Bereshit (Genesis) 12:1 –17:27
Haftarah: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 40:27 –41:16
Brit Chadasha: Acts 7:1 –8; Rom. 3:19-5:6; Gal. 3:15 –18; 5:1-6; Col. 2:11 –15 and Heb. 7:1 –19; 11:8 -12
The Aleph Tav
- In the Revelation of Yeshua Ha Mashiach to John we find 4 references to the Alef Tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew Aleph Bet; Rev. 1:8, 1:11, 21:6 and 22:13. The translation reads “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.” Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. Messiah Yeshua is a Hebrew man and not a Greek man therefore He would have said “I am the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the ending. He is the entire Hebrew Aleph Bet from A to Z so to speak therefore He is ALL the Hebrew letters, ALL the Hebrew words. Jn. 1:1 confirms this understanding. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. He was in the beginning with Elohim.” In its ancient form the Aleph Tav would read “strength of the covenant.”
- Jn. 17:6 –8: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, you gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
- In a world filled with pagan deities one man, 20 generations from Adam, is manifesting “his Name.”
Parasha Lekh L’kha
־לְ לֶ meaning “come out”
Parasha Highlights:
- Yehovah calls Abraham
- Yehovahs’ covenant of promise is given to Abraham
- The “covenant” of pieces (eight pieces)
- Abram and Sarai’s names are changed
- Circumcision (8thday)
- Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek
Who is Abraham?
- There is an interesting chronology of the life of Abram recorded in The Book of Jasher. I believe this chronology will give us more insight into the earlier years of his life before Yehovah called him as recorded in Ge. 12:1. Abram is the 3rd son of Terah. Terah held an elevated position within the court of Nimrod. The number three tells us Abraham has something to do with seed. “And when all the wise men and conjurers went out from the house of Terah, (on the night of Abrams’ birth) they lifted their eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw, and behold one very large star came from the east and ran in the heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the four sides of the heavens.” **The “large star” that shown at the birth of Abram is a foreshadow of the “star” that would appear in the heavenlies at the time of Yeshua’s’ birth. (The Book of Jasher, pg. 27 and Beit Ha Midrash 2:118-196 cited in Sefer Haggadah, Schocken Books)
- “To save Abram from Nimrods death order, Terah took Abram, his mother and his nurse and hid them in a cave for ten years. At ten years of age Abram left the cave and went to Noach and Shem. There he studied the “rules of the kingdom” until the age of thirty-nine.” Thirty-nine years plus ten years equal 49; forty-nine is 7 x’s 7; which is a foreshadow of the counting of the Omer and the Yovel or Jubilee cycle.
- V 12: “And Yehovah gave Abram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no avail.”
- There is another prophecy found in The Book of Tobit. The Book of Tobit (Tobias) is a book of scripture that is part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon. It was pronounced canonical by the Council of Hippo, Councils of Carthage of 397 and 417 A.D., and the Council of Florence. For reference the books of Tobit, 1st and 2nd Maccabees can be found in a Catholic Bible.
- This is his prophecy: Tobit 13:11: “A bright light will shine to all parts of the earth; many nations shall come to you from afar, and the inhabitants of all the limits of the earth, drawn to you by the name of Yehovah Elohay, bearing in their hands their gifts for the King of heaven. Every generation shall give joyful praise in you, and shall call you the chosen one, through all ages forever.” Yehovah is light while Yeshua is the manifestation of that light on earth. (1 Jn. 1:5 and Col. 1:15)
- V 19: “And Abram said to himself ‘surely these are not gods (referring to the sun and moon) that made the earth and all mankind, but these are the servants of Elohim, and Abram remained in the house of Noach and there “knew” Yehovah and “his ways” and he served Yehovah all the days of his life, and all that generation forgot Yehovah, and served other gods of wood and stone, and rebelled all their days. (The Book of Jasher, Chap. 9, pg. 31)
- Abram studied the “rules of the kingdom” for thirty-nine years; then he taught Sarai as well as all those living with him for an additional twenty-six years making him seventy-five years old at the time of The Fathers calling. The midrash says the doors of his tent were always open inviting strangers to come inside his tent where he taught them about the God of creation. Even in the land of Haran, Abram and his household were a “light to the gentiles.” He was surrounded by pagan worship yet remained a “set apart” people. His life was a representation of light and darkness, the holy and profane. Before Yehovah called Abram to follow Him and leave his home he, Avram, was causing the name of Yehovah, the God of creation, to be made manifest.
- Is. 49:6 –8: “And now says Yehovah, who formed me (Isaiah) from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, that Israel might be gathered to Him—for I am honored in the sight of Yehovah, and my Elohay is my strength—He says, ‘it is not enough for you to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a “light for the nations,” that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ Thus says Yehovah, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: ‘kings will see you and rise, and princes will bow down, because of Yehovah, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.'”
- Abram made “manifest” the name of Yehovah. Our Praasha covers a 24-year span of time; from Abrams’ call at age 75 to the covenant of circumcision at age 99.
- For the sake of Scriptural continuity: Ge. 1:4 tells us “And Elohim saw the Aleph Tav light ( אֶ ת־הָאוֹר ) that it was good.” 1 Jn. 1:5 tells us Yehovah is light while the Aleph Tav Yeshua will be the manifestation of that light on earth.
- Ge. 6:14 tells us: “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark ( אתֶ־התֵַּבהָ ), and cover it inside and outside
- with pitch. The deliverance of the “covenant people” was found in the Aleph Tav ark. Now in Avram, the first Hebrew (ivri =one from beyond) we see the “light” being made manifest in one who keeps the Word, the “rules of the kingdom.”
- The Praasha begins in Ge. 12:1: “Now Yehovah had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you [the promise]. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed ( וְנבִ רְְכוּ or grafted into).” **The great nation speaks to the physical and spiritual “seed” of Abram who likewise will “walk” according to the “rules of the kingdom.”
- Gal. 3:6 –8: “So also Abraham believed Yehovah, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that Yehovah would justify the Gentiles by faith and announce the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
- V 14: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Messiah. Abram was in a believing relationship with Yehovah long before the promises and subsequent covenants were given. Abram obeys the call of Yehovah and enters the land of promise. Ge. 12:10: “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.” A famine isn’t always about the scarcity of grain. Is. 5:13 reads “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.”
- Amos 8:11 -12: “Behold, the days are coming,” says Yehovah Elohay, ‘that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Yehovah. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of Yehovah, but shall not find it. **They had no understanding! I believe we are now living in such a time.
- Recall the words of Yeshua in Mt. 4:4: “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of Yehovah.” (Dt. 8:3) The Hebrew word for famine is ra’av ( רָעבָ ). The numerical value is 272; 2 + 7 + 2 = 11. In its ancient form would read “from the beginning we knew the house.” It’s interesting that the descendants of Abram will also experience famines i.e., Isaac, Joseph and King David. How many of us have experienced a spiritual famine? Knowing there was more to Scripture and just needing to figure out how to get there.
- Ge. 15:5: “Then He brought him outside and said, ‘look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘so shall your descendants be.’ And he believed in Yehovah, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
- The Hebrew word for believe is “aman” ( אמַָן ). It means to stand firm, to trust, to be certain and to believe in. As I said, long before the promises were given, or covenants made Abram believed.
- Ge. 17:1 -10: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yehovah appeared to him and said, “I am Almighty God (El Shaddai); walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and Yehovah talked with him, saying: ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
- The Father said “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant ( אתֶ־בּ רְִיתיִ ) between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you and your descendants after you. Also, I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their Elohim.”
- As long as Yehovah sits on His throne and there remains “Covenant Israel,” the covenant remains intact. A covenant requires both parties to be living. And Yehovah said to Abraham: ‘as for you, you shall keep My covenant ( אֶת־בְּרִיתִי ), you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; the covenant would be ratified by the blood caused by circumcision.”
- V 11: “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.”
- Lk. 2:21 –23: ” And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Yeshua, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. Now when the days of her purification according to the Torah of Moshe were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to Yehovah. (As it is written in the Torah of Yehovah, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to Yehovah”).
- Many of us believe that Yeshua was born on the first day of Sukkot and circumcised on the 8th day of Shemini Atzeret. Circumcision is the outward physical sign of participation in the covenant of Yehovah. By this time, Abraham had now walked with Yehovah for eighty-nine years and finally the sign is given. The “seed” of promise, Isaac, would be conceived after the sign of covenant of made. The royal bloodline of Messiah would now become pure.
- Rom. 4: 11 –12: “And he (Abraham) 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, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision (native born), but who also walk in the steps of the faith (gentile believers) which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
- The initial covenant circumcision speaks to the circumcision of our heart (Jer. 31:31). The initial covenant having been ratified by blood paving the way for the ratification of the “renewed covenant” with the blood of Messiah Yeshua. Abraham was accepted into a behavioral relationship covenant with Yehovah prior to circumcision. Circumcision is a sign and seal of the pre-existing covenant –not the covenant itself and not the vehicle of salvation. Ge. 26:5 says Abraham kept Yehovahs’ covenant 430 years before those words were given on Mt. Sinai.
- And Rom. 4:11 –12 says he kept it before being circumcised. How was he able to do that? He was able to keep Yehovahs’ Words because he KNEW the nature of Yehovah contained in those Words –He was in a behavioral relationship covenant with Yehovah. (hethathasanear.com, Harold Smith) A behavioral relationship is familiar to many of us. We became “born again” and believed for many years before the Spirit of Holiness brought the truth of Torah into our lives.
- In conclusion Jn. 14:21 –26 tells it all: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him; He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Fathers who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Spirit of Holiness, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
- If we are “Covenant Israel” then aren’t we commanded to extoll His name?
- Ps. 34:3: Oh, magnify Yehovah with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Haftarah
- Is. 40:27 –41:16
- We have a few connections to the parasha:
- V 31 But those who wait on Yehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
- Can you see the life of Abraham in this verse?
- 41:4: “Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, Yehovah, am the first; and with the last (אֶת־אַחרֲנֹיִם ) I am He.’”
- This certainly speaks to Abraham in the beginning and his “seed” in the last generation.
- Finally, v 8 –10: “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your Elohay. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
- These verses say it all!
Brit Chadasha
- Acts 7:1-8 The call of Abraham
- Ro. 3:19 –5:6 It would be in your best interest to study these passages because the connections are numerous.
- Gal. 3:15-18 He trusted in Yehovah and was faithful to him, and that was credited to his account as righteousness.
- Col. 2: 11 –15 speaks to circumcision, aligning your foreskin as sin, your old nature.
- Heb. 7: 1-9 The encounter with Melchizedek