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Revelations 3:21
I will let him who wins the victory sit with me on my throne, just as I myself also won the victory and sat down with my Father on his throne. In the ancient Middle East, when a father bestowed his blessing on his children he laid his hands on them. In the case of Jacob blessing Ephraim and Manasseh, we are privy to the awkward picture of two grown young men sitting on the lap of a blind and frail man over one hundred and thirty years old (Genesis 48: 10-12). In the ancient middle-East sitting on man's lap was part of a ritual of adoption. In that passage of Text, Jacob/Israel does not only bless the children of Joseph born in exile from an Egyptian wife, but he adopts them as his own (Genesis 48:5-6). After this clever patriarchal maneuver, the two boys will technically become brothers to their father and to their uncles. They will inherit as brothers at the same level as the other children of Jacob. They also each will have a tribal allotment in the Promised Land and this indirectly allows Jacob to bestow upon Joseph the double-portion reserved to first-borns, thus circumventing Leah's children. Judah inherited the 'scepter' and the 'crown' of the kings of Israel, but Joseph remained the first-born. From Joshua, several judges, and even the Prophet Samuel, the tribe of Ephraim remained in leadership. Even the Ark remained in Shiloh, Ephraim. King Saul was the first one to call the loose federation of Israeli tribes together to fight against Amalek, and David is the one who united the country as one, thus foreshadowing the Messianic age when peace and unity will be finally accomplished between the House of Leah and the House of Rachel (Ezekiel 37: 15-22). But what about the adoption program? As Jacob prophesied, until this day, each Friday evening at the Welcoming of the Sabbath, Jews bless their boys with the words, "May God make you like Efrayim and M'nasheh (Genesis 48:20)". I know a family that even puts their boys on their lap as they do that. This father of course doesn't need to 'adopt' his boys but there is connection here that as Ephraim and Manasseh were adopted by their grand-father to become full members of the patriarchal leadership of Israel as he uttered Abraham's blessing upon them, so all of us are adopted by Hashem. Abraham was adopted and in him so are we all. The idea also is that Joseph is highly looked upon, considered as someone strong who did not compromise with Egypt. We want to be like his children who probably inherited their father's virtue and strength. To the Messianic community of Laodicea Yeshua says, I will let him who wins the victory sit with me on my throne, just as I myself also won the victory and sat down with my Father on his throne (Revelations 3:21). I always pictured this as a child on the lap of his father or grand-father sitting on his armchair. In this case we have a three generation adoption ritual. Yeshua the 'Begotten' being vested in all the powers of the Father (Psalm 2:7-12) endows these same powers to His victorious 'overcomers' whom He adopts and in whom He invests His powers to rule. May Hashem make you all like Ephraim and Manasseh!
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Hebrews 11:14
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. The second of November marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration when in 1917 British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, influenced the Jewish communities of the world to believe that Great Britain would support the creation of a Jewish state in the Middle East. Though achieved within all legalities, Israel’s return from exile has not been an easy one. It is still in question today. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and later the whole nation of Israel coming from Egypt, none of them got a free pass into the Promised Land. All had to push and fight for their God-given inheritance. Genetics teach us that children possess within themselves the potential of their parents, so we can be assured that when ‘push’ comeS to ‘shove’, our people will again show enough stubbornness to claim what is ours. Alongside the modern-day Zionist movement we also have a new generation of messianic teenagers with a mission to reach out to their peers. They could also inherit being the messianic leaders of the World to Come, of the Kingdom of Messiah on earth. But as it was with our fathers it will not be an easy task. The promises are given to us for free, but LIKE Abraham, Rebecca, and Jacob, we have to show our will and worthiness to receive them by going to an all-out spiritual war for them. Again, genetics come to the rescue. Under the blessing of Abraham (Genesis 28:14), biological descendant of the patriarch as well as all who take refuge in his seed Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, can find the strength, will, stamina, courage, if not plain sheer stubbornness (and by Hashem’s own definition we are a stubborn stiff-necked people) to accomplish the mission of the Master, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is immersed will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:15). Just like our youth seems to be engrossed in today’s distractions, the Zionist movement in Israel seems to be a passing fad. Can we blame them? Aren’t many of us adults so engrossed in our own lives, even in congregational activities and divisions that we have very little time left for our godly mission to reach out to our peers? We as adults need to show our teenagers the way to a godly life. It is our responsibility to blaze the trail for them by doing like Abraham, letting go of the baggage of the past in order to engage in the mission Messiah called us to (Genesis 12:1). Like Abraham, Moses and all our fathers, our eyes and hearts need to be so focused on our bright future that the present world and its concerns seem to us but husks. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (Hebrews 11:15-16). 1 Corinthians 11:1
Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Messiah. When Abraham arrived in the Land, an idol-worshipping Philistine ruler took notice of the patriarch’s godly ways. The relationship between the two men grew into a binding inter-generational covenant in the following terms, Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned" (Genesis 21:23). Several years later, due to a famine, Isaac, the inheritor of Abraham's legacy, finds himself in the position of claiming the privileges of this covenant. There was a problem though: the new Philistines of that generation did not really know Abraham or Isaac, so they started plugging Isaac’s wells and contend with him. Finally, feeling threatened by Isaac’s prosperity, the Philistines ask him to leave. For all good purpose, the covenant was broken and now invalid. The Genesis narration continues. Phicol continued watching Isaac and his tribe. After awhile, the Philistine general came to the conclusion that the God of Isaac was the same as the God of Abraham so he asks for the treaty to be re-enacted as if nothing had happened with the wells. As ludicrous as it sounds, Isaac accepts. This teaches us that the deeds of the parents are portents to the children. It teaches us that though we may automatically inherit the reputation and hard work of our fathers, we must show ourselves of the same spirit if we want to enjoy their privileges. In this case, it is not until Phicol carefully observed Isaac that he recognized that the God of Isaac was the same as the God of Abraham, therefore, Isaac could also be trusted with the same covenant. Maybe this is a lesson for our people today: it may not be until the worldly powers in the land recognize the ways of Messiah in Israel that they will see in them the ways of theGod of Abraham and that they will concede to the re-instatement of the covenant (John 8:56)! Shlomo Carlebach, an Orthodox Rabbi was known in Israel and the U.S. as the singing and dancing Rabbi, but in Apartheid S. Africa he was known as ‘Master Jesus’. The black people of S. Africa surnamed Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, ‘Master Jesus’. They did so because of his loving and caring inter-action with them. Just as by observing Isaac Phicol recognized the God of Abraham, the people of S. Africa saw Yeshua in the inter-actions of this Orthodox Rabbi who, not knowing Him personally (and who am I to even say that) knew about Messiah’s nature and character solely by studying the Word and obeying it. Someone said one time that discipleship is the art of imitation. When was the last time someone mistaken you for Yeshua just because they observed the way you lived and couldn’t make out the difference? Hebrews 11:9
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. The Almighty El-Shaddai swore to Abraham, all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever (Genesis 13:15). Yet, after decades of wondering, and even going to war with five kings to protect his divine inheritance, when it came time for him to bury his wife, the patriarch still claimed to be a ‘foreigner’ in the Land of Promise (Genesis 23:4). He even had to haggle a burial place from a mocking Canaanite. The Scriptures record three important places purchased by Abraham and his offspring: Abraham bought the Cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:17-18); David purchased the place where the Temple was built (2 Samuel 24:24); and Jacob acquired the parcel of ground where Joseph was eventually buried (Joshua 24:32). The Scriptures solidly record these transactions but until today, these places are claimed to be Muslim holy sites ‘stolen’ by the Jews. Abraham believed the Divine reality of the promises of God and acted upon them as much as he could, but he also knew how to live within his earthly present reality, the very present reality of having to buy what already belonged to him by Divine right. He even refused Ephron’s offer of a gift. Abraham bought the land, and he bought it at an exorbitant price. This teaches us the difference between promise and reality. Four thousand years later, as a response to a distant echo, the descendants of the Children of Abraham move into this land and re-conquer what is already theirs by Divine right. Until today this small strip of land by the Mediterranean Sea, that Pleasant Land promised to the descendant of Abraham not to die but to live in, is being bought at an exorbitant price. It is being bought not only at the price of the lives and deaths of many victims of war and terrorism, but also at the cost of world’s anger and the resurgence of anti-Semitism. The haggling with the 'Canaanite' seems to continue, not only with one king this time, but with the world and the United Nations. Sometimes Israel is so tired of the ‘haggling’ that it is tempted to offer ‘land for peace’. We must learn something from Abraham our father. While being aware of our Divine reality, we must also learn to live within our present earthly reality. Our souls have been bought and purchased; Yeshua paid the exorbitant bride price to live within the walls of our hearts, but daily the haggling goes on with t 'Canaanite' who does not let go. We can get so tired at times of the daily fight that we compromise with the 'evil one' offering him terms of 'peace' in the form of land from our heart. But wait, Messiah bought that 'land'; it belongs to Him. And as Israel does, must remember the price and the promises, expecting total fulfillment in the Messianic Era.. As Abraham and his 'offspring', we must learn to fight knowing that what God has promised, He is also able t fully accomplish (Romans 4:21). Hebrews 11:19
He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. When Abraham and Isaac neared Mount Moriah, the patriarch told the young men with him, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you (Genesis 22:5)." The Hebrew is a little more specific, it says, “we will go, and we will return”. Knowing that he was going to offer Isaac on the Mount, why did Abraham say “we will return”? The other question to ask is, ‘why did he even go’? When I teach this story I always ask my students, ‘If today God came to you and said, “Son, I want to teach a lesson to the universe and I want you to help me. All you need to do is take your son or your little brother or sister and sacrifice them”. Would you go? Would you even hear that type of language? Abraham had always been a willing instrument in God’s hands so it is fair to assume the he was in all good conscience going to literally sacrifice Isaac on the altar that day; but he did say to the young men, “we will return.” We get a little clue from the writer of the Book of Hebrews. Chapter eleven says, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, … He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back (Hebrews 11:17-19). Because of Abraham’s willing intentions, the text tells us that Abraham ‘offered’ Isaac. The text also reveals that Abraham believed in resurrection, and that was the faith which made him obey God. This faith in resurrection was the seal of Abraham’s faith in God and wherein he and us become potential heirs to all the promised in the Book. But now, let’s return to our former scenario. What if today God came to you and said, “Son, I want to teach a lesson to the universe and I want you to help me. All you need to do is take your son or your little brother or sister and sacrifice them, but don’t worry, I will resurrect them right away”. Would you do it? Would you have that much desire to accomplish God’s purpose, so much love as to kill what is dearest to you, even if He had told you that He would give it back? Our messianic faith does lie in that one idea that Hashem allowed Yeshua to die on the cross, and that He resurrected Him. A problem also is that when Hashem allows us to be tested with the prospect of losing something dear, we usually rationalize the idea. We try to find a ‘comfortable’ compromise so we don’t really have to give ‘it’ up. Abraham probably had his trial, but he didn’t do rationalized the issue. Some people like to think that Abraham did it so we don’t have to, but this is not my experience. I for one believe that faith in God though Yeshua is sealed in our conscience through many trials and tests; you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Hebrews 12:4). Is yours? Matthew 1:20
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. When instructing Moses about the future Mediator that will stand between Him and Israel, Hashem spoke of a prophet 'like' Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). Looking therefore at the life and ministry of Moses, we should be able to define our mysterious prophesied Mediator. Let us look at Moses’ conception. Feeling threatened by the proliferation of the Hebrews in his country, Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites to his building ambitions. One of Pharaoh’s wise men came to him one day with a star-omen that a boy is to be born to the Israelites that would deliver them from his hand. Our angry Pharaoh then decided to kill all male new-born throwing them into the Nile River. At that time, Amram who already had a son, Aaron and a daughter, Miriam, divorced his wife because he didn’t want to be faced with the possible tragedy ordered by Pharaoh. Because of his clout as a Levite, many of Israel followed Amram’s sample which caused Miriam, a child, to be an angelic voice of rebuke chastising him with the following words: "What you have done is worse that Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s decree was only against males, yours is against males and females alike. His decree may not come to pass, but yours certainly will!" Upon these words, Amram returned to his wife only to find that she was three months pregnant. The Talmud alludes to a miraculous conception. I cannot ascertain that this Talmudic story is the report of true events, but it certainly offers a very uncanny parallel with the Master’s conception. Actually, Jewish sages refer to Moses as the first redeemer, and Messiah as the second. In the conception accounts of the Master we also have wise men, Chaldean astronomers, who come to Herod, a Pharaoh-like king, with an indication from the stars that the Savior of Israel is born in Bethlehem, Judea. This in turn provokes Herod to want to kill all two years and under babies in that city. A little while before, Joseph, thinking that Miriam his fiancé committed adultery found himself with no other option but to divorce her, but like Amram did, he returns to her after the intervention of an angelic messenger. Isaac, with his birth prophecied through the stars and his untimely death prevented by an angelic intervention truly is our foreshadow. PRAISE “O, for the wonders of the Torah! Why do so many seek wisdom and wonder north and south, east and west, high and low? All the secrets of heaven and earth, as well as past present and future are imbedded right there in the Words of theTorah." Romans 11:12, 18
Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!? Do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. “You find that as long as Sarah lived, a cloud hung over her tent … her doors were wide open … there was a blessing on her dough, and the lamp used to burn from the evening of the Sabbath until the evening of the following Sabbath …" In this scrap of tradition, Sarah’s tent is homiletically compared to Jerusalem typified by the Temple. The cloud is symbolic of the Shekinah of God’s presence, the doors of the temple being wide opened is an invitation to the world to the house of prayer (as Yeshua called it); the blessed dough is the showbread which miraculously never spoiled, and the lamp is the seven-branches candelabrum which burned continuously in the Holy Place. In the Book of Galatians Paul builds on this illustration. Using the concept that Judaism views Sarah as the great matriarch he says, But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. Then, using Isaiah’s allegory and adding the fact that that Sarah was barren (not Hagar) He quotes, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! Though Paul doesn’t quote it, the rest of the oracle says, Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes (Isaiah 54:1-2; Galatians 4:26).This is an illustration that Jerusalem, (the center of Jewish religion) is one day to open its doors to all nations. The next chapter of Isaiah goes on to call all nations to drink and be fed from the fountain of Jerusalem (Isaiah 55; Zechariah 14:16). Referring to modern history, I now will build on this concept. In their impatience while waiting on God to fulfill the messianic promise of the birth of Isaac, Abraham and Sarah brought Hagar into the picture. As Hagar bore fruit she despised and boasted against Sarah who was still barren and dry. In His own time, Hashem miraculously caused Sarah to bear the fruit of the messianic promise. In the end, though blessed by God because of beloved Abraham, Hagar paid for her attitude having to leave Sarah’s presence. For 2,000 years while waiting for the 19th century when Jerusalem would miraculously birth the present-day world-wide Messianic movement, the nations of the world, who did bear fruit unto Yeshua have done so while ‘boasting’ against the ‘natural branches’ in a doctrine called ‘Replacement Theology’, and even subjecting these ‘natural branches’ to horrible persecutions (or were silent in the face of it). Will the nations suffer the same fate as Hagar? The Text tells us that not, but that in the end Jerusalem will return to its rightful original owners, and that the nations will come and serve and worship God in Jerusalem, bringing in their glory (Isaiah 66; Haggai 2:7). For what it’s worth, there is an ancient Jewish teaching which suggests that Keturah, Abraham’s second wife after Sarah died, is actually Hagar returned (Genesis 25:1-6). Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. The itinerant prophet Elisha often traveled through the Jezreel Valley also called the Plain of Megiddo in the Northern Kingdom. A prominent childless woman from the village of Shunem noticed the that this oftentimes wonderer was a prophet of God, so her and her husband who were part of a small remnant who had not gone the way of Jeroboam decided to offer him hospitality whenever he passed through. They added an extra bedroom on the roof of their house which they equipped with a bed, a chair, a table, and an oil lamp. (The first Hebrew letters of each of these elements in the room spell the word: Mishkan which is the term used for the area where the Ark of the Covenant used to rest. This teaches us the very important principle that he who practices hospitably transforms his house into a Sanctuary for the Divine Presence to dwell in.) Our Master relates to this Shunamite woman when He said, The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward (Matthew10:41) . Against the woman’s protests, knowing how God rewards those who care for His saints without personal motives but just because they are God’s people, Elisha desired to reward the woman for her kindness. When Elisha’s servant pointed out to him that she was barren, the prophet proceeded to tell her that by next year, at the time of life (same Hebraic expression used by the angel who spoke to Abraham about Sarah in Genesis 18:10) she will embrace a son, a son which Elisha later raises form the dead. These carry an uncanny resemblance with those told in the Book of Genesis about Sarah after Abraham practiced hospitality to strangers (Genesis 18), but they also follow closely those that Elijah, Elisha’s master performed in that very same area. These local stories were still recounted in those towns of Israel when the Master arrived on the scene. They were still fresh and people encouraged each other with them as they waited for the final Messiah who would deliver them. They knew that He would do the same miracles and even more. What a surprised then it must have been for the people of Nain when this new prophet who was born not too far from them in Nazareth crashed one of their funeral procession and being moved with compassion brought a young man back to life (Luke 7:11-15). If you want Hashem’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; if you desire to make a Sanctuary of your heart and of your house for the Presence of God to dwell in; if you want to see the life-giving blessings of the Almighty fill your life: practice hospitality, especially on the Sabbath! Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. It is very common in hot countries for people to take a break from work around noon. Due to the heat, they break at twelve and sometimes do not work again until mid-afternoon. In the case of Genesis 18, Abraham was not taking a mid-day nap due to the heat of the day, he was convalescing from undergoing circumcision (Genesis 17). The fever lasted three days, the third day incurring the highest fever (Genesis 34:25); the first verse therefore of Genesis eighteen could infer that this was the third and highest day of Abraham’s fever. While Abraham was convalescing, the Torah tells us that Adonai came to visit him (Genesis 18:1). The Master Himself came to check on Abraham. This notion of Hashem's personal visit to Abraham to check up on him is the true origins of the apostle’s injunctions to visit the sick (Hebrews 13:2). Discipleship is to want to be like your Master. If the Master therefore took the time to visit Abraham when he was sick, we should also practice the visiting of the ill. This visit resulted in several tests. 1:Hospitality: The hospitality of Abraham was legendary. His table was like no other. To be at the table of Abraham was like being at the table of the Lord. When we receive brethren in our home’s to share with us, we should also do our best to honor them. The meal that Abraham served was composed of dairy and meat; a full meal worthy of a King. Did Abraham know who he was serving? All the text tells us after the verse’s beginning narrative is that Abraham saw three men, strangers in the plain of Mamreh. Even the Book of Hebrew seems to indicate that Abraham didn’t have a clue at first (Hebrews 13:2). We should always share our best with stranger and consider it a high honor to host the Saints, those for whom our Master died. 2: Belief: Adonai had a message for Abraham. When Sarah (89 years old) heard that she would give birth, she laughed a cynical laugh for which the angel reproved her. Abraham did not as he had already gone through that a few days before (Genesis 17). Similarly we should learn not to laugh at the impossible doings of God. The Talmud compares Sarah to Jerusalem. If He is able to take an old woman, rejuvenate her and make her fruitful throughout generations, Adonai is also able a broken down seemingly barren city such as Jerusalem and resurrect her to be a blessing to all forever after. 3: Motives: How was Abraham going to use his new standing with God? Since Adonai and him were now covenanted together, Abraham right away used his new assets as a blessing towards the incredulous world around him, not without motive though. He pleaded for the sparing of Sodom and Gomorrah just for the sake of saving Lot his wayward nephew. How do we use our covenanted standing with the Master. Are our prayers a repetition of ‘gimme’s’, or are our eyes turned toward those in need. I think Abraham passed the test. Would we? Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. At Mt Horeb, God instructed the people of Israel about the different types of offerings. The first one mentioned in the Book of Leviticus is the ‘burnt offering’ called in the Hebrew the ’olah’ or ‘the offering of ascent’. This offering is fully burnt and dedicated to God; no-one else receives any benefit from it like with the other offerings. This speaks a total abandonment to Hashem without reservations. This is what Abraham was asked to do with Isaac on Mt Moriah, which he did with the ram provided by Adonai. This event took place at Mt Moriah, the place occupied by the city of Salem where Melchizedec was king. This was also the place where later, at the time when David sinfully decided to take a census of the nation Israel, an angel destroyed many people with a plague (2 Samuel 24). Under the instructions of Gad the prophet, David bought the place to build an altar so he could make an offering for Adonai. We must remember at this point that God had forbidden altars to be built in random places. The only altar to be used so far was the one in Shiloh by the Ark. This was therefore a strange command from Gad, but David also knew that at some point and time, Hashem had a place in the Land of Canaan where He would write His Name. A traditional source tells us that in order to honor both Melchizedec and Abraham, David later renamed the place, ‘Yireh-Salem’, or Jerusalem meaning: ‘He will provide peace’. What a name for a city that has seen more than its share of wars and conflicts and still waits for ‘the big one’! Oh but He will provide peace. Like Abraham we must not stop our eyes at this imperfect world. We must seek for our true homeland; desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. That’s why Hashem is not ashamed to be called our God, for He has prepared for us a city, a city that will finally see and know peace, a peace like no other city or even country in the world has ever known or seen. Not a ‘Pax Jerusalema’ enforced type of peace, but a peace from within originated by Yeshua the Messiah: the Prince of Peace Himself. This Jerusalem is the city with foundations, whose designer and builder is the Almighty God. Abba, the Father. He has the true peace-plan and road-map to peace in Jerusalem. Yes, Jerusalem will see peace; He promised it (Hebrews 11:10, 16)! |
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