- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Feb 4, 2022 16:54:54 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 22:1-24
Haftara- Isaiah 33:7-22
This one is a bit long. Sorry, but the more I read, studied and thought on this one the less I was able to stop!
(Now I know why many of my fathers sermons went over so far.)
D’rash: Last week we talked about election; El-Shaddai, Almighty God (Gen 17:1) choosing who He wants to do what He wants. He chose Avram, later called Avraham to leave his people and the gods of his land and become a new people, Gods’ own peculiar people. Then God chose Yitz’chaq (יִצְחָק yits’châq) over the firstborn Yishma’el. This week we see part of the cost of being “chosen” as both these men were tested. This event provides possibly the clearest picture of Yeshua and His later sacrifice for all mankind in the entire TNK (OT). This foreshadowing of ha’Moshiach ben’Yoseph is part of an early Jewish tradition that is continued today in the Aqedah (Binding) reading every Rosh ha’Shanah, part of which says: “consider the binding of his son Yitz’chaq upon the altar when he suppressed his love in order to do your will with a whole heart.” When God called Abraham immediately responded:
“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:1)
This is the relationship God desires of us, that we hear His voice and respond without hesitation:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
We have now seen Moshiach ben’Yoseph, the “Suffering Servant” who came to redeem all mankind in Yeshua. However Avraham acted in trust to a God who called him away from all he knew, to a land where he was a stranger, dependent on being led by his God to men of goodwill who would allow him to sojourn in their land. When you read the following I have substituted “trust” for “faith,” a much better translation. The Greek πίστις pistis and the Hebrew אֵמוּן ‘êmûn do have connotations of both faith and trust. However in Hebrew especially the idea of trust is much stronger. But observe here the chain of faith/trust:
“By faith/trust Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. … By faith/trust he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. … By faith/trust Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful/trustworthy who had promised. … These all died in faith/trust, not having received the things promised, … By faith/trust Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” … By faith/trust Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith/trust Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, … By faith/trust Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. By faith/trust Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, … By faith/trust Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God …” (Hebrews 11:8-25)
With this idea of faith/trust in mind, recall Yitz’chaq was the miracle child of Avraham and Sarah’s advanced years. He was the heir to the promise, the one through which all the nations were to be blessed; the one through whom the very people of God were to be established! Now he must be killed on the altar. Also God did not ‘tell’ Avraham to sacrifice his son Yitz’chak, He aksed:
“He said, “Take your son, your [favored, beloved] 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.”” (Genesis 22:2)
בראשית 22:2 The Westminster Leningrad Codex:
וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּ֑ה וְהַעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
In the phrase אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ the “אֶת”/“at” in front of the words בִּנְ ben- son and יְחִֽידְ yachid- (only/favored/beloved) connect the two, and the ךָ֤ chet-sofit suffix on each connotes relationship- “your.”
Note too the word “נָ֠א” na. It means “please.” God, Manah Chelek “The Portion Of My Inheritance” (Ps 16:5) asked Avraham as a friend, and Avraham without complaint complied with the request. The word “נָ֠א na” is not usually (if ever) translated and included in our Bibles, yet it places a whole new meaning on this entire passage. Again mostly overlooked in our studies is the fact Yitz’chaq was also tested. He suspected something was amiss:
“And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”” (Genesis 22:7)
This brings up a point about primitive writing styles. There were no caps, nor any punctuation. They used words, phrases, sentence structure, and a variety of literary devices to divide ideas and to set the tone and the pace of a narrative. This one when read without verse divisions even in English presents a changing pace. It sets a pregnant tension in places:
“So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the [young man] will go over there and worship and come again to you.”” (Genesis 22:3-5)
Then the pace lopes a bit as the author adds irony to the plot:
“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:6)
Yitz’chaq is to carry the wood that will consume his body on the altar! He also sees his father with the knife that will slay him and the fire which will light the wood he carries. But he sees no sacrifice. Yet he too is obedient to both God and his father.
Read in the Hebrew Bible, but lost in our translations (unless there is a footnote directing you- if your Bible has footnotes, use them!) is the interwoven relationships in the following verse:
“He said, “Take your son, your [favored] 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 [heights that I will point out to you].”” (Genesis 22:2)
2 וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּ֑ה וְהַעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר WLC
The command וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ lech lecha, “get going” to this point was only used once:
Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go [וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ lech lecha, “go, get going”] from your [land] and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.”
That phrase וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ lech lecha, “get going” connects this passage to the first recorded interaction between Avraham and his Elohim. There is also a parallel in the phrase here “to the land that I will show you” and in our parashah “on one of the heights that I will point out to you.” This linguistic device points out to us that biblical stories in general, and these two in particular are interwoven into a cohesive, related unit. All, the successes (as here) and the failures throughout are primarily about the faith/trust relationship between God and His people.
Note the increasing tension as the story progresses. It starts with the phrase “Take your son, your [favored] son.” Not just any son, but the one favored by both Avraham and Elohei Ha’Ivriyim, Lord God of the Hebrews (Ex 3:18); the one through which the promises were to be manifest:
“He said, “Take your son, your only [favored] 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.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:2-8)
Biblical stories should be read as though you were there. You see what they see, feel what they feel. Moriah in Jewish tradition is the region where Yerushalayim is today, and the specific location is where the Temple would later stand. Always one “goes up to Jerusalem,” as it is on the highest part of the mountain range that runs north to south through all of contemporary Israel.
There is also an idea-play often overlooked here. Avraham and Yitz’chaq were both “bound together” in their intent to be obedient to their God, even to the death of Yitz’chaq who is literally and willingly bound on this mountain. “So they went both of them together,” Avraham knowing what must happen (only not that it would happen some 2000 years later), and Yitz’chaq suspecting.
As you read this (highly redacted) excerpt from the Jewish Virtual Library, think on the interwoven biblical history of the site to which they traveled:
“Mount Moriah is the name of the elongated north-south stretch of land lying between Kidron Valley and "Hagai" Valley, between Mount Zion to the west and the Mount of Olives to the east. "Zion" was situated on the southern slope of Mount Moriah, above the Gihon Spring. After King David captured the city he made it his capital and named it for himself: the "City of David.”
The northern area of the mountain's summit … was in fact still the private property of Araunah, the city's former Jebusite king. … David did not confiscate the site but preferred to buy it … And David built there an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and offerings of well-being" (1 Chronicles 21:25).
In time the mountain had acquired an aura of sanctity and the subject of many traditions … perhaps was the cultic center of "El Elyon," God of Melchizedek, king of Salem: "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High [El Elyon]. He blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, creator of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:18). The best-known tradition related to Mount Moriah is the Binding of Isaac for sacrifice in Genesis 22.
The tradition of "Jacob's Dream" is also identified with Mount Moriah, … perhaps the most colorful representation of the essential nature of the site which some would later claim was the "navel of the world.” At the summit of Mount Moriah, traditionally, is the "Foundation Stone," the symbolic fundament of the world's creation, and reputedly the site of the Temple's Holy of Holies, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel.”
Every location, every site, every stone holds memories to a Jewish person raised on these stories, told as though he or she was there. Each year at Pesach (Passover) the story of the Exodus is read, and even today everyone relives the experience. They were there, as they were there when Avraham and Yitz’chaq ascended Mt. Moriah, their faith tested with each step as the summit drew nearer. The journey itself took over three days: “On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.” Over three days to think about what they were about to do. And that last leg of the journey up the mountain they did alone: “Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
What must Avraham have felt as Yitz’chaq addressed him as אָבִי ’āvi, “my father”:
“And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”” (Genesis 22:7)
This presages what God must have felt when later Yeshua prayed at Gethsemane:
“And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” (Mark 14:35-36)
In modern translations, meant to be read so we can understand, a lot of the original meaning is lost. It’s not just what was said, but how the author said it. We alluded to how the tempo changes earlier. This was accomplished by literary methods that would sound awkward to our ears. The prolonged narrative of vss. 22:1-8 cover the journey, then the tempo picks up in vs. 9:
“When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.”
Then in vs. 10 the pace substantially slows:
“Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.”
The ESV is pretty true to the original (which is why I like it), however many translations omit the phrase “reached out his hand,” destroying the pace of the narrative.
Unlike Yeshua, God does save Yitz’chaq:
“But the [messenger] of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the [young man] or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”” (Genesis 22:11-14)
El Shadai, God the Provider (Gen 28:3) provided the sacrifice, both for Avraham and Yitz’chaq and later for the world. He keeps the promise that Yitz’chaq will carry the lineage of His chosen people, Yisroel; as well as the lineage of the later sacrifice, Ha’Moshiach Yeshua; the promised Messiah. However lost in translation is the fact this story also invites us to stop; to reflect back and see this divine offer of salvation is not limited to the elect (either to Yitz’chaq or Yisroel). Quoting Dr. Schaser (pronounced “‘Shay’zer”) of the Israel Bible Institute: “just one chapter before the Aqedah, Genesis anticipates the protection of Isaac when God saves Ishmael in much the same way. Genesis 22 describes the elect Isaac’s salvation thusly: “The angel of the Lord (מלאך יהוה; malakh Hashem) called (קרא; qara) to [Abraham] from the heavens (מן השׁמים; min ha’shamayim) and said… ‘Do not lay your hand (יד; yad) on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing that your have not withheld your son, your favored one, from me.’ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw (עניו וירא; enav va’yar’), and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” (22:11-14)
Genesis 21 uses the same language to describe the non-elect Ishmael’s salvation. As Hagar weeps beside her child because she has run out of water in the wilderness, “God heard the boy’s voice, and the angel of God (מלאך אלהים; malakh Elohim) called (קרא; qara) to Hagar from the heavens (מן השׁמים; min ha’shamayim) and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not… lift up the boy and hold on to him with your hand (יד; yad), for I will make him into a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes and she saw (עיניה ותרא; eneha va’tere’) a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink” (21:17-19).”
Just as God sends an “angel from heaven” who causes Abraham to “lift up his eyes” and see a ram that he can use to save his son, the Lord also sends an “angel from heaven” who causes Hagar to “open her eyes” and see a well that saves her son. This shows us that, while Ishmael is not “chosen” in the same way as Isaac, both the “elect” (Isaac) and the “non-elect” (Ishmael) receive the same salvific grace from the God of Israel.”
We now know that this offer of salvation, seen here as physical salvation (which is mostly how early Hebrews saw it) also has a strong spiritual component (how almost all contemporary believers mostly see it). However the physical always reflects the spiritual throughout the Bible. And it has always been offered to Gentiles as well as Jews (read the book of Ruth). But in the Renewed Covenant (NT) this offer becomes even more apparent:
“and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47)
Jewish tradition long held the idea of two Messiah’s: Moshiach ben’Yoseph who would suffer and die, and Moshiach ben’Dovid who would come as a conqueror to restore the world to righteousness. It was even argued that it would be the same Moshiach:
“Like Moses, Messiah will be revealed, then hidden, then revealed again.” (Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2)
And even long after Yeshua the debate over two Moshiachim continued. Rabbi Dosa (@250 CE) was an advocate of the two Messiah theory:
“What is the cause of the mourning [of Zech. 12:12]--... It is well according to him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse:
And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, And they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only son.” (Zech. 12:10) (b. Sukkot 52a)
This is reflected (along with the solution to the argument) in many of the Renewed Covenant (NT) writings:
“so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28)
The picture of Yitz’chaq, obedient to his father, a willing sacrifice; yet he arose from the altar alive and well as a perfect type of Yeshua. And Avraham, obedient to the wishes (not commands in this case) of his spiritual father and God, immediately responding to what must have been confusing instructions. But he knew in faith and trust:
“Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”” (Genesis 22: 8a)
Mekorot: Scriptures from the ESV unless otherwise noted; the Westminster Leningrad Codex; JPS Study Bible; Green’s Interlinear Bible; Israel Bible Center staff, esp Drs. Eli, Schaser, and Parker; Jewish Encyclopedia; Jewish Virtual Library; CJB Study Bible; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 23:1-20
Haftara- 1 King 1:1-31
Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Genesis 22:1-24
Haftara- Isaiah 33:7-22
This one is a bit long. Sorry, but the more I read, studied and thought on this one the less I was able to stop!
(Now I know why many of my fathers sermons went over so far.)
D’rash: Last week we talked about election; El-Shaddai, Almighty God (Gen 17:1) choosing who He wants to do what He wants. He chose Avram, later called Avraham to leave his people and the gods of his land and become a new people, Gods’ own peculiar people. Then God chose Yitz’chaq (יִצְחָק yits’châq) over the firstborn Yishma’el. This week we see part of the cost of being “chosen” as both these men were tested. This event provides possibly the clearest picture of Yeshua and His later sacrifice for all mankind in the entire TNK (OT). This foreshadowing of ha’Moshiach ben’Yoseph is part of an early Jewish tradition that is continued today in the Aqedah (Binding) reading every Rosh ha’Shanah, part of which says: “consider the binding of his son Yitz’chaq upon the altar when he suppressed his love in order to do your will with a whole heart.” When God called Abraham immediately responded:
“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:1)
This is the relationship God desires of us, that we hear His voice and respond without hesitation:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
We have now seen Moshiach ben’Yoseph, the “Suffering Servant” who came to redeem all mankind in Yeshua. However Avraham acted in trust to a God who called him away from all he knew, to a land where he was a stranger, dependent on being led by his God to men of goodwill who would allow him to sojourn in their land. When you read the following I have substituted “trust” for “faith,” a much better translation. The Greek πίστις pistis and the Hebrew אֵמוּן ‘êmûn do have connotations of both faith and trust. However in Hebrew especially the idea of trust is much stronger. But observe here the chain of faith/trust:
“By faith/trust Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. … By faith/trust he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. … By faith/trust Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful/trustworthy who had promised. … These all died in faith/trust, not having received the things promised, … By faith/trust Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” … By faith/trust Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith/trust Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, … By faith/trust Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. By faith/trust Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, … By faith/trust Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God …” (Hebrews 11:8-25)
With this idea of faith/trust in mind, recall Yitz’chaq was the miracle child of Avraham and Sarah’s advanced years. He was the heir to the promise, the one through which all the nations were to be blessed; the one through whom the very people of God were to be established! Now he must be killed on the altar. Also God did not ‘tell’ Avraham to sacrifice his son Yitz’chak, He aksed:
“He said, “Take your son, your [favored, beloved] 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.”” (Genesis 22:2)
בראשית 22:2 The Westminster Leningrad Codex:
וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּ֑ה וְהַעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
In the phrase אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ the “אֶת”/“at” in front of the words בִּנְ ben- son and יְחִֽידְ yachid- (only/favored/beloved) connect the two, and the ךָ֤ chet-sofit suffix on each connotes relationship- “your.”
Note too the word “נָ֠א” na. It means “please.” God, Manah Chelek “The Portion Of My Inheritance” (Ps 16:5) asked Avraham as a friend, and Avraham without complaint complied with the request. The word “נָ֠א na” is not usually (if ever) translated and included in our Bibles, yet it places a whole new meaning on this entire passage. Again mostly overlooked in our studies is the fact Yitz’chaq was also tested. He suspected something was amiss:
“And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”” (Genesis 22:7)
This brings up a point about primitive writing styles. There were no caps, nor any punctuation. They used words, phrases, sentence structure, and a variety of literary devices to divide ideas and to set the tone and the pace of a narrative. This one when read without verse divisions even in English presents a changing pace. It sets a pregnant tension in places:
“So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the [young man] will go over there and worship and come again to you.”” (Genesis 22:3-5)
Then the pace lopes a bit as the author adds irony to the plot:
“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:6)
Yitz’chaq is to carry the wood that will consume his body on the altar! He also sees his father with the knife that will slay him and the fire which will light the wood he carries. But he sees no sacrifice. Yet he too is obedient to both God and his father.
Read in the Hebrew Bible, but lost in our translations (unless there is a footnote directing you- if your Bible has footnotes, use them!) is the interwoven relationships in the following verse:
“He said, “Take your son, your [favored] 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 [heights that I will point out to you].”” (Genesis 22:2)
2 וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּ֑ה וְהַעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר WLC
The command וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ lech lecha, “get going” to this point was only used once:
Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go [וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ lech lecha, “go, get going”] from your [land] and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.”
That phrase וְלֶךְ־לְךָ֔ lech lecha, “get going” connects this passage to the first recorded interaction between Avraham and his Elohim. There is also a parallel in the phrase here “to the land that I will show you” and in our parashah “on one of the heights that I will point out to you.” This linguistic device points out to us that biblical stories in general, and these two in particular are interwoven into a cohesive, related unit. All, the successes (as here) and the failures throughout are primarily about the faith/trust relationship between God and His people.
Note the increasing tension as the story progresses. It starts with the phrase “Take your son, your [favored] son.” Not just any son, but the one favored by both Avraham and Elohei Ha’Ivriyim, Lord God of the Hebrews (Ex 3:18); the one through which the promises were to be manifest:
“He said, “Take your son, your only [favored] 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.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:2-8)
Biblical stories should be read as though you were there. You see what they see, feel what they feel. Moriah in Jewish tradition is the region where Yerushalayim is today, and the specific location is where the Temple would later stand. Always one “goes up to Jerusalem,” as it is on the highest part of the mountain range that runs north to south through all of contemporary Israel.
There is also an idea-play often overlooked here. Avraham and Yitz’chaq were both “bound together” in their intent to be obedient to their God, even to the death of Yitz’chaq who is literally and willingly bound on this mountain. “So they went both of them together,” Avraham knowing what must happen (only not that it would happen some 2000 years later), and Yitz’chaq suspecting.
As you read this (highly redacted) excerpt from the Jewish Virtual Library, think on the interwoven biblical history of the site to which they traveled:
“Mount Moriah is the name of the elongated north-south stretch of land lying between Kidron Valley and "Hagai" Valley, between Mount Zion to the west and the Mount of Olives to the east. "Zion" was situated on the southern slope of Mount Moriah, above the Gihon Spring. After King David captured the city he made it his capital and named it for himself: the "City of David.”
The northern area of the mountain's summit … was in fact still the private property of Araunah, the city's former Jebusite king. … David did not confiscate the site but preferred to buy it … And David built there an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and offerings of well-being" (1 Chronicles 21:25).
In time the mountain had acquired an aura of sanctity and the subject of many traditions … perhaps was the cultic center of "El Elyon," God of Melchizedek, king of Salem: "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High [El Elyon]. He blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, creator of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:18). The best-known tradition related to Mount Moriah is the Binding of Isaac for sacrifice in Genesis 22.
The tradition of "Jacob's Dream" is also identified with Mount Moriah, … perhaps the most colorful representation of the essential nature of the site which some would later claim was the "navel of the world.” At the summit of Mount Moriah, traditionally, is the "Foundation Stone," the symbolic fundament of the world's creation, and reputedly the site of the Temple's Holy of Holies, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel.”
Every location, every site, every stone holds memories to a Jewish person raised on these stories, told as though he or she was there. Each year at Pesach (Passover) the story of the Exodus is read, and even today everyone relives the experience. They were there, as they were there when Avraham and Yitz’chaq ascended Mt. Moriah, their faith tested with each step as the summit drew nearer. The journey itself took over three days: “On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.” Over three days to think about what they were about to do. And that last leg of the journey up the mountain they did alone: “Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
What must Avraham have felt as Yitz’chaq addressed him as אָבִי ’āvi, “my father”:
“And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”” (Genesis 22:7)
This presages what God must have felt when later Yeshua prayed at Gethsemane:
“And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” (Mark 14:35-36)
In modern translations, meant to be read so we can understand, a lot of the original meaning is lost. It’s not just what was said, but how the author said it. We alluded to how the tempo changes earlier. This was accomplished by literary methods that would sound awkward to our ears. The prolonged narrative of vss. 22:1-8 cover the journey, then the tempo picks up in vs. 9:
“When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.”
Then in vs. 10 the pace substantially slows:
“Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.”
The ESV is pretty true to the original (which is why I like it), however many translations omit the phrase “reached out his hand,” destroying the pace of the narrative.
Unlike Yeshua, God does save Yitz’chaq:
“But the [messenger] of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the [young man] or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”” (Genesis 22:11-14)
El Shadai, God the Provider (Gen 28:3) provided the sacrifice, both for Avraham and Yitz’chaq and later for the world. He keeps the promise that Yitz’chaq will carry the lineage of His chosen people, Yisroel; as well as the lineage of the later sacrifice, Ha’Moshiach Yeshua; the promised Messiah. However lost in translation is the fact this story also invites us to stop; to reflect back and see this divine offer of salvation is not limited to the elect (either to Yitz’chaq or Yisroel). Quoting Dr. Schaser (pronounced “‘Shay’zer”) of the Israel Bible Institute: “just one chapter before the Aqedah, Genesis anticipates the protection of Isaac when God saves Ishmael in much the same way. Genesis 22 describes the elect Isaac’s salvation thusly: “The angel of the Lord (מלאך יהוה; malakh Hashem) called (קרא; qara) to [Abraham] from the heavens (מן השׁמים; min ha’shamayim) and said… ‘Do not lay your hand (יד; yad) on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing that your have not withheld your son, your favored one, from me.’ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw (עניו וירא; enav va’yar’), and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” (22:11-14)
Genesis 21 uses the same language to describe the non-elect Ishmael’s salvation. As Hagar weeps beside her child because she has run out of water in the wilderness, “God heard the boy’s voice, and the angel of God (מלאך אלהים; malakh Elohim) called (קרא; qara) to Hagar from the heavens (מן השׁמים; min ha’shamayim) and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not… lift up the boy and hold on to him with your hand (יד; yad), for I will make him into a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes and she saw (עיניה ותרא; eneha va’tere’) a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink” (21:17-19).”
Just as God sends an “angel from heaven” who causes Abraham to “lift up his eyes” and see a ram that he can use to save his son, the Lord also sends an “angel from heaven” who causes Hagar to “open her eyes” and see a well that saves her son. This shows us that, while Ishmael is not “chosen” in the same way as Isaac, both the “elect” (Isaac) and the “non-elect” (Ishmael) receive the same salvific grace from the God of Israel.”
We now know that this offer of salvation, seen here as physical salvation (which is mostly how early Hebrews saw it) also has a strong spiritual component (how almost all contemporary believers mostly see it). However the physical always reflects the spiritual throughout the Bible. And it has always been offered to Gentiles as well as Jews (read the book of Ruth). But in the Renewed Covenant (NT) this offer becomes even more apparent:
“and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47)
Jewish tradition long held the idea of two Messiah’s: Moshiach ben’Yoseph who would suffer and die, and Moshiach ben’Dovid who would come as a conqueror to restore the world to righteousness. It was even argued that it would be the same Moshiach:
“Like Moses, Messiah will be revealed, then hidden, then revealed again.” (Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2)
And even long after Yeshua the debate over two Moshiachim continued. Rabbi Dosa (@250 CE) was an advocate of the two Messiah theory:
“What is the cause of the mourning [of Zech. 12:12]--... It is well according to him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse:
And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, And they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only son.” (Zech. 12:10) (b. Sukkot 52a)
This is reflected (along with the solution to the argument) in many of the Renewed Covenant (NT) writings:
“so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28)
The picture of Yitz’chaq, obedient to his father, a willing sacrifice; yet he arose from the altar alive and well as a perfect type of Yeshua. And Avraham, obedient to the wishes (not commands in this case) of his spiritual father and God, immediately responding to what must have been confusing instructions. But he knew in faith and trust:
“Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”” (Genesis 22: 8a)
Mekorot: Scriptures from the ESV unless otherwise noted; the Westminster Leningrad Codex; JPS Study Bible; Green’s Interlinear Bible; Israel Bible Center staff, esp Drs. Eli, Schaser, and Parker; Jewish Encyclopedia; Jewish Virtual Library; CJB Study Bible; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 23:1-20
Haftara- 1 King 1:1-31
Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
