Light In Torah

Over the past seven studies, we have examined the emotional mindset of Sarah. Now, on the eighth day of this study, we come to her death. Ironically, she is the only woman in Scripture whose age is mentioned at her death: one hundred years and twenty years and seven years (Gen. 23:1). Fortunately, for our sake, Sarah's death is not the end. Twice in the Apostolic Writings (the New Testament), she is referenced as being obedient, holy, and trusting of God (1 Pet. 3:5–6; Heb. 11:11). We can certainly find the first of these attributes in her relationship with Abraham. She follows him obediently into the desert to a land God will show them. She obeys Abraham even when it requires her to submit her body to another man (twice). Personally, I cannot imagine that level of obedience. In Peter's description of holy ( hagios ) women, Sarah is the standard (1 Pet. 3:5): a woman of obedience and hope. Obedience and hope. Peter is arguing that a wife with a disobedient husband must take a n...

Before we move forward, let us uncover some self-revealing themes. Let us go back in time and connect a couple of prophetic thoughts from the earlier chapters of Genesis ( Bereshit ). 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. 32–33). After the golden calf, they were pretty ugly. Adah had 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 "shadow," preferred. She reflected Lamech's desires. It was a type ...

  Throughout the Torah and Prophets, God constantly warns His people about idolatry— avodah zarah , strange worship (Ex. 20:3–5; Deut. 4:15–19; all throughout this week's Torah portion of  Re'eh ; Isa. 47:10; 1 John 5:21; Col. 3:5; 1 Cor. 5:11; 10:14; Eph. 5:5; Rev. 21:8; 22:15; etc.). Notice, I used mostly post-resurrection verses... hmmm. Maybe there is more to idolatry than just bowing down to statues made by human hands... hmmm. I would encourage you to go back and look at all those verses prayerfully :-) "For you trusted in your wickedness  (ra);  you said, 'No one sees me.' Your wisdom  (chochmah)  and your knowledge  (da'at)  lead you away  (shuv),  and you said in your heart, 'I am, and there is none else.'" (Isa. 47:10) You may have noticed that within the Hebrew word for "leads you away" or "turns you away" is the word  shuv —meaning "turning back." We know it best in the word "repent"—to turn back ...

In our last two studies, we drew parallel comparisons between Yeshua, living water, and the Word. We saw that even death—the most profound event that could render someone ceremonially unclean—cannot affect living water or the Word of God. This week, in the Torah portion  Chukat , the prophetess Miriam dies (Num. 20:1). We are now forty years after the children of Israel left Egypt, and an entire generation has died off in the wilderness, leaving the entire community of Israel unclean. At the beginning of this Torah portion, we are introduced to the red heifer—a ritual that specifically deals with counteracting the effects of death within the camp of Israel. And as I mentioned a few studies ago, the red heifer is back in the news. This morning, it is only fitting that we pay tribute to this woman, who is responsible for the entire Torah—God's instructions—that we have today. How, you might ask? If it were not for Miriam, there would have been no Moses. Not only was she responsible f...