Gen. 41 : 1 - 44 : 17 Par'shah Miketz, "From the End"

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

Shalom chaverim u'mishpochah,

The following is a teaching on parashah Miketz shared by a Teacher whom spoke in our synagogue last year. Enjoy!


Store up the Word

By Ross Q.

This weeks parasha centers around 2 themes: Gods message to prepare, and the reuniting of brothers. This weeks message has some great messianic models. Lets look at the first focal point.

The Grain

Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
The plenty of 7 years is a plenty of the fruit of the word in the field and it shall be blessed. Then there will be a famine of the word of God for seven years and only them that store up during the time of abundance will survive the coming times.

During That Time

Zec 8:23 Thus saith YHVH of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Two points to notice here, one is the word skirt is really hem, at the hem of the garment is the persons tzitzit that represent the commandments of God. So in the above verse we see people coming to those who have knowledge of the commandments of God. Indeed they are coming to one who has stored up the Word in his heart.

Gen 47:19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

Here is the same thing, they are coming to someone who has seed (the word of God) stored up and they know it is the difference between life and death and without it (the word of God) their land (flesh) would be desolate (without God). These things point to the need to store up the word of God in our hearts that we will be able to sustain ourselves and our families. Lets look one more level deeper and see how Messiah plays into this story of Yoseph. If Messiah is called the word and the word is the seed, then lets look at the natural model of the seed.

The seed being the word of god is put into the earth similar to the parable of the sower we are that earth. Our flesh surrounds the seed. Just as Messiah was the Word of God clothed in the flesh, so we also are. The seed also like messiah goes into the earth and dies before it regenerates into new life by absorbing the water and the earth. Then it breaks forth from the earth to reach toward heaven as it rises as an offering towards heaven. Starting as one seed as in john 1 it came to the earth and produced fruit some ten fold some 30 fold and some hundred fold. This fruit then fed others and sustained many from one seed. If planted again in good earth, or accepted in the flesh, it will produce more fruit spreading each time. Messiah fulfills this pattern, as will we also. Look in the next paragraph for similarities to Messiah.

Yosef's brothers wanted to kill him because his Father loved him more then them. They sought to do evil to him but it ended up being for the good of all. By their actions he was sent away to prepare a place for them to be fed in the time of famine. God chose him to be responsible to store up the seed for the times to come and ultimately to save his brethren. As we see they came humbly before Yosef to ask him for seed (the Word) that they may live. Yosef was put into the earth (the well) and yet rose up to a place of power and was the saviour of his brethren and all who would come to him.

We have a time of plenty now with the word, with more tools and resources then anyone in history has ever had. Lets heed the dream/parable which was a warning to be prepared and store up the word in our heart!

Shalom

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

It Isn’t In Me

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A d’rash on Parashah Miketz

By Re’uel D.[/center]

In parashah Miketz we find that Yoseph's prison term finally concludes when Par’oh dreams of seven obese cows that are gobbled up by seven scrawny cows, and of seven fat ears of grain consumed by seven lean ears. We see that Yoseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of abundance will be followed up by seven years of famine, and therefore councils Par’oh to store grain during the bountiful years. As a result of this council Par’oh ordains Yoseph as governor of Mitzrayim (Egypt). During the second set of seven years famine covers the region, and food can be acquired only in Mitzrayim. This causes ten of Yoseph's brothers to come to Mitzrayim to acquire grain, but the youngest, Benyamin, stays home with his Father Yisrael (Ya’akov). Through this ordeal Yoseph tests his brothers and becomes reacquainted with them, which later leads to the Salvation of Yisrael.

Certainly we can see parallels in Yosef, Yeshua The Messiah, and the Jewish idea of “Mashiach Ben Yosef” (the suffering servant). Through both Yosef’s and Yeshua’s sufferings and personal sacrifice they bring about the salvation of Yisrael. After Yosef and Yeshua are rejected, after many years both of them are made out by the Goyim to be someone not recognizable by much of Yisrael. It is not until a long period of time has passed that these two anointed ones are revealed to their brethren. And, it wasn’t until after their brethren rejected them, until after their brethren had to go through many hard circumstances and trials that they finally recognize that God used both Yosef and Yeshua as instruments for salvation…not only for the Jewish people, but also for the Nations. Truly, Yosef here in parashah Miketz modeled and foreshadowed the coming Messiah. Therefore, as Yosef in this parashah is used as a model in Jewish teaching to foreshadow much of what The Messiah would accomplish, it should not be a surprise for much of the Jewish people to come to terms with the idea that they may have rejected and temporarily missed their promised Anointed One. From this they should be able to understand that long ago some of the Jewish people may have sold there Mashiach to the Heathen for judgment…the One they would later recognize as “Yeshuat Yisrael”, the Salvation of Yisrael.

But, as powerful and revealing all of that is, I would now like to teach on something different. I want to remind everyone about a character trait of Mashiach, something worthy of emulation as believers learn to grow more and more into the image of the One whom is well pleasing in the eyes of Adonai. As we become more mature in our walk with the Elohim of Yisrael we become less and less proud of our own achievements. Why is that? As we grow in our walk with God we more and more recognize that it is God working in our life and not ourselves. We truly begin to find that it is He that enables us to accomplish all that is holy, just, and good.

In Ya’akov (James) 1:16-17 it states, “Don't delude yourselves, my dear brothers. Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who made the heavenly lights; with Him there is neither variation nor darkness caused by turning.”

Some are quick to point out that when it comes to mankind there are none that are righteous and that all of our works are as dirty rags before Elohim. This is true. But, the Spirit of Elohim in us, Messiah living through us accomplishing God’s works through us…works not originating with us, are NOT filthy rags. As we read in the book of Ya’akov, “every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above.”. And, we start to realize this after spending time with God and growing in our relationship with Him. This is something that Yoseph realized through the process of being sanctified. Before Yoseph interpreted the dream of Par’oh’s Chief Cupbearer and Chief baker in Beresheet/Gen. 40:8 he states, "Don't interpretations belong to God?". When Yoseph was recognized for possessing a very special gift of interpreting dreams he was called before Par’oh to interpret his troubling dream. But how did Yoseph answer Par’oh to the request to interpret the dream? In Beresheet (Gen.) 41:16, “Yosef answered Par’oh, "It isn't in me. God will give Par’oh an answer that will set his mind at peace."

As we spend more and more time with the God of Yisrael, we will become more and more humble. One of the individuals that spent much one on one time with Adonai was Moshe. In B’midbar (Num.) 12:3 it states, “Now this man Moshe was very humble, more so than anyone on earth.”

Humbling ourselves before God and recognizing His work through us is a Messianic trait. And, if we identify ourselves as “Messianic” or “Christian”, both of which mean that we are to be like Messiah Yeshua, we will also display this trait. In Yochanan (John) 8:28 we see Messiah Yeshua state, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM [who I say I am], and that of myself I do nothing, but say only what the Father has taught me.”

And again, in Yochanan (John) 14:9-12 in states,

“Yeshua replied to him, "Have I been with you so long without your knowing me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me? What I am telling you, I am not saying on my own initiative; the Father living in me is doing his own works. Trust me, that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me. But if you can't, then trust because of the works themselves. Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever trusts in me will also do the works I do! Indeed, he will do greater ones, because I am going to the Father.”

As we follow in the footsteps of Messiah and as God accomplishes His works through us, which He prepared for us to accomplish, we should be quick to give Him the recognition…For, it is not in us. Remember, every good and perfect gift is from above. So, there should be no reason to become haughty or to become puffed up. In 2Corinthians 10:17-18 we read, “So, let anyone who wants to boast, boast about Adonai; because it is not the one who recommends himself who is worthy of approval, but the one whom the Lord recommends.”

How often do you find yourself bragging or boasting about Adonai? Think about it. How often do you find yourself telling people about how great God is?? Now, think about how often you lift yourself up. Do you have unjust scales? We as a congregation and as God’s people need to realize how great the Elohim of Yisrael really is! We need to be boasting about Him when He is working in and through our lives. We need to come to terms that without Him we cannot accomplish any good thing. And, if we understand this, we should be careful about pretending that a good work originated from us. This week I want to challenge each and every one of you to boast in Adonai and brag about how great of a God you have to both people you know well and to those you don’t know well.

In Yochanan (John) 15:4-6 our Rabbi Yeshua tell us, “Stay united with me, as I will with you — for just as the branch can't put forth fruit by itself apart from the vine, so you can't bear fruit apart from me. "I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who stay united with me, and I with them, are the ones who bear much fruit; because apart from me you can't do a thing. Unless a person remains united with me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, where they are burned up.”

Yochanan the Immerser stated in Yochanan 3:27, "A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.” And, again in Yochanan 3:30 he says, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. For those whom recognize God as the one deserving of glory for all that which is holy, just, and good…it is these that Adonai seeks to lift up and be strong on their behalf. In 2Chronicles 16:9 it states, “For the eyes of YHVH move here and there throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those who are wholehearted toward him.” Do you wish to be used of God? Do you wish for the God Of Yisrael to show himself strong on your behalf? Than you must walk humbly with your God. In accordance with 2Chronicles 16:9 Yeshua tells His talmidim (disciples) in Yochanan 15:7-8, "If you remain united with me, and my words with you, then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you. This is how my Father is glorified — in your bearing much fruit; this is how you will prove to be my talmidim.”

How does Yosef, how does Moshe, and how do many other Anointed of Adonai become associated with such wonderful miracles? What does Yeshua mean when He states, “If you remain united with me, and my words with you, then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you”? How is it that we will be proved to be Yeshua’s talmidim, His disciples? As we continue to read He tell us…In Yochanan 5:9-10 our Master states, “Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my mitzvot (commandments), you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father's mitzvot, and remain in his love.”

This is the context in which Yeshua states, “then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you”. And we have another witness of this in 1Yochanan (1John) 3:22 where it says, “and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his mitzvot and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.”. This is what it looks like to be wholehearted with God and what is required for God to show Himself strong on our behalf. But, as we move forward in our obedience to Adonai…let us remember who’s mitzvot they are…they are HIS mitzvot and HIS works, for it is not in us that they have originated. Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are his workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.”. During this season of Chanukah may we let the light that Adonai has placed in us shine!

Amein v’baruch HaShem!

[alon]

This weeks par'shah, so bump.

Dan C