Daily Bible Portion (Wednesday)
Daily Bible Portion - 4 of 7
"AND HE DEPARTED"
(Weekly Reading>>Genesis 28:10-32:3, Hosea 11:7-12:12, John 1:43-51)
The Mediator
As mentioned earlier, Yeshua/Jesus is the ladder between heaven and earth. The ladder to heaven that Jacob saw had one end planted (established) on earth, with its top or head reaching to heaven. This is a picture of the Messiah, the flesh of Yahweh, as Yeshua himself declared to his disciples,
The ladder between heaven and earth is the body of Messiah, a picture of His sacrifice on our behalf. At His crucifixion He was suspended between heaven and earth – thus He is our mediator (John 1: 1, 14, 43-51; Galatians 3:13).
The ladder also represents the Tree of Life. As the Tree of Life, Yeshua is the head of the assembly of believers (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23). The Jewish sages say that Jacob’s ladder is Torah. The Torah is the pathway of righteousness leading to a deeper walk with Yahweh in his heavenly kingdom (Matthew 19:16-19). The Rabbis say that the ladder (Torah) is a bridge from heaven to earth. In the same way, Yeshua, the Living Torah or the Word of Yahweh made flesh is called: The Way, The Truth and The Life - the Way to the Father; the Way of Salvation; the Source of Eternal Life; and the One who redeems man and reconciles him to the Father through His Body, the Ladder.
As Yahweh stood above the ladder to heaven, He pronounced the blessing of Abraham onto Jacob. Because Jacob offered himself upon The Stone, his descendants would indeed receive the land he was laying upon. His descendants would be so numerous they would stretch out to the west, east, north and south. All people on earth would be blessed through Jacob’s offspring. Yahweh promised to always watch over the people of Jacob wherever they were and to bring them back to the Promised Land. This is a promise for us today. Those who follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will never be forsaken or neglected. He will watch over us until He has fulfilled His promise and purpose in us! (Genesis 28:13-15)
We are told in the book of Hebrews that Jacob never received this promise in his lifetime, nor did Abraham or Isaac.
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
This was because our Fathers were able to move past their own personal insecurities and fears to stand on Yahweh’s promises as outlined in His Gospel. They saw clearly and understood that because they believed that the promises would be realized in their future generations.
Heirs According to the Promise
Who are the promised children of the Patriarchs? Who are the children who received the Covenant of Promise?
Those who believe[obey] in the Messiah and what He taught us through His Gospel are the heirs of the Covenant of Promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Galatians 3:7).
This spoken word to Jacob spanned many generations to this present day - as it is eternal. We are the promised seed in Yeshua; we are the ones spoken about to Jacob those many generations ago. They believed in us because Yahweh declared it. This affirmed that it was already created in us (the seed of Jacob) before our day (Olam Haba). This is why they looked forward to our day as they saw us already as taking hold of it and walking in it. This was how great the Patriarch’s faith was (Ephesians 1:3-14).
The Gate
When Jacob awoke from his dream he was awe-struck and declared,
Gate in Hebrew is Strong’s H8179 sha ar meaning to split open, entrance, to open, calculate, reason, or controlled access. Yeshua is the gate; He is the access between heaven and earth (Ephesians 2:18).
After receiving the Covenant of Yahweh, Jacob, now being betrothed to Yahweh poured oil on the stone as a sign of his consecration and commitment, vowing,
“If God/Elohim will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then Yahweh shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You” (Genesis 28:20-22; Exodus 21:19).
Jacob understood that when he committed to the Covenant, it was then the Covenant Maker’s responsibility to provide for him food and clothing. In a Hebrew marriage every Bridegroom makes this declaration to his Bride and then puts his promise in writing. This is called a ketubah. The ketubah then stands as a witness that the Bridegroom will provide His Bride with food, clothing and conjugal rights. This day Jacob entered into a Marriage Covenant with Yeshua – the Word of Yahweh.
The Tithe
Have you noticed that whenever Yahweh’s Covenant is agreed upon or reconfirmed the tithe is also presented? When Melchizedek came out to meet Abraham after the rescue of Lot and his family in Genesis 14 Abraham offered Melchizedek a tenth of all that he had.
When Yahweh revealed the Covenant to Jacob he also offered a tenth of the provision promised to him in advance.
Would that be our first response? Yet we see these two men offering tithes. Why tithes? Why was Abraham and Jacob’s first response the tithe? What is in the tithe that we may not understand?
The tithe is the key to the Gospel – Yahweh’s Kingdom. It was in the beginning and is eternal - our glimpse of life in the Garden. By this seemingly small act, Jacob entered Yahweh’s House that evening. Jacob knew he had been in the place where heaven and earth meet. He had seen the complete picture of Yahweh’s eternal Kingdom from beginning to end. Therefore when the Covenant was confirmed to him, as Abraham had given the tithe (his sacred portion) so also Jacob honored the physical presence of the Gospel that day. From that day forward, Jacob promised to Yahweh a tenth of everything He would provide Jacob in the future (Genesis 14:18-20).
continues tomorrow...
"AND HE DEPARTED"
(Weekly Reading>>Genesis 28:10-32:3, Hosea 11:7-12:12, John 1:43-51)
The Mediator
As mentioned earlier, Yeshua/Jesus is the ladder between heaven and earth. The ladder to heaven that Jacob saw had one end planted (established) on earth, with its top or head reaching to heaven. This is a picture of the Messiah, the flesh of Yahweh, as Yeshua himself declared to his disciples,
“Verily, verily, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the messengers of God/Elohim ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
The ladder between heaven and earth is the body of Messiah, a picture of His sacrifice on our behalf. At His crucifixion He was suspended between heaven and earth – thus He is our mediator (John 1: 1, 14, 43-51; Galatians 3:13).
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus/Yeshua HaMashiach.”
The ladder also represents the Tree of Life. As the Tree of Life, Yeshua is the head of the assembly of believers (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23). The Jewish sages say that Jacob’s ladder is Torah. The Torah is the pathway of righteousness leading to a deeper walk with Yahweh in his heavenly kingdom (Matthew 19:16-19). The Rabbis say that the ladder (Torah) is a bridge from heaven to earth. In the same way, Yeshua, the Living Torah or the Word of Yahweh made flesh is called: The Way, The Truth and The Life - the Way to the Father; the Way of Salvation; the Source of Eternal Life; and the One who redeems man and reconciles him to the Father through His Body, the Ladder.
As Yahweh stood above the ladder to heaven, He pronounced the blessing of Abraham onto Jacob. Because Jacob offered himself upon The Stone, his descendants would indeed receive the land he was laying upon. His descendants would be so numerous they would stretch out to the west, east, north and south. All people on earth would be blessed through Jacob’s offspring. Yahweh promised to always watch over the people of Jacob wherever they were and to bring them back to the Promised Land. This is a promise for us today. Those who follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will never be forsaken or neglected. He will watch over us until He has fulfilled His promise and purpose in us! (Genesis 28:13-15)
We are told in the book of Hebrews that Jacob never received this promise in his lifetime, nor did Abraham or Isaac.
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
This was because our Fathers were able to move past their own personal insecurities and fears to stand on Yahweh’s promises as outlined in His Gospel. They saw clearly and understood that because they believed that the promises would be realized in their future generations.
Heirs According to the Promise
Who are the promised children of the Patriarchs? Who are the children who received the Covenant of Promise?
“If you belong to Yeshua, then you are Abraham’s seed [physical], and heirs [of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob] according to the promise [Gospel]” (Galatians 3:8, 29).
Those who believe[obey] in the Messiah and what He taught us through His Gospel are the heirs of the Covenant of Promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Galatians 3:7).
This spoken word to Jacob spanned many generations to this present day - as it is eternal. We are the promised seed in Yeshua; we are the ones spoken about to Jacob those many generations ago. They believed in us because Yahweh declared it. This affirmed that it was already created in us (the seed of Jacob) before our day (Olam Haba). This is why they looked forward to our day as they saw us already as taking hold of it and walking in it. This was how great the Patriarch’s faith was (Ephesians 1:3-14).
Deuteronomy 29:9-15 "Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do. "You are standing today all of you before the LORD your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner[foreigner] who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, so that you may enter into the sworn covenant [confess with the mouth] of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is making with you today, that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant, but with whoever is standing here with us today before the LORD our God, AND with whoever is NOT here with us today.
“For thus says Yahweh Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited…
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain';
I, Yahweh, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.”
(Isaiah 45:18-19)
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain';
I, Yahweh, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.”
(Isaiah 45:18-19)
Jeremiah 30:8-11 “For it shall come to pass in that day, says Yahweh of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from your neck [Jacob], and will burst your bonds; foreigners shall no more enslave them. But they shall serve Yahweh their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. ‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says Yahweh, ‘nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid. For I am with you,’ says Yahweh, ‘to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you [Jacob]. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.’”
The Gate
When Jacob awoke from his dream he was awe-struck and declared,
“How awesome is this place! This is none other than the House of God. This is the gate of Heaven” (Genesis 28:17).
Gate in Hebrew is Strong’s H8179 sha ar meaning to split open, entrance, to open, calculate, reason, or controlled access. Yeshua is the gate; He is the access between heaven and earth (Ephesians 2:18).
John 10:9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will have life and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 14:6 Yeshua answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Luke 13:24).
Joshua 1:7 "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law[narrow] that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left[broad], that you may have good success wherever you go."
Revelation 21:10-11 “Also she [the holy Jerusalem] had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel [Jacob].”
John 14:6 Yeshua answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Luke 13:24).
Joshua 1:7 "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law[narrow] that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left[broad], that you may have good success wherever you go."
Revelation 21:10-11 “Also she [the holy Jerusalem] had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel [Jacob].”
After receiving the Covenant of Yahweh, Jacob, now being betrothed to Yahweh poured oil on the stone as a sign of his consecration and commitment, vowing,
“If God/Elohim will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then Yahweh shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You” (Genesis 28:20-22; Exodus 21:19).
Jacob understood that when he committed to the Covenant, it was then the Covenant Maker’s responsibility to provide for him food and clothing. In a Hebrew marriage every Bridegroom makes this declaration to his Bride and then puts his promise in writing. This is called a ketubah. The ketubah then stands as a witness that the Bridegroom will provide His Bride with food, clothing and conjugal rights. This day Jacob entered into a Marriage Covenant with Yeshua – the Word of Yahweh.
The Tithe
Have you noticed that whenever Yahweh’s Covenant is agreed upon or reconfirmed the tithe is also presented? When Melchizedek came out to meet Abraham after the rescue of Lot and his family in Genesis 14 Abraham offered Melchizedek a tenth of all that he had.
Genesis 14: 18-20 “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’” And he [Abraham] gave him a tithe of all.
When Yahweh revealed the Covenant to Jacob he also offered a tenth of the provision promised to him in advance.
Genesis 28:22 “And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You”
Would that be our first response? Yet we see these two men offering tithes. Why tithes? Why was Abraham and Jacob’s first response the tithe? What is in the tithe that we may not understand?
The tithe is the key to the Gospel – Yahweh’s Kingdom. It was in the beginning and is eternal - our glimpse of life in the Garden. By this seemingly small act, Jacob entered Yahweh’s House that evening. Jacob knew he had been in the place where heaven and earth meet. He had seen the complete picture of Yahweh’s eternal Kingdom from beginning to end. Therefore when the Covenant was confirmed to him, as Abraham had given the tithe (his sacred portion) so also Jacob honored the physical presence of the Gospel that day. From that day forward, Jacob promised to Yahweh a tenth of everything He would provide Jacob in the future (Genesis 14:18-20).
continues tomorrow...
Comment