Parashat Hashavuah
Vayetze - :”And he went out”
Torah : Genesis 28:10-32:3
Haphtarah : Hosea 12:12-14:10
Gospel : Matthew 15-16
This week, we’re reading the story of Jacob and how his family came to be.
Can you imagine what the family dynamics are life? This would even make Jerry Springer roll his eyes. Jacob marries his cousin and then her sister...plus he has kids with their maids? How quickly did he have these kids? A household with four women and a dozen children would be seriously hard to live in. Plus Jacob has to deal with father-in-law and being far away from his home. Wow...
Each of the children has a name that is a prophecy of Israel and Messiah. I don’t have my notes in front of me now, but the one that sticks out is Zebulon. His name comes from dwelling place. “And you will be our dwelling place from generation to generation...”
Actually, this is an interesting topic. I will take time to post more details on my debriefing e-mail from Bible Study.
These words from the FFOZ weekly e-mail are quite comforting to me:
“ The Ideal Family
http://ffoz.org/resources/edrash/vayetze/so_jacob_went_in_to.php
Adapted from Torah Club Volume One
Unrolling the Scroll
Thought for the Week
The Wrong Place: Jacob felt like he was in the wrong place and his years were being wasted. People often find themselves in jobs, careers, homes and even family arrangements that make them feel as if they are far outside of God’s plan. The story of Jacob teaches us that God might place us in such situations specifically to bless us and work out His purposes. Jacob teaches us to be faithful wherever we find ourselves and to keep committing ourselves to the care of God. Jacob’s term of service in Laban’s household resulted in the birth of the nation of Israel.”
Lord knows I’ve felt like I’ve been wasting a lot of time with my life and waiting a whole bunch. At lunch today, I heard this Switchfoot song at lunch (In the car when I was reading my lesson for the week) that got me thinking.
“We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Dreaming about providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we’ve been living with our eyes half open
Maybe we’re bent and broken, broken.”
And the song didn’t make me guilty for who I am in life...but it made me think about what is life...
...What is the good life?....
It’s kind of crazy, but the first think I think about is skydiving...those big, adrenaline-fueled activities. That’s surely not it. Real life is love, kindness...
“ 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5)
“ 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1)
So, Pastor Larry also talked about lousy investments in his sermon. This is a picture from Jeremiah. God tells him to buy a field from his cousin. But this field is in enemy-occupied territory. Jeremiah will never live in this place; he will never farm it; he will never benefit from it. But he does what God says. Sometimes in our lives, we can’t see why we’re called to do what we’re called to do. Sometimes it’s for the benefit of future generations, sometimes it’s for ourselves in the future, and sometimes it’s in the great plan of God.
Are you wondering where the title comes from for this post? It’s from a story in Matthew 15 after Jesus answers the Pharisees about the disciples’ propensities to not wash their hands (in a ritual way, I’m sure).
Jesus explains it this way:
“ 7"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "”
And then the next story is a woman begging to have her daughter healed. Jesus first sends her away. (Is that because he’s cruel or does he know the response he will get? It has to be something like the latter). But the woman counters that even the dogs get the crumbs from the table. The Greek is in the diminutive...so she’s saying aren’t we worth more than a puppy that eats the leftovers? And Jesus heals the women and comments on her great faith. Then the next story, he’s feeding the 4,000.
“ 32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."”
Is that how we are meant to live?
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Taking the week off
My grandma’s visiting, so I’m taking this week off to spend time with her. I will try to post some thoughts when I prepare for next week.
This lesson is:
Parashat Hashavuah
Toldot “Generations”
Torah: Genesis 25:19-28:9
Haphtarah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
Gospel: Matthew 13-14
Isaac will pray for Rebecca because she was barren.
How will this connect to the Messiah? I am not sure and I’m too tired to speculate. So, I will write more later.
Update
Yeah...I never did prepare. Bad me!!!
This lesson is:
Parashat Hashavuah
Toldot “Generations”
Torah: Genesis 25:19-28:9
Haphtarah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
Gospel: Matthew 13-14
Isaac will pray for Rebecca because she was barren.
How will this connect to the Messiah? I am not sure and I’m too tired to speculate. So, I will write more later.
Update
Yeah...I never did prepare. Bad me!!!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Mother Sarah
This week’s reading:
Chayei Sarai
Torah Reading: Genesis 23:1-25:18
Haphtarah Reading: 1 Kings 1:1-31
Gospel Reading: Matthew 11-12
We’re looking for these titles of Messiah:
The Sent One
The Servant
Some thoughts:
This passage begins with the death of Sarah... Let’s stop and reflect: It’s with great love that Abraham buries his beloved wife. He was told to go...so he has to bargain for land. He was well esteemed by the Hittites. Ephron is willing to give him the land, but Abraham must pay for it. Isn’t amazing that Abraham is a military leader? He went into the battle already and now he’s dealing with another leader. Sarah has a place to rest (as Abraham will in short measure).
Because he’s getting older, Abraham needs a bride for his young son. He sends out Eliezer to find someone. Then the rest of the story here describes the servant’s fulfilling of this mission. He is sent...the word is shaliach, which would be apostolos in Greek. Apostle...Eliezer is an apostle for his master. That is too obvious to comment on.
Rebecca and the bride of Christ
A story of Evangelism and connections to Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Anyway...his faith is great when he stumbles upon a well and finds Rebekah, the young woman who is kind enough to offer water to camels. His faith is great in the Lord and in his master:
“ 26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives.”
And Rebekah goes...she leaves with a blessing (after an exchange of hospitality and kindness between Eleizer and the family.) What great faith our forebears had. And she marries this greiving mama’s boy.
Who....as it turns out, prefigures the Messiah.
So Rebecca prefigures the church? This is a story of Evangelism? The notes sure seem to talk about this. I’ll fill this in more later.
But the author of our study guide notes the parallels between Rebecca at the well and the Samaritan Woman. Rebecca is a young, kind virgin from the right family and the woman at the well has had five husbands and she’s from the hated class of women. Yet Jesus talks to her and tells her of his mission. (At Jacob’s well now less. That’s Rebecca’s son.)
Listen to this story of faith:
“ 19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."”
And the Samaritan woman believes...and so to many others.
“ 39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41And because of his words many more became believers.
42They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."”
What wonderful messianic terms are used here.
(Chapter 25 is just messy...it talks about all of Abraham's other sons. I think the writer is more concerned with Isaac, so there’s not much ink spent of these sons).
Chayei Sarai
Torah Reading: Genesis 23:1-25:18
Haphtarah Reading: 1 Kings 1:1-31
Gospel Reading: Matthew 11-12
We’re looking for these titles of Messiah:
The Sent One
The Servant
Some thoughts:
This passage begins with the death of Sarah... Let’s stop and reflect: It’s with great love that Abraham buries his beloved wife. He was told to go...so he has to bargain for land. He was well esteemed by the Hittites. Ephron is willing to give him the land, but Abraham must pay for it. Isn’t amazing that Abraham is a military leader? He went into the battle already and now he’s dealing with another leader. Sarah has a place to rest (as Abraham will in short measure).
Because he’s getting older, Abraham needs a bride for his young son. He sends out Eliezer to find someone. Then the rest of the story here describes the servant’s fulfilling of this mission. He is sent...the word is shaliach, which would be apostolos in Greek. Apostle...Eliezer is an apostle for his master. That is too obvious to comment on.
Rebecca and the bride of Christ
A story of Evangelism and connections to Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Anyway...his faith is great when he stumbles upon a well and finds Rebekah, the young woman who is kind enough to offer water to camels. His faith is great in the Lord and in his master:
“ 26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives.”
And Rebekah goes...she leaves with a blessing (after an exchange of hospitality and kindness between Eleizer and the family.) What great faith our forebears had. And she marries this greiving mama’s boy.
Who....as it turns out, prefigures the Messiah.
So Rebecca prefigures the church? This is a story of Evangelism? The notes sure seem to talk about this. I’ll fill this in more later.
But the author of our study guide notes the parallels between Rebecca at the well and the Samaritan Woman. Rebecca is a young, kind virgin from the right family and the woman at the well has had five husbands and she’s from the hated class of women. Yet Jesus talks to her and tells her of his mission. (At Jacob’s well now less. That’s Rebecca’s son.)
Listen to this story of faith:
“ 19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."”
And the Samaritan woman believes...and so to many others.
“ 39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41And because of his words many more became believers.
42They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."”
What wonderful messianic terms are used here.
(Chapter 25 is just messy...it talks about all of Abraham's other sons. I think the writer is more concerned with Isaac, so there’s not much ink spent of these sons).
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