Gen. 12:1-17:27
Haftorah / Yeshayahu (“Isaiah”) 40:27-41:16
Torah Chapter Highlights – Hebrew Insights – RCS Connections (at end)
Gen. 12 God speaks to Avram (later to be renamed Abraham “Abraham”).
- Avram comes to K’naan “lowly”(?) ” Canaan” (scholars disagree about what it exactly means)
- Avram and Sarai (later to be named “Sarah” “Princess”) come to Egypt because of famine
Insight: In Hebrew “Lech” “go walk”, with the deeper meaning “strive towards (a) goal”, is used here in a form which indicates it’s dependent on the word that follows. The L in “Lecha” indicates to/for yourself and is also the Hebrew for “to” which indicates “direction toward” someone or something.
In short: Avram‘s “go” is dependent on him doing it “of” and “to/for” himself. Avram himself must go. However, this in no way is for Avram’s Self. The LORD will be with Avram but He is not going to supernaturally move Avram 600 miles west to what becomes Israel.
Avram “of” himself will strive towards the goal in which he has no Self. His direction will be towards serving the LORD and others. This is something we find in the greats of the Bible. It is a very very Mashiach-like trait. Cf. esp. Phpns. 2:5-11 (an Hebraic hymn).
Insight: The rabbis astutely & correctly point out that God did not merely tell Avram to leave where he was (thought to be modern day Iraq about 500 miles east of Israel). Why do the rabbis say that? If you look closely at the beginning of Genesis 12, notice the order of things Avram is to leave. The rabbis point out it is the opposite order we would normally expect to see if one merely physically left somewhere.
Insight: Egypt in Hebrew means “Constraint”. It’s related to the word used for “strait”. A strait is a narrowly confined area. For “strait”, cf. Lamentations (Hebrew “How”) 1:3 “…between the straits”. The word is virtually the word “Egypt” in Hebrew.
Gen. 13 Avram & Sarai return to what will eventually become the land of Israel
- Abraham and Lot part
- The LORD again promises the land of Israel to Avram
Gen. 14 The wars of the kings in the area of the Dead Sea; where Sodom and Gomorrah are
- Lot is taken captive
- Avram rescues Lot
- Avram displays the character traits of humility and honesty
Insight: The very first use of the word Hebrew is found in Gen. 14:13. It means to cross over/pass over (the Festival is a different word; it’s from the verb “to skip haltingly”). Avram had not merely crossed over physically from the land of his birthplace, Avram in a sense had “passed over” to a much higher spiritual level than the land of K’naan he was in.
Avram only traversed there physically; spiritually nothing from that land or its inhabitants touched him.
Gen. 15 The LORD cuts what is known in Hebrew as the “Covenant between the parts” in giving the Land to Avram.
Insight: Covenants in the ancient Middle East where often made by taking an animal and cutting it in half. With two parties making the covenant between themselves, each one walked between the halves of the animal. Why? It’s symbolized that if I failed to uphold my end of the covenant, what happened to that animal should happen to me!
Covenants are much much more than a contract. Covenants also cannot be transferred.
Gen. 16 Hagar and Ishmael.
- Yeshua as the Angel of the LORD appears
Note: Hagar gives a name to God; the only non-Jew – in the entire Bible – to do so.
Gen. 17 Avram is told by the LORD to perform the covenant of circumcision upon himself and all males in his household.
- Avram is now given the name Abraham “Father of many peoples”.
Note: Yeshua is circumcised in the Jewish way, cf. Lk. 2:21.
Insight: The rabbis astutely and correctly point out that Ishmael is fathered before Avraham undergoes the covenant of circumcision. Yitzchak in Hebrew “Laughter” “Isaac” is fathered after Avraham is circumcised. There is a whole other spiritual dynamic.
Note: A form and Hebrew of the name Yitzchak is used as the word “cry out”. Cf. Ex. 6:2-6.
Torah And RCS Connection
All together there are almost 30 verses in this week’s Torah portion that are cited in the RCS. The following is a partial list of those cited more than once:
Gen. 12:3 Acts 3:25, Gal. 3:8
Gen. 15:6 Rom. 4:3, 4:9, 4:22, Gal. 3:6 Jacob (not “James”) 2:23
Gen. 17:7 Lk. 1:55, 1:72-73, Gal. .3:16
Gen. 17:12 Lk. 1:59, 2:21