11.9.24 ~ The Power to Change the Future
Good morning!
Shabbat shalom!
Commercial Zoom Call from last night: Lekh Lekha: The Journey of Abraham It's our journey, and this includes President Elect Donald Trump
DNA is the building blocks of life. It’s the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and function of an organism. Every living organism depends on this foundational element. It not only stores the genetic information needed for an organism to develop and function, but also to reproduce. But what happens if that DNA is damaged? What if it mutates? How does that affect the subsequent generations of that organism? Will the offspring resemble the parent? What if the DNA is continually corrupted in every generation? This week's Torah portion gives us the answers.
This week we have learned about the calling of a man named Abram. The Lord will eventually change his name to Abraham. But, while he was still called Abram, the creator of the universe summoned him out from among his people, into a service for His Creator. He immediately left a city named the Ur of Chaldees and headed toward the Promised Land of Canaan (Gen. 11:31; 12:4-6); The land God will eventually give to him and his seed (Gen. 12:7; Gal. 3:29). When he reached Canaan, however, the Torah/God's instructions for our life on earth, God details Abrams encampments naming them individually beginning with Shechem/the place of strength (Gen. 12:6) and the oaks of Moreh/teacher. The question enquiring minds want to know is, 'why would the Torah record these encampments'?
The Torah is teaching us valuable lessons about a journey using a principle that states the deeds of the fathers are signs (Jn. 8:39). For the children of Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation, and the father of our faith, to all who believe, it sets the pattern for those who would come after him. His actions set in motion the spiritual principle (Eccl. 1:9; Isa. 46:10; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-12). Everything he did became a blueprint for both his natural children and his spiritual children. We see this principal play out in the lives of Abraham‘s children and grandchildren.
Let me share a few examples: Both Isaac and his son Jacob often retrace the steps of Abraham and imitate his actions; i.e. like father, like son :-). For instance, when Abraham settles in the land of the Philistines, he tells Abimelech that Sarah is his sister (Gen. 12:13, 19; 20:2,5,12). So the king takes her for himself. When Isaac journeys to the same area, he repeats the same ruse with Rebecca with the same results (Gen. 26:7,9). We can see this on a national scale.
Also, Abraham fled to Egypt to escape the famine, and his wife was taken captive, ultimately to be released because God‘s judgment came upon the pharaoh in the form of a plague (Gen. 12:17-20). Later Israel, as a nation, went down into Egypt to avoid famine, and was enslaved only to be released when God brought judgment upon pharaoh in the form of plagues (Ex. 1-12). The pattern is found in our Torah portion, just as Abraham first came to Canaan by way of Shechem and then in camp between Bethel/House of God and Hai/place of ruin, when Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land. They first conquered Shechem and then conquered Hai (Josh. 7&8).
We can see clearly this pattern, revealing itself throughout the Torah and beyond. Not only in the life of Abraham, but also in the lives of all the patriarchs, and if we’re honest, we can also see this pattern established in our own lives :-) Both our choices and our actions have generational repercussions. If children look closely at themselves, they will see similar patterns to their parents being played out in their lives. These even extend to events that happened in the lines of parents long before their children; knowing the simple principle is empowering and at the same time it’s a frightening thought.
What patterns have we unknowingly established for future generations? Chances are, they are probably a combination of good and bad behaviors. Once we have this knowledge, we should become more intentional in our actions, and begin working to establish better patterns that will produce the fruit of righteousness in subsequent generations. We must be ever mindful of the seed and fruit of our actions. Whether we see it in our lifetime or not, our actions have ramifications. If we, speaking of me, myself and I, all understood this principle, and made life choices with this in mind, each generation will draw nearer to God, rather than becoming more distant from him!
We have the power to change the future, but the change has to begin with us. We can’t teach one thing and practice another. This was the issue that Yeshua had against the leading Pharisees (Matt. 23:3,5). We will reap all that we sow in the generations to come (Gal. 6:7-9). The deeds of the fathers are indeed signs for the children. And our deeds will set the course for our future generations, whether we realize it or not.
We’re planting for the next generation through our own actions. We can pass down seeds of righteousness or seeds of hypocrisy. Let's go back to where we started on this beautiful Shabbat when we were talking about DNA.; where there is a passing down of healthy spiritual DNA, or damaged, genetically modified, spiritual DNA to the subsequent generations. Unlike physical DNA, we have the ability to alter our spiritual DNA. Even though we may try to hide it, our spiritual genetics would come out in our children or grandchildren, and those we disciple because they will inherit the spiritual genes we put into them. So, if we want to change the future, we need to begin by changing the present in ourselves.
Shabbat Shalom seed of Abraham!
Commercial Zoom Call from last night: Lekh Lekha: The Journey of Abraham It's our journey, and this includes President Elect Donald Trump
DNA is the building blocks of life. It’s the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and function of an organism. Every living organism depends on this foundational element. It not only stores the genetic information needed for an organism to develop and function, but also to reproduce. But what happens if that DNA is damaged? What if it mutates? How does that affect the subsequent generations of that organism? Will the offspring resemble the parent? What if the DNA is continually corrupted in every generation? This week's Torah portion gives us the answers.
This week we have learned about the calling of a man named Abram. The Lord will eventually change his name to Abraham. But, while he was still called Abram, the creator of the universe summoned him out from among his people, into a service for His Creator. He immediately left a city named the Ur of Chaldees and headed toward the Promised Land of Canaan (Gen. 11:31; 12:4-6); The land God will eventually give to him and his seed (Gen. 12:7; Gal. 3:29). When he reached Canaan, however, the Torah/God's instructions for our life on earth, God details Abrams encampments naming them individually beginning with Shechem/the place of strength (Gen. 12:6) and the oaks of Moreh/teacher. The question enquiring minds want to know is, 'why would the Torah record these encampments'?
The Torah is teaching us valuable lessons about a journey using a principle that states the deeds of the fathers are signs (Jn. 8:39). For the children of Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation, and the father of our faith, to all who believe, it sets the pattern for those who would come after him. His actions set in motion the spiritual principle (Eccl. 1:9; Isa. 46:10; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-12). Everything he did became a blueprint for both his natural children and his spiritual children. We see this principal play out in the lives of Abraham‘s children and grandchildren.
Let me share a few examples: Both Isaac and his son Jacob often retrace the steps of Abraham and imitate his actions; i.e. like father, like son :-). For instance, when Abraham settles in the land of the Philistines, he tells Abimelech that Sarah is his sister (Gen. 12:13, 19; 20:2,5,12). So the king takes her for himself. When Isaac journeys to the same area, he repeats the same ruse with Rebecca with the same results (Gen. 26:7,9). We can see this on a national scale.
Also, Abraham fled to Egypt to escape the famine, and his wife was taken captive, ultimately to be released because God‘s judgment came upon the pharaoh in the form of a plague (Gen. 12:17-20). Later Israel, as a nation, went down into Egypt to avoid famine, and was enslaved only to be released when God brought judgment upon pharaoh in the form of plagues (Ex. 1-12). The pattern is found in our Torah portion, just as Abraham first came to Canaan by way of Shechem and then in camp between Bethel/House of God and Hai/place of ruin, when Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land. They first conquered Shechem and then conquered Hai (Josh. 7&8).
We can see clearly this pattern, revealing itself throughout the Torah and beyond. Not only in the life of Abraham, but also in the lives of all the patriarchs, and if we’re honest, we can also see this pattern established in our own lives :-) Both our choices and our actions have generational repercussions. If children look closely at themselves, they will see similar patterns to their parents being played out in their lives. These even extend to events that happened in the lines of parents long before their children; knowing the simple principle is empowering and at the same time it’s a frightening thought.
What patterns have we unknowingly established for future generations? Chances are, they are probably a combination of good and bad behaviors. Once we have this knowledge, we should become more intentional in our actions, and begin working to establish better patterns that will produce the fruit of righteousness in subsequent generations. We must be ever mindful of the seed and fruit of our actions. Whether we see it in our lifetime or not, our actions have ramifications. If we, speaking of me, myself and I, all understood this principle, and made life choices with this in mind, each generation will draw nearer to God, rather than becoming more distant from him!
We have the power to change the future, but the change has to begin with us. We can’t teach one thing and practice another. This was the issue that Yeshua had against the leading Pharisees (Matt. 23:3,5). We will reap all that we sow in the generations to come (Gal. 6:7-9). The deeds of the fathers are indeed signs for the children. And our deeds will set the course for our future generations, whether we realize it or not.
We’re planting for the next generation through our own actions. We can pass down seeds of righteousness or seeds of hypocrisy. Let's go back to where we started on this beautiful Shabbat when we were talking about DNA.; where there is a passing down of healthy spiritual DNA, or damaged, genetically modified, spiritual DNA to the subsequent generations. Unlike physical DNA, we have the ability to alter our spiritual DNA. Even though we may try to hide it, our spiritual genetics would come out in our children or grandchildren, and those we disciple because they will inherit the spiritual genes we put into them. So, if we want to change the future, we need to begin by changing the present in ourselves.
Shabbat Shalom seed of Abraham!
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