Faithful Writers

Today we begin Genesis Chapter 17. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here. For the King James version, click here . A full 13 years have passed since Genesis Chapter 16. Outside of knowing that Hagar’s son Ishmael is now about 13 years old, we have no record of what transpired in that 13-year period. However, we know certain things have NOT changed. Sarai still hasn’t given birth to any children… Everybody is still living in Canaan. Then, seemingly out of the blue… God appears to Abram… He repeats the original promise that Abram will produce much fertile offspring… Then He tells Abram the following: “And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations .”- Genesis 17:5 Abram is about to undergo an identity transformation. Abram means “ Exalted Father ." Abraham means “ Father of Multitudes ." In the Bible, a name was not just a means of identification… It expresses one’s true nature and their role in life. Let’s take a close look at the word “ nations ." The Hebrew for the word “ nations ” in the above verse is GOYIM . The modern-day meaning of this word is the “ Gentile nations ” or “ Gentile people ." However, that wasn’t its original meaning. Since the Hebrews were not yet in existence and Abraham himself was still just in the process of becoming a Hebrew, at this time the word goyim meant any old nation just like how we use the word today. It should also be noted that when it says that Abraham will be a father of a multitude of nations, his fatherhood will not be restricted to just Israel. He will also be the father of several Gentile groups. As we move along in the Torah, you will see how this happens. © Richoka

This is a good time to introduce an important principle you should understand when studying your Bible. I am referring to the Principle of Reoccurring Patterns. In other words, an event that occurs in the earlier pages of the Bible establishes itself as a pattern that will repeat itself again and again throughout the Scriptures. Let me give you some examples of how this works between the first pre-flood man, Adam, and the first post-flood man, Noah . -As Adam was given authority over all creation in the Garden, Noah was given authority over the new world. -As Adam was instructed to “be fruitful and multiply” , so was Noah. -Adam was the world’s first farmer as he was responsible for caring for the Garden. Noah also was the new world’s first farmer as the first thing he did was plant a vineyard. -Adam’s downfall came about as a result of partaking of the fruit of the garden he tilled. Likewise, Noah’s downfall came about as a result of partaking of the fruit (the wine) of the vineyard he tilled. - Adam had his nakedness shamefully revealed as a result of his transgression. The same thing happened to Noah. - As a result of Adam’s sin, mankind was placed under a curse for all generations. Likewise, as a result of Noah’s sin, Noah’s grandson Canaan had a curse placed on him and his descendants for all generations. -Out of Adam’s three sons first mentioned in the Scriptures, Seth and his progeny would be considered the Godly line. Similarly, out of Noah’s three sons, Shem and his progeny would be considered the Godly line. The Messiah Himself would be born from Shem’s line. Isn’t this amazing? There are many more patterns and we will see them repeat constantly throughout Scripture. I will be pointing them out as we move along. Contrary to the teachings of evolution, history is cyclical, NOT linear. © Richoka

Once God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and shortly afterward commanded the rite of circumcision… From that instant, Abraham became a Hebrew. However, there is a debate as to when the word “Hebrew” came into use. Scholarly consensus is that it means “ the one who crossed over ." However, I tend to side with the more common opinion among Bible anthropologists and archaeologists. They say the word Hebrew didn’t come into use until much later and that it comes from the oriental word “ ipuru ." Ipuru was used in Canaan and surrounding areas as a term that simply meant foreigners or wanderers who had no specific nation they could call their own. This makes much more sense, given that at this point, Abraham had been away from his home for such a long time. God had promised Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan but they had yet to possess it. So at this stage, from an earthly perspective, Abraham didn’t have a nation he could point to as his own. To the inhabitants in the surrounding areas, Abraham and his motley crew would indeed appear to be a bunch of nationless wanderers. However, this was only from an earthly perspective. From a heavenly perspective outside of physical limitations and time, it was already a done deal. Abraham was a Hebrew, he was going to inherit the land, and he was going to be the father of multitudes. © Richoka

The other day, a fellow messianic believer who I met on Facebook shared some very interesting information that I think goes a long way towards explaining why it was Ham’s son Canaan and not Ham himself who was cursed. And since she also provided solid references, I decided this couldn’t be ignored and so chose to do a post on it. Let’s take a look at Genesis 9:20–25. Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan , saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked. When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” Now many commentaries assume that the “youngest son” is referring to “ Noah’s son Ham ” However, other scholars assert that the language in Genesis 9:24 points to Canaan being the one who had committed some “wicked act” against Noah and NOT Ham. In other words, “youngest son” refers to “ Ham’s youngest son ” and NOT “ Noah’s youngest son ." So the difficulty we face is one of grammar. From this perspective, Genesis 9:21–25 should read as follows: Then he [Noah] drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his [Ham’s] younger son [or, more properly, youngest son] had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan . . .” Before we do a situational breakdown of what actually transpired, we need to take a closer look at the phrase “ became uncovered ." Let’s let Scripture define Scripture by having a look at Leviticus 18:6–7. ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness ; I am the Lord. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness . -Leviticus 18:6–7 There is no doubt that in this context, the phrase “ uncover nakedness ” refers to a sexual violation. So if we take this as the meaning of “ became uncovered ”, this would mean that after Noah got drunk, it wasn’t just a matter of his blanket falling off of him and leaving him lying there naked. He was sexually violated!!! So the following is a step-by-step analysis of what may have occurred. ( I’m not going to be dogmatic about this. ) (1) Noah gets drunk and is sexually violated by Ham’s youngest son Canaan. (2) Ham is first on the scene after his son’s perverse act. (3) Ham is in shock (maybe somehow knowing that it was his son Canaan who had just perpetrated this vile deed ) and reports what he witnessed to his brothers. (4) Ham’s two brothers with their backs turned respectfully cover Noah up. (5) Noah awakens and is aware that Canaan had defiled him, and thus curses him for it. One question that arises is, was Canaan the youngest son of Ham? For the answer to that, take a look at Genesis 10:6. “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. ” In the birth order, Canaan is listed last. So Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. In conclusion, if this interpretation is true, this means that Canaan was NOT punished for something Ham did ( which come to think of it doesn’t make any sense ), but was punished for his own sin. This explanation would also explain why the fact that Ham is Canaan’s father is emphasized twice in this account (verses 22 and 24). Of course, there are many unanswered questions. What in the world possessed Canaan to engage in a sexually deviant act with his grandfather Noah? How did Ham know for sure that Canaan had engaged in a sexually repulsive act with Noah? Did he witness Canaan in the act? I’m not going to be dogmatic and say this is the only way to interpret these passages, but it makes pretty good sense to me and if true, it also I feel would explain why God would eventually want to have the Canaanites wiped out. For those interested, the references asserting that “youngest son” in Genesis 9:24 refers to Canaan are as follows. The Soncino Chumash,” edited by A. Cohen, London, 1956, p. 47.The Pentateuch & Haftorahs, by JH Hertz, London, 1972, p. 34Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible Translation by Joseph Rotherham © Richoka

“I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you are now foreigners, all the land of Canaan, as a permanent possession ; and I will be their God.” -Genesis 17:8 One important lesson we can learn from Abraham’s life is the importance of adopting a heavenly perspective versus an earthly perspective. The earthly perspective is always focusing on our immediate and physical circumstances. “What happens if I lose my job?!!” “How the hell am I gonna pay off my student loan debt?!!” “My girlfriend just broke up with me!” When we focus on external circumstances instead of God, our actions end up “ birthing an Ishmael ” as one Arab Christian Pastor I sometimes listen to put it. Look what Abraham did when the grievous famine came. Against God’s will he went down south into Egypt. And it cost him. And not only did it cost him, it cost us too. Because the Egyptian bondwoman he brought back was Hagar, who eventually ended up “birthing an Ishmael." And now we have to deal with idiotic groups like ISIS. Instead of trusting in the God who called him, Abraham ended up letting external circumstances guide his decisions. This same idea can be applied to the Jewish people’s relationship with the land of Israel. Notice how verse 8 says that “ I will give this land to your descendants forever ." Now some people will say this verse cannot possibly be true because it is obvious that throughout their history Israel has not always resided in the land since they first entered it during the time of Joshua. Their argument is focused on the external circumstances and ignoring God’s eternal promise to Abraham. There is a big difference between ownership of the land and possession of it. One can own something and not physically possess it. For example, if I have a building that I am renting out, I own it but it is my tenants that are physically in possession of it. The very instant that God made the covenant with Abraham, the land belonged to the Hebrews, even if according to God’s timetable, the time still wasn’t ripe for them to possess it. Even during their 400-year period of slavery in Egypt, the land belonged to Israel. People tend to say that Israel lost their ownership of the land when they were forced to relocate to Babylon or when they lost the land during the Roman takeover in 70 A.D. WRONG! Israel has never lost nor will it ever lose their rights to the land. It is an eternal possession from God. Don’t be fooled by the “external circumstances” argument. Stand on the promises of YEHOVEH! © Richoka

In order to properly understand many key passages of Scripture… It is essential you fully grasp the concept of the firstborn blessing. The Hebrew firstborn blessing is akin to the formalized reading of the family will just prior to the passing away of the father. It was customary for the firstborn to receive both of the following: 1) A double portion of the father’s wealth And… 2) The authority to rule over the family. A double portion meant the firstborn son received at least double the amount given to any other son. In addition, the firstborn was never a female. A married couple could have 10 daughters and then one son born after all of those daughters… And that one son would still be considered the firstborn… And receive a double portion of the family’s inheritance and the ruling authority over that family. What’s interesting is that in Noah’s pronouncement of the curses and blessings… We have a precursory firstborn blessing being proclaimed prior to it eventually becoming a formalized biblical concept in the Bible. However, what is unique in this case is that the firstborn blessing was split between Shem and Japheth . “May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, -Genesis 9:27 From the above verse, we can see that Shem received the ruling authority… And Japheth received the equivalent of a double portion of the wealth (of the world so to speak) . Note that Japheth’s blessing is dependent on Shem. In other words, Japheth’s descendants would only prosper when their relationship with Shem was in a harmonious state. Again, Japheth is the ancestor of most of the European peoples including the Romans and the Greeks. Shem would become the Hebrews (as well as the Arabs, and most of the Asian races). Historically, speaking we can see a direct correlation between the prosperity of the Japhethic nations and how they treated Israe l (a Shemitic nation). Trust me, America’s prosperity has all to do with the blessing upon Japheth. Finally, we will see this splitting up of the firstborn blessing occur again later in Genesis when Jacob blesses his 12 sons who will eventually grow to become the 12 tribes of Israel. © Richoka

You are to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin;This will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. -Genesis 17:11 Today, I want to discuss the covenant of circumcision. In Hebrew, it is called Brit Milah. In the first covenant God made with Abraham, Abraham didn’t have to do anything to partake of the benefits. It was all on God. However, the same thing does NOT apply to Abraham’s offspring. In order to partake of the covenant promises God made to Abraham, they would HAVE TO BE circumcised. Do you see the difference? In other words, Abraham didn’t have to become circumcised to partake of the benefits of the covenants. But his offspring would have to. IT IS AN OBLIGATION for all of Abraham’s offspring. Participation was required! The Scripture is very clear that the punishment for refusing circumcision was being cut off from your people, both physically and spiritually. If a parent declined to have their male child circumcised, not only were they not part of the clan but they were spiritually separated from God. They were no longer Israelites. The Zohar notes: “As long as Israel observes the custom of circumcision, heaven and earth will go on their appointed courses, but if Israel neglects the covenant, heaven and earth are disturbed. ” Throughout Jewish history, circumcision has been a sign of the Jewish will to survive while its discontinuance has been a sign of assimilation. During the reign of Antiochus IV (165BC) circumcision was prohibited by royal decree. Regardless, Jews observed the rite even at the risk of death. Some 100 years later political conditions changed and many upper class Jews desirous of assimilation to the dominant Greco-Roman way of life began to neglect Brit Milah. 200 years later, during the Hadrianic persecution, the practice was again prohibited-as well as the study of the Torah in general. But many Jews still chose to ignore these ungodly decrees. During the Nazi reign in Germany, in order to identify those Jews who were trying to pass themselves off as Christians or Gentiles, an inspection was conducted to see if the suspected individual had been circumcised or not. Later in the New Testament, Paul will go on to explain that what God really wanted was circumcised hearts, not circumcised flesh. By accepting Yeshua as our savior, we have our hearts circumcised. The same proposition faces us that faced Abraham’s offspring. If we submit to having our hearts circumcised by accepting the New Covenant, which is the blood of Yeshua, we become part of the chosen of God. If we reject it, we are separated from God’s people and God Himself. Notice that Genesis 17:12 says that even the foreign member of a household is to be circumcised. This verse explodes another stereotype that before the advent of Yeshua, it was only Jews who were eligible for salvation. The truth is any foreigner who was willing to submit him or herself to circumcision and pledge 100% allegiance to the God of Israel was given full citizenship and had all the covenantal rights of any natural born Hebrew. This is the exact same pattern that Gentiles today rely on. Via a circumcision of his or her heart , a Gentile is grafted into the covenants of Israel given through Abraham, Moses, and Yeshua. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT Indeed, the man who is physically uncircumcised but obeys the Torah will stand as a judgment on you who have had a b’rit-milah and have Torah written out but violate it! For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical. On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God.- Romans 2:27–29 © Richoka

“Abraham said to God, “If only Ishma‘el could live in your presence!” - Genesis 17:18 Let’s talk a little bit about Abraham pleading with God to let Ishmael be his heir. I think many of us tend to adopt a very condescending attitude towards Ishmael, if not outright demonize him because in our minds we associate him with the Arabs, whom we in turn associate with the religion of Islam. I think this negativity is quite misplaced. Abraham loved Ishmael greatly. In his mind, Ishmael was his firstborn son. He never thought of him as anything but his lawful, beloved, inheritor. He so desperately wanted Ishmael to inherit the promise. I have the greatest of respect for the Arab peoples. I think they are very intelligent and are among the richest people on the planet. Remember, out of Noah’s three sons, they also come from the blessed line of Shem. Nevertheless, God will not budge and insists that a child will be born from Sarai’s womb. God tells Abraham that he is to call this child Isaac and that it is with him and his offspring that an everlasting covenant will be established. Right here in these verses, we have the origin of the current Mideast crisis that is going to soon explode into a conflict involving practically every nation in the world. Muslims today claim that this portion of Scripture has been tampered with to falsely show that Isaac is to be the favored one. However, the religion of Islam didn’t even come into being until about 600 years after Yeshua’s death and resurrection . Nevertheless, Muslims call both Ishmael and Abraham the father of Islam. This is not true. The Jewish Scriptures were canonized way before Mohammed had his vision in the desert. The conclusion is very clear. God rejected Ishmael as the one who would carry on the line of the covenant promise that God had made with Abraham. It would be Isaac. © Richoka

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Today we begin Genesis Chapter 18. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here . For the King James Bible, click here . And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre -Genesis 18:1 We are going to come head-to-head with the most controversial issue right from verse one. Verse one says, “ The Lord appeared to Abraham ." Now in most Jewish Bibles, you will see the word Adonai there. Adonai is Hebrew, and yes, if we were to translate it into English, the word Lord or Master would be appropriate. However, there is one problem. If you were to take a look at the original Hebrew manuscripts, you would notice a different word other than Adonai there. That word would be YEHOVEH, spelled with the Hebrew letters Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh. English speakers tend to say Yahweh or Jehovah. So the interesting question that confronts us is why is it translated as Adonai even in Jewish Bibles, when the original word is Yud-heh-van-heh? The answer is because it is a Jewish tradition not to say the name of God. Super religious Jews will not even use the word “God” or spell it out. Despite this position, there is not one commandment in all of Scripture that says you cannot say God’s name out loud. The only exception is that you are not to take God’s name in vain. However, religious Jews claim that even the mere utterance of God’s name is taking it in vain. I have trouble accepting this argument. We have been given God’s name. If he didn’t want us to say it, why give His name to us? If it is such a terrible sin to say it out, why is there no direct prohibition against it in Scripture? We are commanded to “call” upon the name of the Lord. When I get down on my knees in prayer, I verbally say “YEHOVEH” out loud in my prayers, not some generic God word. Having said that, I would recommend being sensitive to those things that offend others. When in the company of religious Jews… I would urge you to use the term HASHEM… This literally means “The Name.” © Richoka