Post by alon on Nov 13, 2019 4:26:15 GMT -8
Name of Par’shah- 4.3 Vayera- He Appeared
Par’shah- Gen 18:1 – 22:24
Haftara- 2 King 4.1-37
D’rash: We are continuing to pull out actual commandments in our
portion. We also may look at some important principles as we go.
Genesis 18:2-5 (ESV) He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
Yet Avraham did far more than what he’d said! He proved to be a very generous and considerate host! We can compare what Avraham did for these strangers to the meager meal offered later by Lot, and we see a principle demonstrated here that is done throughout the Bible: hospitality.
Genesis 18:14, 21:2 (ESV) Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” … And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Another biblical principle: there is nothing too hard for El Gibor, The Mighty God (Gen 49:24):
2 Kings 4:16-17 (ESV) And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.
The prophet Elisha did this through the Ruach HaKodesh for the Shunamite woman because of her generosity to him. Later, when the child had died the awesome power of the God he served was again demonstrated when Elisha revived child.
Matthew 28:6 (ESV) He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
Death and the grave could not hold our Messiah, Immanuel, God With Us (Is 7:14; Mat 1:23). Nothing is impossible for our God!
Genesis 18:27, 29 (ESV) Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. … So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
Jews seem to have inherited this trait from their father, Avraham- chutzpah! Moshe too had argued with God. Our Melech ha’M’lechim, King of Kings (Rev 19:16), the King of Glory Himself, Melech ha’Kavod (Ps 24:7) does not want “yes men.” He invites us to ask the tough questions, to disagree, and even to barter with Him! No other god was like this, no monarch or emperor either for that matter. But why? (It’s ok to ask that too!)
I once was talking to a Veterinarian about God. He was an avowed athiest who’d (of all things) married a Muslim woman. She couldn’t have been practicing, but that was her background. He asked if my God was so all-powerful and self-sustaining, why would He want us? I asked him if he had any pets. He refused to talk to me after that.
Genesis 19:12-14, 26 (ESV) Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. … But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
“Jesus Saves” is a popular slogan. But we must do our part, being obedient. We must act to first accept the message, then to do as told. Lot’s sons in-law wouldn’t believe, and so stayed and were destroyed. His wife looked back after being told not to and she was killed. And here is another biblical principle illustrated: what we do does not just effect us, but most likely will have far reaching effects on others. Lots daughters, because they saw the devastation in the valley thought the world was ending. Not having their husbands, they slept with their father and conceived through incest children who would become patriarchs of nations that would plague Israel through the centuries. Had Lot’s wife survived it is also unlikely this would have happened. And I have to say it: “Be careful what you ask for.” Had Avraham not contrived to save his nephew those nations would not have been born either!
Genesis 19:37-38 (ESV) The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV) After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
More about our relationship with YHVH-Hose’enu, God Our Creator (Ps 95:6). It’s not in any English translations I know of, but in the Hebrew there is a short word; נָ֠א na. It means “please.” This word changes the whole tone here from a command to a request, as one would make of a friend. Many erroneously try to pull some kind of commandment from this, but the fact is it was only a request. Now one might argue it would be foolish to refuse the request of Almighty God. But this is the same Avraham who had bargained with the same God for Sodom and Lot. There is however a principle here: immediate trusting obedience opens the way for YHVH-Yireh God our Provider (Gen 22:14) to abundantly bless us:
Genesis 22:15-18 (ESV) And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
So no commandments, but a wealth of biblical principles as we are introduced to our God.
Dan C
Par’shah- Gen 18:1 – 22:24
Haftara- 2 King 4.1-37
D’rash: We are continuing to pull out actual commandments in our
portion. We also may look at some important principles as we go.Genesis 18:2-5 (ESV) He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
Yet Avraham did far more than what he’d said! He proved to be a very generous and considerate host! We can compare what Avraham did for these strangers to the meager meal offered later by Lot, and we see a principle demonstrated here that is done throughout the Bible: hospitality.
Genesis 18:14, 21:2 (ESV) Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” … And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Another biblical principle: there is nothing too hard for El Gibor, The Mighty God (Gen 49:24):
2 Kings 4:16-17 (ESV) And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.
The prophet Elisha did this through the Ruach HaKodesh for the Shunamite woman because of her generosity to him. Later, when the child had died the awesome power of the God he served was again demonstrated when Elisha revived child.
Matthew 28:6 (ESV) He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
Death and the grave could not hold our Messiah, Immanuel, God With Us (Is 7:14; Mat 1:23). Nothing is impossible for our God!
Genesis 18:27, 29 (ESV) Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. … So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
Jews seem to have inherited this trait from their father, Avraham- chutzpah! Moshe too had argued with God. Our Melech ha’M’lechim, King of Kings (Rev 19:16), the King of Glory Himself, Melech ha’Kavod (Ps 24:7) does not want “yes men.” He invites us to ask the tough questions, to disagree, and even to barter with Him! No other god was like this, no monarch or emperor either for that matter. But why? (It’s ok to ask that too!)
I once was talking to a Veterinarian about God. He was an avowed athiest who’d (of all things) married a Muslim woman. She couldn’t have been practicing, but that was her background. He asked if my God was so all-powerful and self-sustaining, why would He want us? I asked him if he had any pets. He refused to talk to me after that.
Genesis 19:12-14, 26 (ESV) Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. … But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
“Jesus Saves” is a popular slogan. But we must do our part, being obedient. We must act to first accept the message, then to do as told. Lot’s sons in-law wouldn’t believe, and so stayed and were destroyed. His wife looked back after being told not to and she was killed. And here is another biblical principle illustrated: what we do does not just effect us, but most likely will have far reaching effects on others. Lots daughters, because they saw the devastation in the valley thought the world was ending. Not having their husbands, they slept with their father and conceived through incest children who would become patriarchs of nations that would plague Israel through the centuries. Had Lot’s wife survived it is also unlikely this would have happened. And I have to say it: “Be careful what you ask for.” Had Avraham not contrived to save his nephew those nations would not have been born either!
Genesis 19:37-38 (ESV) The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV) After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
More about our relationship with YHVH-Hose’enu, God Our Creator (Ps 95:6). It’s not in any English translations I know of, but in the Hebrew there is a short word; נָ֠א na. It means “please.” This word changes the whole tone here from a command to a request, as one would make of a friend. Many erroneously try to pull some kind of commandment from this, but the fact is it was only a request. Now one might argue it would be foolish to refuse the request of Almighty God. But this is the same Avraham who had bargained with the same God for Sodom and Lot. There is however a principle here: immediate trusting obedience opens the way for YHVH-Yireh God our Provider (Gen 22:14) to abundantly bless us:
Genesis 22:15-18 (ESV) And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
So no commandments, but a wealth of biblical principles as we are introduced to our God.
Dan C
