The video version is available at:
https://youtu.be/DDzcJK4xd7o
The scripture reading is Genesis
12:1-17:27
By Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Lech Lecha means to “go ye forth.”
This Torah portion begins after the flood is past and mankind has once again
gone into idolatry. And it didn’t take very long for that to happen. In
contrast, God begins to reveal his plan of redemption. He does so through the
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In fact, God identifies Himself over and
over again as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or the God of Israel 237
times in the scriptures. God begins with a promise to Abraham.
Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless
you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those
who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families
of the earth shall be blessed."
What does it mean that I will “make you a great nation?” What does it
mean that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed?
The word translated as “make” in
Genesis 12:2 is asah number 6213 which we learned in the first lesson of this
series, means to make or to fashion something to create or recreate it.
Abram was 75 when he was called
and 99 when God revisited him to deliver the promise of the conception of
Isaac. So, what is the evidence of God making or recreating of Abram and Sarai
into a great nation? First, they were both given new names. Abram, meaning high
father, had his name changed to Abraham, meaning the father of a multitude.
Genesis 17:5 NKJV 5 "No longer shall your name be called
Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many
nations.
Sarai is a personal type of name
meaning my princess. She became Sarah which is a fuller form of the name
princess. She was no longer just Abraham’s princess but princess to all.
Genesis 17:15-16 MKJV 15 And God said to Abraham, As for Sarai
your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah. 16
And I will bless her and give you a son also of her. Yes, I will bless her, and
she shall be a mother of nations, kings of people shall be from her.
These new names signify a change
in status or destiny. Both Abraham and Sarah’s new names directly connect their
identities with the promises given to Abraham when God said, “I will make you a
great nation” and “through you all nations will be blessed.” Going forward, God
either gave all the patriarchs their names or changed them. He named Isaac from
before conception. The name Isaac means “laughter.” God told Abraham to name
his son Isaac when he was given the covenant of circumcision.
Genesis 17:19 NKJV 19 Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife
shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My
covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after
him.
Sarah laughed during the visit of
the two angels and the Lord.
Genesis 18:12 NKJV 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old
also?"
This laughter has an element of
astonishment that God could cause two old people to have a son. There was
perhaps, even a sense of cautious joy. And yet Sarah’s, as well as Abraham’s
faith was strong. They believed God would do what He said He would.
Hebrews 11:11-12 NKJV 11 By faith Sarah herself also received
strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age,
because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man,
and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in
multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
Isaac’s son Jacob became Israel
after he struggled with God and prevailed. God also named John the Baptist and
Yeshua from before their conception. Yeshua promises us a new name as well.
Revelation 2:17 MKJV 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the
hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name
written, which no man knows except he who receives it.
The second evidence that something
new was about to happen is that Abraham was given circumcision as a sign of the
covenant that he was to be a father to many nations, that the Promised Land was
to be his and his descendants, and that God Himself had become his God.
Genesis 17:10-11 MKJV 10 This is My covenant, which you shall
keep, between Me and you and your seed after you. Every male child among you
shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin.
And it shall be a token of the covenant between Me and you.
For the apostle Paul, the story of
Abram’s transformation to Abraham is the essential prototype of salvation by
faith.
Romans 4:16-17 NKJV 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be
according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only
to those who are of the law (Torah), but also to those who are of the faith of
Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, "I have made
you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he
believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not
exist as though they did;
Like Abraham and Sarah whom God
recreated, we also are new creations.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become
new.
And so, Abraham leads the way
becoming the first to experience a type of re-creation. He becomes the father
of all who are justified by faith and thus a father of many nations. The book
of Revelation shows us the result of Abraham’s faith!
Revelation 7:9 MKJV 9 After these things I looked, and lo, a great
multitude, which no man could number, out of all nations and kindreds and
people and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, with palms in their hands.
Genesis 12:2 goes on to say, “…and
you will be a blessing. The word blessing is the Hebrew word “berakah,” number
1293 meaning blessing or prosperity. It is interesting that it is also the word
for pool.
Immersion in a pool is an integral
part of any purifying process described throughout the Bible. The purifying
process after becoming unclean by touching a dead body ends with an immersion
in a mikvah or pool.
Numbers 19:19 MKJV 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle on the
unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. And on the seventh day he
shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water. And he
shall be clean at evening.
Paul uses similar language to
describe how Gentiles are “brought near” by immersion into Yeshua.
Ephesians 2:12-13 MKJV 12 and that, at that time you were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. 13 But now
in Christ Jesus you who were once afar off are made near by the blood of Christ.
Paul also brings in circumcision
to complete the metaphor.
Colossians 2:11-13 MKJV 11 in whom also you are circumcised with
the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the
flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in whom
also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from
the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Once again, Abraham leads the way.
Abraham foreshadows our baptism into Yeshua. Therefore, it is through the
example of Abraham and the covenant God made with him that followers of Yeshua
are grafted in.
Romans 11:17-21 MKJV 17 And if some of the branches were broken
off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a
sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree with them, 18 do not boast
against the branches. But if you boast, it is not you that bears the root, but
the root bears you. 19 You will say then, The branches were broken off so that
I might be grafted in. 20 Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and
you stand by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear. 21 For if God did not
spare the natural branches, fear lest He also may not spare you either!
We are grafted into the olive tree
that represents believing Israel. We are in that position because of faith.
This is the gospel, the good news according to Paul. When Paul writes to the
Ephesians from his prison in Rome, he says that he is in bonds for the “mystery
of the gospel.”
Ephesians 6:19-20 MKJV 19 And pray for me, that utterance may be
given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the
gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in bonds; so that in it I may speak
boldly, as I ought to speak.
As Abraham “goes forth” from Haran
to the land of Canaan. He stops at the top of a mountain where he can see
across the land. God again appears to him.
Genesis 12:7 MKJV 7 And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, I
will give this land to your seed. And he built an altar there to the LORD who
appeared to him.
This is the first promise
specifically about an offspring of Abraham; he would possess the land that the
Canaanites currently held.
Genesis 13:15-16 MKJV 15 For all the land which you see I will
give to you, and to your seed forever. 16 And I will make your seed as the dust
of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then shall your
seed also be counted.
The land would be the possession
of Abraham’s seed forever and his
seed would be as uncountable as the dust of the earth.
We can speculate about Abraham and
Sarah’s discussion of this promise. Sarah, perhaps, might have said something
like this, “Abram, I’ve already gone through menopause. There’s no way I can
give you child now. Here, use Hagar as a surrogate mother. That way I can still
have a child.”
When Abraham went into Hagar, Abraham
and Sarah were busy trying to fulfill the promise of God through their own
means. Abraham did have a child by Hagar whom God did bless, not because he was
the child of the promise, but for Abraham’s sake. This child, Ishmael, was not
the fulfillment of the promise!
Thirteen years after Ishmael’s
birth, God again appeared to Abraham once again elaborating on the promise.
This time God told Abraham that Sarah specifically would bear the child.
The promise regarding the ultimate
possession of the land, first given to Abraham, is repeated to Isaac, and then is
passed on to Jacob. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob appeared to each of
them with this message that in your seed all nations of the earth would be
blessed. Paul tells us that the promised seed was Yeshua.
Galatians 3:16 MKJV 16 And to Abraham and to his Seed the promises
were spoken. It does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one,
"And to your Seed," which is Christ.
It is through Yeshua, that we too
are counted as the seed of Abraham.
Galatians 3:26-29 MKJV 26 For you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many as were baptized into Christ, you put on
Christ. 28 There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there
is no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are
Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed
and heirs according to the promise.
Like Isaac, we are the seed
according to the promise through faith. We are not like Ishmael who was the son
according to the flesh; that is through efforts of man. The promised seed is
spiritual.
John the Baptist tells the
Pharisees and Sadducees that merely being of the physical descent of Abraham is
not enough.
Matthew 3:9-10 MKJV 9 and do not think to say within yourselves,
We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up
children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And now also, the axe is laid to the
root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bring forth good fruit
is cut down and cast into the fire.
Paul says that only the children
of the promise are counted as the seed of Abraham.
Romans 9:6-9 MKJV 6 Not however that the word of God has failed,
for not all those of Israel are Israel; 7 nor because they are the seed of
Abraham are they all children. But, "In Isaac shall your Seed be
called." 8 That is, not the children of the flesh are children of God; but
the children of the promise are counted for a seed. 9 For this is the word of
promise: "At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son."
We saw how Paul repeatedly
emphasized that being counted as a seed of Abraham was spiritual and how we are
counted as a seed only through Yeshua, and not by acts of the flesh as was
Ishmael’s conception. Paul chides the Galatians for relying on acts of the
flesh:
Galatians 3:3 NKJV 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the
Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
What act of the flesh is Paul
chiding them about? Paul goes on to tell
them the difference between faith and works, between the seed of Abraham by the
promise and the son by the flesh. He concludes in chapter 5 with these
startling words:
Galatians 5:2-6 NKJV 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you
become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to
every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the
hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Circumcision is a commandment of
God, first given to Abraham and then repeated to Moses. Why then, does Paul say
that Yeshua would not profit them if they become circumcised? Paul writes to
the Galatians because they were seeking righteousness through the works of the
law! Most of the Jews had no problem with Gentiles believing in the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, they believed that Gentiles could
participate in faith only as long as they converted to Judaism. This was the
teaching of the Judaizers; Gentiles couldn’t be participants in salvation by
faith alone; they had to convert to Judaism first. This is an affront to
Messiah denying that “whosever believes in Him should not perish.” Those
Gentiles who converted to Judaism to secure their salvation would be doing the
opposite. They would be trying to attain righteousness by their own efforts, by
acts of the law, negating the work of Messiah on the cross. Paul explains this in
Romans:
Romans 4:7-12 NKJV 7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds
are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD
shall not impute sin." 9 Does this blessedness then come upon the
circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was
accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he
was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while
uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who
believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to
them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the
circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father
Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
Paul says Abraham is the father of
all those who walk in faith whether they are of the circumcision (Jews) or of
the uncircumcised (Gentiles). And so, through Abraham all nations will be
blessed.
Galatians 6:15-16 NKJV 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk
according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of
God.
By acting on faith, answering the
call of God, Abraham secured God’s promises for future generations. We as
followers of Messiah Yeshua will ultimately receive those same promises, as we
read of in the book of Revelation. Just as Abraham was called to get out of his
place of birth; to leave behind all that he had known; and travel to a far away
land, so too are we called to a purpose and mission beyond our comfortable
life. Abraham was brought to a new life and a new beginning. By coming to the
Father, through Messiah Yeshua, a new life and a new beginning is promised to
us as well.
As with Abraham, we are also
charged to bring others with us. Yeshua has called each of us to “go ye forth”
and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. In this way we are passing on the blessings promised to
Abraham to all who call on the name of the LORD.
Study Questions:
2. Abraham exhibited both an outward sign and an
inward reality in his expression of faith in God. What were these in Abraham’s
life? (There may be more than one each) How do we express both of these in our
lives?
3. Read 1 Corinthians 7:19 in comparison to
Galatians 5:2-6 quoted in our teaching, is there a contradiction in Paul’s
teaching? If circumcision is a commandment of God, and keeping the commandments
is what counts as a sign of righteousness, (Genesis 26:5 among other
scriptures) then wouldn’t circumcision be significant?
General Portion Questions
4. How does the birth of Ishmael serve to warn us
about being impatient with the promises of God? Have you had an “Ishmael”
moment in your life?
5. A major part of this Torah portion, which we
did not cover in the teaching, is the story of Abraham’s nephew Lot, found in
Genesis chapter 13. How is the story of Lot an example of following in your own
ways rather than God’s ways?
6. What other insights did you gain from this
teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah
Yeshua?
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