Ok, let’s open the word of prayer before we start. Father, we just thank you so much for all that you’ve done for us. We thank you for this reading we give thanks for all the wonderful gifts that you’ve given to us through your Torah Portion today. I ask that all the words that come out would be your words, and not my own words. It is in Yeshua name that we pray. Amen.
Ok, so, I titled this, YHVH keeps his promises.
It’s important for us to know that death isn’t the end of the promises YHVH gives us because we die doesn’t mean that His promises are finished, if that were the case, we all would be doomed.
Genesis, 23, this for starting with the first one we have Sarah’s death.
She died at 127 years old. Well, that, in itself, doesn’t mean a whole lot to us, but she is the only one in the whole scriptures that her death was mentioned as far as her age was. In those days, they didn’t mention the women’s death, and they barely mentioned that they were born. So, we have to come away with this idea that there were also daughters born to these people, as well as sons.
Traditionally speaking from this culture, even where we’re living out today in Jordan, the, the boys are listed, and their families Heritage more than the daughters are. Now, if the father and mother only had daughters, then the privilege or the first-born would go to the daughter. It’s much the same way in the Hebrew community in those days. So, she was honored in her death by the stating of her age.
Abraham mourned for her because she loved her so much. And she was with him in all the different troubles and trials at that they went through.
They went through from the time they left Ur; all the way to the time that Isaac was being taken to the time that YHVH wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Well, we know at the end of that story was that YHVH substituted Isaac with the ram. And Sarah died shortly after that. According to Jasher, she was tricked by hasatan into thinking that Abraham was going to kill him. The enemy said that Abraham was going to kill him and that was the whole purpose of him going away to kill him. And she was mourning for the fact that her son and she wanted to find out where they went. Well, then, the enemy came again and said, oh, I was mistaken.
He is alive. And she had so much joy at that moment her soul leaped out of her, according to Jasher.
Abraham, at this point, after her death requested of the Sons of Heth for a burial place.
And he did it in such a fashion.
This is typical, Middle Eastern, way of doing things you asked for something, then you say, then, you bargain on a price going back and forth, and you kind of haggle little bit, well, he didn’t want to haggle, he said, I’ll pay the full price.
I don’t care what it is, and then there are bringing so-called, looks like that they would be gracious, but really what they were doing is saying if we provide a burial place for his dead, we have some control here.
We can tell him to go take a hike and we’ll keep all his possessions.
But, in reality, he was giving; YHVH wanted him to have the field, and the cave, of Machpelah. So, he requested the place from the sons of Heth and Abraham, bargaining for the burial place form Ephron
Here is the price of 400 sequels, at first, he was going to be gracious it sounds like at first that he wanted to give him the cave. So go ahead and take it. Besides what is 400 sequels between you and me? I’ll let you do that. But again, Abraham says, no, I want you to give me the full price. And I’ll pay whatever it is.
So, in this back and forth, deal, he arrived at 400, shekels, of silver, and Abraham was measured out in front of everybody.
This is very important, and how this is all mentioned.
The burial place for Sarah was a cave, at Machpelah in the field, from the son Zohar, the Hittite, and which is near Mamary.
This was mentioned in this way. It was titled deed everywhere else.
Everywhere he traveled to it wasn’t listed this way, but this is important because later on, when Joseph dies, Jacob dies, sorry, when Jacob dies.
And according to Jasher, it says that They had to go back to Egypt to get the title deed for this field because it was an or disagreement between the sons of Esau and Jacob, his sons, they were arguing about who had the right to this place since they left and went into Egypt.
So, then you see them coming back with the title, the battle has already taken place. They won the day, and they were able to bury Jacob there in the same place.
This title deed is still valid today, because it’s mentioned in the Scriptures, mentioned in the Torah.
Genesis, 24.
After all, this is done. Abraham says: OK, I’m getting old. I don’t know what I’m going to die. But I want you; he’s talking to his servant, his senior servant, who’s in charge of all his possessions. And at some places it says it’s Eleazar. Commentaries are uncertain because it doesn’t really name anyone here. But it is suspected it was Eleazar. I don’t know about that. He’s seemed to be pretty old, even by that estimation. So, it could have been Eleazar, or it could have been somebody else. But Abraham said, he wanted him to swear an oath, which he would not get a bride for Isaac from the people of Canaan where he was living at why?
What was wrong with their women?
Well, they’re practicing idolatry.
They’re practicing Divination.
There were practicing all these things.
That Abraham was in disagreement with.
They were, in disagreement with so, here we go.
He wanted to get a bride from his own people back in Ur of the Chaldees, where he came from, back in Mesopotamia.
So, his servant said, OK, I want you to swear an oath.
And so, he said, put your hand under my thigh.
Well, that doesn’t make any sense to us in our modern way of thinking.
Why put your hand under somebody’s thigh?
That doesn’t make any sense.
Well, in those days, this also meant it’s the place of where the seed of the generations were coming from.
There were swearing an oath saying that, if I don’t fulfill this oath, may the curse be on my children or on me, if I didn’t have a child, I would die without any children.
Today, we have contracts.
We have some sort of covenants with land deals.
We have some sort of covenants about marriages.
But it’s not the same idea as it is back then.
This has done over and over again throughout history up until the modern ages.
So, the servant, agree says: but: I won’t agree, unless there’s an out what if the woman doesn’t want to come back with me.
Can I take your son back to where your families land is.
Abraham said by no means, to take my son out of this land, where YHVH has promised to us and our descendants, that they will inherit the land.
He said, what if she doesn’t want to come with me?
Say his servant finds a woman for Isaac; What if she doesn’t want to come with, me?
Well, if she doesn’t want to come with you.
And this is the one that you already want, Isaac, then you’re released from your, from this agreement.
Then, then Abraham says, OK, I’ll do that.
If she does not want to come back with you, then you’re two.
Then, you release from this, this covenant.
This oath, so he agrees.
Then he goes on to back to Mesopotamia, and on his arrival he prays.
And when you get to the well the watering place, I’m not, it’s not as to what we would think as well as a hole and the earth.
There was water and it could have been a sister and it could have been a natural spring. This was not known. At this point is what it really was but it was dug out, we do know that by historians and the way they would have got the water was they would have dipped their picture into the well and put it on her shoulders.
The women would do this part of their daily tasks.
And he prayed that if a woman comes out and I asked her for a drink, she will voluntary.
Say, OK, I’ll give you drink.
And I will also water your camels; a camel takes a lot of water to satisfy.
If you ever seen a camel, they are rather large creatures.
And yet, I’m reminded of this idea. Yeshua said, I am living water.
I am living water come and drink for me.
Because He said that to the woman at the well of Samaritans
Yeah, so the Samaritans, they understood this, as well.
He said this to her, is that if you knew who you’re asking, this of, you would ask of him to give you water, so you wouldn’t have thirst again.
So, he prayed says that she would voluntarily want to water his camels, as well.
Then he says, thank you Father. Thank you because you delivered her to me this day and he was so grateful and so joyful; he gave her a nose ring two bracelets. The nose ring weighed two ounces. That’s a lot of weight for anyone’s nose. So, I looked that up. The bracelets were fairly large as well.
This shows the wealth and the generosity of Abraham Eleazar or whoever the servant is, was in charge of all his goods. So, he was able to get the best that Abraham and had loaded 10 camels and his servants that went with him to help him with these camels. Also, he asked that her if there was room in her father’s house was big enough for the camels the fodder to feed, and also a place for them to lay down and sleep and his men would have food and lodging as well.
And his place with big enough for sure. Well, we’re introduced to somebody else, Rebecca’s brother Laban and come more apparent, who this person is, his name is Laban. I thought that was kind of interesting, Laban means white. And that’s what we get that word from.
So, Laban had an evil eye toward Abraham’s goods, Years later when Jacob went back, Laban was thinking that, oh, this is Abraham’s descendant, he must be wealthy too. Well, I’ll let him stay here for a while, and then we’ll see what happens. Well, then, he tried to trick him in different things. He changed his wages several times.
Well, we haven’t got to this in this week Torah Portion we’ll get to that later on.
So, in some places, said that Rebecca was only 10 years old.
This was recorded in Jasher records of her age.
But I kind of doubt it because it says at one point that Rebecca was 20 years younger than then Isaac and at this point, Isaac was 40 years old 40 years old when he took her for a wife and was comforted. So, I would say that she was probably about 20 something when she went to him.
So just because things don’t look like it’s going to work out, and you’re in a place as dry and desolate, it doesn’t mean God is done with you.
It means you’re probably in a waiting pattern to see what you will do.
If you notice that all through this, Isaac really isn’t brought up that much.
Isaac has been waiting for the servant to return, because I’m sure at this point that Abraham has told him, where his servant went, what he was doing.
So, he was probably preparing his mother’s place for such a bride to come.
He had faith that she would be there.
And this is the same thing. Where we are at today that we’re waiting for the return of our Messiah. And how long have we’ve been waiting? Are we going to be waiting, until the very end? Because he said that: how many will he find when he returns? And the implication when he says this is that not many will be found.
Because there’ll be thinking that, well, he delays. So long, let’s just go on with our daily lives as if he’s not going to come and will live the way we want to learn. Why be bound by the Torah. Why be bound by all these things? When we, in fact, should be waiting and praying and seeking his face, just as Abraham did, waiting on him, if you noticed that during this whole time, there’s not a lot of the dialog between him and God at this point. All the major promise that he gave, Abraham, he had seen fulfill, that he had a son birth by Sarah, that he had wealth and riches, and he had prominence in the place where he was up.
When you’re faithful to God, he will elevate you over and over again to places of leadership, maybe not with wealth and material things, but like Solomon who was given wisdom.
Of course you saw what Solomon did with the wisdom God gave him. He didn’t use it very well, in a lot of places. But he was very wise. But he was also faithful to that point, and he trusted God. And God gave him even more than that.
Are you willing to wait for him? Are you willing to trust him? Until the time of His coming, he said that there are those who say, well, my master delays in coming and he beats and abuses his fellow servants, he is cruel and tortures them and beats them and abuses them. What will the king do then? Well when He does come, He sees this stuff going on; He’s going to hold you accountable for that.
Or are you willing to wait in humility and humbleness? And to help your fellow man when you see the need arise Are you going to be doing ads or you’ll be waiting in season and out of season prayer and fasting and seeking His face are you doing what He says to do now? I hope so.
We’re trying to do the best we can with what we have today. And if we’re not doing what He says to do now, what makes us think that we’re going to do it, then when He does come?
In this last section, it talks about Abraham’s remarriage after Sarah’s death. Now, it’s not certain as to when this happen. What we know is sometime after Sara’s passing that he married again to Katura. And he had six children by her and 10 grandchildren. And he was 175 years old when he died. And comparing to today’s standard that’s a very long time. That’s 100 years, more than what most people live today. In fact, with the advent of GMO products and the pollution in a ground and air and the water, I’m surprised who can even make it to 60, 65 or 70. But yet, Yahweh is good and faithful and His promises are sure. He will protect us, He will for those who stay faithful to Him, He will guide us. He will lead us. He will be our rear guard. He’ll be among us If we just obey his word. If we’re not going to believe His word, then all of this is pointless. It was Isaac and Ishmael who buried him in the same cave in the same field. Where Sarah was buried, it was this field that Abraham had purchase from that field, The Sons of Heath from Ephron, and Abraham was buried.
This is kind of a short Torah Portion, but it’s so much information here. There is so many things in this portion, nuggets if you will. And yet there so many things that haven’t been said that needed to be said. One of the things I learned out of this was even in the passing of my wife found that if you are faithful to Him, He is always faithful to those who follow Him. He always takes care of us. He always watches over us. He protects us, He is there with us, whether we see Him or not. He’s there, re-assuring us along the way, He’s holding their hand, and sometimes He’s even carrying us. He is carrying us to the point that when we can’t walk anymore, He listens, He provides for us, He shelter’s us, He protects us, He watches over our soul, He is our watchmen, our guard if we’re just faithful to Him.
He will bring us home and He will make sure that the promises, He gives us many more things, He is going to see its fulfillment, either in our lifetime, or the lifetime of its children. But He’s not forgotten us. That’s the thing I remember the most. He’s never forgotten us, even though we forget Him. Consider all the times it Israel strayed away from God. How many times that they thumb their noses at Him saying, there is no God. Why should we bother with this stuff? Let’s make our own rules, let’s go on our own path. And yet, He’s compassionate and forgiving for those who love Him, and He holds us accountable when we hate him and turns away from Him. Then He says he is going to turn away from us. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be on His side than my own walking away from Him.
That’s all I have today.
