The Jerusalem Prayer List – 29 November, 2024
By Joseph Shulam // Mevaserrat Zion
The Torah and the book of Genesis are counted as the first books of the Bible, a record of the creation of the world, the beginning of all beginnings, containing the seeds of the issues of all civilizations on the face of this blue ball called Earth. They also include the seeds of salvation for humanity.
This week's Torah portion is called "Toldot," which means "Generations," Genealogy," or" "History."
We will be reading from Genesis 25:19-28:9.
From the prophets, we will be reading 1 Samuel 20:18-42.
From the New Testament, we will be reading Matthew 24:29-36.
I can't emphasize enough the importance of a family sitting at the dinner table on Friday evening and reading biblical texts from the Torah, the Prophets, and the New Testament. This simple act is a special occasion that your children will grow up with, like a Gorilla Glue for your family to stay firm, connected, and inspired to stay faithful to the family, God, and God's people.
A few thoughts on the first word of our Torah portion: TOLDOT! Hebrew is a small language. Yes, it is the oldest ancient language still alive and kicking. Yes, it is the language of God's revelation in the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament Gospel of Matthew also starts with the same word, "Toldot". "This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac." (Genesis 25:19 NKJV)
Here is a list of the Biblical texts that start with this Hebrew word "Toldot"!
Genesis 5:1: "This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God."
Gen. 6:9: "This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God."
Gen. 10:1: "Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood."
Gen. 11:10: "This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood."
Gen. 11:27: "This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot."
Gen. 25:12: "Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham."
Gen. 25:19: "This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac."
Gen. 36:1: "Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom."
Gen. 36:9: "And this is the genealogy of Esau, the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir."
People with a keen sense of right and wrong would look at the text of Genesis chapter 5:1 – and ask themselves, "What is this "The Genealogy of Adam?" How could it be that Adam has a genealogy?
Here is what the text says about the birth of Adam –
he was not born of a woman, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7 NKJV).
How could Adam have a genealogy when he was formed from the dust of the Earth? God breathed life into him and gave him a soul by breathing into him a divine element, "the soul belongs to God." Likewise, Matthew starts the Gospel with this quotation from Genesis 5:1 – and adds at once: Matthew 1:1:
"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
Why doesn't Matthew leave Yeshua only as a SON made by God just like Adam, instead connecting him with the two prominent patrons of Israel's nation, Abraham and King David? There is an element here that is visible, but many Christian leaders miss it entirely because they do not use Rabbinical Jewish ways of thinking. There is an immediate connection between the Genealogy of Yeshua with Abraham and David, the fathers of the nation of Israel, and the Royal house, an avatar of Yeshua the Messiah. This is why Matthew states: "The book of the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah."
Both of these characters, Abraham and David, have questionable genealogies. What is questionable in David's genealogy? His grandmother is a Moabite. Torah states in Deuteronomy 23:3:
"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever."
The Torah also forbids one man to marry two sisters in Leviticus 18:18 NKJV:
"Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive."
These two texts are the basis of the discussion between King David and the Jewish religious leaders, who tried to shame David by saying that his inappropriate genealogy disqualified him from being King of Israel.
In a Rabbinical discourse related to the book of Ruth, King David's grandmother, rabbis come to David and accuse him of being legally a bastard. Ten generations had not passed between Ruth and Boaz and King David. This was a disqualification (Non-Kosher) for being a King. The Rabbinical material is a back-and-forth discussion where the Rabbis accuse David of being a Bastard, and David responds with a retort that the Torah also states clearly that a man is not allowed to marry two sisters. He argues that You, as the Jews, are the children of two sisters, Leah and Rachel. So, If I, David, am a bastard because my grandmother was a Moabite, all of you are bastards because you are children of one man (Jacob) who married two sisters. David's accusers pack up, shut up, and walk away with their heads down. In the end, the Rabbis walk away with their heads down because David proved to them that if he is a bastard according to the Torah, all of Israel are bastards.
The Torah reading of Toldot contains another story that is of great importance to us today. It is astounding that things written thousands of years ago and recorded in the Bible still make such a mess of our lives even in our own days.
Here is the text from Genesis 25:19ff:
"This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So, she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger." So, when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so, they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so, his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them." (Genesis 25:19-26 NKJV).
Here are a few facts that will make a difference in how you read and view this biblical narrative. The events between Isaac and Ismael are recorded in Genesis 21:8-10:
"So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore, she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."
What did Sarah see happening between Ismael, who was already a teenager, and Isaac, who might have been between 5 and 7 years old? The key to understanding what Ismael was doing to Isaac is in the word that is translated as "Scoffing" in the NKJV. The Hebrew word is ".״מצחק." This word appears three times in the book of Genesis, and here are the contexts of its use in the English translations of the Bible.
"And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. So it was, as she spoke to Joseph Day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and ran outside. that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came into me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came into me to mock me;" Genesis 39:7-8, 10-12, 14, 17 NKJV.
In all three cases, the same Hebrew word is used, METZAHEK – and in all three places, it has sexual implications.
So, what Sarah saw Ismael doing to Isaac was molesting his younger brother. Ishmael wanted to take the inheritance of Abraham, his father, and he was scheduled to do so before Isaac was born.
What Ishmael did to Isaac explains why Isaac didn't get married until he was 40 years old, and in fact, he never looked for a wife. Men in the old world would marry a woman between 18 – 24 or 25. So, here in these Biblical narratives, we have the background and reasons for an enmity between the sons of Isaac and Ismael. Today, the sons of Ismael are the Arabs/Muslims, and the sons of Isaac are the Jews. War and enmity are still the leading cause of wars in the Middle East, and the hate that comes from the bottomless pits of hell twists the human mind to become darkened and subhuman.
Reflecting on what is going on today in the world, I see the hand of God coming down on our Western civilization with very harsh measures to bring back on track the lost and deviant children of God to a life of light, obedience, family, and love for people.
The Torah is a rich, powerful, beautiful, and important divine revelation that summarizes all the most devastating and alien ideas and actions.
From the first to the last pages of the Bible, we all learn that God is gracious and understanding, but only to the point where we pervert humanity and make it unrecognizable. I don't know how long God will have patience with the human race and be long-suffering. At least until the Messiah returns to Zion, we will welcome him to Mount Zion dressed in white and singing
"Baruch Ha-Ba Beshem Adonai!" Yes, Welcome back to Jerusalem in the name of the LORD!
A Note from Barry & Beth Shulam. This week is Thanksgiving in the United States. This year Mom and Dad are at home in Jerusalem. In 2023 They were here with us at the Saunders Thanksgiving. The Saunders (Moms side of the family) Like to play cards, shoot targets and skeet, hunt, watch football and share a great meal and sing songs of praise and prayer. We are thankful for each of you who take time to read the Jerusalem Prayer List, delve into the Word, share a word of encouragement and a prayer of thanks or pleading for those who are in need. We are all part of the Family of Faith, Children of the most High.Toda, Thank You, Obrigado, Kittos, Gamsah Habnida, Arigato, Shukran, BlagoDaryah , Xiexie
Opmerkingen