TOLDOT

“Yitz’chak prayed to Adonai on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. Adonai heeded his prayer, and Rivkah became pregnant.”
Genesis 25:21 CJV


I remember well the first miscarriage that I endured. It was in August of 2000. Just a month before I was looking at a pregnancy test handed to me and trying to make sure I was reading it correctly. The idea of being a father was making me happy. But the joys were short lived. Soon she began to have pains and we found ourselves at the doctor’s office only to find that the baby would not be coming after all. The days that followed the miscarriage went from bad to worse as we worked through an array of emotions, even after just a month of expectancy. Since this time I have had the joy of a son, the pain once again of another loss, and the joy again of a daughter, before becoming the step-father to two more sons. I look at all four children, though, and view them as answers to prayer. It was back in college that I began to have a strong desire to be a dad, and after many prayers I have come to walk out the answer to that prayer.
For Isaac and Rebekah, I feel it might have been the same. Instead of dealing with miscarriage, however, they dealt with a barren womb. The two did not have a chance to date and learn about each other’s past. They didn’t have the ability to learn of one another’s medical past. When they were introduced to each other, following the servant bringing Rebekah back from the homeland, they went into the tent and wed. But now, shortly after, they found themselves in a position where children were not coming. So what was the action taken? Isaac prayed.
Isaac had seen the faith of his father, Abraham. He had seen God work His miracles as he himself had been a miracle. So in learning that the two would be unable to have children, Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife and asked that her womb be opened. The word for prayer here is a word implying an entreaty being made. It wasn’t a one-time prayer, but a persistent praying, for what some Rabbi’s believe was a twenty year time frame.
And the part I love, God heeded his prayer. This truth is no different from what Jesus taught in Luke 11. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. After speaking for them the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus then tells the story of a man who knocks on the neighbor’s door during the night for food. It was not the fact that it was his friend that brought him to the door, but the persistence of the neighbor knocking. Therefore He shares with us that if we ask, seek, and knock, then we will have, find, and see doors open (Lk 11:9). This is the persistence Isaac had in his request for his wife’s womb.
In time, Rebekah became pregnant and gave birth to not one child, but two. But I want you to notice something in this fact. The enemy was at work. Abraham had been promised that he would be the father of many. Abraham had in all eight sons. But only one of those sons was the true promised son. And now the true promised son from whom the promise would continue was faced with the fact that his wife was barren. Right there the promise could have ended, the devil could have won, and God could have been named a liar. But, Isaac prayed.
This speaks to me because there have been times when I have been told a promise and only have seen a small portion of it come to pass, if any part at all. It has created in me doubt at first, but also the desire to continue to pray for the completion of the answer. As God is not one who will go back on His word and be made into a liar, it would serve us to do well to pray for the completion of what He has said. There is power in prayer, so let us not forget to lift a prayer up to Him and see what barren places in our life He will also restore.

CHAYEI SARAH

"Before he had finished speaking, Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abraham’s brother, came out with her jug on her shoulder.”
Gen 24:15

In Hebrew, the word for a match between man and woman is called and SHIDDUCH, while the matchmaker is called a SHADKAN. With the events to follow between Isaac and Rebekah, Eliezer played shadkan. Since this was not a chore he was accustomed to, Eliezer found himself praying for success in Genesis 24:12. “He said, ‘ADONAI, God of my master Abraham, please let me succeed today; and show your grace to my master Abraham.’” Sent to find a wife for Isaac, the servant only wanted God’s choice as opposed to just any woman walking by. But in this passage is found one of my favorite verses. "Before he had finished speaking, Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abraham’s brother, came out with her jug on her shoulder” (Gen 24:15). I love this verse because it shows us how involved God is in our future and how active He is in our prayer life. For the servant, all that he had prayed and requested of God, he found Rebekah was and did. Unknowingly, she was the answer to the prayer.
When I read this portion I cannot help but have my eyes opened to just all this provision includes. Abraham's request of the servant, guaranteeing that he had found the right one, was that she would agree to come back with him. The servant had to find a woman, receive both her and her parent's permission for marriage, have her agree to leave her family, have her family agree to let her go, and then do all this on a blind date. Unlike today when we can at least see a picture when on-line dating, the servant had no picture to show Rebekah. But still, God not only provided, but prepared Rebekah and her family.
The message here is simple - God will supply. I can look back and see the many times that God has supplied for me. When my marriage went bad and I was asked to move out, God supplied furniture for me. When my car gave up, God supplied a car for me. When I was lonely, God supplied a friend for me. When I needed a little extra cash, God supplied overtime for me. When I asked for a wife, God brought one to me. I feel bad, because sometimes I take God for granted. But then I see stories like this and am reminded that because He loves me, He takes care of all my needs.
Another point to make here involves the Yiddish word BASHERT. This word means destiny. When the servant was praying, he also asked God that she be the one whom He had appointed for Isaac. He was praying for Isaac’s destiny, his barshert (Gen 24:14).
I am reminded also of Philippians 4:19 which reads, “Moreover, my God will fill every need of yours according to his glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua.” This word need, is the Greek word CHREIA, from the root word CHRAOMAI. The meaning encompasses employment, occasions, demands, requirements, businesses, lacks, uses, and wants. In truth, it is the furnishing of all that is needed. God will take care of everything; there is no reason for us to panic. As easily as He answered a prayer that was still in the process of being prayed, so He also can answer our prayers before we finish praying. God loves us enough to care for us. We won't always get what we want, but He will be sure to give us what we need. There is hope in this because this applies to all of life. I have learned to throw away my list of what I want in the future and begin to ask God to supply what I need. In trusting in Him, I will find myself in good hands.
But before we leave this account, I want to look at what happens in the end. When we find Isaac again in Genesis 24:62-63, we find him out in the field. In some translations it states that he was walking in the field, while others say he was meditating in the field. The word in Hebrew is SUWACH, meaning to muse pensively, or to meditate. But have you ever stopped to wonder what he may have been meditating on? With a probable knowledge of why the servant was gone, it serves right to assume that Isaac may have been praying or meditating on what his future wife looked like, should she have chosen to actually come.
It was while he was out there, though, that he saw the camels approaching. And she too saw Isaac. In fact, the Bible records that when she saw Isaac coming to meet her, she covered herself with her veil. As I was reading about this I found an answer to why she did this action. The writing states she covered herself for two reasons. First, it was customary in that time for the woman to cover her face in the presence of her fiancé just prior to her marriage. This amazed me when I read this because being the first recorded blind date in the Bible, Rebekah immediately considered herself engaged to Isaac. The second reason for her covering is stated in saying she wanted her inner beauty to grab Isaac’s attention rather than her outer beauty.
In no time at all the wedding bells rang, and Isaac escorted Rebekah into his mother’s tent where she became his wife. Taking her into his mother’s tent, which had been empty till now, symbolized the addition once more of an eishet chayil, a virtuous wife. The Bible records that just as Sarah had been loved by Abraham, so Genesis 24:67 records that Isaac loved his wife, Rebekah. This can be a lesson to us. Isaac did not marry out of love, but loved because he was married to her. How many of us base marriage on love, instead of love on marriage? How many of us can learn a lesson from Isaac's example? I know I can.

VAYERA

“So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, ‘Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!’ But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.”
Gen 19:14

Let’s take a minute to look at Sodom and Gomorrah. The meaning of the word Sodom is believed to be based in the Semitic language and is related to the word sadama, meaning fasten, fortify, or strengthen. In turn, the word Gomorrah is looked to be based on the root gh-m-r, meaning to be deep with water. To put these two cities together would give us an understanding of a fortified city near a deep body of water. However, further research of the word Sodom (H5467) from the Strong’s shows this word related to a scorched or burnt land, and Gomorrah (H6017) linked to a ruined heap. Was it possible that the outcome of the city was known from the beginning? It is thought also that the word sodomy is related to the word Sodom, based on their illicit sexual sins. It is for these actions also that Jude writes of Sodom and Gomorrah that they indulged in immorality and went after strange flesh (Jude 7). All this makes me wonder how long before of grace runs out. Are we destined to see the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah?
When the angels arrive at the township, Lot is found sitting at the gate. Immediately he flops down and lays prostrate before them, pleading they come to his house for supper. They came, and a meal is shared, but the Bible records that before they could even go to bed, the men of the city had already surrounded the house, wanting the angelic men to come out and play (Gen 19:4-5). In response, Lot goes out to speak with the men while refusing to give them their desire. Instead, Lot does what any good dad would do, right? Wrong! He offers his daughters to the men of the city. Not a good enough offer, the town begins to turn on Lot until the angels reach out their hands and pull Lot back in. Then, to those at the door, blindness overtakes them as sent on them by the angels.
The family is urged to leave, and asked if there are any others who will go with them. With this questioning, Lot goes to his sons-in-law. “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, ‘Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!’ But his sons-in-law thought he was joking” (Gen 19:14). I’m not sure if perhaps Lot had a comedy show on TV back then, or made repeated performances at the local comedy club, but this was a bad time to be thinking he may be joking. This joke would end up costing the sons-in-law their lives. Not too funny.
But have you ever stopped to think why they would think this? Compromise is normally looked at as a good thing. In marriage, when both parties cannot agree on the same thing, compromise can be the tool used to ensure that a mutual agreement is made. Webster defines this concept of compromise as a settlement of differences by arbitration or consent. But there is a second definition for the word compromise as well. Webster defines this word also as a concession to something derogatory or prejudicial. This is a definition I have found myself fall into more often than desired. It is in those times when our character or stance is no longer valid and our compromise seems to be the root cause.
In Genesis 19:1 we found Lot sitting at the gateway of the city. In only a few chapters Lot had moved from near Sodom to at Sodom. Gradually over time, Lot began to compromise or give concession. When the men of God came to take Lot away at Abraham’s request, they found him living within the city. And what is more, the evil lifestyle of the people had encompassed around him. Seeing these men, and the offers being given them by the sexual townsfolk, Lot offered his daughters to the city. What kind of person offers his children to be raped and mistreated purposely? The kind who has compromised.
As I consider this and look into it myself, I see the reason he was laughed at. The man Lot had once been was gone. He failed to take his stand against the enemy and now instead was living among the enemy. Perhaps he was laughed at because the sons-in-law had never seen Lot take a true stand for God. Now here was Lot, warning against judgment and they responded as if it was a joke. Lot’s compromise cost him his sons-in-law.
Seeing this revelation, my eyes are opened. What are my children, and others, seeing from me? Am I being looked at as sold out for God, or a guy who has compromised and nothing I say has value? Am I a hypocrite? Lot lost his place as the man of the family when he compromised; I do not want to fall into the same trap. And maybe Lot was worshipping God, but then I question if it was all in secret. One thing I want my children to see in me is that God is not a secret. I want them to see me reading my Bible, praying, worshipping God, and taking a stand for Him. I don’t want it to be a show; I want them to see the real thing.