mordekhi v yisraela

Suggested Messianic Writings reading: Romans 9.1-13

Shalom,
This parashah gives us a look at events in the adult life of Yitz’khak (Isaac). Yitz’khak was forty years old
when he married Rivkah (Rebecca), and between verses 20 & 21, twenty years had lapsed. Rivkah had
been childless, and Yitz’khak interceded on her behalf in prayer. She became pregnant, and from before
birth the twins in her womb were at odds with each other.
When we look at the “matriarchs” of Israel – Sarah, Rivkah and Rachel – we see that even the birth of the
nation of Israel was a miracle, for all three women were, in their individual lives, barren until the hand of
ADONAI gifted each woman with child. We also see the grace and mercy of ADONAI in the way that each
child came. In Sarah’s case, a child was promised through the covenant ADONAI had cut with Avraham.
When this birth did not occur within the time frame of Sarah’s hopes and dreams, she apparently gave up
and offered her slave-girl Hagar to Avraham as a substitute. The result of the birth of Yishmael was a
blood-feud that has continued for millennia.
Two generations later, Rachel did the same for Ya’akov. Being childless, she offered her slave-girl Bilhah
to Ya’akov. Two separate children were born to this union, Dan and Naftali, from which came the two
tribes in Israel of the same names. Dan, as the first-born of Bilhah, was not particularly blessed by
ADONAI. The bad that happened to the tribe seems to outnumber the good, and the tribe eventually
succumbed to idolatry and witchcraft.
Naftali fared somewhat better, for Barak and Gideon came from this tribe. The tribe of Naftali was part of
the Northern Kingdom of Israel in later history, and thus came under the Assyrian conquest. Yesha’yahu
(Isaiah) 9.1 relates that the land of Naftali was, “in earlier times regarded lightly, but would later on be
honored”. That promise is later repeated in and fulfilled in Mattityahu (Matthew) 4. The Northern Kingdom
of Israel was conquered by Assyria in 729BCE. Assyrian annals uncovered by archaeologists reveal that
Sargon II, the King of Assyria, recorded that he carried away 27,280 men from the Northern Kingdom into
exile, primarily leadership, of an estimated population of 4-500,000. Thus, when Yeshua began His
earthly ministry, Mattityahu very correctly states that He settled in the land of Zebulun and Naftali, around
the Galilee, for many from these tribes had remained in the area.
When Assyria carried the 27,000 captives away, they in turn brought in conquered peoples from other
nations to re-settle the area. These people merged with some of the remaining Israelites to become the
Samaritans we read of in the Messianic Writings. Because of this mixture of people groups, Mattityahu 4,
quoting from Yesha’yahu 9, also states that Yeshua went to live in גליל הגוים Galil HaGoyim (Galilee of
the Nations). Sometime later, in Yokhanan (John) 4, Yeshua spoke with a Samaritan woman, explaining
that He Himself is the way to salvation, thus inferring that this offer was being offered not just to Israel, but
to the Nations. So from the above failure of Rachel we see a prime picture of ADONAI “causing everything
to work together for good… according to His purposes.”
On to another matriarch. What we see in the case of Yitz’khak and Rivkah is that Rivkah did not offer a
slave-girl to Yitz’khak, but rather we see that Yitz’khak interceded with ADONAI on his wife’s behalf, and
she became pregnant. It is known that Hebraic writing in the Tanakh is not always laid out in a
consecutive time-frame. The events of B’resheet 26 may very well have occurred prior to the birth of the
twins, for that would have made it much easier for Yitz’khak to lie to Avimelekh about Rivkah being his
sister. (This is not the same Avimelekh as in the similar Avrahamic situation; Avimilekh was a title for the
king of the Philistines, just as Pharaoh was a title for the king of Egypt). And very possibly the battle of the
twins in Rivkah’s womb and the feud that has ensued ever since was because of a holy judgment upon
that lie and failure to trust ADONAI. That is not actually stated, but, “Death and life are in the power of the
tongue” (Mishlei / Proverbs 18.21). And yet, again working out for good, “mercy triumphs over judgment”
(Ya’akov / James 2.13), for we know that the prayer of Yitz’khak, whatever the timing, was answered with
the miracle of barrenness turning into childbirth.
Many Jewish opponents of a miraculous birth in the case of Yeshua generally fail to recognize the
instances of miraculous births in the case of Israel’s fathers. Without these miraculous births, Yitz’khak
would not have been born to Sarah; Ya’akov would not have been born to Rivkah; and Yosef (Joseph)
would not have been born to Rachel; there would not be a nation and people of Israel. One birth made
such a difference; something to think about.
And in the effects of another lie being turned into good, Le’ah was given in marriage to Ya’akov in a
deceitful manner. Yet from the union of Ya’akov and Leah came the tribe of Y’hudah (Judah), from which
came King David, and later, the Messiah Yeshua. And of course, from Ya’akov’s well-known lie to gain
the blessing from Yitz’khak came the chosen nation of Israel.
Not that these are lessons teaching us to go around lying and being deceitful, expecting good to result;
we are not to continue in sin so that grace will abound, because quite simply, grace will not abound if we
continue in sin. The patriarchs and matriarchs were good and faithful people. They made mistakes – just
like you and I do – but they continued on their journey with their Creator, and He honored them for that.
The blessing of B’resheet 12.3 has ridden the crest of time and here at the end of days is just as valid as
it was when Avraham first heard the words.
So the point is this: ADONAI has had a mysterious plan ever since the fall of man to restore mankind to
redemption, to the Jew first, and then the Gentile. It could only come through a sacrifice by the Creator
Himself. Sha’ul wrote much of this mystery, especially in Ephesians. Why the hidden plan of redemption
is the way it is, is beyond the comprehension of the human mind alone, but when we allow it, our spirit will
readily connect with this truth. That’s why Sha’ul suggested praying with both the mind and the spirit. The
mystery is not as complicated as the religions of man have made it out to be. He desires our faith to be in
Him, and for us to grow in our trust of Him. Of course there are trials and test, and they are not enjoyable,
but they are designed to strengthen us and mold us into His design of who we are to be. Our joy is not to
be based on this life, but only in Him. The joy and satisfaction of being a disciple of Yeshua will far
outweigh any sacrifices we might have to make.
So for anyone who is struggling, whose life may be full of difficulty and weariness, think of Yeshua, “who
for the joy that was set before him endured the execution stake, despising the shame, and is seated at
the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against
himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12.2-3). He is the one who declared to
each of us, “Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mattityahu 11.28-30).

שַׁאֲלוּ שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלָםִ – Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim – Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May Israel
consider Yeshua, then take His yoke upon themselves and learn from Him.

Suggested Messianic Writings reading: 2 Kefa (Peter) 2.4-11

Shalom,

As the ancient Scriptural writings did not have chapter and verse breaks, the rabbis connect the beginning of chapter 18 with the end of chapter 17, thus 17.26 through 18.1 reads, “That very day Avraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. And ADONAI appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.” This is partly deduced because the Hebrew in 18.1 says that ADONAI appeared to him; it does not say ADONAI appeared to Avraham. Thus it is very probable that at this time Avraham was resting up from his circumcision.

Of course, there is no time frame given, but we have a few small hints that it might have been a few days afterward, for 18.2 says that Avraham ran from his tent to greet his visitors. Although this was a relatively minor surgery, one does not necessarily go out for a jog right away following such. In B’resheet 34.25, following the violation of their sister, two sons of Ya’akov, Shi’mon and Levi, slaughtered the men of the city “on the third day… when they were in pain.”

Some commentators have tried to make a separation between 18.1 and 18.2 with the idea that Avraham was in prayer, and the visitors were intruding upon that time, but the context has to be juggled a lot to make that thought stand.

Of note is the phrase that Avraham was sitting in the entrance to his tent “in the heat of the day”. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon notes that the word חם khom, translated “heat,” denotes the “action root” of the word, but the “concrete definition” is “cheese,” (don’t ask me how or why) and the ancient pictograph is : “The pictograph  is a picture of a wall meaning ‘to separate’. The  is a picture of water. Combined these mean ‘[to] separate water’. Cheese was made by placing milk in a bag made out of an animal skin. The bag was hung out in the sun and pushed back and forth. The skin of the bag contained an enzyme that when heated and shaken caused the milk to sour and separate into its two parts, fat (curds or cheese) and water (whey). The whey could be drunk and the curds eaten or stored for future consumption.” So possibly Avraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, shaking the bag of milk, separating the curds and the whey. (No little Miss Muffet puns here, please.) Thus he had curds ready when it was time to feed any potential guests. It was probably a reasonable way to pass the time, at least.

We should note here that Avraham ויקח חמאה וחלב ובן־הבקר va-yee-kakh khem-ah v’kha-lahv oo-bayn-ha-bakhar “and took the curds and the milk and the son of the herd (the calf)” and served them all to the men. The rabbis have worked hard to explain this away, because of the later ruling to “not boil a kid in its mothers milk,” explaining that dairy and meat are not to be served together. However, the later commandment to not boil a kid in its mother’s milk, from Sh’mot (Exodus) 23.19, was to dissuade Israel from falling into a pagan practice common for the time, wherein a boiled milk and meat mixture was sprinkled over fields of crops in a form of witchcraft, trying to instill fertility in the hoped-for harvest. Maimonides concurred with this fact. This is an area where rabbinical law (concerning kashrut, kosher food practices) has displaced Biblical law in much of Judaism. But in Biblical kashrut, you should know that it is “kosher” to eat meat and cheese together – only, of course, if they are both from kosher animals. The de-judaizing church took it too far the other way, though. A ham and cheese on rye is not kosher. A pepperoni pizza is not kosher. (You even have to watch things like turkey bacon, for some contain pork additives). In line with that, for a food to be truly kosher it should also be organic, for pesticides, fertilizers, steroids and other additives were not intended by the Creator to be items of consumption for us, I doubt. If the food you eat is not guaranteed organic, what else might it contain? Easier said than done, I know. And please, no “tied down to the Law” arguments regarding kosher foods. Yeshua did not declare all foods clean; He declared that it is okay to eat kosher foods without undergoing a ceremonial hand-washing every time. Context.

From all appearances it seems the three “men” were two angels and ADONAI, for the Hebrew states that “ADONAI appeared to Avraham”. And they did indeed eat the meat and cheese together, as they were appearing in a bodily form to Avraham. This was more than a vision. And certainly is it not possible for the Creator of everything to take on a bodily form at will? Whether this was true flesh and blood remains a mystery. Regarding the eating, we know that Yeshua, after His resurrection, ate fish, walked through walls, and appeared and disappeared in front of His disciples.

Basically, all of these incidentals aside, we have some lessons to learn from Avraham: 1) When ADONAI appeared to Avraham, “On seeing them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, prostrated himself on the ground, and said, ‘My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, please don’t leave your servant.’” Avraham was humble in his worship. 2) When it came time to display his heart and concern for others, “Avraham remained standing before ADONAI.” Avraham was bold in his intercession. Hebrews 4.16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” That is exactly what Avraham did.

Many believe that the One who was speaking with Avraham was the pre-incarnate Yeshua. Here are some possible proofs. In 18.25, Avraham called Him השׁפט כל־הארץ ha-sho-phet kol ha-aretz “the judge of all the earth”. In the book of Ya’akov (James), speaking of the return of Yeshua, Ya’akov declares in 5.9 that “the Judge is standing at the door”. 1 Kefa (Peter) 4.5 speaks of “him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead”. And in Yokhanan (John) 5.22, Yeshua Himself states that, “The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son”.

B’resheet 18.33 gives us a third lesson to be learned from Avraham. We read here that “ADONAI went on his way” after He and Avraham were finished. The root for “went his way” is walk. As I shared in the parashah Noakh a couple of weeks ago, “the Hebrew of walk is הלך, hah-lahk. The Ancient Hebrew lexicon for the root word pictures a shepherd’s staff and the palm of a hand, . The definition of this pictograph is of a traveler on foot, with his staff in hand, which provided not only support when walking, but also served as a weapon to defend against predators and thieves.” The last part of the verse says that Avraham “returned to his place - שׁב למקמו shoov leem’kho-mu”. That can be taken as “returned to his tent,” but another understanding is he “returned to the condition of his body or mind”. So a possible reading we can get from this final verse in chapter 18 is, “ADONAI went back to His place of being the protection and support for Avraham, and [here’s the lesson] Avraham went back to his position, or condition, of being a worshipper of ADONAI.”

The model prayer that Yeshua gave us truly exemplifies the same three themes: 1) Worship – Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your Name; 2) Intercession – “give (provide for) us, forgive us, lead us not, deliver us; and, 3) Worship again – Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power, and Yours is the glory forever.

A father is intended to be an example, and Avraham avinu, our father Avraham, while certainly having his human faults, as we all do, was an example for all of us in our faith journey.

שַׁאֲלוּ שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָם – Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim – Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May Israel turn to recognize their Messiah, and see him just as Avraham did (Yokhanan/John 8.56).