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TRACKING the NWO TRAPS ~ no thanks !!!
Welcome to Vayetze (And He Left), this week’s study of the Word of God.
This is the portion of Scripture that will be read in synagogues around the
world during this week’s Shabbat (Saturday) service. Enjoy !
This week, Parasha Vayetze (וַיֵּצֵא) describes Jacob’s travels to
and his life in Harran, his mother's homeland, to find a wife and
to flee the murderous plot of his brother Esau.
PARASHA VAYETZE (And He Left)
Genesis 28:10–32:2; Hosea 11:7–14:10; Matthew 3:13–4:11
“And Jacob went out from Beersheba.” (Genesis 28:10)
Last week, in Parasha Toldot, Isaac’s wife Rebecca had a difficult pregnancy
as the twin boys jostled within her. When she inquired of the Lord, He told
her that two nations were in her womb and the elder (Esau)
would serve the younger (Jacob).
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And, behold, the Lord [YHVH] stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac:
the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Genesis 28:13 KJV
Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Vayetze (And He Left) - Yacov יַעֲקֹב !!!
Torah and yad (Torah pointer)
Shabbat Shalom !
Welcome to Vayetze
(And He Left),
this week’s study of the Word of God.
this week’s study of the Word of God.
This is the portion of Scripture that will be read in
synagogues around the world during this week’s Shabbat
(Saturday) service. Enjoy!
PARASHA VAYETZE (And
He Left)
Genesis 28:10–32:2; Hosea 11:7–14:10; Matthew 3:13–4:11
Genesis 28:10–32:2; Hosea 11:7–14:10; Matthew 3:13–4:11
“And Jacob went out from
Beersheba.” (Genesis 28:10)
Last week, in Parasha Toldot, Isaac’s wife Rebecca had a
difficult pregnancy as the twin boys jostled within her. When
she inquired of the Lord, He told her that two nations were in
her womb and the elder (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob).
This week, Parasha Vayetze
(וַיֵּצֵא) describes Jacob’s travels to
and his life in Harran, his mother's homeland, to find a wife
and to flee the murderous plot of his brother Esau.
Lifting the Torah for all to see in Jerusalem
Jacob Leaves His
Comfort Zone
We may recall that Jacob was not a rough and
tough adventurer like his brother, Esau. He had a
quiet personality from birth, preferring to be at home rather
than out in the woods hunting for game.
So, the call to leave his home for another land (like his
grandfather Abraham, and his father Isaac) may have caused
much anxiety—perhaps doubly so since he was running to save
his life, at his mother’s insistence.
On the other hand,
Jacob had just received an extraordinary blessing from his
father Isaac of “heaven’s dew and earth’s richness,
an abundance of grain and new wine” with a promise of
nations serving and bowing down to him (Genesis
27:28–29).
So Jacob set out for Harran, much blessed. Even so,
instead of his comfortable bed or a warm inn at the side of
the road, he spent his first night sleeping on the cold, hard
ground, without any kind of physical shelter and only stones
for a pillow.
Jacob's Dream, by José de Ribera
Jacob Receives His
Spiritual Inheritance
“And he dreamed, and behold
a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to
heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and
descending on it.” (Genesis 28:12)
Any anxiety Jacob had that night must have fled
his spirit when the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
Standing at the top of a ladder that reached into the heavens,
with angels going up and down it, God promised to give Jacob
the same inheritance He gave Abraham and Isaac—the land upon
which he lay:
“And, behold, the LORD
[YHVH] stood beside him, and said: 'I am the LORD, the God
of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land upon
which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed.” (Genesis
28:13)
It is clear through this Scripture that the Divine title deed to this
land belongs to the seed of Jacob (Israel)
and not the seed of his brother, Esau, who is the forefather
of many of the Arabic people currently living in the Land.
It’s easy to see that some of these descendants of Esau
still hate their “brother Jacob” and seek to kill his
descendants—the Jewish People.
Jacob's Dream, by James Tissot
Jacob awoke from his dream filled with awe,
delighting in the presence of the One True God; and
for that reason, he called the place Bethel or Beit–El (House of
God). In truth, though, any place can become a
“house of God” when His holy Presence invades the space.
The ancient Jewish
rabbis viewed this pivotal encounter with God as Jacob’s
spiritual awakening. It is here that he
entered the role of spiritual forefather, moving forward in
the promises given to his grandfather, Abraham—not only to
receive the land, but also to bear fruit and bring blessing to
generation after generation of all peoples of the earth:
“Your descendants will be
like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the
west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All
peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your
offspring.” (Genesis 28:14)
A man prays at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
What perhaps began as a journey of obedience to
His father and mother now became a journey with God Himself:
“I am with you and will
watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to
this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I
have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)
While Abraham and Isaac had their own very personal encounters with
God, until this time, it seems that Jacob
had no such encounter. But as God reveals His power and
presence, Jacob responds with clarity and a simple faith,
saying:
“If God will be with me and
will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give
me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely
to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God.” (Genesis
28:20–21)
In accepting the Lordship of Adonai over his life, Jacob
is not waiting for riches before he serves Him and he also
makes this commitment to Him:
“This stone that I have set
up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give
me I will give You a tenth.” (Genesis 28:22)
When we honor the Lord’s real presence in our lives and
reinvest our resources back into His work through tithing and
serving, we acknowledge that He is Lord over our lives, that
He provides us protection, food, clothing, and shelter and
that He alone is worthy of adoration and praise all the time,
everywhere.
A Jewish toddler puts money in the tzedakeh (charity) box, which
many Jewish families use to collect money for the poor and other
charitable purposes.
Jacob Encounters
Living Water
“And it came to pass, when
Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother,
and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went
near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and
watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.” (Genesis
29:10)
By the time that Jacob arrives at his uncle Laban’s land,
it seems that he had undergone a remarkable
transformation. Earlier on, he had been described
as a tent-dweller, in contrast to his rugged brother Esau who
was an outdoorsman.
Traditionally in Judaism, Jacob is described as a scholar.
Yet, suddenly it
seems that he actually possesses remarkable strength.
He is able to single-handedly move the heavy stone off of a
community well in order to water his uncle’s sheep.
An Israeli portrays a Biblical shepherd
Either he possessed this strength all along, or
it developed as he journeyed in faith and obedience.
If the first is true, then he is a remarkable example of
someone who led a balanced life, not neglecting the need to
develop his external strength as he developed his internal
strength.
If the second is true, then he is an example to all of us
how we can be transformed in our walk with Adonai.
If we keep in mind
that moving the stone single-handedly was a feat fit for
Samson, there is room for both to be true.
An Orthodox Jewish man prays with his tallit
(prayer shawl) over his head at the Kotel (also
called the Western or Wailing Wall).
Much is made of this meeting at the well in Judaism’s oral
tradition, and there are several interpretations, each perhaps
building on the other.
Among them, the well
is thought to represent Zion, and the three flocks
Babylon, Persia, and Greece, imperial powers that drew
from the well the wealth of Israel and the Holy Temple.
In this interpretation, the rolling back of the
stone represents the future messianic age when exile will
end and God redeems His people.
The well is also interpreted as being the water of Torah,
from which Jewish leadership draws in order to learn how to
rule.
Water is a rich symbol in Jewish writing, and in Jeremiah 2:13, God calls Himself the "spring of living water." Life flows from Him.
Along this vein of thinking, then, the water in
the well can also be seen to represent Yeshua, who proclaimed,
"Whoever believes in Me, as
Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from
within them." (John 7:38)
It is only through Yeshua, the source of living water,
that anyone can come to the Father to receive the gift of
salvation.
“Yeshua said to him, “I am
the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
An empty tomb in Israel with a huge stone that would have been rolled
over the door.
The rolling away of the stone perhaps also
reminds us of the miraculous rolling away of another stone—the
one that covered Yeshua’s burial place. When that stone was
rolled away, the resurrection of Yeshua was revealed.
Prophetically, once Israel sees Yeshua as the Messiah who
died, was buried, and rose again, then resurrection life will
come to the entire world.
“For if their rejection is
the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance
be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15)
So many people are
thirsting today for a real relationship with the Living
God. This is why it is so important that
we bring the Word of God from Jerusalem to the nations. (Isaiah
2:3)
“O God, You are my God;
early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh
longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no
water.” (Psalm 63:1)
An Orthodox Jewish man drinks water at a fountain at the Western (Wailing) Wall
in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Destiny and the Love
of Jacob's Life
In an encounter that is reminiscent of Abraham’s
servant finding a bride for Isaac at a well, Jacob meets his
bride-to-be at a well, perhaps the very same well.
It is a divine appointment. He falls in love at first
sight, understanding that she is his bashert, a
Yiddish word meaning destiny
or from God. In regard
to marriage, bashert has evolved into the modern idea of a
“soul mate” predestined by God.
He is so smitten by
the beautiful Rachel, daughter of his uncle Laban, that he
agrees to work seven years for her hand in marriage
(although, instead he was tricked into working 14 years by
Laban):
“And Jacob loved Rachel; and
he said: 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel your
younger daughter.” (Genesis 29:18)
Jacob and Rachel at the Well, by James Tissot
This shows Jacob’s great integrity as a man who
is not relying on God to simply hand him every good thing on
a silver platter, as his father’s blessing back
home or God’s promises at Bethel might suggest. Nor did he go
back to his father to ask for money.
For 20 years in
Harran, Jacob worked hard, paying his own way.
He protected and nurtured the flocks and herds of Laban as an
honest servant, prospering both himself and Laban.
Laban, however, was not the model father-in-law, nor was
he an honest, upright businessman. Not only did Laban trick
Jacob into first marrying Rachel’s older sister, Leah, but
Laban also tried to cheat Jacob out of his fair wages several
times.
Laban's name in Hebrew means “white.” While names in
Biblical times often revealed the character and destiny of the
name bearer, and in this case, there may have been a
connection to leprosy, we must be wise and discern a person's
character, not being deceived by someone that appears to be
clean or pure, since even the devil himself can appear as an
angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
A Jewish girl reads from the Torah scroll in Jerusalem.
The Twelve Tribes
Receive Their Names
Today, many Jewish children are named after one of their
ancestors; however, in Biblical times, the name of a child
could reflect the mother’s state of mind when giving birth or
the hope for the child's future.
Leah names nine of Jacob's children and Rachel
names four—one daughter and the 12 sons who were to
become the 12 tribes that receive portions of the Promised
Land as their inheritance, according to God’s promise to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Leah called their first son Reuben
(רְאוּבֵן), from a Hebrew word Re’eh (see)
because God had seen her
state of being unloved and had, therefore,
blessed her with a son.
“And Leah conceived, and
bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said:
'Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my
husband will love me.’” (Genesis 29:32)
Jewish women pray at the Western (Wailing) Wall
In one case, Jacob overruled a naming decision.
When Rachel knew she was about to die giving birth to her
second son, she called him Ben–Oni
(son of my sorrow). Jacob changed his name to Ben-Yamin—Benjamin
(son at my right hand) to better reflect his destiny.
Each of the children received names that reflected family
hopes or circumstances (but you will have to read the Torah
portion for this Shabbat to discover why they were given these
names):
- Reuben—See, a son
- Simeon—Hearing
- Levi—Joined; attached
- Judah—Yah be praised
- Dan—Judge
- Naphtali—My wrestling
- Gad—Troop; invader; good fortune
- Asher—Happy
- Issachar—Man of hire
- Zebulun—Dwelling
- Dinah—Judged or Vindicated
- Joseph—Increaser or God will increase
- Benjamin—Son of my right hand
Israeli siblings cross the road together in an Orthodox Jewish
neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Although Jacob begins his journey home at the end of this
Parasha, in the next Parasha, Jacob prepares to encounter his
rival brother Esau after 20 years of estrangement. On the
way, Jacob will also encounter a Divine messenger who will
change his name from Yaacov
(Jacob—referring to the heel of the foot) to
Yisrael (Israel—one
who struggles with God).
Today, the ancient rivalry between the brothers still
seems to remain, but that is not the only struggle the Jewish
People face. They also struggle with the prophetic Scriptures
and the issue of who Messiah really is.
Please pray for the eternal salvation of Jewish People
that all will come to a personal faith in Yeshua HaMashiach
(Jesus the Messiah).
(Jesus the Messiah).
You can make a difference for the Jewish People by
partnering with the Lord in His end-time plans for their
salvation. Please help us bring the Good News of Yeshua to
the Holy Land.
"All Israel will be saved.
As it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; He
will turn godlessness away from Jacob.'" (Romans 11:26)
“‘Bring the whole
tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My
house. Test Me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see
if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour
out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to
store it.’”
(Malachi 3:10)
(Malachi 3:10)
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