by, Kirjath Arba, means a city founded or "floored" on a square, or four-sided. This should remind us of the four-lettered name of God, and the "four-square" city of the New Jerusalem (see Rev. 21:16). Kirjath Arba also means the city founded by Arba - the greatest of the giants, and the father of Anak (Anakim). So whether we call the place of Sarah's death Hebron or its previous name, Kirjath Arba, we can see that this place represents two kingdoms. One of those kingdoms is the kingdom of God, and His Son, Jesus, who was marked with stripes and blows, and the other is a kingdom associated with witchcraft spells, and the giants who continually opposed God's people. In one of our beginnings found in this reading, Abraham will, for the first time, purchase a plot of land in what would become Israel in order to bury his wife: "...Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth ("Terror"), saying, 'I am a foreigner and a visitor (see also Jn. 17:16, 2 Peter 2:11, Heb. 13:14, Heb. 11:8-10) among you. Give me property for a burial place among you...I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there." (Gen. 23:4, 13). At first the sons of Heth did not want to sell, but rather give the place to Abraham. However, Abraham insisted upon buying the land that included a burial cave for his wife. Abraham bought it for 400 shekels of silver - again the presence of a multiple of the number four: "So the field of Ephron ("fawn-like, young goat; to be dust, to throw dust") ...and the cave which was in it...were deeded (qum - accomplished, established; arise, rise up, raise) to Abraham as a possession (miqna/miqne/qana - purchase price, bought/flocks, herds/redeem, recover, of God redeeming His people) in the presence of the sons of Heth ('Terror"), before all who went in at the gate of his city." (v. 17-18). There was a very important shift that took place here, and a vital beginning - Abraham had purchased a place in what would become Israel, and now owned it. Hebron became known as "the city of the friend of God (Abraham)". We also see, by the meaning of the Hebrew words used here, the principle of God redeeming His people. However, that's not all! When Abraham approached the sons of Heth to purchase the field for a burial ground, the sons of Heth addressed Abraham as "a mighty prince among us" (v. 6). In Hebrew, this is written as "elohim nasi" among us. Elohim is the name of God. Nasi/nasa means "prince, ruler, one lifted up, vapors ascending to become a cloud/forgive, bear, endure, to suffer, take away anyone's sin, to expiate, make atonement for sin, to lay sin upon oneself, to marry a wife, to receive anyone's prayer, to lift up, rise up, to look upon". "Mighty prince" or "Prince of God" is not a complete translation into English, as we can see. There is no doubt that the sons of Heth (Terror), identified Abraham with the risen God of forgiveness, suffering and Atonement, tavek: within us, in the midst of us, Whom we know as Jesus. This is the King that the sons of Heth saw in Abraham. However, kingship in God's kingdom is not merely determined by a physical relationship to Abraham and Sarah, but by a spiritual relationship, defined by a likeness to the same King by whom Abraham was called above. In another portion from this week's sabbath reading, we will see two kings. Which king will prevail? In 1 Kings 1, King David, anointed by God, and prophesied as the patriarch from whom the Messiah/Christ would come, is still alive, but very old. One of his sons, Adonijah, appoints himself to be the new king. Adonijah is David's fourth son, and his name means "The LORD is Jehovah (YHWH: "Behold the hand, Behold the nail"). Everything seems to look good for Adonijah to become the new king- after all, his name glorifies Jesus as Lord- but he is not the successor that David named, and he is not of the right spirit to be a king in God's kingdom: "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, 'I will be king'; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him...And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants." (1 Kings 1:5,9). Adonijah exalted himself. Kings after the spirit of Abraham and Sarah do not exalt themselves, but rather, redeem or exalt others. Adonijah made great sacrifices as Abraham did, which looks good, but he is making those sacrifices at a place called Zoheleth, which means "serpent, afraid, worms, creeping, crawling". David's appointed successor, on the other hand, was his tenth son, Solomon, whose name means "peace, covenant of peace, prosperity, welfare, health, friendship, tranquility, whole, in full number, recompense, restore, restitution, finished". When David was informed that Adonijah had already made himself king, he reaffirmed his command before Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, taking an oath, that Solomon would become the king: "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place', so I certainly will do this day." (1 Kings 1:28-30). David then had Solomon anointed king at Gihon, while David was still alive, Those who anointed him, according to David's command, blew the horn and proclaimed, "Long live King Solomon!". (v. 32-34). The place where Adonijah tried to take the kingship and kingdom, En Rogel (Spy, backbiter, slandered), was the source of the pool of Siloam, meaning "sent, cast out, put away". On the other hand, David sent Solomon to be anointed at Gihon, a spring outside of Jerusalem, whose name means "bursting forth, to come forth, bring forth, break forth, to issue forth from hiding places". It is also the name of one of the four rivers of the Garden of Eden, a river of paradise. As God renamed Sarah, kings would indeed come from her. Not just any kings, however, but the kings and kingdom that are of the image and likeness of the only King - Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, the King of kings and Lord of lords. These are also the spiritual kings which we are called to be (Rev. 1:6, 5:10), while recognizing our heroine of faith, Sarah, according to Heb. 11:11. If you would like to know more about being one of the kings born from Abraham and Sarah, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You prophesied to both Abraham and Sarah that they would be the father and mother of kings, not as the world identifies kings, but as those who are named after, and are identified with Your son, Jesus. There is no other King, and there is no other kingdom that delivers me from out of darkness and into Your glorious light. Your King, Jesus, has redeemed me from Terror and serpents, has laid my sin upon Himself, and made me His special possession, bought with a price. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to guide me in the way of my King's truth, forgiveness and atonement. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Journey

This is the story of a man whose actions almost destroyed a country. He was also a man with whom God created a covenant.
Abraham (Abram) was a man who had been called out of his homeland by God to journey to a place that He would show him. His home city of Ur, and his family's later dwelling city of Haran/Harran were both centers known for their temples dedicated to moon worship, particularly to a god called Sin, who was associated with that form of worship. The most common symbol of this moon worship was a crescent moon.
"Now the LORD had said to 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 (bitterly curse) him who curses (make light of, trifle, dishonor) you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."   Gen. 12:1-3
The two mentions of "curse" in the above verses, while the same in English, are two different words in  Hebrew. The first mention, for those who dishonor Abram, is much more severe. In a certain way, I would also think that this puts an even greater onus on Abram (and us). Imagine if Abram's own behavior caused others to disrespect or slight him?
The above verses are the first mention of the covenant that God made with Abram. Abram did go into Canaan with his wife, and his nephew Lot. Abraham left most of his family in the pagan city of Haran, but brought with him the possessions, and people (souls) that he had acquired there, and journeyed to the land to which God was directing him.
Abram journeyed through Canaan until he got to Shechem (to load a burden on the back or shoulder), and the terebinth tree (strong tree, ram as food and sacrifice, pillar, door post, lintels) of Moreh (teacher, early rain, watered, to direct or instruct, to shoot arrows). The LORD appeared to Abram here, and promised to give this land to Abram and his descendants (v. 7). From all of the meanings of the places in Canaan to which Abram journeyed, we are perhaps given a portrait of a humble, crucified Christ, who subjected Himself to the will of His Father. Even the Hebrew meaning of the word "Canaan" makes it a place of either humbling oneself, a place of bowing the knee, to bring oneself into subjection, or to be severely humbled by God, or by others, even vanquished.
Abram continued his journey and pitched his tent (ohel:covering, tabernacle, to be clear, to shine) between Bethel (House of God: ram for food/sacrifice, doorpost and lintel) and Ai (heap of ruins, overturned, iniquity, perversity, crooked, wicked). In this place, Abram built an altar, and called upon the name of the LORD. Could it be that Abram was positioned between these two places, between the place of iniquity and perversity, and the house of the ram's provision and sacrifice, in order to act as an intercessor?
However, Abram journeyed again to the south (negev: parched), where he found extreme famine conditions. Because of these conditions, he journeyed on to Egypt. Abram was evidently familiar enough with Egypt to know that the Egyptians at that time coveted beautiful women, and collected them, like other people collect stamps. Abram instructed his wife, Sarai, that as they enter Egypt, she should pose as his sister, instead of his wife, so the Egyptians wouldn't kill him to get to her. Sure enough, the princes of the land spotted Sarai, and told Pharaoh about her. Pharaoh then took her into his house. Abram was treated well by Pharaoh in return, and given servants and animals in exchange for his "sister" (v. 16). This could not have been Abram's finest hour (yet he would do the same thing again at a later date with a different king: Gen. 20). Because of Abram's deception, Pharaoh will now be "cursed", as the LORD had promised Abram in the beginning:
"But the LORD plagued (nagah: to reach violently, to strike) Pharaoh and his house with great (gadowl: great in intensity and magnitude, even as God Himself) plagues (negah: wound, sore, stripes, disease, mark) because of Sarai, Abram's wife."  Gen. 12:17
These terrible things must have puzzled Pharaoh. What had he done to deserve it? He  eventually found out:
"And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, "She is my sister"? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife. Take her and go your way."  Gen. 12:18-19
Pharaoh had his men "escort" Abram and his wife away, again with all of the possessions that Abram had.
Abram wisely returns to the place between Bethel and Ai (see above), to the place where he had been before, where he first built an altar to the LORD, and called upon His name (Gen. 13:3-4). He would find, however, that the people and goods that he had brought with him, both from Haran, and additionally from Egypt, would cause a great deal of strife for his household (v. 6-7). This would bring Abram to other turning points in his journey in the future.
Learning from Abram's example, I think that we must give great thought to how we act, the choices we make, and the "stuff" we bring with us on the journey that God has assigned us. Our choices will make the difference in our own walk, and will have repercussions, good or bad, for those we meet along the way. The manner in which we, God's people, make our journey, will also impact our nation, bringing possible bitter cursing, or honor and blessing, destruction and ruin, or salvation and revival. Like Abram, we have been placed between those two different places for a purpose. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless us, guide us, and help us as we make our journey through Canaan land.

Our Father has a journey for us.

"Strength for the Journey"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqvmopOBUZY