Chayei Sarah, Torah portion for 19 Nov 22

Genesis 24:2-3 NIV

2 He said to the senior servant(A) in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living.

So, I have to ask, why did oaths involve putting a hand under someone’s thigh? And I found this:

In our culture, taking an oath usually involves raising the right hand or placing a hand over the heart or on a Bible. In ancient Hebrew culture, we find something a little different. Genesis 24:9 describes an odd practice that involved Abraham’s servant swearing to obey his master’s command to find a wife for Isaac: “So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.” In Genesis 47:29, Jacob makes his son Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan, not Egypt. The same ritual is observed: Joseph is required to put his hand under Jacob’s thigh as he makes the promise. It seems strange to us, but placing one’s hand under someone else’s thigh had a symbolic purpose.

In both cases, the request is made by a patriarch nearing death. Also, both oaths deal with family matters. In the case of Abraham and Jacob, the family was blessed by God Himself (Genesis 15:5; 28:14).

The thigh was considered the source of posterity in the ancient world. Or, more properly, the “loins” or the testicles. The phrase “under the thigh” could be a euphemism for “on the loins.” There are two reasons why someone would take an oath in this manner: 1) Abraham had been promised a “seed” by God, and this covenantal blessing was passed on to his son and grandson. Abraham made his trusted servant swear “on the seed of Abraham” that he would find a wife for Isaac. 2) Abraham had received circumcision as the sign of the covenant (Genesis 17:10). Our custom is to swear on a Bible; the Hebrew custom was to swear on circumcision, the mark of God’s covenant. The idea of swearing on one’s loins is found in other cultures, as well. The English word testify is directly related to the word testicles.

Jewish tradition also offers a different interpretation. According to Rabbi Ibn Ezra, the phrase “under the thigh” means literally that. For someone to allow his hand to be sat on was a sign of submission to authority. If this is the symbolism, then Joseph was showing his obedience to his father by placing his hand under Jacob’s thigh.

Abraham’s servant kept his oath. He not only obeyed Abraham’s instructions, but he also prayed to Abraham’s God for help. In the end, God miraculously provided Rebekah as the choice for Isaac’s wife (Genesis 24).

In the New Testament, believers are taught not to make oaths, but rather to let their “yes” mean “yes” and “no” mean “no” (James 5:12). That is, we should consider all our words to have the weight of an oath. Others should be able to trust our words without requiring an oath.

At this website: https://www.gotquestions.org/hand-under-thigh.html

And since that was a lot, I'll end this one here.

Shalom, and God Bless!

Vayera, Torah portion for 12 November 2022

 Vayera, Torah portion for 12 November 2022

Gen 18:12 "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself..."

Not out loud, but to herself, and He knew. When doubting the LORD He asked "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" (14) And no, nothing is too hard.

Gen 18:21-22 "I will go down now [to Sodom} and see wheterh they have done altogether according to the cry of it... and the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom".

The LORD told them He would destroy the city, and they went anyway. Were they wicked to the core? Or filled with unbelief? Did they doubt the LORD would do as He said He would?

Gen 19:8 "Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing: for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof."

Were his daughters not under the shadow of his roof?

Gen 19:12 "...bring them out of this place:" 13 "...we will destroy this place..." 15 "... arise take thy wife, and thy two daugters... lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city." 16 "and they brought him forth, and set him without the city." 17 "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain..."

After being told numerous times, they picked up Lot and his family and set them outside the city. And Lot still didn't want to go.

Gen 21:5 "And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him."

I'm 54, and don't want to fathom the possibility of having a child now, much less at 100.

Gen 21:18 "Arise, lift up the lad [Ishmael], and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation."

Again, Ishmael is important to the whole story, and we've not seen the end as of yet.

Gen 20:12 "And yet indeed she is my sister."

Fearing for his life, Abraham, yet again, let someone take his wife as their own. I pray that when I am 100, I've learned not to fear.

Lech Lecha, Torah portion for Nov 5, 2022

Lech Lecha, Torah portion for Nov 5, 2022

It seems that I didn't share my thoughts for last weeks portion on time. So here we go.

Gen 15:1 "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

"Fear not", we see this in the Bible over and over again, yet Abram still made decisions based on fear, and so do we. Yet, relying on Him, we need not fear.

Gen 16: 7 "And the angel of the LORD found her [Hagar] by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur." Gen 16:10 "and the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude." Gen 16:11 "...Ishmael..." Gen 16:12 "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

The covenant was established with the line of Isaac, this is well established through Torah, however, I feel that the angel of the LORD stepping in to bring Hagar and Ishmael back to the fold holds something we need to remember. Ishmael and his line are important to the story, and will play a key role in the end.

Gen 17:14 "And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant."

And I'll leave that right there for today.

Noach, Genesis 6:9-11:32

 Noach, Genesis 6:9-11:32

Parsha for 29 Oct '22

Gen 6:9b "...and Noah walked with God."

A just man, a perfect man in his generations.

Gen 6:11 "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence." 12 "And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth."

Not just the men and women that inhabited the earth, but the earth itself. And I recall a question from a friend not too long ago, "if God made everything, and everything is good, then the purpose of the destructive virus would be... for good?" And I couldn't answer that question at the time, probably still can't, but if the earth can be corrupt by the men and women that inhabit it, then is that good? Probably not.

Gen 7:2 "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, ... that are not clean by two."

Three pairs of clean beasts and one for sacrifice. Yes they went in two by two, but the extra clean beasts are always lost in the telling of the story.

Gen 9:3 "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." 4: "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat."

We will see in Acts where James reaffirms that the gentiles are not limited by the Jewish dietary restrictions. Although, by eating Kosher, and observing those Jewish dietary restrictions I have seen many lead seemingly healthier lives.

B'Reisheet 22 October 2022

 B'Reisheet, Gen 1:1-6:8

Parsha for Oct 22,2022

What stands out to me as I read this portion again, is:

Gen 1:28; "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.""

Now looking at that word replenish:

re·plen·ish

/rəˈpleniSH/

verb

fill (something) up again.

It occurs to me, that one can not fill something up "again" if it was not full once already. Many say that the earth has been here billions of years, and that scripture and teachings do not "jive" with what scientists have proven. With this latest insight I do not see that the two have to clash. We may not have all the details to make it make sense to us, but that doesn't mean both narratives aren't accurate.

From Glory to Glory ~ Bob Santos

"Yes, this book will walk you through some uncomfortable and potentially painful issues, but we will not pitch a tent and set up camp there."  (Intro p.13)

This book covered it all.  From the pride cycle to rejection, from glory to shame, no subject was off limits.  

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"I propose that we are all spiritual creatures, created in God's image and "wired" for glory. I refer not to a vain quest for the short-lived applause of human approval, but to the firm and lasting substance of significance that flows only from heaven's throne." (p 20)

"Our Lord's grace is as abundant as the water in the ocean, and it comes to His children in wave after refreshing wave.  Furthermore, God's amazing grace not only washes away our sins and gives us favor in His eyes, it also empowers us to become something greater than we could ever be on our own.  He is the King of Glory who longs to restore our lost glory through a meaningful and endless connection to His presence!"  (p48)

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Day 9 talks about Possum Glory.  "Ironically, adult possums are ugly, inglorious creatures." (p.50)










And although I understand the point that Mr. Santos is trying to make in this passage, I have to stop and disagree with him.  Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.  And I happen to like possums, both the way they look, and the function that they serve.






























" Wealth, status, power, and lofty titles might sound grand and appealing, but when selfishly attained at the expense of others, they amount to nothing more than possum glory". (p52)

Now, you may very well have to read this book to understand the connection made there, but it's spot on.  Things we think we want, (or need), they are nothing compared to the glory that comes from God.  And obtaining them in unscrupulous methods is extremely ugly!

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(P. 56)  "Devoid of true glory, we then expend our life's energy in pursuit of junk-store substitutes.  By the grace of the Almighty, we can do better."

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(P.97) "From a New Testament perspective, not all personal judgments are bad (John 7:24). Only when we judge in order to assign worth to people do the real problems begin. Thus, we can make a clear distinction between making righteous judgments and living with a judgmental heart." 

Y'all, that means you can stop feeling bad about every little thing you might think about someone.  Judging a person's need so that you can help them is a good thing.  Judging a person's intentions if they are out to hurt you, is a good thing.  Judging the potential of an encounter based on someone's skin color, NOT such a good thing.  In the end, it's about motive, intention, and what's in your heart.  

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"How we define our individual identities begins with how we perceive our heavenly Father." (P116)

And I'll go on to say, if you have a poor self identity or you have a bad view of our heavenly Father, you need to get your nose in the Bible, and on your knees in prayer.  Let Him speak to you who He is, let Him wash His love over you.  If you'll get over yourself, and let Him, He will show you just who He is and you will truly never be the same. 

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"What we tend to despise is a real God who refuses to bow to our will or conform to our standards." (P119)

Now, isn't that the truth! We can't make Him into something He isn't.  We can't twist His words to suit our purposes.  He is what He is, and that's all He is! And cherry picking out of His words to make it say what you want it to, and ignoring the rest, NAW, that's just wrong!

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Now, before I take all the glory out of the book, and make you think you don't have to read it for yourselves, I'm going to hit you with a few "cherry picked" items of greatness, to quench your appetite to buy this one, you will want this one!

"The heavenly Father loves you perfectly, and none of your shortcomings, failures, or problems can make Him love you - a child of the King - any less." (p120)

"Jesus then came to show us that the essence of life is to know God intimately.  The presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts means that the Lord will be ever near, and I cannot think of anything more meaningful." (p136)

"The world despises those who marc to the beat of a heavenly Drummer, who refuse to conform to social pressures." (P140)  Oh, despise me world, despise me!

"Never forget that our first ministry is to God and our second is to humanity - in that necessary order.  Keeping our priorities straight is vital for at least two reasons."  (p.155)  Read the book for those reasons, or PM me personally.  

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"The Bible also tells us that God has already given us a down payment on our eternal inheritance: the Holy Spirit!" (P.167)  

Oh, YES, HE has!

Alright, on that note, I'm going to stop there.  That one just says it all!!!  

I have marked up this book, more than any other book I've read (besides the Bible).  Truth be told, I could share most of it with you here, cause it's just that good.  It's deep.  Yes, it's painful.  Yes, it's worth it!  If you want fluff, this one is not for you.  If you want sugar coating, this one is not for you. 

If you want to get real with yourself and dig, this one is certainly for you!

Bob has shared stories from his life, is transparent and honest.  His observations are shared with scripture backing.  The book is divided into devotions, 40 days.  Small bite-sized portions, with enough substance to chew on for a while, intended to digest slowly.  Perfect for those on the run with only 15 or so minutes required daily.  

I will be revisiting this one over and over.

Do yourself a favor and go get it now!  I was given an advance copy, (thank you Bob for sharing it with me).  I wish I had gotten this review done before release date.  It's done, it's published, it's here now! Go get this book!

Deeper Waters ~ Denise J. Hughes

Deeper Waters by Denise J. Hughes

Denise has created an excellent work!  She has taken the time to be transparent, and has lots of personal testimony to bring to the table.  The instruction on going deeper is priceless, and something I will treasure and utilize for a long time to come.  

At times, though, I felt the testimony overpowered the instruction.  She does have many episodes of testimony and tended at times to bounce from one experience to another like a rapid fire machine gun.  A few times I was left going, "what on earth was the direction or point". 

As a personal journey, I can relate to her path, as mine is just as chaotic.  

All in all, an excellent resource!  And the things I intend to remember are listed below.

                                                                                                                                                                       

Page 41

"Jesus's mother, Mary; His disciple, John; and all the Pharisees and other Hebrews standing near the cross knew their Scriptures. When they heard Jesus quote Psalm 22:1, (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) they would have recognized the etire theme of that psalm. It's as if Jesus was telling everyone, "You know how Psalm 22 ends. That's how this is going to end too.""

"People not yet born will be told: 'The LORD saved his people'" (Psalm 22:31 GNT).

                                                                                                                                                                       

The Telescope Approach (P.65-66)

1.  To read from Genesis to Revelation.  

2.  Read the Bible in chronological order.  

"The Telescope Approach gives us the breadth we need and the Microscope Approach gives us the depth we need."  (P. 78)  "For greater depth, there are four basic kinds of Bible studies:  character studies, topical studies, word studies, and book studies."

                                                                                                                                                                       

Writing by Hand Helps Us... (P89-90)

1.  Slow our pace.  We've trained our eyes to skim quickly over text, to look for key points and pictures.  When we write by hand, we're forcing our eyes to slow down. 

2.  Dive deeper into the text.  By slowing our pace we're able to dive deeper into the text supporting those key points, which is usually made up of examples or statistics or quotes, providing more ideas to associate with the key points, which in turn help us remember the key points better. 

3.  Focus better with fewer distractions.  Our eyes know how to go through the motion of reading without comprehending.  But when we're writing the text, we notice when our hands have stopped moving across the page. 

4.  Connect a mental activity with a physical one.  The learning areas of our brains light up when we tie a mental exercise to a physical one.  Like the kind of kinetic movement that happens when our fine-motor skills, such as writing with a pen, coincides with the mental process of reading. 

5.  Process information in more manageable portions.  Reading is processing.  All those strung-together words create intended meaning, and when we write the words, we're able to process their meaning in smaller, more manageable portions. 

6.  Become better observers.  Not every key word gets its own featured text box in the margin.  So the ability to notice the key words within the actual text deepens our understanindg.  Writing leads to noticing. 

7.  Stitch the parts together.  Many Bibles include subtitles over the passages, which have been added to the original biblical text and create artificial breaks.  Writing the Word stitches together the original flow by leaving out the inserted subtitles. 

8.  Internalize the text.  We can read the text with our eyes and hear it with our ears, but when we write the text with our hands we're adding another dimension of learning through repetition.  Such repetition is crucial for internalizing a text. 

9.  Memorize the text.  When we write a passage and then speak it out loud, over and over, we create neural pathways in our brains that reinforce what we're memorizing. 

10.  Quiet our hearts and minds.  Something about the discipline of putting pen to paper quiets the soul the way David's harp soothed Saul.  Writing the Word is a deliberate act to refuse the tyranny of hurry.  It's a way of saying the words of Scripture are worth savoring - each and every one.

                                                                                                                                                                       


On page 119 - 120, Denise talks about being in an anti-abortion rally.  The group she was in was parked on a corner at a busy intersection.  One car pulled up to the red light, and the occupant stared forward blankly, no expression, trying to avoid looking at the "mob".

"A deep conviction overwhelms me.... WWJD...We don't have to speculate.  The Gospel of John tells us.
                    Jesus said, "neither do I. (Condemn you).  Go and sin no more (john 8:11 NLT)

His first words are full of grace.  Neither do I condemn you.

His next words are full of truth.  From now on sin no more.

What would Jesus do if He were standing on this curb with me? I can't imagine Him casting red-lettered stones at random.  He'd point out that we're all sinners in desperate need of grace.  That's the message I want to share.  I don't want to pick on one particular sin and herald it as somehow worse than my own.  We're all sinners.  And I want to reach the woman in pain - the one who's caught in what feels like an impossible situation - as much as I want to protect the life she carries inside her.  But calling her a murderer? That won't reach her.  Why would she ever want to step foot inside a church full of people who choose to spend an afternoon calling people names because of their sin?

...I shake my head and  silently pray: Father, forgive us, for we know not what we do.  I turn around and walk to my car."

                                                                                                                                                                       

"I didn't want to admit it, but I was hiding again, choosing to be invisible in my own community."

"The leafy, visible portion of the tree is our online life and the root system is our local life."

P. 176-177

                                                                                                                                                                      

"That's how ministry begins.  With one person.  Then a few.  Then a few more. 

Ministry in deeper waters might not make sense at first.  It might even seem foolish to the outside world.  It will definitely require trust and total reliance on God."  (p. 192)

                                                                                                                                                                       

Jeremiah 17:14 (HCSB)

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for You are my praise.