- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Jan 21, 2022 19:53:51 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 20:1-18
Haftara- Isaiah 61:1-10
Darash: This account bears similarities to occurences in Gen 12:10-20 (Avram and Sarai before Pharaoh) and Gen 26:1-11 (Isaac and Rebekah in Abimelech’s court). However this passage emphasizes points of law. It also delves into motivations and behaviors; morals and psychology of both the just and unjust, but with a somewhat skewed plot. Also we see here that while there were certainly other prophets before him in the TNK, Avraham is the first to be called that by God.
נָבִיא nâbı̂y'; a prophet or (generally) inspired man: prophecy, that prophesy, prophet; one who brings forth the word of the Lord.
Jude tells us that Enoch, in the lost book that bore his name (not the fake so popular today) was probably the first man to have been recorded to prophesy: Jude 14:14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.” Jude also called Adam and Noach prophets. While others such as Moshe had prophetic revelations, these were not actually called by that title by God in Genesis.
There are many stories of Avraham’s dealings with the people of ha’eretz Cana’an, the land promised him by God. He almost always sought peace with them, interceding for them in prayer at times. Avraham, like Moshe after him was one of the Bible’s great intercessors.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the [afflicted]; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Avraham as a type of ha’moshiach was called to be a blessing for the land and its’ people. Instead in this parashah he becomes a curse.
Genesis 20:1-2,11 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. … Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’
So this great man of faith now walked by sight instead. He became frightened: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” (Prov 29:25). Why this sudden change of heart:
Genesis 20:13 And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’
Because whatever we bring with us from our old life will continue to cause us problems as we try to move forward in Yeshua: Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. It’s one thing to confess our sins, but it’s quite another to judge them before God. This is a good example of why we are told “judge with right judgment” (John 7:24b).
Genesis 20:3-6 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.
Instead of His friend Avraham, God speaks to a pagan king and kept the man from sinning. But always a respector of free will, He allowed Avraham to lie. “The sin both of men and of angels, was rendered possible by the fact that God gave us free will” (C. S. Lewis). We see that Abimelech was still guilty since God threatened to punish him. He had inadvertently kidnaped another man’s wife. Sin is still sin, even if we are not aware, and must be accounted for. This is why we should pray each day for forgiveness of unintentional and/or unknown sins.
There is often a tenor of superior morality expressed by unbelievers when a believer falters which is meant to put us, and thus the Lord to shame. The enemy, ha’satan is always watching, and he knows our weaknesses better than we know ourselves. We are always in the fight, so always we need the whole armor of God (Eph 6:10-18).
Genesis 20:7-8 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.
This gives the lie to Avraham’s statement he did it because ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place’ (Gen 20:11). And so he involved his wife, his entire household, as well as a pagan king and thus an entire kingdom in his deceit!
Genesis 20:9-10 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?
Now we witness the spectacle of a pagan king upbraiding a prophet of El-Elyon, Most High God (Gen 14:18) for his egregious failure. He was also to be the first Patriarch of the nation El Elohai Yisroel, Lord God of Israel (Gen 33:20, Ex 32:27) was to create for Himself. It was more than just humiliating; this was a travesty! However our Elohim sometimes uses the unsaved to chasten the saved, and that Avraham was a believer did not give him license to sin. There is a doctrine in many churches that the saved cannot sin because any sin automatically forgiven. This is wrong. I once argued the point with one person on staff with a major Bible publisher (who I won’t mention), which means the translations we use may be skewed to this point as well. This person was insistent that as soon as a Christian sinned they were forgiven. And we were arguing in an Assembly study group, no less! Yet no one else said anything, instead allowing the (ex) Southern Baptist (at the time in Hebrew Roots) to defend against the “once saved always saved” doctrine they disagreed with as well: “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
Genesis 20:12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
sister- אָחוֹת 'âchôth; a sister (literally and figuratively): (an-) other, sister, together; half sister (Lev 18:9).
father- אָב 'âb; father in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application: - chief, (fore-) father ([-less]), patrimony, principal; grandfather (Gen 28:13).
Avraham now changes his defense strategy to a line of linguistic acrobatics. It’s true אָחוֹת sister can mean “half sister,” and אָב father may mean any male among his forefathers. However he is guilty of omitting the much more important detail that Sarah was his wife!
Genesis 20:14-16 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”
In the ancient Near-east, public payment of a large sum (in coin or gifts) was considered to be atonement for guilt. Financially and situationally Avraham was better off. However spiritually he was much poorer. In the long run sin is not rewarding. His character had suffered in both his eyes and in many others. His own household witnessed his failure. He had also lost an opportunity to witness to a king and a people. And instead of glorifying his God, he had brought shame on His name.
Genesis 20:17-18 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
pray- פָּלַל pâlal; to judge (officially or mentally); by extension to intercede, pray: - intreat, judge (-ment), (make) pray (-er, -ing), make supplication.
We end with Avraham coming back into the will of God, acting as intercessor in his role as prophet:
Colossians 1:9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; JPS Study TNK; W Wiersbee; Dr Eli of the IBC; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 21:1-34
Haftara- 1Sa 2:1-36
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Genesis 20:1-18
Haftara- Isaiah 61:1-10
Darash: This account bears similarities to occurences in Gen 12:10-20 (Avram and Sarai before Pharaoh) and Gen 26:1-11 (Isaac and Rebekah in Abimelech’s court). However this passage emphasizes points of law. It also delves into motivations and behaviors; morals and psychology of both the just and unjust, but with a somewhat skewed plot. Also we see here that while there were certainly other prophets before him in the TNK, Avraham is the first to be called that by God.
נָבִיא nâbı̂y'; a prophet or (generally) inspired man: prophecy, that prophesy, prophet; one who brings forth the word of the Lord.
Jude tells us that Enoch, in the lost book that bore his name (not the fake so popular today) was probably the first man to have been recorded to prophesy: Jude 14:14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.” Jude also called Adam and Noach prophets. While others such as Moshe had prophetic revelations, these were not actually called by that title by God in Genesis.
There are many stories of Avraham’s dealings with the people of ha’eretz Cana’an, the land promised him by God. He almost always sought peace with them, interceding for them in prayer at times. Avraham, like Moshe after him was one of the Bible’s great intercessors.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the [afflicted]; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Avraham as a type of ha’moshiach was called to be a blessing for the land and its’ people. Instead in this parashah he becomes a curse.
Genesis 20:1-2,11 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. … Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’
So this great man of faith now walked by sight instead. He became frightened: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” (Prov 29:25). Why this sudden change of heart:
Genesis 20:13 And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’
Because whatever we bring with us from our old life will continue to cause us problems as we try to move forward in Yeshua: Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. It’s one thing to confess our sins, but it’s quite another to judge them before God. This is a good example of why we are told “judge with right judgment” (John 7:24b).
Genesis 20:3-6 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.
Instead of His friend Avraham, God speaks to a pagan king and kept the man from sinning. But always a respector of free will, He allowed Avraham to lie. “The sin both of men and of angels, was rendered possible by the fact that God gave us free will” (C. S. Lewis). We see that Abimelech was still guilty since God threatened to punish him. He had inadvertently kidnaped another man’s wife. Sin is still sin, even if we are not aware, and must be accounted for. This is why we should pray each day for forgiveness of unintentional and/or unknown sins.
There is often a tenor of superior morality expressed by unbelievers when a believer falters which is meant to put us, and thus the Lord to shame. The enemy, ha’satan is always watching, and he knows our weaknesses better than we know ourselves. We are always in the fight, so always we need the whole armor of God (Eph 6:10-18).
Genesis 20:7-8 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.
This gives the lie to Avraham’s statement he did it because ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place’ (Gen 20:11). And so he involved his wife, his entire household, as well as a pagan king and thus an entire kingdom in his deceit!
Genesis 20:9-10 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?
Now we witness the spectacle of a pagan king upbraiding a prophet of El-Elyon, Most High God (Gen 14:18) for his egregious failure. He was also to be the first Patriarch of the nation El Elohai Yisroel, Lord God of Israel (Gen 33:20, Ex 32:27) was to create for Himself. It was more than just humiliating; this was a travesty! However our Elohim sometimes uses the unsaved to chasten the saved, and that Avraham was a believer did not give him license to sin. There is a doctrine in many churches that the saved cannot sin because any sin automatically forgiven. This is wrong. I once argued the point with one person on staff with a major Bible publisher (who I won’t mention), which means the translations we use may be skewed to this point as well. This person was insistent that as soon as a Christian sinned they were forgiven. And we were arguing in an Assembly study group, no less! Yet no one else said anything, instead allowing the (ex) Southern Baptist (at the time in Hebrew Roots) to defend against the “once saved always saved” doctrine they disagreed with as well: “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
Genesis 20:12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
sister- אָחוֹת 'âchôth; a sister (literally and figuratively): (an-) other, sister, together; half sister (Lev 18:9).
father- אָב 'âb; father in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application: - chief, (fore-) father ([-less]), patrimony, principal; grandfather (Gen 28:13).
Avraham now changes his defense strategy to a line of linguistic acrobatics. It’s true אָחוֹת sister can mean “half sister,” and אָב father may mean any male among his forefathers. However he is guilty of omitting the much more important detail that Sarah was his wife!
Genesis 20:14-16 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”
In the ancient Near-east, public payment of a large sum (in coin or gifts) was considered to be atonement for guilt. Financially and situationally Avraham was better off. However spiritually he was much poorer. In the long run sin is not rewarding. His character had suffered in both his eyes and in many others. His own household witnessed his failure. He had also lost an opportunity to witness to a king and a people. And instead of glorifying his God, he had brought shame on His name.
Genesis 20:17-18 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
pray- פָּלַל pâlal; to judge (officially or mentally); by extension to intercede, pray: - intreat, judge (-ment), (make) pray (-er, -ing), make supplication.
We end with Avraham coming back into the will of God, acting as intercessor in his role as prophet:
Colossians 1:9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; JPS Study TNK; W Wiersbee; Dr Eli of the IBC; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 21:1-34
Haftara- 1Sa 2:1-36
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
