Reflection for V’yeira
“Choosing, Children of Promise, and Certain Judgment”
Luke 17:26-37
Romans 9:6-9
Galatians 4:21-31
Hebrews 6:13-20; 11:13-19
James 2:14-24
2 Peter 2:4-10
excerpted from TorahScope Apostolic Scriptures Reflections
As one proceeds through the opening Torah portions of the Book of Genesis, we encounter foundational stories which guide the rest of the Biblical narrative. We are informed about people and places which significantly affected the Ancient Israelites, the Prophets, and the teachings of Yeshua and the Apostles. This week’s Torah’s reading, V’yeira (Genesis 18:1-22:24), has a significant number of themes which are employed in the Apostolic Writings or New Testament, and affect how we look at God and His plan for the ages. Some of the most important themes we see in the Bible, which we hold dear as Believers who have placed our trust in the Holy One, have their roots in this week’s parashah.
Choosing
In reading the Scriptures, there is no doubt that Abraham was not only uniquely selected to be the “spiritual” father of people of faith, but that he was also a significant “physical” example of those who wish to live by faith. In V’yeira this week, we see how Abraham was specifically chosen by God to be an example of righteous living. The Lord knew that Abraham would train his descendants after him according to His ways, in order that the promise given to him might be fulfilled:
“The LORD said, ‘Will I hide from Abraham what I do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him’” (Genesis 18:17-19, WMB).
Throughout his letters, the Apostle Paul frequently referred to Abraham as a significant, pre-Sinai example to consider, about placing one’s trust in God. In Romans ch. 4, Paul used the example of Abraham to describe how faith in God is to be primary to anything else—now extended to those who place their faith in the Messiah Yeshua. The purpose of referring to Abraham was critical for Paul’s readers, as he frequently had to counter various First Century Jewish sentiments, where one’s principal spiritual identity was focused around a hyper-nationalistic view of the Torah, instead of everything flowing from trust in God. The purpose of the Torah, according to Paul, was to place before people God’s high standard of holy conduct which condemns sin—something not to be primary to faith in Him:
“‘Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin’[Psalm 32:1-2]. Is this blessing then pronounced only on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness [Genesis 15:6]. How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they might be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might also be accounted to them. He is the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had in uncircumcision. For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he would be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect. For the law produces wrath; for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience. For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations’[Genesis 17:5]. This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were. Against hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, ‘So will your offspring be’ [Genesis 15:5]” (Romans 4:8-18, WMB).
Children of Promise
Followers of the Creator God have much to be thankful for, as they consider the various examples of faith and righteousness exhibited by Abraham as recorded in the Scriptures. Whereas many, in both First Century Judaism and religious people up until today, have looked to various human activities or works to bring them into a right relationship with God—it is only by placing one’s faith or belief in God, that a right relationship can come forth. Being a physical descendant of the Patriarchs by no means guarantees that one is automatically considered “redeemed,”[1] as only those who are beneficiaries of the promise—which has now given us the Messiah Yeshua—can claim redemption. Paul substantiated this by noting how the birth of Isaac only came about because Abraham and Sarah placed their trust in God, not in a work of their flesh which gave birth to Ishmael:
“But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel. Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, ‘your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac’ [Genesis 21:12]. That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. For this is a word of promise: ‘At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son’ [Genesis 18:10, 14]” (Romans 9:6-9, WMB).
Here, Paul took elements of what we are considering in V’yeira this week, to describe some spiritual differences between children of the flesh (like Hagar’s child Ishmael) and children of promise (like Sarah’s child Isaac). Ishmael was a physical descendant of Abraham, but that did not mean that Ishmael was Abraham’s “child.” The Biblical record in Genesis records how Ishmael was not a great man of righteousness, because if he were, then he could be considered more than just “seed” (KJV). Isaac, on the other hand, was shown honor throughout the Scriptures, as he was faithful to carry on the spiritual legacy handed down to him by his father.
In his Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul used the account of Hagar giving birth to Ishmael, as a point of comparison for some new, naïve non-Jewish Believers who were being errantly convinced that unless they became Jewish proselytes, they would really not be considered true children of God. Paul compared the Sinai Covenant to Hagar, giving birth to children of slavery—not because the Sinai Covenant was bad—but because the Sinai Covenant as “the present Jerusalem” (Galatians 4:25, NASU)[2] by the First Century C.E., had become little more than something only intended to make people like the Galatians into rigorous proselytes. Salvation history had progressed forward to the age of the New Covenant, whereby God’s Law could be written on the heart by His Spirit (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27). In such a new post-resurrection era, becoming Jewish proselytes would be entirely unnecessary for the Galatians, as the work of Yeshua clearly equalizes all human beings in the Father’s eyes, and does not at all discriminate by ethnicity (Galatians 3:27-28):
“Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don’t you listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman. However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, ‘Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out and shout, you who don’t travail. For the desolate women have more children than her who has a husband’ [Isaiah 54:1]. Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. However, what does the Scripture say? ‘Throw out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant will not inherit with the son of the free woman’ [Genesis 21:10]. So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant, but of the free woman” (Galatians 4:21-31, WMB).
It is a great blessing for us as Believers in Yeshua to know that by faith in His accomplished work at Golgotha (Calvary), we are children of the free woman, and we have benefited by the promise of redemption! We are people who are to be transformed by God’s Spirit, looking to Abraham as the first example to emulate—a man who placed his complete trust in God, but who nevertheless obeyed Him as a result of his faith.
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we see how Abraham is lauded for willingly offering up his son Isaac. So significant is this, that Abraham’s willingness to kill his son was considered a foreshadowing of the later sacrifice of Yeshua for sinful humanity:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his only born son, to whom it was said, ‘Your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac’ [Genesis 48:15-16], concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead” (Hebrews 11:13-19, WMB).
Obviously, when the different writers of the Apostolic Scriptures needed to explain some elementary aspects of the required walk of faith, what is seen in V’yeira is rife with instructional material to draw upon. However, it is of paramount importance to note that while faith is placed as primary to anything else—works are not at all to be disregarded as unimportant. Believers might be saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but God made them to accomplish good works (Ephesians 2:10).
Here in the words of James the Just, we are reminded of what he noted about the faith of Abraham, coupled with his works. As a result of works, Abraham’s faith was “perfected,” meaning that it was demonstrated to be mature:
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;’ yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. Yes, a man will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder. But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness’ [Genesis 15:6], and he was called the friend of God. You see then that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:14-24, WMB).
Certain Judgment
While V’yeira can certainly be considered for us understanding the faith of Abraham, or the birth of Ishmael, which significantly affects our reading of letters like Galatians and Romans—there is one more important aspect of our Torah portion which need not be overlooked. V’yeira is also important because it teaches about God’s judgment of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Apostolic Scriptures make reference to Sodom and Gomorrah as a past judgment to be considered, in light of more severe judgment to come in the future.
Yeshua the Messiah was once questioned by some Pharisees as to when the Kingdom of God would be coming. After asserting that the Kingdom of God was already in their midst, as a supernatural force to be reckoned with, the Lord went on to describe many of the signs which will indicate His return after a departure into Heaven. References to early Genesis figures such as Noah and Lot were made, for those hearing, to take the message of future judgment quite seriously:
“Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, ‘God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation; neither will they say, “Look, here!” or, “Look, there!” for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.’ He said to the disciples, ‘The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will tell you, “Look, here!” or “Look, there!” Don’t go away or follow after them, for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. As it was in the days of Noah, even so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky and destroyed them all. It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who will be on the housetop and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it. I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left.’…They, answering, asked him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together’” (Luke 17:20-37, WMB).
In relating the accounts of the Flood, and judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah—in light of His Second Coming—Yeshua admonished His listeners to remember Lot’s wife. The reminder was that someone who placed the cares of the world, before his or her allegiance to God, was potentially in trouble when it came to horrific trials, especially those coming at the End of the Age. Yeshua pointed out that those who did not care about their lives, willing to die if necessary, would actually be preserved. For further thought, we might want to consider some words of the Apostle John, who taught how the love of the Father must be present in all His children:
“Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s. The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever” (1 John 2:15-17, WMB).
So serious are the judgment themes of Sodom and Gomorrah, that the Apostle Peter asserted that if these evil places merited wrath in the past—yet God rescued His people as He judged them—then He will likewise be there through any other trial or spiritual difficulty His people might face:
“For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment; and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a proclaimer of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way, and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries” (2 Peter 2:4-10, WMB).
Making Sure that You are of His Chosen…
Are you a child of promise, whose relationship with God is based first and foremost on faith and trust in Him? Have you considered a possible attraction you still have to the world, versus a desire to do the will of the Father? Will He consider you to be righteous, or will you be one who constantly looks back to a previous life of sin you should have left behind?
Only you can answer these, and other potential questions. Perhaps contemplating them now—rather than waiting for a violent and vengeful return of the Messiah—would be beneficial. After all, with troubling times continuing to proliferate, knowing that you are a child of promise, should give you great confidence to faithfully function in the Kingdom which Yeshua says is already present in our midst.
Do you believe His Kingdom is a present reality, and that as children of the promise, we are supposed to be operating in it by faith? Do you possess the steadfast belief that the power of God’s realm is accessible, even with it not fully manifest here on Earth?
So much more can be said from V’yeria, reflecting on how its themes make their way into the Apostolic Scriptures. I pray that we are all convicted this week that we have learned something significant from the great treasure of God’s Word.
NOTES
[1] Against m.Sanhedrin 10:1, which actually states: “All Israelites have a share in the world to come…” (Jacob Neusner, trans., The Mishnah: A New Translation [New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1988], 604), basing one’s redemption principally on Jewish ethnicity.
[2] Grk. tē nun Ierousalēm; “the Jerusalem that now is” (YLT).
