11.18.24 ~ Rising to New Heights
Good morning!
Lekh Lekha continues for Abraham, as well as for each of us. Every day we should be rising up to new heights.
Two times in Scripture God uses the term Lekh Lekha/go to yourself. Both times it is in the life of Abraham (Gen. 12:1; 22:2). Ironically, but not surprisingly, the first time we find the root of this word (halakh/to walk), we are taken back to the Rivers that surround the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:14) and the Lord God walking in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). When a child leaves his father's house, he or she must walk/halakh out with a personal faith. This includes all the rewards of faith and the tests of the heart.
While in Haran, Abram and Sarai were making a huge impact with their hospitality, making/asah 318 disciples (Gen. 14:11; Matt. 28:18-20) and training them for war (Gen. 14:11; Ex. 15:3; Eph. 6:10-16). Haran was a barren place for them, but this wasn't the final destination.
The Genesis account has as many missing pieces as it does visible information. For instance, in this post flood, post tower of Babel time, where is Shem? We know by his lineage that he's still around? His life span overlaps those of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet, we don't know where he settled after all these 'post' events, but one tradition has him identified as Melchizedek/Malkhi-Tzedek, who brought bread and wine to Abram to celebrate his tithes to Shalem (Gen. 14:18). The tithe is brought to a place where God puts His Name and the blessing goes out to the nations. Our story only mentions one trip to Shalem, but could this have been an annual pilgrimage for Abram (Deut. 16)? Enquiring minds will have to wonder about this one :-)
Again, tradition, which I guess would be included in 1 Cor. 11:2 and 2 Thess. 2:15, has Shem teaching righteousness to our Fathers from Shalem, later to be called Jerusalem after Abraham named the place, 'the Lord will provide/yirah, after the Akeidah/binding of Isaac (Gen. 22:14).
Whether the traditional thoughts are true, or not, one thing we can see consistently through Scripture...trials, walked/halakh out through faith bring us to maturity (James 1:4; 1-12). That's one reason we see the olah/resurrection and ascension offering (Gen. 22) paired with the shlamim/perfect, completeness offering, leading to the complete man/adam ha-shaleim throughout Scripture.
Speaking of the complete man, do you ever wonder what happened to the 318 individuals trained in Abram's house? We know they didn't go to Egypt. What happened? Did Lot have a 'senior moment' and forget they were available for his virgin daughters up in the mountain? Ahh, once again details that go unanswered :-/
Let's stick with what we do know. Abram, later Abraham, built altars in key locations; Bethel, Hebron, and Mt. Moriah. In the Lekh Lekha journey, each of these locations represent an aspect of growth in holiness; a step by step process back to the Garden, the Upper Garden. Hence, Lekh Lekha/go to yourself is a destiny to the Land of Good Gold (Gen. 2:11,12), where our works will be tested and purified as gold (1 Pet. 1:6,7).
Abram's journey demonstrates that it's love, not philosophy or theology that leads us to Jerusalem where the physical and spiritual intersect. Abram didn't stop rescuing people or loving them just because he entered the land of Canaan. His love never weigned for those that were conceived outside of the Promised Land; e.g. Ishmael.
The heavenly Father chooses those who have a contagious, infectious love for Him (Isa. 41:8; Jn. 14:15). In order to find this love that would produce Isaac, we can go no further than Sarah. You cannot have a him without a her. (Gen. 1:27)..at least it's not good (Gen. 2:18). Together they would be fruitful and multiply. Together, they would subdue and rule over the fish of the sea and birds of the air (Gen. 1:28). It's been that way from the beginning, in spite of the permissible ways that man has been given to change that (Matt. 19:4-8).
Hence, we have Abraham and Sarah, as one/echad to look to (Gen. 1:26-28); A rock and a quarry are made of the same material (Gen. 51:1,2). They just have different forms and functions. Abram was blessed to be the Father of nations (Gen. 17:4-6) and Sarai was blessed to become the mother of nations; kings and peoples would come from her (Gen. 17:15-16). So...was the covenant with Abraham only? Abraham and Sarah, together?
Yes.
More on this tomorrow...
Shalom!
Two times in Scripture God uses the term Lekh Lekha/go to yourself. Both times it is in the life of Abraham (Gen. 12:1; 22:2). Ironically, but not surprisingly, the first time we find the root of this word (halakh/to walk), we are taken back to the Rivers that surround the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:14) and the Lord God walking in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). When a child leaves his father's house, he or she must walk/halakh out with a personal faith. This includes all the rewards of faith and the tests of the heart.
While in Haran, Abram and Sarai were making a huge impact with their hospitality, making/asah 318 disciples (Gen. 14:11; Matt. 28:18-20) and training them for war (Gen. 14:11; Ex. 15:3; Eph. 6:10-16). Haran was a barren place for them, but this wasn't the final destination.
The Genesis account has as many missing pieces as it does visible information. For instance, in this post flood, post tower of Babel time, where is Shem? We know by his lineage that he's still around? His life span overlaps those of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet, we don't know where he settled after all these 'post' events, but one tradition has him identified as Melchizedek/Malkhi-Tzedek, who brought bread and wine to Abram to celebrate his tithes to Shalem (Gen. 14:18). The tithe is brought to a place where God puts His Name and the blessing goes out to the nations. Our story only mentions one trip to Shalem, but could this have been an annual pilgrimage for Abram (Deut. 16)? Enquiring minds will have to wonder about this one :-)
Again, tradition, which I guess would be included in 1 Cor. 11:2 and 2 Thess. 2:15, has Shem teaching righteousness to our Fathers from Shalem, later to be called Jerusalem after Abraham named the place, 'the Lord will provide/yirah, after the Akeidah/binding of Isaac (Gen. 22:14).
Whether the traditional thoughts are true, or not, one thing we can see consistently through Scripture...trials, walked/halakh out through faith bring us to maturity (James 1:4; 1-12). That's one reason we see the olah/resurrection and ascension offering (Gen. 22) paired with the shlamim/perfect, completeness offering, leading to the complete man/adam ha-shaleim throughout Scripture.
Speaking of the complete man, do you ever wonder what happened to the 318 individuals trained in Abram's house? We know they didn't go to Egypt. What happened? Did Lot have a 'senior moment' and forget they were available for his virgin daughters up in the mountain? Ahh, once again details that go unanswered :-/
Let's stick with what we do know. Abram, later Abraham, built altars in key locations; Bethel, Hebron, and Mt. Moriah. In the Lekh Lekha journey, each of these locations represent an aspect of growth in holiness; a step by step process back to the Garden, the Upper Garden. Hence, Lekh Lekha/go to yourself is a destiny to the Land of Good Gold (Gen. 2:11,12), where our works will be tested and purified as gold (1 Pet. 1:6,7).
Abram's journey demonstrates that it's love, not philosophy or theology that leads us to Jerusalem where the physical and spiritual intersect. Abram didn't stop rescuing people or loving them just because he entered the land of Canaan. His love never weigned for those that were conceived outside of the Promised Land; e.g. Ishmael.
The heavenly Father chooses those who have a contagious, infectious love for Him (Isa. 41:8; Jn. 14:15). In order to find this love that would produce Isaac, we can go no further than Sarah. You cannot have a him without a her. (Gen. 1:27)..at least it's not good (Gen. 2:18). Together they would be fruitful and multiply. Together, they would subdue and rule over the fish of the sea and birds of the air (Gen. 1:28). It's been that way from the beginning, in spite of the permissible ways that man has been given to change that (Matt. 19:4-8).
Hence, we have Abraham and Sarah, as one/echad to look to (Gen. 1:26-28); A rock and a quarry are made of the same material (Gen. 51:1,2). They just have different forms and functions. Abram was blessed to be the Father of nations (Gen. 17:4-6) and Sarai was blessed to become the mother of nations; kings and peoples would come from her (Gen. 17:15-16). So...was the covenant with Abraham only? Abraham and Sarah, together?
Yes.
More on this tomorrow...
Shalom!
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