11.4.24

 Good morning!

I made it safely through the rain storm in Missouri and back to Stanton, MI last night. The drive had an interlude with an amazing Mediterranean Salmon dinner and a healing meeting at Mt. Hope Church in Lansing. Thank you Father for all your provision!

Two times in Scripture God uses the term Lekh Lekha/go discover 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). When a child leaves his father's house, he or she must walk 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 and training them for war. Haran was a great place, but this wasn't the final destination for them. No matter how great our work outside the Land, those works cannot compare to the final personal purification that can only take place inside the Land. Strangely enough, disobedience in the Land is part of the personal purification on a higher level than outside the Land...and currently, we are all in exile outside the Land of Promise.

This morning, I want to share some extra thoughts, per request.

The Genesis account has as many missing pieces of information. For instance, in this post flood, post tower of Babel time, Shem has become like 'Waldo'; where is he? We know by his lineage that he's still around? His life span overlaps those of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 11:11). We don't know where he settled afterward all these 'post' events, but one tradition has him identified as Melchizedek/Malkhi-Tzedek, the one who brought bread and wine to Abram to celebrate his tithes to Shalem. 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)?

Just a quick note: Again, tradition, which, most likely would be included in 1 Corians 11:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15, has Shem teaching righteousness to our Fathers from Shalem, later to be called Jerusalem after Yireh was added at the Akeidah of Isaac (Gen. 22:14).

Whether the traditional thoughts are true, or not, one thing we can see consistently through Scripture is trials bring us to maturity (James 1:4). That's one reason we see the olah/resurrection offering (Gen. 22) paired with the shlamim/perfect, completeness offering, leading to the complete man/adam ha-shaleim...take the time to read that again and personalize it :-)

Speaking of the complete man, do you ever wonder what happened to the 318 individuals trained in Abram's house (Gen. 14:14)? We know they didn't go to Egypt. What happened? Ahh, once again details that don't get addressed.

Let's stick with what we do know. Abram built altars in key locations; Bethel, Hebron, Mt. Moriah, etc. 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 to the Land of Good Gold (Gen. 2:11,12).

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 and he still loves those that were conceived outside of the Promised Land; Ishmael; the child of the flesh (Gal. 4:21-31)

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 Sarai. You cannot have a complete him without her (Gen. 1:27). 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 (Isa. 51:1-2; Gen. 1:26-28). A rock and a quarry are made of the same material. 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? Abraham and Sarah?

Yes.

Let's go back in time and connect a couple of prophetic thoughts from the earlier chapters of Genesis/Breishit.

Lamech is the first one to break the pattern of one wife (Gen. 4:19). Instead of going to himself/Lekh Lekha, Lamech 'took to himself' two wives. Adah/ornament, something beautiful and Tzillah/his shadow; inferring that both women were not treated equally. Tradition has it, that one was for procreation and the other for pleasure.

You may recall that the Israelites were told to take off their ornaments/adi for violating their covenant with Yahweh (Ex. 33:4-6). After the golden calf they were pretty ugly. Adah had the true beauty, ornamented with faithfulness to her husband.  Tzillah was the preferred wife, who served Lamech's sexual desire and maintained her physical beauty for him alone.  She stayed in his preferred "shadow".  She reflected Lamech's desires.  It was a type of idolatry, "to himself," not an elevation of the Beginning "to himself" in covenant faithfulness.  We see Yahweh's heart on the matter when we compare Israel and the rejected wife (Mal. 2:13-16). When the first wife's childbearing years were over, or she became ruined in body from multiple births and hard work, some men went so far as to divorce them or simply send them away without support.  He had married her to bear children, and "build up his name" through male descendants, but she was simply the breeder.  Malachi points out that this treachery is a SPIRITUAL problem.  You can't bring an offering to the altar with such wickedness as a garment.  A marriage garment to the Holy One is faithfulness to His commandments. Isaiah makes reference back to the flood generation, reiterating the same point (Isa. 54:5-9); which explains his reason for destroying the earth and why, for the same reason He won't destroy the earth again with water (Gen. 6:5; 8:21). Unlike the men of the Flood, the Lord uses the example as a temporary rejection, based on Israel's faithless behavior.  He will have compassion upon her again, for He does not want to reject Israel, the wife of youth (Jer. 2:2).

This practice of a breeder and a pleasure wife is condemned for very obvious reasons. The breeder craves affection and the beauty craves children...we see this overtly with Jacob/Rachel and Leah. Later, in Leviticus, we are given a commandment not to marry sisters (Lev. 18:18). Yet, I believe it's more than the command to not marry sisters, it's about creating rivalries in marriage. Two are one. It's not just in marriage, but in friendship and family. His wife should never be put in a position of rivalry with his family or friends, competing for time and attention.  The reason for this, as Isaiah prophesied, is a spiritual application of the Body of Messiah, when they will not be rivals anymore (Isa. 11:13). Together Adah/the ornamented bride and Tzillah/in the shadow of the Most High will be one nation. One people. One covenant. It's combining wisdom/chokmah, your sister and understanding/binah, your intimate friend (Prov. 7:4). The wife, partner, soul mate is both a mother and a lover!

Esau, the iconic 'Red One' and Hunter of Scripture, red and hairy like a beast, also took two wives without parental permission; creating tremendous heartache. Adah gave birth to Jabal/river, stream; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock (Gen. 4:20) and his brother was Jubal/river, stream; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe (Gen. 4:21).  Zillah gave birth to Tubal-kain/acquisition; the forger of all sharp, cutting, implements of bronze and iron (Gen. 4:22). Rivers give life. Tent dwellers study peacefully. Shepherds guard sheep. Musicians make praise. Sharp instruments kill and destroy.

The pre-flood world was ultimately corrupted when the 'sons of god' chose women based solely on their beauty. In contrast, Yahweh chooses out of love to bring out her beauty (Isa. 41:8). The two wives: One gives prosperity and a good name, while the other gives pleasure.

Jerusalem above, Paul writes, is our love (Gal. 4:21-31). A good name where we find incredible pleasure is found in the same place. At Sinai, Israel lost her marriage ornaments.  She did not have a LOVE relationship to the One Who gave the commandments.  When commandments are only utilitarian, then we will twist or discard them when they don't serve our self-worship.  When they are in love, we are born from above.  In His image. Children of Sarah and Abraham.

The next several months, through the winter, are times off sinking our roots deep. Take your time. Make time for the things of life that are truly beautiful!

Shalom!