FoodinFAMINE

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Va-y'chi, which means, "and he lived." The title comes from Gen. 47:28: "And Jacob lived (haya - breathing, live, alive, save, quicken, revive, life, recover, remain alive, live prosperously, live forever, be restored to life or health, preserve alive, to revive from discouragement or death) in the land of Egypt (misrayim/masor/sur - Egypt, Egyptians/besieged places, fortified, limit, distress, fortress/lay siege, adversaries, assault, bind up, confine, to press upon, to compress) seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years."

     Looking at the Hebrew meanings of the words used in the above verse, we can say that Jacob (and his family) found their lives preserved, restored, and even prospered, in a place of danger, limitations and confinement. They found this preserved life because of the calling of God on Joseph's life. Joseph said: "...And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." (Gen. 45:5-7, excerpt). Joseph was ordained to keep Jacob/Israel alive during a time of severe famine, and for the sake of the future generations of Israel, in the unlikely nation of Egypt, ruled by Pharaoh. Because of the favor that Joseph had received from Pharaoh because Joseph was a man filled with the Spirit and wisdom of God, Pharaoh gave the best land in Egypt to be occupied by Jacob and his family. (see Gen. 45:16-20).

     There were still five years of famine to endure in Egypt after Jacob and his sons came to dwell there. (Gen. 45:6). As our reading begins in Genesis Ch. 47, we are presented with a strange series of facts regarding how Joseph, as second only to Pharaoh in Egypt, dealt with the famine: "Now there was no bread (lehem/laham - bread, food, grain, meat, loaves, shewbread, provision/fight, make war, to eat, overcome, devoured, prevail, engage in battle, consume) in all the land; for the famine (ra'ab/ra'eb - famine, hunger, dearth, hunger for Jehovah's Word, scarcity of grain/suffer hunger, allow to hunger, be voracious, to cause to hunger) was very severe (kabed/kabad - great, grievous, heavy, sore, thick, massive, abundant, very oppressive, burdensome/honor, glorify, glorious, gain glory, sore, made heavy, burden), so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished (laha - to burn, to be rabid, insane, exhausted by frenzy, languish, faint, madman, tongue thrust out longing for drink, driven by a demon, scared) because of the famine." (Gen. 47:13). The suffering in the famine was so great that it drove people mad with it. We should also notice the connection in meaning between bread or grain and warfare in the Hebrew word and root lehem/laham. We will discover that famine can result from a state of war. We will see that famine is also associated with spiritual warfare as well. I would also like to note that grievous heaviness in the Hebrew meaning associated with the severity of this famine is also related to the glory of God in the words kabed/kabad above. Scripture tells us that as the glory of God filled the temple, the priests that ministered there could not continue because of its massive heaviness. (see 2 Chron. 5:12-14). The prophet asked, "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap." (Mal. 3:2). This will have meaning in the last days as Christ returns also, because He comes with great glory, and the overwhelming brightness of His glory will destroy the wicked one. (see Isa. 40:5-8, Mt. 24:30-31, 2 Thess. 2:8). Jesus has given to the Body of His believers this same glory. (Jn. 17:22-24).

     As we read about Joseph's tactics for provision during the ongoing deep famine throughout the region, we should keep in mind that Jacob's and consequently Israel's survival are linked to Joseph's ongoing favor in his position with Pharaoh. Officially, Joseph has been entrusted by Pharaoh as a ruler over Pharaoh's household and everything that belongs to Pharaoh. He can only keep Israel alive as he pleases and enriches Pharaoh.

     This is how Joseph handled the distribution of grain kept in Pharaoh's storehouses during the famine: "And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house." (Gen. 47:14). 

     When the money failed because the people had given it all to pay for grain, they came to Joseph asking for more bread, saying to him, "Why should we die in your presence?" Joseph then told them to give him their livestock since their money was gone, and he would give them bread. Joesph fed them that year in exchange for all of their livestock, which became Pharaoh's. (v. 16-17).

     The next year of the famine, the people came to him again for bread. Because they had neither money nor herds left, they sold themselves and their land to Pharaoh so that they wouldn't die: "Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh...so the land became Pharaoh's." (v. 18-20).

     Joseph moved the people off the land and into the cities across Egypt, and decreed: "Then Joseph said to the people, 'Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land...in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.' So they said, 'You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." (v. 23-25). Pharaoh took twenty percent. The Egyptian priests did not have to give up their lands because Pharaoh always continued to supply them with their ration of food.

     Pharaoh became greatly enriched because of Joseph's service to him, and the people remained alive although they had to give everything including themselves to Pharaoh. What would the world be willing to do to save themselves and their families from starvation? Scripture says that many will turn away from God and turn instead to a supernaturally evil, oppressive tyrant and his world-wide economic system.

     This brings me to what I see in this part of Joseph's story as a prophetic picture and warning.

     Famine is one of the catastrophes prophesied during the time before Christ's return. Jesus prophesied: "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Mt. 24:7-8). Because of one of the horses of the Apocalypse, wheat and barley will become scarce on the earth. (see Rev. 6:5-6). This black horse followed the horse that would take peace from the earth. As we saw in the Hebrew words lehem/laham used above meaning "bread", famine often associated with warfare.

     Famine is also very prominent in the world today. 318 million people in 68 countries are facing hunger now, which is double the amount from 2019. Famine has been officially designated in the Palestinian Territories, South Sudan, Haiti, Mali, Yemen, the Congo, Myanmar, with near famine conditions reported in Chad, Somalia and Syria. Most of these famine conditions have resulted from conflicts and weather changes. Myanmar's near famine is connected to a major earthquake that occurred there. Famine is steadily crawling across the surface of the earth at this time.

     In the United States, the fifth largest wheat producer in the world, three years of drought has affected the winter wheat yields in Kansas, and too much rain has reduced the spring wheat output in North Dakota. It was during the decade of the 1930's that the great plains of the United States, known for its rich soil, was renamed The Great Dust Bowl. Several factors, including poor land management, led to this devastation. On April 14, 1935, a dust storm came to that area that was so huge the date was later called Black Sunday. It was called this because what started out as a sunny day, became darkened as the sun was obscured by the thick cloud of black dust until "it was darker than the darkest night." The Dust Bowl lasted for years as once-rich prairie land turned to dry dust, and families abandoned their useless farms.

     Also occurring in the United States, $24 trillion dollars' worth in farms and farmland is currently up for sale. Very wealthy individuals, corporations, and even foreign nations are buying some of this land. Will farming continue on this land after it is sold? Hundreds of millions of acres of farmland in the United States have already been sold - to two entities, one being a foreign government.

     The top two producers of wheat in the world are Russia and the Ukraine. Ukraine's rich black soil is considered the most fertile land on earth, and that nation has been called "The Breadbasket of Europe." Both countries have been at conflict together for several years. Together they produce 1/4 of the world's wheat. What effect will their ongoing conflict have on their production of wheat?

     The global food chain has become very vulnerable.

     Conflicts, weather changes, and natural disasters like fire and flood can change the grain production of the earth in a moment. However, as we saw above, the people of God, Jacob/Israel and his family, were provided for in the middle of a severe famine. Both Joseph and Pharaoh guaranteed the provision for God's people in the territory of Goshen (meaning "to draw near"), also known as Rameses, in Egypt. This was the richest soil in Egypt. However, men pass away, as Joseph and this Pharaoh did, and the situation changed. God does not pass away, and He continued to see and hear His people until the day of their deliverance from Egypt and after.

     The prophet of God also wrote this as a correction to God's people from the LORD: "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) all-the-tithes into the storehouse ('osar - treasury, store, supplies of food or drink, God's armory or magazine of weapons), that there may be food/meat (terep/tarap - prey, meat, fresh leaves, spoil, food, descending to battle like a lion, the spoil of the wicked/tear to pieces, feed, prey, catch, provide food) in My house, and try Me in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the windows ('aruba/'arab - latticed like a dove-house or coop, a chimney for smoke to escape, a sluice for water to flow/to weave, to intertwine, to mingle) of heaven and pour out for you a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." (Mal. 3:8-10). Pharaoh received twenty percent of future earnings in addition to all of the money, herds, lands and servitude of his people that he had already received, while the LORD only asks for ten percent, and that ten percent is identified with the sacrifice of His Son, the Messiah/Christ, Jesus, who gave Himself as an offering, as indicated by the presence of the *aleph-tav in written Hebrew (see *note below). It seems a small, but spiritually powerful token for God to request from us. He would certainly be entitled to all that we have if He demanded it. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is worth far more than everything we own combined. (Mt. 6:31-34 and Mt. 13:44-46).

     We can see how the supply of the LORD comes to us as He spoils His enemies in spiritual and physical battle according to the Hebrew words terep/tarap above. We have a record in scripture of the LORD breaking a severe famine that had come upon His people by defeating and spoiling the besieging Assyrian army that had surrounded Jerusalem. (see 2 Kings 7:1-16). The enemy's bread that they left behind in their camp fed God's starving people.

     Not only does the LORD supply His people with physical bread, and His Word, the scriptures, as spiritual bread, but He also supplies us with the Bread of salvation and eternal life, Jesus. David wrote: "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed." (Ps. 37:25-26).

     As we study these Sabbath reading portions, the special and peculiar characteristics of the Sabbaths of the LORD are revealed for us to learn. The Lord's Sabbath contains a special double provision ahead of time, as was the case with Joseph, Pharaoh and Egypt in order to carry His people through the time of rest in Him when His people cannot gather.

     If you would like to learn more about the loving provision of the Lord, you can join me in prayer: "Heavenly Father, Who owns the world and everything in it, I give You my thanks for the provision that You have made for me throughout my life, and the lives of my family. No matter the circumstances that come upon the world, You have shown Your faithfulness to me. Nothing is impossible for You as Your Son Jesus demonstrated when He multiplied the few loaves of bread to feed thousands. I hold up the bread, both natural and spiritual, that You have given to me, and I wave it before You in praise and thanksgiving. I pray for those who hunger and thirst at this time across the world. You have blessed us with abundance to share with others in Your name so that men will glorify You. Lead me in Your Word and by Your Spirit, and let me always trust in You for all things. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

Fathers

      This week's Sabbath portion is titled Va-y'chi, meaning, "and he lived." The reading portion begins in Gen. 47 and continues through the beginning of chapter 50. The title comes from Gen. 47:28: "Jacob lived (haya - live, alive, save, revive, life, recover, be quickened, restored to life, keep alive, remain alive, revive from death, breathing) in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years." As we look at the full meaning of the Hebrew word used here for "lived", we can see that scripture is talking about much more than the natural days of a lifespan here on earth. Built into the meaning of the word is the promise of life from the dead, resurrection life, everlasting life. Jesus defined this truth when He said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus who had died: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, I believe You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." (Jn. 11:25-27). Jesus then called her brother, Lazarus, to come out of his grave, and he came out, and he haya lived.

     What we will see in this week's Sabbath reading portion is the impact of a father's faith and words on his child and on future generations. We have lost this understanding in our modern times. A child is blessed if he or she has a father who understands the importance of imparting eternal knowledge to them. Perhaps this is why the presence of fathers in their children's lives has come under so much spiritual attack.

     Jacob, nearing his time of death, understood the promise of eternal life given to his grandfather, Abraham, when he made Joseph swear solemnly that Joseph would take Jacob's body out of Egypt and back to the specific place in Cannan near Mamre of Abraham's and Isaac's burial. Jacob said to his son, Joseph: "Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. And he (Joesph) said, 'I will do as you have said.' The he said, 'Swear to me.' And he swore to him. So Israel (Jacob) bowed himself on the head of the bed." (Gen. 47:29-31).

     It was vitally important to Jacob to be buried with Abraham and Isaac. Abraham had received the prophetic knowledge and rejoiced in the promise of Messiah/Christ, which included the promise of resurrection life (see Jn. 8:56-58). Why would we think that the LORD would hide this knowledge from His friend Abraham (Gen. 18:17-19), who later made very special burial provisions for his wife, Sarah, when she died, for himself and for his descendants. Scripture tells us that Abraham even knew about the eternal city of New Jerusalem (Heb. 11:8-10), which would descend from heaven (Rev. 21:1-3). This knowledge was handed down from father to son, and Jacob would have been well aware of it.

     The knowledge of resurrection in the form of a Person was not only delivered to Abraham, but is found in what is called the oldest book of the Bible, the Book of Job. Job declared his resurrection knowledge: "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God." (Job 19:25-27). Job even associated persecution with this knowledge contained within him (see v. 28) as Jesus also taught (see Mt. 5:11, 24:9). Resurrection from the dead was ancient prophetic knowledge passed from father to son, and fulfilled not by false religious rituals, as the Egyptians practiced, but by the Person of the Son of God, Jesus, the prophesied Messiah/Christ, who received His knowledge and authority to give life from His Father in heaven. (See Jn. 5:19-21). This also is the knowledge that today's fathers must pass to their sons and daughters and therefore throughout generations to come.

     Joseph kept his solemn oath to his father Jacob. When Jacob died, a period of mourning was observed in Egypt, and then Pharaoh granted Joseph's request to return to Canaan in order to bury his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) father. All of Pharaoh's court and his chariots accompanied Joseph on this journey and openly wept with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) mourning (ebel - mourning as for an only son) for Jacob as they came to the border of the Promised Land at the threshing floor of Atad (meaning thorns, to pierce, thorn tree with firmness of roots). Then Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt. (Gen. 50:6-14).

     Before Jacob died, he also prophesied over his sons. These prophetic words were not for Jacob's sons' present generation, but for thousands of years into the future, even for our time: "And Jacob called (qara - call by name, cry out with a loud voice, summon, proclaim, called out, chosen) his sons and said, 'Gather together (asap - gather in, receive, assemble together, to collect) that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last ('aharit/ahar - end, latter, posterity, after part, latter or future time, the very last/afterwards [of time], delay, tarry, bring late, remain behind) days..." (Gen. 49:1). Jacob prophesied to each son, each to become a tribe of many thousands and settling in the Promised Land. To his son Judah, "a lion's whelp", Jacob prophesied the Messiah/Christ: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (silo - safety, rest, prosperity, tranquility, an epithet of the Messiah/Christ to be born from the tribe of Judah) comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people...He washed His garments in wine, and His clothes in the blood of grapes..." (Gen. 49:10-11).

     What and how do fathers speak to their sons and daughters? A father's words do not only speak to their immediate children, but to all of the children and children's children and continuing generations contained within the son and daughter. It is a father's calling to speak eternal truths that implant the knowledge of eternal promises into their children. Fathers, what are you speaking? A father's words have prophetic impact.

     In another reading portion from this Va-y'chi, "and he lived" Sabbath, King David, when he grew old, imparted words and instructions to his son and successor, Solomon: "Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged (sava - command, give orders, appoint, commission, ordain) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Solomon his son, saying: 'I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) charge (mismeret - watch, safeguard, preserving, custody, observance) of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel." (1 Kings 2:1-2).

     Solomon was appointed above by his father to keep charge of, to safeguard, to preserve "the LORD your God." David said this is done by observing and doing the Word of God in all of its purposes. As King Solomon, known as one of the wisest kings in the world, would later write the knowledge, wisdom, understanding and prudence of the LORD God in the Book of Proverbs, he would address the writing to his own son: "My son, hear the instruction (musar - instruction, correction, chasten, doctrine, discipline, restraint, check, correction of children by their parents, admonition) of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother." (Prov. 1:8). Throughout Proverbs, Solomon addresses his words to "my son." Solomon also wrote that he received his instruction from his father, David: "When I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me: 'Let your heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not turn away from the words of my mouth." (Prov. 4:3-5). The words Solomon received from his father would preserve him, keep him, and bring him honor. (v. 6-9). While Solomon would become careless in his walk with the LORD, he later returned to God, perhaps because of the eternal words his father, David, imparted into his life. As Solomon himself would write in the Book of Proverbs: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22:6). 

     This week's Sabbath reading portion also tells us that not only did David charge his son to keep the ways of the LORD, he also gave his son the greatest vision and purpose from the LORD to be achieved during Solomon's reign. The LORD said to David: "It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father." (1 Chron. 28:6). Solomon did build the house of the LORD, as his father had charged him to do - a magnificent temple in Jerusalem.

     The way of passing musar instruction (see above) from father to son as David and Solomon practiced, came directly from the ancient pattern established by God for the musar instruction of His sons and daughters. This week's Sabbath reading brings us again to the Book of Job: "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening (musar - see above) of the Almighty...He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine He shall redeem (pada - ransom, rescue, deliver, redeem, to sever, release, preserve, to loose, set free) you from death (mavet - death, dying, realm of the dead, place of death), and in war from the power of the sword...You shall laugh at destruction and famine, and you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth....You shall know that your tent is in peace; you shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss...You shall come to the grave at a full age, as a sheaf of grain ripens in its season. Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear it, and know for yourself." (Job 5:17-27, excerpt). 

     In the Father - son/child instruction from God, our lives are preserved. In the same pattern of earthly father - son/child instruction, if we will follow it, lives are also preserved even to the redeeming or setting free from death. In these dangerous days, there is nothing more important for our children than the role and instruction of a godly father.

     If you would like to learn more about the importance of a father's role in imparting eternal things to his son/child, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father of all, You have shown us by example the way to pass on eternal knowledge of the things of God to our children in order to preserve their lives. Teach me Your Word and fill me with Your Holy Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and prudence so that I am able to equip my children and my children's children with the way of life, including eternal life in Jesus Messiah/Christ. I pray for the fathers. I pray for those fathers who need to receive the heart of God towards their children, and I pray for those fathers who desire and sacrifice to give their children the very best in life. Bless the fathers and guide them, Lord. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

     *NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

Message

       The Sabbath reading portion for this week is titled Va-y'chi, meaning, "and he lived". This reading portion covers Genesis chapters 47 through 49. The Sabbath reading gave me much food for thought, especially considering the fact that we have just finished celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, and we are looking at the end of one calendar year, and the beginning of a new one. In this week's reading, some great old patriarchs of our faith were passing away and leaving a message of instructions for their sons. 

     Our first father in this lesson is Jacob, who, at the age of 130, came to Egypt during a severe famine to be reunited with his son, Joseph. As Jacob was introduced to the Pharaoh that Joseph served, Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?" Jacob answered: "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few (me'at/ma'at - littleness, little worth, small matter/diminished, nothing, bring to nothing, gather least) and evil (ra/ra'a - wickedness, trouble, affliction, grievous, malignant, misery, sorrow, unhappy/bad, evil, harm, evil doer, broken in pieces) have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers (which included Abraham and Isaac) in the days of their pilgrimage." (Gen. 47:7-10). This sad testimony was Jacob's message before the king. If we consider the time of "Jacob's Trouble" that comes during the end times, it is prophesied as a time of darkness with an increase of wickedness and sorrows. However, Jacob was a man who had seen a ladder between heaven and earth with God enthroned at the top of it, and angels ascending and descending upon it. Jacob had also been renamed "Israel" (meaning "God prevails, he will rule as God, contender, soldier of God; have power as a prince, persist, to be leader, commander, to be noble") by God (see Gen. 32:28). This is a man to whom God spoke several times. His son, whom he thought was dead, was joyously revealed to be alive and ruling in Egypt, saving multitudes from the famine.  All of these events and more showed the miraculous hand of God in Jacob's life, yet his testimony to Pharaoh was that the days of his years had been small and evil compared to his fathers. Perhaps Jacob's message to Pharaoh regarding his life reflected the prophetic times of great tribulation ahead. Both Jacob, and later, his beloved son Joseph, gave instructions regarding their burials to their sons before dying, and those requests were obediently carried out by their descendants. Jacob also delivered a prophetic message over each of his sons, and the sons of Joseph as well, before he died. His prophetic message over his son, Judah, would call forth the Messiah many generations later.

   In another reading portion from this Sabbath, King David, as he aged, passed a message to his son, Solomon, who would rule Israel after him. He assembled all of the elders and rulers of Israel to bear witness to this message. David told them that it had been his heart's desire "to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it." (1 Chron. 28:1-2).  However, the LORD had told David that he could not build this house because, as a man of war, he had shed blood (v. 3). The LORD said instead: "It is your son Solomon (selomo/salom - peace, peaceable/completeness, welfare, soundness, prosperity, contentment, perfect such as be at peace) who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father." (v. 6). David then provided to Solomon all of his building plans for the house of God, instructions for the service of the priests and Levites, and all of the gold and silver necessary to construct the furnishings of worship for the house: "All this', said David, 'the LORD made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans." (v. 19). He then said to Solomon: "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God - my God - will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service for the house of the LORD..." (v. 20, see also Deut. 31:6-8, Josh. 1:9, Mt. 28:20, Heb. 13:5-6). And David prayed to the LORD for his son, Solomon, and for God's people (v. 18-20). When Solomon later completed the house of God after his father's death, he prayed that all could come to it to pray for God's relief, forgiveness and healing (2 Chron. 6). This is the message that David passed to his son, which his son obediently carried out.

     We who believe in Christ are also each being built into the spiritual house of God, and this house is also being built upon a message: "...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5). Peter passed this additional message to those who are obedient: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (v. 9-10, see also 1 Cor. 6:19-20: Glorify God). Here is another part of the message given to us: "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of the darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6). Jesus also prayed to His Father about the message to be contained in us: "And the glory which you gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (Jn. 17:22-23). This message given to us is so that "the world may know". Pharaoh represented the world before Jacob, but Jacob's message to him was a very different one, a message of smallness, diminishing glory and evil. We are to bring a different message. Solomon wrote a Psalm about the rule and reign of the Messiah (Christ). In part it proclaims: "...And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed...And blessed be His glorious name for ever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen." (Ps. 72:17-19). As this Psalm of Solomon concludes, scripture makes the notation in v. 20: "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended (kala - finished, accomplished, determined, be completed, be fulfilled)." The Psalm of Solomon completed the prayers and message of his father, David.  

     We have just been through the observance of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ/Messiah. As I read the very familiar account of the birth of Jesus in the Gospels, where the angels were delivering a message to all mankind, I thought that it is a message that I, as a believer, should be carrying and living, not just at Christmas, but eternally. The message is very similar to the scriptures we read above: "And behold, an angel of the LORD stood before them (the shepherds), and the glory of the LORD shone around them. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and goodwill toward men!" (Lk. 2:9-14).

     I don't want to live as if this message is meant for only one day out of the year. I think this is THE message for all eternity. This message tells all people that though they may be surrounded by the darkness of the night, as the shepherds were, a Savior has come in shining glory. Though we may be in sin, a Savior has come to bring us back to His Father's heart if we will receive Him. Though our hearts may be filled with unrighteousness and unrest, we can come and find the Babe who was sent to die on a cross and rise again by the will of the Father for His glory and for our righteousness. For all of us who will receive THE message, come to the house of God's glory and presence, and be reconciled with your Father through THE message hand-delivered to us all by His Son, Jesus. As Solomon wrote THE message in the Psalm:

                                              "Let the whole earth be filled with His glory!"

     If you would like to walk in the message of praise and glory to God, you can pray with me: "Dear Father in heaven, how You have put a message in my heart and spirit! I want to walk in it, live in it, and show it before all. Like the good fathers of faith in scripture, who handed down their message and instructions to their sons, You also have handed down Your message and instruction to Your sons and daughters, born of Your Spirit. As Your spiritual house, I open my doors to any who seek to be reconciled with You through belief in Your Son, Jesus, to any who desire to be brought out of darkness and into Your light, to any who are not a people, but desire to obtain Your mercy and become the people of God who proclaim Your praises. As David drew up plans for the house of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, fill me also with Your Spirit so that my life may conform to the plans for Your living house. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Resurrection

This week's sabbath reading portion is titled Va-y'chi, which means "and he lived". The title is interesting because these readings deal with the deaths of two men, Jacob and David. Because we are in the Book of Genesis in the Greek language, which is B'reshiet in Hebrew, or "Beginning" in English, we know that we will find the beginning of something important occurring in this reading portion. In Genesis 47, the time of Jacob's death at the age of 147 was approaching. He made his son, Joseph, take a special oath, the placing of Joseph's hand under Jacob's thigh, promising that Joseph would bring Jacob's body back to Canaan to be buried in the same place as his fathers: Abraham, and Isaac, with Sarah and Rebekah, their wives. Joseph swore that he would do this for his father, Jacob, upon Jacob's death. (Gen. 47:29-31). Why was Jacob so insistent upon being buried in Canaan rather than Egypt? Hundreds of years later, when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt, they would also carry Joseph's bones with them into Canaan. Both Jacob and Joseph understood that the promised land also held the promise of Messiah, and resurrection from the dead, which we will see later. Before he died, Jacob did two important and eternal things. He blessed Joseph's two sons, with the younger son, Ephraim, getting the right-hand blessing. This blessing was the blessing of pre-eminence that should have gone to the older brother. Jacob also claimed those two grandsons as his: "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon (two of Jacob's sons), they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance." (Gen. 48:5-6). Those two grandsons of Jacob were now to have the same inheritance rights as if they were sons of Jacob. Those inheritance rights include the covenant promise of God to Jacob of the land of Canaan: "Then Jacob said to Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession." (Gen. 48:3-4). This land was called an "everlasting" (olam) possession, given to Jacob and his descendants, which means it is from the ancient, or antiquity to the futurity. It is perpetual from the "hidden time", as a secret concealed. This isn't just an ordinary piece of land. Joseph's two sons', and their descendants' inheritance would no longer be in Egypt, but in Canaan, the promised land, with the rest of Jacob's sons. In an interesting fact, someone who studies the Hebrew scriptures showed me that after Jacob's blessing of Joseph and his two sons in Gen. 48:15-16, the Hebrew letters "aleph-tav" ( את ) became included with them. The Aleph-Tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, is the name of Jesus, as He revealed when He referred to Himself as "The Alpha and The Omega", the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet used in the New Testament (see Rev. 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13). The descendants of these half-Gentile sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, (their mother was Egyptian) would become two half-tribes within the twelve tribes of Israel. Their identity would no longer be Egyptian, but they were now included in Israel, and the promise and people of Messiah. This is one of the two beginnings that would hold eternal importance. The second is in the prophecies that old Jacob said over each of his sons before he died: "...that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days." (Gen. 49:1). To his son, Judah, he prophesied kingship, and the rulership in the hands of the Messiah: "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp (see also Rev. 5:1, 5); from the prey (terep/tarap - prey, ravening, tear in pieces (see Ps. 22:1, 16, 20-21), my son, you have gone up (ala - offer(ing), raised, arose, rise, ascend, be exalted, to lift oneself, to be high and lifted up (see Isa. 6:1)....the scepter (sebet - rod, symbol of royal authority, shepherd's staff, branch (off), used for punishing) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (meaning "that which belongs to him", tranquility, safety, prosperity, a name given to the Messiah) comes, and to Him shall be the gathering/obedience (yekaha - obedience, cleansing, purging, blamelessness) of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey's colt (see also Zech. 9:9, Mt, 21:1-9, Lk. 19:28-38) to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes (see Rev. 19:13). His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk." (Gen. 49:8-12). Generations later, David, from the tribe of Judah, would become king of Israel, and his descendant, the Messiah or Christ, as promised by God, would reign on his throne forever (see 1 Chron. 17:11-14, 2 Sam. 7:16-18). Jesus was, and still is called by the Messianic name, "Son of David" (see Lk. 18:35-42). If you look up the references that I have provided within Jacob's prophecy regarding Judah, you will see the fulfillment by Jesus in scripture. David, in one of this week's sabbath readings, also referred to Jacob's prophecy before the gathering of the people of Israel: "...the LORD God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel." (1 Chron. 28:4). David referred to Jacob's prophecy over his son, Judah, as a beginning point in the royal line of Israel, and David himself as king, as well as the eternal throne of David held by the Messiah (in Hebrew), or Christ (in Greek). As he promised, Joseph and family travelled back to Canaan to bury Jacob with Abraham, and centuries later, Joseph's bones were also carried out of Egypt and then buried elsewhere in the land of Canaan at Shechem, in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased hundreds of years before (Josh. 24:32). Later in scripture, Jeremiah would prophesy: "Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will raise to David a Branch (see "scepter" above) of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jer. 23:5-6, 33:14-16). Israel was to be the land of promised resurrection, and the visitation of the Messiah (see Lk. 19:41-44), not Egypt. No wonder Jacob, and later Joseph, exacted promises to be returned to Israel after their deaths. In fact, scripture tells us that when Jesus was raised from the dead, many others were also, and were seen in the holy city (see Mt. 27:50-53). Jesus explained the resurrection power that was part of the faith and knowledge of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob this way: "But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'. For He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him." (Lk. 20:37-38, Mt. 22:31-32, Mk. 12:26-27). Jacob was considered one of "the living", even though he had physically died and was buried in Canaan long before God spoke to Moses from the burning bush! If you would like to know more about the beginning promise of resurrection, and its fulfillment through Jesus Christ, you can join in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, through the fathers of faith, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, You made beginning promises that carried through the ages, and will carry into "futurity". One of those beginning promises was Messiah the King, and the resurrection from the dead. You have fulfilled Your promise as You sent and gave Your Son as an offering for us, that whoever believed and received Him, to the same You would give everlasting life. Jacob and Joseph believed and received Your promise, and so do I. You are the God of the living. Fill me with the knowledge of Your Son, the Messiah, Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit, so that I can grow in resurrection life. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."