The Character Of A Man

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In this Torah Portion we find ourselves in the middle of a plot to kill the favored son of Jacob. Often it is not the public things a man does that reveals his heart. Rather it is the things he does when no one is looking.

The character of the ten brothers was revealed when they went against their brother. In much the same way it is not what we see with our eyes is the truth. The things that are done behind the scenes. This will determine the outcome of the war. What deals are made behind closed doors; you know the slaps on the back in smoke-filled rooms that will determine the fate of the innocent. It goes on today how do we get rid of the image of God from the face of Earth?  If we want to ensure that He does not return. There would be no believers on the Earth for Him for, the bride of Messiah.

Rev 12:1-17 TS2009 1 And a great sign was seen in the heaven: a woman clad with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

2 And being pregnant, she cried out in labour and in pain to give birth.a

3 And another sign was seen in the heaven: and see, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on his heads.

4 And his tail draws a third of the stars of the heaven and throws them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5 And she bore a male child who was to shepherd all nations with a rod of iron. Psa. 2:9 And her child was caught away to Elohim and to His throne.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by Elohim, to be nourished there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

7 And there came to be fighting in the heaven: Miḵa’ĕl and his messengers fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his messengers fought,

8 but they were not strong enough, nor was a place found for them in the heaven any longer.

9 And the great dragon was thrown out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who leads all the world astray. He was thrown to the earth, and his messengers were thrown out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in the heaven, “Now have come the deliverance and the power and the reign of our Elohim and the authority of His Messiah, for the accuser of our brothers, who accused them before our Elohim day and night, has been thrown down.

11 “And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness, and they did not love their lives to the death.

12 “Because of this rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.”

13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

14 And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, Dan. 7:25; 12:7 from the presence of the serpent.

15 And out of his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, to cause her to be swept away by the river.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah.

It is the plot of the enemy to get rid of His followers and there will be no legal reason for Him to return. He was nearly successful in his plot to make all of humanity fall under his control. YHVH had different plan and that was through Noah.

This is a truism that the battle is not won in the tent rather it is won on the battlefield. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. A true leader does lead from the comfort of his easy chair rather he leads his troops into the battle and is with them in the good times and bleak times when it seems all hope is lost.

The ten brothers of Joseph made an evil plot against their brother. The outcome was that he was sold for 20 pieces of silver. Then he was then sold to Potiphar. God was with Joseph blessing everything he touched and gave him wisdom to be a great leader. Joseph was not born a leader rather YHVH taught him what to do all along the way. Joseph not only given the leadership of Potiphar’s’ house. He also became the leader of all of Egypt.

YHVH always places His people in the right place and the right time. If you are not where YHVH wants you to be then everything you will be mundane and not satisfying, ask YHVH to prepare you and place you where He wants you to be. If you notice that no matter where Joseph was, he never complained rather he used what YHVH had given to him and because of that YHVH prospered him in all that he did.

Many times, people turned against or tried to get you to do things against God, for their own lustful desires? The wife Potiphar is an example of what an individual influenced or inhabited by demons. All they can see is that you are the prey, and they will stop at nothing in order to get their way. And when they do, they will dispose of you as rubbish. Then the very thing that they did to you they accuse you of doing it to them. The character of Joseph was intact and even though he passed the test and did not sin against Potiphar and YHVH, he was accused and thrown into prison.

Everyone may seem to turn their back on you. You need to know this that YHVH does not turn His back to those who love Him. He is not only our rear and front guard, He is with us and He bears us up. Here he was in the thick of the battle and I do not see Joseph giving up for this is second time he was captive.

YHVH blessed him and showed him favor. No matter where you find yourself if you love Him, He gives you exactly what you need at that time. Joseph proved himself to the jailer. He took on the responsibility for the other prisoners and their needs. The jailer gave no thought as what was going on. For he saw that God was blessing everything that Joseph had placed his hand on.

When things do not go the way, you think that should go what do you do? Do you lean closer to YHVH or do you run as Jonah tried to run away from the task YHVH gave to him. If you are that person He selected for that job, He will pursue you and have you do that task.

Serving in the Navy taught me how to fight a shipboard fire. When you are at sea you cannot call the fire department. You are it and there is nowhere to run. The same applies in fighting against our enemy, we have to prepare for it. There is no turning back you are the front line. Yeshua said I am with you always. He is with and in you. He is our rear guard and front guard. That is if you love Him and do what says for us to do. He is our fortress in time of trouble. I know that I sound like a campaign slogan.

The fact is that we are at war and the enemy knows it! Why do we not know that we are at war? The enemy has put us to sleep. Wake up the fire is at the door! You have but a few moments left to say good-bye to those you love. Or you can get up and fight the fire. Time is short and the victory is sure for those stay in the fight. YHVH has said many times; be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid.   This account of Joseph life is, in what seems an interruption, rather this is a shift in focus from Joseph to Judah. What happened to Joseph happened over many years. As noted, Judah was in league with what was going on or at least it seems.

According to Jasher Judah went to the daughters of Shem to a wife for his eldest son. Her name was Tamar. Judah first born destroyed his seed and God killed him and his second born did the same thing and God killed him as well. Judah told Tamar to wait in her father’s house until his youngest is of age. Tamar agreed and returned to her father’s house. Judah deceived her for he was not going to give him to her. He was afraid that Shilo would do the same as his brothers had done. 

During this time that Judah wife had died. The people and his family came and comforted him. Judah went to a place to shear his sheep with his friends. Tamar took off her widow clothes and dressed a prostitute and Judah did not know went to her. She conceived and bore two sons. The first was Perez and the second Zerah.

You know that if Tamar was not persistent the line of Yeshua would have been very different. Just because Judah’s character was not suitable, in the end Tamar first born was Perez and without him there would have been no Boaz, David nor Solomon. We do not know where we fit in the mosaic of the Kingdom and without you there would a big hole an empty place where you should be. But as it is we are here for a reason.  

Author: Rick Eldridge