Are the Accusations against Jacob True?

ARE THE ACCUSATIONS

AGAINST JACOB TRUE?

Edited by A. Miller

Introduction

Jacob is normally accused of being deceitful, a liar, a thief and a doer of other evils. Are these accusations true? Where would these accusations place Yehovah, if they are true? What is Biblical justice regarding these accusations?

The Texts

The texts are from the King James Version with slightly altered punctuation. While literal renderings would be far stronger, I chose to forego them in this paper to avoid appearing to force what I am contending. Text pieces are given. I suggest that you read all texts in their contexts.

The Naming

Genesis 25:26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel. And his name was called Jacob…

The Hebrew Ekev means heel, from which the name Yaakov (Jacob) is derived. The word does not mean deceiver (shown later), which employs another root with the same spelling. Accusations that he was a deceiver from birth are false.

Perfection

Genesis 25:27 And the boys grew. And Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field. And Jacob is a perfect man, dwelling in tents.

While the King James and other versions render the Hebrew word Tom as plain, it always either means perfection (as in this case) or finished (destroyed). Perfect sacrifices employ the same word. Yehovah called Jacob perfect.

The Purchase

Genesis 25:29 And Jacob sod pottage. And Esau came from the field, and he is faint. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I am faint. therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die. And what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day. And he sware unto him. And he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. thus Esau despised [his] birthright.

Faint means tired in Hebrew. Esau did not return starving to death, and he could have obtained food from his parents and others. He wanted the stew. Jacob desired the birthright. Esau despised the birthright which included Spiritual responsibilities. Esau was as happy to sell the birthright as Jacob was to purchase it, a bargain for both. Whoever has the birthright also gets the blessing, however. With greater responsibility comes a greater blessing.

The Beginning of Error

Genesis 25:21 And Isaac entreated Yehovah for his wife, because she is barren. And Yehovah was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If [it be] so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of Yehovah. And Yehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels. And [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people. And the elder shall serve the younger.

Genesis 27:1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son. And he said unto him, Behold, [here am] I. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death. Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me [some] venison. And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring [it] to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son.

Yehovah told Rebekah, A people shall be stronger than a people. And the elder shall serve the younger. In Genesis 27, Isaac is about to bless the elder, Esau. What he plans to give to Esau Yehovah already promised to the younger, Jacob. When a father blessed his sons, he prophesied. Had Isaac gone through with his plan for Esau, he would have been falsely prophesying, a serious offense. Esau voluntarily sold the blessing to Jacob, and Isaac had to honour this regardless of his feelings or understanding. Rebekah knew this well, having heard it from Yehovah. She determined to ‘save Isaac’s neck’ by making Isaac come into line with Yehovah’s Word, an act of heroism on her part.

The Plot

Genesis 27:5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt [for] venison, to bring [it]. And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before Yehovah before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth. And thou shalt bring [it] to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver. And I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. And his mother said unto him, Upon me [be] thy curse, my son. only obey my voice, and go fetch me [them].

Jacob feared being viewed as a deceiver (verse 12). Rebekah was the deceiver, but she was Isaac’s wife one flesh with him. She cared about him, and did what was best. Rebekah was adamant in her plan, and she was right!

Couldn’t Rebekah have simply told her husband, reminding him of the word which Yehovah gave her regarding the twins? Isaac had just promised Esau the blessing, telling him to make a delicious meal. Isaac loved Esau for the food (Genesis 25:28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of the venison. And Rebekah loved Jacob). Rebekah saved Isaac from a terrible quandary upon Esau’s return. Rebekah was not consulted by Isaac in his decision to bless Esau. She overheard the conversation.

The ‘Lie’ and ‘Taking Yehovah’s Name in Vain’

Genesis 27:14 And he went, and fetched, and brought [them] to his mother. And his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which are with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How [is it] that thou hast found [it] so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Yehovah thy God brought [it] to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou [be] my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father. And he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.

One might level two accusations against Jacob: lying and taking Yehovah’s name in vain, or bearing false witness. The Law of Moses was not yet given. Jacob was commanded by his mother (who is one flesh with his father) to do this. He did right, just as it would be right to steal in the following case:

Suppose you owned several cars, and you loaned one to a ‘friend’. You paid for the vehicle and its insurance. This supposed friend later turned on you, and would have nothing to do with you, but kept the car. Your insurance came due. When you tried to contact him regarding the car, he hung up on you, and would not return it. You thought, “I have an extra set of keys. I’ll go in the middle of the night, and take the car!” You did. He called the police, reporting a stolen vehicle. Did you steal a car? Are you guilty of a crime? You took what was yours. What if this other man had planned to give your car to a friend? Isaac was about to do this. The blessing went with the birthright. Isaac was about to give it to one to whom it did not belong. So Jacob had every right to secure what was his.

The Blessing

Genesis 27:24 And he said, art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring [it] near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought [it] near to him, and he did eat. And he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yehovah hath blessed. Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine. Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee. Cursed [be] every one that curseth thee, and blessed [be] he that blesseth thee.

Compare Be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee (which Isaac intended for Esau) with And [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people. And the elder shall serve the younger (which Yehovah told to Rebekah).

The Confirmation

Genesis 27:30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? Where is he that hath taken venison, and brought [it] me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, he shall be blessed.

In verse 33 above, Isaac says, he shall be blessed. If anyone takes what belongs to another by deception, he has no right to keep the item. The deceived has the right to demand it back. If the giver agrees to give the item to the deceiver after discovering the deception, the gift stands! Isaac did this, giving the blessing to Jacob.

The Pun

Genesis 27:34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtlety (deceit), and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times. he took away my birthright. And, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants. And with corn and wine have I sustained him. And what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

Isaac directly stated Jacob’s act was by deceit, but he then confirmed Jacob’s blessing. Esau employed a pun on both Hebrew roots, EKEV. One means heel, the other supplant. Jacob was named only for the heel:

Genesis 25:26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob (YAAKOV from EKEV).

Esau then lied by saying, He took away my birthright. Esau sold his despised birthright! The blessing belongs with the birthright. Esau would not be able to sustain his argument in any just court!

Seeking Repentance with Tears

Genesis 27:38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

Hebrews 12:16 Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Esau sought repentance from his father, hoping he would change his mind about the blessing. It included material prosperity that Esau valued. Isaac refused to repent from blessing to Jacob.

The Secondary Blessing

Genesis 27:39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother. And it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

Esau received a blessing. By thy sword shalt thou live. The violent Edomites of Jordan fit this well.

The Plot of Murder, the Revelation

Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. And arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran. And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away; Until thy brother’s anger turn away from thee, and he forget which thou hast done to him. Then I will send, and fetch thee from thence. Why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

Esau plotted murderer, comforting himself to kill Jacob! And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand. If he said it in his heart, no one heard him. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah. Who told her? Only Yehovah knows the thoughts of the heart. Yehovah is only helping Jacob, and foiling things for Esau at every turn. If Esau is so innocent and Jacob guilty, Yehovah must be an evildoer also! Do you want to stand with this argument?

Rebekah’s Fury against Esau’s Wives; Esau’s People-Pleasing Tendencies

Genesis 27:46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

Genesis 28:6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence. And that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram. And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

Esau did not know how distressed his parents were with his women. Esau heard his parents’ command to Jacob, and thought he could fix things by taking another woman! He never understood that Abraham’s charge that Isaac not marry a Canaanite pertained also to him. Now he gets serious. This does not help. The Bible accuses Esau of being a fornicator in addition to these things:

Hebrews 12:16 …lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Isaac’s Confirmation, Part 2

Genesis 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father. And take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people. And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

Isaac again confirms his blessing to Jacob, without anger over the deception. Isaac has a complete turn-around. Isaac should have been livid with rage, but instead he turns all his attention to Jacob, blessing him. Anyone blaming Jacob must now blame Isaac, Rebekah and Yehovah. They all ‘conspired against’ poor Esau.

No Repentance from Jacob; Yehovah’s Promise to Jacob

Genesis 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. And he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, Yehovah stood above it, and said, I am Yehovah God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Yehovah is in this place. And I knew [it] not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel. But the name of that city [was called] Luz at the first.

If Jacob did wrong, why didn’t Yehovah address him on his evil? Why wasn’t Jacob called to repentance? Why did Yehovah confirm Jacob’s blessing? Why did Yehovah state that He is with Jacob? When Jacob awoke, why didn’t he mention his sinfulness? Jacob is innocent before Yehovah. How can one who has sinned be in the presence of Yehovah, and be unaware of his sin? Accusations against Jacob are false, incriminating Yehovah Himself.

Jacob’s Vow

Genesis 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall Yehovah be my God. And this stone, which I have set [for] a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Some believe that Jacob finally became a believer at this time. Jacob makes Yehovah’s being his God contingent upon a particular action of God toward him that will happen in the future, however. Either Jacob is already a believer and a fearer of God (unto salvation), or there never is a time when he is (which would make Yehovah’s identifying with him more than any other character in the Bible very strange!). The literal Hebrew of this text does not show the same contingency:

Genesis 28:20, literally rendered: And Jacob vowed a vow to say, “If Elohim will be with me, and He will guard me in this way that I am walking, and He will give me bread to eat and a garment to dress, and I will return in peace unto the house of my papa, and it shall be, He shall be to me for Elohim, and this stone that I put a pillar will be the House of Elohim. And all that Thou wilt give to me, a tenth I will tenth him to Thee.”

The Issue of Revenge: Two Wives

Some have also proposed that God taught Jacob ‘the deceiver’ a lesson when Laban deceived him by switching Leah. One week later, however, Jacob gets Rachel, and he obtains children from four women rather than one. This teaches no ‘lesson’. Leah is a comfort to him in his old age.

Evil Laban Sees that Yehovah Blesses Him (Laban) for the Sake of Jacob

Genesis 30:25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give [me] my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go. For thou knowest my service which I have done thee. And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry. For] I have learned by experience that Yehovah hath blessed me for thy sake.

If Jacob was guilty, why did Yehovah only bless him and others for his sake? Is Yehovah’s justice that messed up?

Jacob’s Acquisition of Great Flocks from Laban

Genesis 30:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give [it]. And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. For [it was] little which thou hadst before I [came], and it is [now] increased unto a multitude. And Yehovah hath blessed thee since my coming. And now when shall I provide for mine own house also? And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing. If thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed keep thy flock. I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. And [of such] shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstreaked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had [some] white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave [them] into the hand of his sons. And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree. And pilled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which is in the rods. And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban. And he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle. And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were feeble, he put [them] not in. so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. {Chapter 31} And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that is our father’s. And of which is our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it is not toward him as before. And Yehovah said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred. And I will be with thee. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled. And if he said thus, The ringstreaked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstreaked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given [them] to me. And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle are ringstreaked, speckled, and grisled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, [saying], Jacob. And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstreaked, speckled, and grisled. For I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, where thou vowedst a vow unto me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, [Is there] yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

Others accuse Jacob of deceit in the cattle business by cheating Laban, making sure that things came out in his own favour. He was an advanced cattle breeder, knowing genetics very well! If he cheated Laban, why does Yehovah protect him, giving him success and making sure that he gets away with it? This only throws more culpability on Yehovah, not on Jacob! Yehovah intended to make Jacob wealthy!

The Stolen Images

Genesis 31:17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels. And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. And Laban went to shear his sheep. And Rachel had stolen the images that are her father’s. And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. So he fled with all that he had. And he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face [toward] the mount Gilead. And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey. And they overtook him in the mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount. And Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives [taken] with the sword? Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me. And didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now done foolishly in [so] doing. It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt. But the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid. For I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. Before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take [it] to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found [them] not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found [them] not. And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images. And Jacob was wroth, and chided with Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? What is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set [it] here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. This twenty years [have] I [been] with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That which was torn [of beasts] I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, [whether] stolen by day, or stolen by night. [Thus] I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night. And my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle. And thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked [thee] yesternight. And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, [These] daughters are my daughters, and [these] children are my children, and [these] cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine. And what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born? Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou. And let it be for a witness between me and thee. And Jacob took a stone, and set it up [for] a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones. And they took stones, and made an heap. And they did eat there upon the heap. And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha. But Jacob called it Galeed. And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed. And Mizpah; for he said, Yehovah watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take [other] wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold [this] pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; This heap [be] witness, and [this] pillar [be] witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. And Laban departed, and returned unto his place.

Yehovah threatened Laban, not Jacob. Jacob showed that Laban cheated him, and Yehovah only blessed Jacob. Even Laban’s daughters agree with Jacob. Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. Laban was evil, and Yehovah threatened him lest he say good or evil to Jacob. If Yehovah is wrong about Jacob, Yehovah’s justice is perverted. If Yehovah’s justice is right, all who speak evily of Jacob speak evily of Yehovah. Jacob made agreements, and he kept them. Laban changed the agreements ten times, and Jacob still remained a good employee of Laban.

Angels of God Meet Jacob

Genesis 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. <+>²And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Yehovah often specially met Jacob for personal reasons. Who else in the Bible had this closeness with Yehovah?

Jacob’s Fear of Esau

Genesis 32:3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now. And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants. And I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. And he divided the people that is with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands. And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yehovah which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan. And now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau. For I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. And he lodged there that same night. And took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. And he delivered [them] into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves. And said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? Then thou shalt say, [They be] thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau. And, behold, also he is behind us. And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. So went the present over before him. And himself lodged that night in the company. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

Jacob recalled the meetings of Yehovah with him. Yehovah is for Him. Esau, Jacob’s enemy, was at peace with him.

Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please Yehovah, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

The Fight between Yehovah and Jacob

Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone. And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh. And the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked [him], and said, Tell [me], I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Some say this is where Jacob finally meets God and establishes a relationship with Him. The text states, however, that Yehovah said, as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. This is not salvational. Jacob was not humbled, but was elevated, and Yehovah again blessed him. Jacob saw God face to face:

Hosea 12:1 Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind. He daily increaseth lies and desolation. And they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt. Yehovah hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him. He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God. Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed. He wept, and made supplication unto him. He found him [in] Bethel, and there he spake with us; Even Yehovah God of hosts; Yehovah is his memorial. Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

Does Jacob refer to the individual, or the race? He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God. Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed. He wept, and made supplication unto him. He found him [in] Bethel, and there he spake with us; Even Yehovah God of hosts; Yehovah is his memorial. These are all good things. The next verse cannot be referring to Jacob the individual: Therefore turn thou to thy God. Keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually. Jacob is dead. Yehovah is speaking to Jacob the race.

The Sons of Jacob Answer Deceitfully

Genesis 34:13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach unto us. But in this will we consent unto you. If ye will be as we [be], that every male of you be circumcised; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

This text shows a truly deceitful and wrong action, one that Jacob bitterly remembered. Isaac never held even a moment of resentment toward Jacob; Jacob had done right. What these sons did was wrong.

Yehovah Re-Calls Jacob to Bethel

Genesis 35:1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there. And make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that are with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. And let us arise, and go up to Bethel. And I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which are in their hand, and [all their] earrings which are in their ears. And Jacob hid them under the oak which is by Shechem. And they journeyed. And the terror of God was upon the cities that are round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that are with him. And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel. Because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

Both Yehovah and Jacob state that Jacob was fleeing from Esau when Jacob came to Bethel. Yehovah appeared unto him there. His fleeing was not because Jacob had done wrong; Yehovah the Judge never corrected Jacob for wrong. Esau’s murderous plot forced Jacob to flee.

God Again Blesses Jacob

Genesis 35:9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob. Thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, a pillar of stone. And he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

Yehovah only shows blessing and favour toward Jacob.

God Again Appears to Jacob

Genesis 46:1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father. Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt. And I will also surely bring thee up [again]. And Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba. And the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

Yehovah’s View of Esau and Jacob

Malachi 1:1 The burden of the word of Yehovah to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith Yehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Is not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith Yehovah. Yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Romans 9:10 And not only [this]; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, by our father Isaac; (For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? [Is there] unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.

Hebrews 12:16 Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Yehovah hated Esau. He chose Jacob to rule over him before the children were born. Yehovah saw Esau as a fornicator and a profane (secular) person. Esau sold his birthright for one morsel of food!

Conclusion

The wise reader will stand with Yehovah in Jacob’s innocence and perfection. Some who side with Esau also feel sorry for Judas and Satan. Some teachers and preachers make a habit of knocking Saints. If they had the Spirit of God, wouldn’t they speak in the same manner as the Spirit of God?

Addendum. The Sufferings of Jacob

Genesis 25:28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of [his] venison. But Rebekah loved Jacob. Yehovah agreed with Rebekah on this point, because Yehovah loved Jacob. Yehovah hated Esau, though Rebekah did not. The feelings of a father for a son are very important to the son. Isaac’s love for Esau was based upon what Esau could make, whereas Rebekah’s love was based upon no external performance.

Jacob had to contend with a murderous brother who hated him:

The plot of evil is sin, and the plot of murder is murder. Jacob legitimately obtained the blessing and the birthright, but got nothing physical out of the deal. His brother obtained his father’s inheritance. Jacob went out poor. Jacob obtained through hard work for an unfair man. Jacob’s desire for the blessing was not for gratification, but for Yehovah’s blessing. Jacob lost all to obtain better things. He did not see his parents for fourteen years. Jacob graciously worked very hard, and demonstrated Godliness.

Jacob suffered under the employment of a ruthless man who tricked him into a marriage with one daughter for whom he had not bargained, and changed his wages ten times over fourteen years. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. Few would be willing to be gracious to an employer under these circumstances. Yehovah prospered Jacob greatly, teaching him breeding techniques. Jacob’s behaviour was consistently right toward his father-in-law. When any of his father-in-law’s animals were harmed or killed, Jacob replaced them with his own, not part of their deal.

Jacob also suffered with an idolatrous family:

Genesis 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that [were] with him, Put away the strange gods that [are] among you, and be clean, and change your garments. And let us arise, and go up to Bethel. And I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which [were] in their hand, and [all their] earrings which [were] in their ears. And Jacob hid them under the oak which [was] by Shechem.

Jacob was a righteous man. He did not force his faith on others.

Jacob suffered because of two sons who slew the innocent along with the guilty in Shechem:

Genesis 34:25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which [was] in the city, and that which [was] in the field, And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that [was] in the house. And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And I [being] few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me. And I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

Jacob now had slaves whose families had been slaughtered by his sons without just cause, and a daughter who had been raped.

His sons hated their brother, Joseph. Joseph was innocent, and spoke the truth to his father while his brothers lied. They sought to murder him. One brother sought to save him, but Joseph was taken as a slave. The sons reported that their brother had been slain by a wild animal. Jacob suffered more over this than anything else. Yet his sons never told the truth, watching Jacob mourn the loss of Joseph. Jacob said to Pharaoh,

Genesis 47:9 The days of the years of my pilgrimage [are] an hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

In all cases, Jacob did what was right. This man had favour with Yehovah. Anyone who accuses this great man of faith will have to contend with Yehovah.

February 9, 2009July 5, 2017

Good and Bad

Most Bible readers understand that ‘good and evil’ as opposites, but the Hebrew rarely uses evil when using good. Evil is moral or ethical perversity. Bad (in the Bible) is neither moral nor immoral, ethical nor unethical. When translations have good and evil, the Hebrew reads good and bad. A child would understand this.

Good in the Bible shows something beneficial. It can refer to appearance, utility, working or behaving right, tasting good, being on the side of the good guys and Yehovah, or justice. Bad shows something harmful, destructive, disgusting, poisonous, being on the side of violent folks and against Yehovah, or injustice.

Yehovah early introduced a tree:

Genesis 2:9 And Yehovah Elohim made spring up from the soil every tree pleasant to appearance and good for food, and a tree of the lives in the midst of the garden, and a tree of the knowledge of good and bad.

Genesis 2:17 “And from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad—thou shalt not eat from him, because in the day of thine eating from him, death—thou shalt die!”

Readers thinking that bad means evil misunderstand the following text:

Isaiah 45:7, King James Version: “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

The literal text (starting with the last part of verse 6) states, “I am Yehovah, and there isn’t more, Former of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of peace and Creator of bad—I am Yehovah Doer of all these.”

Consider the following literally translated text to understand “Creator of bad”:

Amos 3:6 If he will blast a shofar [ram’s horn] in a city, and a people will not be terrified? If bad will be in a city, and Yehovah did not do?

Bad refers to the city’s capture or destruction. Yehovah takes responsibility if an entire city is snared and destroyed.

Children naturally understand good and bad in the same way the Biblical uses them. So must every fearer of God.

Look at the following texts with bad placed where it should be:

Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were bad and sinners before Yehovah exceedingly.

Genesis 19:19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some bad take me, and I die.

Genesis 26:29 That thou wilt do us no bad, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of Yehovah.

Genesis 31:29 “It is in the power of my hand to do you bad, but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, ‘Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad!’”

Genesis 39:9 “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this big bad, and sin against God?”

Genesis 48:16 “The Angel Who redeemed me from all bad bless the lads.”

Children see experiences in life as good or bad, the same way the Bible is written. Bad is used more than 623 times in the ‘Old Testament’ alone.

Jeremiah 2:3 “Israel is holiness to Yehovah, and the firstfruits of His increase. All who devour him shall offend. Bad shall come upon them,” saith Yehovah.

If Hebrew seems almost childish when rendered literally, your observation matches mine. Yehovah designed Hebrew for children.

The Bible uses ‘good’ and ‘bad’ to describe folks.

Psalms 10:15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the bad man. Seek out his wickedness till Thou find none!

This text shows that a wicked (culpable) person is also a bad person (though bad and wicked are not the same).

Proverbs 2:20 …that thou mayest walk in the way of good ones and keep the paths of the righteous.

Way is singular, referring to good ones. Paths is plural, referring to the righteous. Good and righteous are not the same. Do good! Do righteousness! Be listed among the good. Be a true friend to the Good Shepherd and to His People, Israel.

Do not do bad to Israel by ignoring the spiritually lost state of the Jews. Prepare to constructively and wisely give the Truth to them, should Yehovah supply opportunity! If you are given opportunity to physically help Jews during a time of their persecution, will you protect yourself and your family by ignoring this, or will you risk your own life and the lives of your family members to help?

February 2, 2009July 5, 2017

The Feet

Do birds have feet? Yet the description of the dove is world famous:

Genesis 8:9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot. And she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

Yehovah told the Israelis,

Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river—the river Euphrates—even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.

Children do a great deal of walking, once they are able. They understand their territory by where they can go (tread) with their feet.

They also understand what sliding with their feet involves:

Deuteronomy 32:35 To me is vengeance and recompense. Their foot shall slide in time. For the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

If their feet are guarded, they won’t slide:

1 Samuel 2:9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

2 Samuel 22:37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me so that my feet did not slip.

Children sit at the feet of adults, just as in the following text:

Deuteronomy 33:2 “Yehovah came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them. He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came with myriads of saints. From His right hand went a fiery law for them. 3Indeed, He loved the people. All His saints are in Thy hand. And they sat down at Thy feet. Every one shall receive of Thy words.”

Children will sometimes take hold of an adult’s feet in order to make a request:

2 Kings 4:27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet. But Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her; and Yehovah hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

Young Children observe feet much more closely than adults, especially in societies where the feet are exposed (as in sandals):

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

They understand what stepping on bugs can do, so they would understand such texts as the following:

Lamentations 1:15 The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty-ones in the midst of me.

Children would more easily understand texts like the following:

Psalms 110:1 Yehovah said unto my Lord, “Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

Because children sit at the feet of adults, and sometimes even place their legs around the legs of an adult, they know that they can become a stool for feet, and that it is good. This text describes Jewish enemies of Messiah turning to Him, and becoming a place for the resting of His feet upon His arrival.

One word for spies is a ‘childism’:

Genesis 42:9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he dreamed of them. And he said unto them, “Ye are spies!” [This is literally, ‘feet’.] “Ye are come to see the nakedness of the land!”

Children who can walk and explore territories are ‘footing it’! On the other hand, some running children have evil destinations:

Proverbs 1:16 For their feet run to evil.

Many Bible texts that appear difficult to understand become clear if they are considered from the aspect of a child.

I will consider walking in another chapter.

The following texts have some interesting readings when translated literally:

Genesis 33:14 “My lords will cross-over, pray, to the faces of his servant. And I, I will conduct myself at my gentleness to the foot of the errand that is to my faces and to the foot of the children until I will come unto my lord to Seir.”

Exodus 11:8 “And all these thy servants shall descend unto me. And they shall prostrate themselves to me, saying, ‘Exit!—thou and all the people that is with thy feet!’ And afterward I will exit!” And he exited from with Pharaoh heats of nose!

2 Kings 21:8 “And I will not again make the foot of Israel move from the soil that I gave their fathers only if they will guard to do according to all that I commanded them and to all the Teaching that my servant Moshe commanded them.”

The next text can also refer to the feet of soldiers, as in the case of Nazis, whose high-stepping feet were a sign of their arrogance:

Psalms 36:11 Do not bring me the foot of arrogance.

Psalms 66:6 “He turned-over the sea to dry. They crossed on foot in the river. There we rejoiced in Him!”

I propose that the above text refers to walking on water.

Proverbs 6:13 He winketh with his eye. He uttereth with his foot. He teacheth with his fingers.

A child can quickly learn to read the foot of another, especially when it causes terror.

The next text shows how the feet can be used to express joy (that is evil, in this case):

Ezekiel 25:6 For thus saith the Lord Yehovah, “Because thou hast clapped thine hands and stamped with the foot and rejoiced with all thy contempt in the being unto the soil of Israel…”

For what are your feet known (whether you can walk or not)? Would your feet take you to the aid of Jews, should the choice be forced on you to aid Israel and suffer great loss, or to ignore Israel and be in less danger? Would Jewish children love your feet, or would they fear your feet as potential enemies?

February 2, 2009August 22, 2016

Baptism

One of the Basic Foundational Truths
For Understanding Anything about Biblical Faith

1. Introduction

2. Romans 6

3. Colossians 2

4. 1 Corinthians 10: Exodus 14

5. 1 Peter 3:18‑22

6. Immersion of Objects in Sacrifices

7. Jewish Traditional Baptism: Orthodox Pictorial Baptism

8. A Suggestion For a Present‑Day Pictorial Baptism

9. Conclusion

1. Introduction

While many are baptized in local churches, few know why. Some are too young to learn reasons, and others have been taught reasons outside of the Bible. Some haven’t been taught anything. Not knowing the reason for baptism Spiritually accomplishes nothing. Doctrines that equate baptism with Salvation create an idolatrous ritual.

Only the blood of the Perfect One can wash away sin; water cannot.

The following erroneous, non-Biblical reasons are given for baptism:

A. Baptism bears witness that one is Born Again; it is a public act to show an inward rebirth.

B. Baptism washes away sin.

C. Baptism is a testimony.

D. Believer’s baptism is an ordinance, like the Lord’s Supper.

E. Baptism enters one into the Body of Messiah.

F. Baptism is needed for membership into the Body of Messiah.

G. One is filled with the Holy Ghost at baptism.

Certain groups ‘play down’ Baptism, teaching the following errors:

A. Baptism was for Jews, not for Christians.

B. Baptism ended with the disciples.

C. One can be a ‘good Christian’ and not get Baptized.

These and many more views, including ‘Baptism for the dead’, reflect how far Baptism has come from the original pattern. Consider some Scriptural reasons for Baptism.

2. Romans 6:1‑14

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Absolutely not! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Messiah Yeshua were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death that just as Messiah was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also of the resurrection, knowing this–that our old man is crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Now if we be dead with Messiah, we believe that we shall also live with Him knowing that Messiah, being raised from the dead, dieth no more. Death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once. But in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Messiah Yeshua our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. But yield yourselves unto God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you! For ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Consider this portion, one section at a time. The question raised concerns continuing in sin, a point brought forward from chapter 5. “How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it?” “So many of us as were baptized into Messiah Yeshua were baptized into His death.”

Yeshua is Salvation. Anyone who will be saved must enter into Him.

This text, the heart of the letter to the Romans, is referring to Israelis (the ‘we’ versus ‘ye also’). The Israelis will believe on Him as the blood sacrifice for sin some time during the Tribulation. They will know Him as the Lamb and will grasp His Salvation. This Romans text awaits fulfillment, though it is written in the past and present tenses, as a careful reader may notice.

The Israelis who are Saved by His Blood, by His Grace, are ready to ‘cross over’ and to enter into His death. They will cross over in the future from slavery to sin to freedom to righteousness via His death. They entered into His death via baptism: that is, they were immersed into His death. While this is pictured (only pictured) by water-style baptism, the real event that the picture portrays must be accomplished by the Spirit of Yehovah. He will take a person (who is determined to enter into Yeshua’s death for the above reasons) into that death so that the person can be part of the resurrection (explained below).

When the Spirit of God accomplishes this pictured goal (that is, when the person being immersed believes), the person will then come up out of the water to walk in ‘newness of life’—that is, with a refusal to sin and an insistence on walking righteously.

This must not be confused with Salvation, since that happens outside of this type of baptism.

Reason (1) for Baptism:

(1) They are baptized into His death.

Non-Jewish believers are baptized for the same reasons, in the same manner.

Once they enter into His death by Baptism, verse 4 shows that they are buried with Him. Then, “…as Messiah was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also are to walk in newness of life.” No one can be raised up from the dead who has not died. No one can walk in newness of life who has not been born from above.

What does “walking in newness of life” mean? The oldness was in sin and in refusal to consistently do right before Yehovah. If one Israeli still lives the old way in sin, all Israel is responsible:

Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing. for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing. And the anger of Yehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.

Joshua 7:10 And Yehovah said unto Joshua, “Get thee up! Why liest thou thus upon thy face? 11Israel hath sinned! And they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them! For they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff!”

Yehovah held all Israel responsible for the sin of one person (and his family).

Reason (2) for Baptism:

(2) The Israelis are immersed into His death so that they will be buried with Him. Thus, they enter into His death, thereby taking part in it. (This is not an end; it is part of a means. Staying dead is of no benefit. They do not physically die to do this; they are being associated with that death by the Spirit of Yehovah in this process.)

They will also walk in newness of life, with the righteousness of Messiah, Who Himself was raised up from the dead.

The death of the Messiah was followed by the resurrection, as verse 5 shows. The Saints who follow Messiah into His death and burial (by picture, and by the Spirit of Yehovah) will participate in His resurrection.

A character called “our old man” is mentioned in verse 6. He is the original nature of the Israelis (the body of Israel). From the time Israel (the people) was first born until the events just before Israel’s baptism, Israel will still have this nature of sin.

When all living Israelis enter into Messiah’s death and burial, their old man will be crucified with Him. This will accomplish the destruction of the body of sin “that henceforth we should not serve sin.” The conclusion is, “He that is dead is freed from sin.”

I have never seen a corpse sin.

That brings us to reason (3):

(3) One who is dead is freed from slavery to sin, and will no longer serve sin.

All who are alive from the dead will be parts of one Body, and will be tools of Righteousness serving God as God’s property. Sin will not have power and authority over them. They are now slaves of Righteousness (verse 18). They will now have the answer of a good conscience toward God!

Other reasons for Baptism follow.

3. Colossians 2:8‑15

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Messiah. For all the fullness of deity bodily dwells in Him. And ye are complete in Him Who is the head of all principality and power, in Whom ye also are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah—buried with Him in baptism in which ye are also risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God Who has raised Him from the dead. And, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made-you-alive together with Him having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, that was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it [the handwriting] to His cross; and, having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it!

The Circumcision Covenant made between Yehovah and Avraham’s lineage continues today. Physical circumcision is practiced widely by many people groups for medical cleanliness, while among Israelis, it still has Covenant implications. Yehovah commanded the Israelis to circumcise the foreskin of their (plural) heart (singular). This is not a physical operation on a physical heart, but a real operation on the heart (mind) of the Body of Israel, in which the mind of sin will be removed.

The Colossians text refers to the circumcision of these non-Jewish folks. It is “made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah, buried with Him in baptism.” Heart circumcision is what Baptism pictures. So, we have another reason for baptism:

(4) Baptism pictures putting off the body of the sins of the flesh and becoming free from that body, literally accomplished by Messiah’s circumcising the group’s heart (mind), the group being buried with Him (by the Spirit of Yehovah), and being resurrected with Him into newness of life.

This disconnection from the body of sin is also for non-Jewish Believers, so that they will be joined to the living Body of Messiah. All legal ordinance violations against those who enter into Messiah’s death and who will participate in His resurrection are revoked. (They had better not go back into sin after this!)

Saints are buried with Him in Baptism, and are also risen with Him through the faith of the operation [working] of God. He is the doctor who performs the work that gets rid of the ‘Body of the sins of the flesh’ of this entire group, and does this by circumcising their (plural) mind (singular). The Biblical faith is always group oriented! Only a very self-centered faith thinks mainly of ‘me’.

4. 1 Corinthians 10:1‑4 and Exodus 14

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual food, and did all drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them. And that Rock was Messiah.

[With Pharaoh hot in pursuit of and catching up to the Israelis, the Israelis became angry at Moses. At their comments, Moses replies, verse 13:] And Moshe said unto the people, “Fear ye not! Stand still and see the salvation of Yehovah that He will show to you today! For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. Yehovah shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace!” And Yehovah said unto Moshe, ‘Why shout thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward. But lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians. And they shall follow them. And I will get me honour upon Pharaoh and upon all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am Yehovah when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen.” And the Angel of God who went before the camp of Israel removed and went behind them. And the pillar of the cloud went from before their faces and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And it was a cloud and darkness, but it gave light by night so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea. And Yehovah caused the sea to go by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry. And the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry. And the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea–all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen. And it came to pass that in the morning watch Yehovah looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud. And He troubled the army of the Egyptians and took off their chariot wheels so that they drove them heavily, so that the Egyptians said, “We shall flee from the faces of Israel! For Yehovah fights for them against the Egyptians!”

All (Israelis) were baptized into Moshe in the cloud and in the sea (1 Corinthians 10:2). Baptism is not something new. The Children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground with the waters being a wall on their left and right (Exodus 14:22). The Egyptians, their enemies and slavemasters, wanted them in bondage; Yehovah wanted them free. The Israelis were slaves to false gods in Egypt; Yehovah wanted them for His own property. The Passover (during which the blood was applied picturing Salvation) had already happened. The people still needed to be freed from the Egyptians in order to walk in newness of life. The ‘old man of sin’ had to be put to death. They were slaves until the Egyptian army was destroyed.

The Song of Moshe (Exodus 15) is also the story of baptism. Exodus 15:9 shows future plans of an enemy: “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.” Verse 10 shows the effect of baptism on the old man of sin: “Thou didst blow with Thy wind! The sea covered them! They sank as lead in the mighty waters.” The Egyptian army acted as the Israelis’ ‘old man of sin’ in that it kept them physical slaves. Yehovah could have created their New Man for them in this picture, though the Israelis continued as if they were still slaves in Egypt with that ‘old man of sin’ accompanying them. Yehovah was not pleased with them, though He had just saved them. They were still destroyed like Lot’s wife, at a later date after their rescue.

Another reason for baptism:

(5) Baptism is into death in order to result in freedom to walk in newness of life (with the slavemaster of righteousness).

5. 1 Peter 3:18‑22

For Messiah also hath once suffered for sins–the righteous for the unrighteous–that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison who at one time were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which few–that is, eight souls were saved by water, the like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua Who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.

Those who entered into the Ark were “saved by water.” The Ark was a type (picture) of Messiah. Folks are saved by being in Messiah. Peter explains further: “the like figure whereunto baptism does also now save us by the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua;” but he explains that it has nothing to do with the putting away of the filth of the flesh. That was accomplished by Yeshua paying with His blood on the cross. Baptism ‘saves’ ‘by the answer of a good conscience toward God.’ Thus,

(6) Baptism is immersion into Yeshua, being placed into the Salvation Ark, in order to have the answer of a good conscience toward God.

While Noah was already born of God before entering the Ark, his obedience gave the answer of a good conscience toward God. All who are in Messiah and are being obedient will have a very good conscience answering Him.

As when Israel crossed the Red sea becoming free of Egyptian pursuers,

(7) Baptism pictures freedom from bondage, especially to sin.

The first of the Ten Commandments is: “I am Yehovah thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” How good it will be when Israel lives according to his baptism, no longer living in sin! All who are born of God have sought to be freed from sin, and will avoid it as a terrible disease. Baptism pictures that transfer of ownership from a sin slavemaster to a righteousness slavemaster!

6. Immersion of Objects in Sacrifices

Exodus 12:21 And Draw called to all elders of Israel. And he said unto them, “Draw-ye and take-ye a flock to you—to your families. And slaughter-ye the Skip-Over! 22And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop. And ye shall immerse in blood that is in a basin. And ye shall cause-to-touch unto the lintel and unto two of the doorposts from the blood that is in the basin.” “And ye, ye shall not exit—a man from the opening of his house—unto morning. 23And Yehovah will cross-over to smite Double-Adversity. And He will see the blood upon the lintel and upon two of the doorposts. And Yehovah will Skip-Over above the opening. And He will not give the slaughterer to come unto your houses to smite.”

Hyssop is a type. I proposed that it typified the lack of a fly (a reference to Satan in an Exodus 12 footnote based on its name: ayzov). If this type is correct, immersing the hyssop in the blood shows another picture. Dipping “there-is-no-fly” in the blood of the perfect sacrifice and applying it to the upper lintel and the two sideposts of the opening of the House pictures the Millennium in which there will be no tempter, no troubler that can enter into all the House of Israel once the blood has been applied.

In another footnote (to Numbers 19), I went further:

When I checked back on my work, I saw that this would not fit. So I began looking again. I found the following:

bwz, zowb is a noun meaning a flow, issue, discharge (semen, blood), flux. It comes from a root verb meaning to flow, gush, issue, discharge; pine away (fig.). If this is the case, c¨z2t means I will discharge (that is, cause something to be given off as if menstrual blood). This would fit how hyssop was used to apply the blood of the lambs and goats to the openings of the houses in the first Passover.

What would be given off? Since the life of the flesh is in the blood, menstrual blood represents what is dead, without life. Those parts of Israel and the claiming rest of the kingdom in which there is no life will be discharged, like menstrual blood.

Leviticus 4:6 And the priest shall immerse his finger into the blood. And he shall sprinkle the faces of the Veil of the Holy-[One] seven strokes from the blood to the faces of Yehovah.

This text contains circuitous Hebrew. The direct object of the verb shall sprinkle is the faces of the Veil, though that direct object is placed beyond to the faces of Yehovah. I therefore placed the sentence in grammatical order in the English translation.

This text does not specify which finger. (This is unusual.)

The curious word for finger in Hebrew is etzba (ending in an ayin). (Whenever I find a type mysterious so that I can’t solve it by references, I always look at the Hebrew word itself to determine if the answer is inherent in the word. I have solved numerous types by this means.) Since etzba has four letters (instead of the normal three letters for a root), and since it starts with aleph, my first thought was that it was a first-person future singular form of a verb. That would leave the root to be tzava, a word used five times in the Bible, and all in Daniel. Translators thought it meant to wet. I thought them wrong. It seemed curiously related to another word, sava, meaning to become full (from eating a good meal). Hebrew often relates in this way: the sheen and the tzadi being related by sound. If two of three Hebrew letters are in the same position in two root verbs, and the third letter in each verb root has a similar sounding letter, the meanings of te two verb roots will tend to be related. I thus proposed that tzava meant saturated (filled with water) rather than just wet. If this is the case, the word for finger would mean I will saturate. If I err in any of these premises, the whole result will be an error. If I am correct, however, the whole result will hold.

With the supposition that I have rightly concluded, the type of the priest immersing his finger in the blood shows that Yehovah will saturate the priest and the entire priesthood with what that blood typifies. Since all Israel is called to be priests of Yehovah, all Israel will therefore by saturated by this blood.

The bull in this text typifies one who will be perfect, who is the son of a herd, and therefore comes from among the Israelis, and who will give his life to cover the sin of the anointed priest and the people. The bull is a larger animal, indicating a higher rank among the Israelis.

Some will quickly conclude that this bull typifies Messiah Yeshua. I do not agree with this conclusion unless it is backed up with proof. I know that the Lamb of God is Messiah Yeshua, and is typified by the Passover lamb or goat. But I have learned that assuming answers to types is a good way to never find the right answer.

A group can be the antitype of this bull, or a high-ranking person can be the antitype. We must await more information before concluding. Consider the following text:

Psalms 22:12 Many bulls have compassed me. Strong-[ones] of Bashan have beset me round.

Persons are being called bulls in this text showing readers that bulls can picture (typify) persons. Though these bulls are bad guys, still the picture does show persons like bulls. The bull in our text is good and is perfect.

If the bull typifies a group of leaders in Israel who will be perfect before Yehovah and who will be sacrificed (slaughtered) because of their righteous stand, the priest’s dipping his finger in the blood of this bull will portray two results. The priest will participate in this slaughter/sacrifice of righteous Israeli leaders, and thus will be culpable, and the priest will be saturated with this blood (as if drinking it), turning the heroism of those represented by the bull into a life-saving act that will lead to the Salvation of the priest, the priesthood, and the rest of the Israelis. Yehovah will ‘saturate’ them with the innocence of this blood, and they will turn from the work of their violence to faith in Yehovah through the innocence of this sacrifice, an effect that the stoning of Stephen eventually had on Saul of Tarshish.

Leviticus 4:16 And the anointed priest shall bring from the blood of the bull unto the Tent of Appointment. 17And the priest shall immerse his finger from the blood. And he shall sprinkle seven strokes to the faces of Yehovah, faces of the veil. 18And he shall give from the blood upon the horns of the altar that is to the faces of Yehovah Who is in the Tent of Appointment. And he will pour all the blood unto a foundation of the altar of the ascension that opened the Tent of Appointment. 19And he shall elevate all his fat from him. And he shall incense the-altarward. 20And he shall do to the bull just-as he did to the bull of the sin-sacrifice. He shall do so to him. And the priest shall cover upon them. And he shall be forgiven to them. 21And he shall exit the bull unto outside to the camp. And he shall burn him just-as he burned the first bull. He is the sin-sacrifice of the congregation.

The same type will hold for this text as for the one above (if that one is correct). The priest will immerse his finger; Yehovah will saturate the priest with this innocence blood, and will saturate all the priesthood, and all Israel. This time, the entire congregation of Israel will fully profit from this sin sacrifice (slaughter) of the righteous leaders of Israel.

Leviticus 14:1 And Yehovah spoke unto Moshe to say, 2This shall be the Teaching of the ‘scourgee’ in the day of his ‘encleaning.’ And he shall be brought unto the priest. 3And the priest shall go-out unto the outside to the camp. And the priest shall see. And behold the stroke of the scourge is healed from the scourged-one. 4And the priest shall command. And he shall take for the ‘encleanee’ two clean living birds {feminine, and no reflection on the lifestyle of the birds}, a cedar tree and worm crimson and hyssop. 5And the priest shall command. And he shall slaughter the one bird unto a sherd vessel upon waters of lives. 6The live bird─he will take her and the tree of the cedar and the crimson of the worm and the hyssop. And he will immerse them and the live bird into the blood of the slaughtered bird upon the waters of the lives. 7And he will sprinkle upon the ‘encleanee’ from the scourge seven times. And he will ‘enclean’ him. And he will send the live bird upon the faces of the field. 8And the ‘encleanee’ will launder his garments and shave all his hair and bathe in water. And he shall be clean. And after, he will come unto the camp. And he will dwell outside to his tent seven days.

Understanding this text requires several explanations. The ‘scourgee’ is the person with the supposed leprosy disease (it isn’t any form of modern leprosy). To be ‘encleaned’ is to be declared clean.

The purpose of this immersion typifies being fully immersed into death. (See Romans 6:4 for the complete explanation.) The living bird was immersed into death, into the blood of the sacrificed bird, just as Messiah was both immersed into death and rose from the dead. Messiah was dead, yet he was alive in Sheol and doing a function until His resurrection.

Baptism is immersing a person or an item into another person or item with both identification and an accompanying change of state (if the immersion’s picture truly represents the person or item immersed).

The live bird will be let go, let free to fly away. This is the picture of the resurrection.

While this explains the birds, it doesn’t explain the cedar tree, worm crimson or hyssop.

Consider the literal meanings of each:

I will make-lean a tree
Two earthworms
I will discharge (as menstrual blood)

The tree associated with Israel and the Saints (the olive tree of Romans 11) pictures the Kingdom of God/Kingdom of the Heavens, a kingdom that will appear to grow very fast, very fat, and very large. Yeshua will greatly diminish the appearance of the kingdom to its rightful size during the Tribulation. It will be very small when He is finished, and will have no dead branches on it. The olive will then be very fruitful.

I propose that the two earthworms picture two very humble beings, since an earthworm is always prostrate (in a position of Biblical worship), are down in the soil, and serve the soil just as man was assigned and designed to do. Yehovah saw to it that their blood is the same color as human blood.

I cannot presently verify that these two earthworms typify the two prophets whose importance will be so great during the Tribulation, but I am considering this. Humility doesn’t mean a reluctance to speak and do the Truth in the face of total opposition. I can also propose that the two earthworms represent the Jews and non-Jews at this time.

I mentioned a proposed type of hyssop in a section above: “I will discharge,” referring to menstrual blood, blood that never produced life.

Each of the above is immersed in the blood of a clean bird (without specifying the type of bird):

A tree that Yehovah has made lean is immersed in the blood
Two earthworms are immersed in the blood
What Yehovah will discharge. That immersion in the blood that gives life will still give no life; thus, Yehovah will discharge those represented by that blood of menstruation.

I have no difficulty seeing the living and dead birds as one bird that died and whose blood was shed, yet the living bird who carried all uncleanness away. If this represents the Messiah, that same blood will cleanse the lean version of the olive tree, will give boldness to the two earthworms (whether representing the two prophets, or the Jews and non-Jews who have believed), and will discharge all those who claimed life, but who did not respond to the Way, the Truth or the Life.

Leviticus 14:15 And the priest shall take from the log of the oil. And he shall pour upon the left palm of the priest. 16And the priest shall immerse his right finger from the oil that is upon his left palm. And he shall sprinkle from the oil with his finger seven times to the faces of Yehovah. 17And the priest will give from the excess of the oil that is upon his palm upon the tip of the right ear of the ‘encleanee’ and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the big-toe of his right foot upon the blood of the transgression-sacrifice. 18And he will give the remnant in the oil that is upon the palm of the priest upon the head of the ‘encleanee.’ And the priest will cover upon him to the faces of Yehovah. 19And the priest will do the sin-sacrifice. And he will cover upon the ‘encleanee’ from his uncleanness. And he will slaughter the ascending-sacrifice after.

The priest poured this oil into the left palm of his hand so that he would dip it out with his right hand. The rest of the oil in his palm was placed on the head one being rendered clean.

The priest didn’t immerse his right finger straight into the log of oil since this would ruin the type, and he would not have oil in the palm of his hand to put on the one being rendered clean. I have viewed oil as a type of preparedness.

The priest immersed his right finger from the oil, then sprinkled at Yehovah’s faces seven times. If a finger participates, a hand participates. If a hand participates, the whole arm participates. If an arm participates, the entire priest participates. If a priest participates, the priesthood participates along with all Israel. Thus, all Israel took from this innocent blood, and sprinkled it in the faces of Yehovah. The text doesn’t specify which finger except to state, the right finger. Thus, which finger is responsible isn’t the issue. It is a finger on the right hand, indicating that it wasn’t some branch away from the main priests who did this, but was one of the main, acting priests.

Leviticus 14:48 And if coming, the priest will come and see and behold the stroke did not spread in the house after plastering the house, and the priest shall ‘enclean’ [render or declare clean] the house because the stroke is healed. 49And he shall take to sin the house two birds and a tree of cedar and two worms and hyssop. 50And the priest shall slaughter the one bird unto a vessel of sherd upon waters of lives. 51And he shall take the tree of the cedar and the hyssop and two of the worms and the living bird. And he shall immerse them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the waters of the lives. And he shall sprinkle unto the house seven times. 52And he shall sin the house via the blood of the bird and via the waters of the lives and via the living bird and via the tree of the cedar and via the hyssop and via the two worms. 53And he shall send the living bird unto outside to the city unto the faces of the field. And he shall cover upon the house. And he shall be clean.

(The text of the same chapter, an earlier set of verses has proposed explanations of the various types.)

Numbers 19:14 This is the Teaching. Adam when he will die in a tent, every comer unto the tent and everyone who is in the tent—he will be unclean seven of days. 15And every open vessel that there is no fastener twisted upon him, he is unclean. 16And everyone upon the faces of the field who will touch into/via a pierced of a sword or into/via a dead-[one] or into/via a bone of adam or into/via a grave shall be unclean seven of days. 17And they shall take for an unclean-[one] from an ash of the burning of the sin-sacrifice. And he shall give waters of lives upon him unto a vessel. 18And he shall take hyssop. And a clean man shall immerse in water. And he shall sprinkle upon the tent and upon all the vessels and upon the beings who were there and upon the toucher via a bone or via a pierced-[one] or via a dead-[one] or via a grave. 19And the clean-[one] shall sprinkle upon the unclean-[one] in the third day and in the seventh day. And he shall sin him in the seventh day. And he shall launder his garments. And he shall wash via water. And he shall be clean in the evening. 20And a man who will be unclean and he will not sin-himself, and that being shall be cut from the midst of the congregation! For he uncleaned the Sanctuary of Yehovah! He did not sprinkle waters of menstruation upon him! He is unclean! 21And she shall be for a statute of Hider. And a sprinkler of the waters of the menstruation shall launder his garments. And the toucher via waters of the menstruation will be unclean until the evening.

This text refers to the necessary steps for an unclean person (who became unclean through touching something else that is unclean) becoming clean. They involve the following steps:

Undisclosed they take sin-sacrifice ashes from the altar, and place the ashes in a vessel.
An undisclosed he will pour waters of lives on the ashes in the vessel. This forms a combination that is identified as waters of menstruation (see verse 20). Thus, the man is being sprinkled with menstrual waters; he is certainly being recognized as unclean.
The same undisclosed he will take hyssop.
A clean man will immerse the hyssop in water. (That may not be apparent in the English text, but the Hebrew construction is normal for this understanding.) If hyssop typifies “I will discharge” (referring to Yehovah doing the discharging, as with menstrual blood), that very means of the discharge will be immersed in waters of menstruation.
The clean man will sprinkle the waters of lives combination with the sin sacrifice ashes upon the Tent and upon all the vessels, and upon the beings who were present when the person became unclean, and upon the unclean person. Thus, when one becomes unclean, the entire Congregation becomes in need of the menstruation waters (the Tent and the vessels being types of the Congregation and persons in that Congregation of Yehovah).
The clean person must accomplish two more sprinklings: in the third day and in the seventh day. The third day, then, typifies a major event, and the seventh day another different major event in a week of turning Israel from unclean to clean.
The seventh-day sprinkling sins the unclean person. He thus must launder his garments, and he must wash with water.
He will be clean in the evening.
The sprinkler of the waters of the menstruation must launder his garments.
Whoever touches those waters of menstruation will be unclean until the evening.

Immersing the “I will discharge” in the menstruation waters is a major baptism form. While a reader might be tempted to think of the menstrual waters as cleaning the hyssop, it doesn’t do that. If it did, anyone upon whom those waters came would be clean. They are not; they are unclean. Those waters were the waters of lives (which, if imbibed with faith, give everlasting life), but the ashes of the sin sacrifices were mixed with them. They thus became intimately connected with sin sacrifices, and they became unclean. Yet, they are necessary for one becoming clean. Thus, the sin sacrifice and the waters of lives are both necessary for anyone becoming clean; one or the other won’t do.

Next, the person must become entirely sinned (verse 20). He must “sin himself” (thus making himself entirely a sinner). He must have the waters of menstruation sprinkled on him; and the only way those waters can be sprinkled is by the immersion (baptism) of the hyssop (“I will discharge”) into the waters of menstruation. The person must recognize that Yehovah will indeed slough off every Israeli sinner who will not become clean, immersing His discharging into the very waters that alone can render him (or her) clean, waters that first make the person totally unclean.

7. Jewish Traditional Baptism: Orthodox Pictorial Baptism

I have heard that one form is as follows. (I could not prove this if I had to do so.) One comes to a place of much water and enters it approaching the one who will immerse. Words are exchanged; the immerser brings the convert completely under the water and up three times. The convert is given a (1) new Hebrew name. The convert (2) leaves the water a different way than he came in. (3) His clothes worn during immersion are buried or burned. A New Name. A new Walk. A New Lifestyle.

8. A Suggestion For A Present‑Day Pictorial Baptism

One comes to the immerser. The one being baptized is asked to give reasons for baptism (to make sure he understands), and also is asked concerning Salvation, sin, etc. Scriptures may be read for the sake of any who may be watching. The person is immersed in the Name of the Father, Yehovah (down and up once); in the Name of the Son, Yeshua our God (down and up the second time); and the Name of the Holy Spirit, Yehovah (down and up the third time), according to the “Shma” (‘Hearken, Israel! Yehovah, Elohenu [our Gods], Yehovah, is one!’). The person then exits the water another way and changes clothes. The old garments of baptism are buried or burned.

9. Conclusion

Rituals are for the thoughtless. Good comes if one turns both from sin and slavery to sin, from true uncleanness to cleanness before Yehovah. Individuals and individualism are rarely what is important in the Bible. A Congregation, and Body—the entire group is subject to the uncleanness of one of its members.

Biblical immersions are for very different reasons, and give very different pictures. Confusing them, mixing them together, or giving wrong interpretations of them will lead to results that will not benefit, and that will mislead others, including to death.

February 2, 2009April 3, 2017

Various Cups in the Bible

The Various Cups of the Bible

A. Two Special Cases

Diviner’s Cup

Drinking the Blood of Men

B. Humanly Caused Cups

The Cup of Violence

The Cup of Waters

C. Deity Caused Cups

The Cup of Wrath

The Cup of Waste and Desolation

The Cup of Staggering

The Cup of Reeling

The Cup of Tears

The Cup of Iniquity of a Particular Race

The Cup of (Being) Babylon

The Cup of the Wrath of Babylon’s Fornication

The Cup of the Waters of Poison

D. Cups That Lead to Benefit Or Avoid Suffering

The Cup of Yeshua

The Cup of Vinegar

The Cup of Blessing

The Cup of Yehovah’s Measure

The Cup of Salvations

The Cup of the Waters of Life

The Cup of Consolation

The Cup of the New Covenant

The Cup into the Spirit

A. Two Special Cases

Diviner’s Cup

Genesis 44:1 And [Joseph] commanded whoever is over his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks of food just as they will be able to carry. And put silver of a man into his sack’s mouth. ²And thou wilt put my goblet—the silver goblet—in the mouth of the sack of the little, and the silver of his break.” And he did according to the speech that Joseph spoke. ³The morning is light. And they sent the men, they and their asses. ⁴They exited the city. They didn’t distance, and Joseph said to whoever is over his house, “Arise! Pursue after the men and overtake them. And say unto them, ‘Why ‘peaced’ ye bad under good? ⁵Is not this in which my lord will drink? And he, divining, will divine via him! Ye bad-did what ye did!” ⁶And he overtook them. And he spoke these same words unto them. ⁷And they said unto him, “Why will my lord speak according to these words? Profanity to thy slaves from doing according to this speech! ⁸Behold, we returned unto thee the silver that we found in the mouth of our sacks from the land of Canaan. And how shall we steal silver or gold from thy lord’s house? ⁹With whom he will be found from thy servants, and he shall die! And we, we also shall be slaves to my lord!” ¹⁰And he said, “And also now he is established according to your speeches! He with whom he shall be found will be a slave to me! And ye, ye shall be innocent.” ¹¹And they hurried. And they descended, a man with his sack to the land. And they opened a man his sack. ¹²And he dug. He began in the big and he finished in the little. And he found the goblet in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³And they tore their clothes. And a man loaded upon his ass. And they returned to the city. ¹⁴And Judah came, and his brethren to Joseph’s house. (And he, he is still there). And they fell to his faces landward. ¹⁵And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that ye did? Did ye not know that, divining, a man who is as I will divine?” ¹⁶And Judah said, “What will we say unto my lord? What will we speak? And what will we justify ourselves? The Elohim found the iniquity of thy slaves. Behold, we are slaves to my lord, also we and also whom the goblet is found in his hand.” ¹⁷And he said, “Profanity to me from doing this! The man in whose hand the goblet is found—he shall be a slave to me! And ye—ascend ye to peace unto your father!”

Joseph commanded that another type of cup be placed in Benjamin’s food sack. He called it the cup by which he would divine (a strictly occult term). Joseph was not into the occult; he feared Yehovah. Yet he prophetically filled a role that Yeshua will fill regarding Israel, for Yeshua’s prophecies will seem to be divination to the Israelis once they start happening before and during the Tribulation.

This very cup was used to save the lives of Joseph’s family, but Joseph’s brothers were terror-stricken by this cup’s presence in Benjamin’s sack. The same will occur when Yeshua sets His ‘divining tools’ into Israel’s ‘food sack’ during the Tribulation.

Drinking the Blood of Men

2 Samuel 23:15 And David lusted. And he said, “Who will water me, waters from the Beit-Lekhem well that are in the gate?” ¹⁶And three of the valiant-[ones] broke through into the camp of Palestinians. And they drew water from the Beit-Lekhem well that is in the gate. And they carried and came unto David. And he was not willing to drink them. And he poured them to Yehovah. ¹⁷And he said, “My profanity to her is to me, Yehovah, from my doing this—the blood of the men walking via their beings.” And he was not willing to drink them. Three valiant-[ones] did these.

1 Chronicles 11:17 And David lusted. And he said, “Who will water me, waters from the Beit-Lekhem well that are in the gate?” ¹⁸And three broke through into the camp of Palestinians. And they drew water from the Beit-Lekhem well that is in the gate. And they carried and came unto David. And David was not willing to drink them. And he poured them to Yehovah. ¹⁹And he said, “My profanity to her is to me from my Gods from doing this—will I drink the blood of these men walking via their beings? For they brought them via their beings!” And he was not willing to drink them. Three of the valiant-[ones] did these.
If anyone (or any group) risks his life to do a service for another, that person is offering his blood. If the benefactor willingly or unwillingly receives the benefit, the benefactor has drunk the blood of the one who took the risk.

While this is how Yehovah views simple heroism, there is another issue. If the service done is for entertainment and not to sustain life, attempt to restore health, or for some truly heroic purpose, the recipient of the entertainment has also drunk the blood of that person (whether the person died or not), and this is the same as enjoying blood sports in historic Roman arenas for personal entertainment. It is a great act of contempt against Yehovah, since the image of God has been risked for entertainment purposes.

Some make it their life’s work to take risks (Hollywood stunt personnel, race car drivers, etc.); they are in a different category. Those who willingly join the riskiest forms of the armed services (like the Navy Seals) are also the greatest risk takers. There is a major distinction between these two types of volunteers, however. A Navy Seal is risking his life for his country. That can include saving innocent lives; any lives they save by their risks fall under the drinking blood option above. Anyone whose life is saved by another, and who thus drinks that hero’s or heroine’s blood, is doing right by drinking. Anyone who derives entertainment from acts of heroism personally done for them (I am therefore not referring to race car drivers who love the thrill and do it for personal enjoyment, not to save lives), and no other benefit, is violently drinking the blood of others, and will receive appropriate condemnation.

This cup of the blood of men is another cup. Yeshua volunteered His life to save the lives of many and to everlastingly save many. All who grasp that Salvation, taking advantage of it, are drinking Yeshua’s blood.

B. Humanly Caused Cups

The Cup of Violence

Proverbs 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

The wine of violence is not from Yehovah; that is a manmade cup.

The Cup of Waters

Psalms 73:10 “Therefore He shall return His people here!” and “The waters of fullness shall be sucked-out for them!”

This is not a legitimate cup. Bad guys make these two statements in their sarcasm and bitter vituperations against Yehovah.

C. Deity-Caused Cups

The Cup of Wrath

Isaiah 51:15 “And I am Yehovah thy Gods, calmer of the sea, and his waves roared! Yehovah of Hosts is His Name! ¹⁶And I put my words into thy mouth! And I blanketed thee in the shadow of my hand to plant heavens and to foundation land and to say to Zion, ‘Thou art my People!’” ¹⁷Awaken thyself [feminine]! Awaken thyself [feminine]! Stand-thou [feminine], Jerusalem who drank the cup of His heat from the hand of Yehovah! Thou drank, thou drained the cheating of a cup of self-reeling! ¹⁸There is no guide to her from all sons she childed! And there is no grasper into her hand from all sons she reared! ¹⁹ “Twice, behold, I called thee! Who will be wandered to thee? The devastation and the shattering and the famine and the sword? Who? I will console thee!” ²⁰Thy sons took-cover. They lay in the head of all streets as a luster of a net, the full-ones of the heat of Yehovah, rebuke of thy Gods! ²¹Therefore hearken-thou [feminine] this [feminine], humble-one [feminine], and drunk-one [feminine], and not from wine. ²²So said thy Lords Yehovah and thy Gods! He will fight His people! “Behold, I took from thine hand the cup of self-reeling, the cheating of a cup of my heat! Thou wilt not gather-again to drink her again! ²³And I will put her into the hand of thy grievers who said to thy being, ‘Prostrate! And we have crossed-over!’ And thou didst put thy body as land and as the outside for crossers-over!”

The word kavah in Hebrew has the flavour of spoiling and robbing, but these are best covered by other words. It is more akin to cheating with the following acceptations: to deprive by trickery; defraud; mislead, fool: illusions that cheat the eye; elude, escape: cheat death. Yehovah ‘cheated’ potential victims of the devastating cup of Yehovah’s heat (fury) they were about to drink. They didn’t know He did that, as if he had defrauded them, tricked them, etc. Yet, He saved their lives. It would be like a hero who takes the place of a prisoner who has been sentenced to death without the prisoner knowing what occurred, only to find later that the hero died in that person’s place.

The cup of heat is the cup of fury.

Psalm 11:5 Yehovah shall test a righteous-[one]. And His being hated a culpable-[one] and a lover of violence! ⁶He will rain traps, fire and brimstone and a spirit/wind of pouring-out-flights [where folks must flee their homes and lands] upon culpable-[ones], a portion of their cup! ⁷For Yehovah is righteous. He loved righteousnesses. They shall envision straightness within Him.

One aspect of Yehovah’s fury when that cup of iniquity is full is shown by Yehovah forcing folks out of their homes. If the fury is great enough, He will destroy the entire land (as He did with Sodom, etc.). Otherwise, losing homes and being taken captive will be the result.

Psalms 75:8 For a cup is in the hand of Yehovah. And the foaming wine was full, mixed. And He poured from this. But her dregs shall go-forth. All the culpable of the land shall drink!

This shows the location of the cup: “in the hand of Yehovah.” Yehovah pours, though in other texts He sometimes gives others that responsibility. He did so with Yeshua, and He did so with Jeremiah.

The dregs of the cup (the particulate matter at the bottom) also must go from the cup; it will be entirely emptied. All culpable folks (guilty before Yehovah) will drink from this cup. Most cups will be connected with races. This one is connected with all members of all races.

Jeremiah 25:15 For so said Yehovah Gods of Israel unto me, “Take this cup of the wine of the fury from my hand. And water her with him: all the races that I am sending thee unto them. ¹⁶And they shall drink. And they shall stagger. And they shall praise themselves from the faces of the sword that I am sending between them.” ¹⁷And I took the cup from the hand of Yehovah. And I watered all the races that Yehovah sent me unto them: ¹⁸Jerusalem and cities of Judah and her kings, her princes—to give them to her sword to desolation, to her shriek and to her worthlessness as this day, ¹⁹Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants and his princes and all his people, ²⁰and all the mixture and all kings of the land of Utz, and all kings of the land of Palestinians, and Ashkelon and Azzah (Gaza) and Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod, ²¹Edom and Moab and the sons of Ammon, ²²and all kings of Tyre and all kings of Zidon and kings of the island that is in-over the sea, ²³Dedan and Tema and Buz and all cutters of corners, ²⁴and all kings of a [desert] crosser and all kings of abiding [desert] crossers in the desert, ²⁵and all kings of Zimri and all kings of Elam and all kings of Medes, ²⁶and all the near and far kings of the north, a man unto his brother, and all the kingdoms of the land that are upon faces of the soil. And King Sheshach shall drink after them.” ²⁷And thou shalt say unto them, ‘So said Yehovah of hosts, Gods of Israel, “Drink-ye! And be-drunk-ye! And vomit-ye! And fall-ye! And ye shall not arise from the faces of the sword that I am sending between you!” ²⁸And he shall be that they shall refuse to take the cup from thy hand to drink. And thou shalt say unto them, ‘So said Yehovah of hosts, “Drinking, ye shall drink!”

This cup is singular, and includes all kingdoms on the faces of the planet starting with Israel and ending with a King Sheshach. This one cup of Yehovah’s fury will be passed from one to the other by the hand of Jeremiah (who already did this, but the kings of the world have no clue, since these kings will not be born and reign for many centuries). Yehovah sends historical prophets to deliver messages to future persons, at times; time is no barrier to Yehovah.

Revelation 14:6-10 will cover these events from the angle of Babylon and the cups.

Jeremiah 49:12 For so said Yehovah, “Behold, who it is not their justice to drink the cup—drinking, they shall drink. And thou art he—innocent—thou shalt be innocent? Thou shalt not be innocent! For, drinking, thou shalt drink!”

This text is speaking to Edom, including Petra (Botzrah). Yehovah is warning that Edom will most certainly drink from the cup of His wrath.

Lamentations 4:21 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter of Edom, my dweller in the land of Utz! A cup shall cross-over also upon thee! Thou shalt-be-drunk. And thou stripped-naked thyself!

This cup of Yehovah’s wrath causes drinkers to be drunk. That drunkenness is from shock at the terrible and successful attacks of enemies or at the furious destructions of Yehovah.

A land stripping naked indicates a total loss of armour and the exposure of all sensitive body parts that not only can feel very great pain, but can quickly bring the body to death when harmed.

Obadiah 1:15 For the Day of Yehovah is approached upon all the races. Just-as thou did, He will do to thee! Thy retribution shall return via thy head! ¹⁶For just-as ye drank upon the mountain of my Holy-[One], all the races shall continually drink! And they shall drink, and they shall swallow. And they shall be as they were not!

Yehovah guarantees that the bad-guy races will drink, will swallow, and will obtain the retribution for their deeds. The end result is the erasure of their society. (He also protects His own who are among the races from being killed by His wrath; His wrath is very specific. That doesn’t mean they don’t suffer; they certainly do as they see their possessions, homes, family, friends, neighbours, etc. be destroyed or go into slavery at the hands of a very angry enemy.)

Habakkuk 2:16 Thou art filled: lightness [unimportance] from glory! Drink—also thou—and thy foreskin shall circle upon thee! A cup of the right of Yehovah and vomiting of shame is upon thy glory.

The cup is associated with vomiting and shame. Once Yehovah pours that cup, the group upon which it is poured will lose its importance (glory), and will be brought to great shame and sickness. Nakedness will also result—the nakedness of a group that is suddenly without any defense from attack—not even the clothing that the group would put on. (This is in contrast to another text commanding a group to put on the whole armour of God.)

Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice from the Temple saying to the seven angels, “Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the land!”

This text doesn’t mention the cup, but instead but instead, vials. These are shallow bowls. They contain the wrath of God. The entire chapter of Revelation 16 covers these.

Psalm 79:6 Pour out thy wrath upon the races that have not known thee and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy Name!

The Cup of Waste and Desolation

Ezekiel 23:31 “Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.” ³²Thus says the Lord Yehovah, “Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s deep and large cup. Thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision. It contains much. ³³Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of waste and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

This cup is deep and large. When a group finally drinks it, the result is waste and desolation, meaning that the previously occupied and busy land is now a destroyed ghost town. The population has suffered slaughter and has been taken captive. All the building, the business and the manufacturing goes into recycling, and into giving future archaeologists something to dig.

The Cup of Staggering

Psalms 60:3 Thou showed Thy people hardness. Thou made-us-drink wine of staggering!

Yehovah will sometimes make a people drunk (and thus easily conquered) if that people becomes vile and lovers of sin. (A people that is idolatrous doesn’t necessarily fall into this category.)

The Cup of Reeling

Zechariah 12:2 Behold, I am putting Jerusalem a goblet of reeling to all the peoples around. And he will also be upon Yehudah via a siege upon Jerusalem.

The Cup of Tears

Psalms 80:5 Thou hast fed them bread of a tear. And Thou hast watered them via the tears of a third-one.

This cup contains tears. The group that drinks this cup will deeply weep.

Psalms 102:9 For I ate ash as bread. And I mingled my drink via weeping ¹¹from the faces of Thy indignation and Thy fury. For Thou carried me, and Thou slung me!

While the contents of this cup are not given (though they are mingled—that is, a mixed drink), they were mingled via weeping.

The Cup of Iniquity of a Particular Race

Genesis 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

A text might not mention a cup, while alluding to it. The iniquity of the Amorites was stored in a cup. Yehovah will force them to drink their own iniquity once that cup has become full. Other texts discussed in this document show that all races have cups, and all will drink from their own cups once they are full.

The Cup of (Being) Babylon

Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon is a gold cup in hand of Yehovah. She is inebriating all the land from her wine. Races drank. Therefore the races shall praise themselves!

“All the land” includes all continents and islands. Babylon itself is this gold cup. Yehovah holds this cup, and will give drink to all the races. The races will become drunk. They will then praise themselves in their drunken stupor. (Certain forms of insanity include symptoms in which insane persons declare that they are able to do what they truly cannot do, and that they are what they are not. Thus, they commend themselves for what they did not and cannot do.)

The Cup of the Wrath of Babylon’s Fornication

Revelation 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, “Babylon is fallen! Is fallen! That great city! For she made all races to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication!” ⁹And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, ¹⁰the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God that is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation! And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb!”

This text describes “wine of the wrath of fornication.” The other cups did not specify the offenses. Thus, this is a particular cup for a particular offense.

Babylon is a city (one in the past, and will be one in the future). Thus, fornication with a city requires other cities (or locations). It is as if those cities are ‘living together’ unmarried, but acting as if they are. Two cities with very different gods can always do trade. It is when they begin to take on the idolatries of each other that they are committing fornication.

Babylon did not know that she caused others to drink of the wine of wrath, since Babylon will have no investment in the Word of Yehovah and in belief of Yehovah. This is from Yehovah’s angle; He is saying that she caused them to drink of that wine of wrath.

The text then speaks of individuals: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, ¹⁰the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God that is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation!” This wine of the wrath of God will occur in this life, and will continue into the Lake of Fire and Sulfur. This cup differs from the previous cup, since this cup is only for individuals, while the previous cup is for races. Thus, this text does give evidence or proof that individuals also drink from a cup from Yehovah.

The lack of mixture is a lack of cutting the strength of the wine; they will get it in its full potency.

I have not seen or heard of anyone drinking a liquid that was identified as this wine. That doesn’t mean it isn’t literal, since I also have not heard of anyone literally drinking of the waters of life; yet the Bible guarantees that that is literal water that folks will drink. (I can do some supposing at this point. This is only a guess. Suppose that each person will drink of a literal cup at the judgment after the Millennium, and the cup contains the full measure of the wrath of Yehovah toward that person even as that person waits then to enter the Lake of Fire and Sulfur.)

The cup itself is called “the cup of His indignation.” Therefore, sinning fills the cup of Yehovah’s indignation. Indignation means a strong passion or emotion of displeasure or antagonism excited by a real or supposed injury or insult to oneself or others, or by the intent to do such injury. For Yehovah, the definition would then be, Indignation means a strong passion of displeasure and antagonism excited by a real injury and insult to Himself and to justice including the intent to do such injury against Yehovah and justice. The word indignation in Hebrew is stronger than hatred. It is akin to outrage. It is the word katsaf, and represents a fervent drive to cut such a person off from the land of the living. Outraging Yehovah just isn’t smart.

Every person potentially has a cup of Yehovah’s indignation. That cup fills every time a person sins. The cup never empties (unless everlasting Salvation occurs), and thus the longer the person lives, the fuller that cup gets. This is one reason why Yehovah cut down longevity.

Revelation 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts. And the cities of the races fell. And great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

This cup is called “the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” Therefore, it is akin to the Lake of Fire and Sulfur, since this lake is the expression of the fierceness of His wrath.

Revelation 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works. Fill to her double in the cup that she filled.

Babylon is again considered in this text. You refers to the Israelis. They are told to reward Babylon just as she did to them. She doubled the punishments and torments of the Israelis; her cup filled as she sinned. Her cup’s portion will be doubled. She will thus drink double.

The Cup of the Waters of Poison

Jeremiah 8:14 Concerning what are we sitting? Assemble! And we have come unto cities of the fortification! And we were silenced there. For Yehovah our Gods silenced us. And He watered us waters of poison! For we sinned to Yehovah.

These Israelis are admitting that they sinned, and that Yehovah watered them with waters of poison. This is a very surprising text (to me). The next text explains:

Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore so said Yehovah of hosts Gods of Israel, “Behold, I am feeding them—this people—wormwood. And I will water them waters of poison.”

Yehovah promises to water them with waters of poison.

Jeremiah 23:15 Therefore so said Yehovah of hosts concerning the prophets, “Behold I am feeding them wormwood. And I am watering them waters of poison. For blasphemy exited to all the land from with prophets of Jerusalem!”

D. Cups That Lead to Benefit Or Avoid Suffering

The Cup of Yeshua

Matthew 20:22 But Yeshua answered and said, “Ye don’t know what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup of which I shall drink and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They say unto Him, “We are able!” ²³And He says unto them, “Ye shall indeed drink of my cup and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give. But it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.”

That cup is the wine of the wrath of Yehovah on account of Israel’s accrued sins since the last pouring of the last cup.

Mark 10:38 But Yeshua said unto them, “Ye don’t know what ye ask. Can ye drink of the cup of which I drink, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹And they said unto him, “We can.” And Yeshua said unto them, “Ye shall indeed drink of the cup of which I drink and ye shall be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized.”

Matthew 26:39 And He went a little further. And He fell on His face. And He prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou.”

Matthew 26:42 He went away again the second time. And He prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup will not pass away from me except I drink it, Thy will be done.”

This cup is set for Israel. Israel had accrued iniquity upon iniquity by this time. The cup was full. Yehovah had given it to Yeshua to pour out, so that Israel would reap the full measure of iniquity. That would have meant Israel’s being torn to shreds, taken captive, and the Israelis being tossed out of the land. Yeshua did not desire to pour that cup. He knew that He could avoid pouring it by drinking it: taking Israel’s iniquities upon Himself. That is what He did.

Mark 14:36 And He said, “Abba (Father), all things are possible unto Thee. Take this cup away from me. And not what I will, but what Thou wilt.”

Luke 22:42 Saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. And not my will be done, but thine.”

John 18:11 Then Yeshua said unto Peter, “Put up thy sword into the sheath. The cup which my Father hath given me—shall I not drink it?”

Yeshua personally suffered the way that all Israel would have suffered, being turned over to the Gentiles to be beaten, humiliated, cursed, bloodied, accused, and set for death.

The Cup of Vinegar

Matthew 27:34 They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with poison. And when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink.

Had Yeshua taken from that cup, He would have died a suicide.

Matthew 27:48 And straightway one of them ran and took a sponge. And he filled it with vinegar. And he put it on a reed. And he gave Him to drink.

Yeshua was willing to drink from this cup. It was not poison, but was a type.

Psalms 69:21 And they gave poison into my [bread] breaking. And for my thirst they watered me [gave me to drink] vinegar!

Vinegar is from the verb, to be cruel. This cup, then, is the cup of cruelty. Humans give this cup to others.

The Cup of Blessing

Psalms 23:5 Thou shalt order a table to my faces in front of mine afflicters. Thou hast greased my head with oil. My cup is abundance.

A few of the cups are very good. It appears that more cups are disasters; more texts give warnings because more groups are headed for destruction.

This cup is abundance. It is a blessing because Yehovah has promised it (thus invoking it) and given it.

Psalms 36:8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not the communion [joint participation] of the blood of Messiah? The bread that we break, is it not the communion of the Body of Messiah?

The cup itself is the Covenant, and that Covenant was sealed in Yeshua’s blood. That Covenant, then, includes the Saints’ joint participation in Yeshua’s blood. That is a blessing, since it not only is unto everlasting life, but it also provides for whatever Saints (as a group) need to live Godly and to demonstrate faith (together as a group) to others so that they can be benefited (if they will desire).

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils.

That cup of blessing is not available to those who are drinking from the cup of devils. Thus, the devils also have a cup.

The Cup of Yehovah’s Measure

Psalms 16:5 Yehovah is the measure of my portion and my cup. Thou art the Maintainer of my lot!

Can Yehovah be a cup? He can be anything He desires to be, but not all things are reasonable for Him to be. Yehovah is a Rock. I don’t see where He is a cup.

If this is the case, the division of the first statement would be, “Yehovah is the measure of my portion” and “Yehovah is the measure of my cup.” (The alternative would be a division like this: “Yehovah is the measure of my portion” and “Yehovah is my cup.”) I do not agree with the alternative because another psalm states, “My cup runs over.” If Yehovah were the cup, how could He run over? He fills all things. Therefore I will go with the first: “Yehovah is the measure of my portion” and “Yehovah is the measure of my cup.”

If Yehovah is the measure of any cup, and Yehovah is infinite, that cup’s measure cannot be limited, though the cup can overflow with blessings.

The Cup of Salvations

Psalms 116:13 I will carry the cup of Salvations. And I will call via Name Yehovah.

This cup contains more than one salvation. Each one is a rescue from death. Carrying that cup indicates that it is being transported for the sake of others, not just for the sake of the carrier. (Salvation is from the Jews.)

The Cup of the Waters of Life

John 4:9 The Samaritan woman therefore says to Him, “How dost thou, being a Jew, ask from me, a woman of Samaria, to drink?” For Jews have no intercourse with Samaritans. ¹⁰Yeshua answered and said to her, “If thou had known the gift of God and Who it is who says to thee, ‘Give me to drink,’ thou would have asked Him, and He would have given waters of life to thee! ¹¹The woman says to Him, “Sir, thou hast nothing to draw, and the well is deep. From where, then, hast thou the waters of life? ¹²Art thou greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?” ¹³Yeshua answered. And He said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. ¹⁴But whoever will drink of the water that I will give him shall in no wise thirst forever. But rather, the water that I will give to him shall become a fountain of water in him springing up into everlasting life.”

Yeshua addressed this woman concerning the waters of life. While no cup is mentioned in this text, and while an artesian well is mentioned, I have still chosen to categorize this as a cup.

1 Corinthians 10:4 And they did all drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them. And that Rock was Messiah.

Again, no cup is mentioned. The Rock is mentioned, and the waters of life came from that Rock.

The Cup of Consolation

Jeremiah 16:7 They shall not split to them upon mourning to console him concerning a dead-[one]. And they shall not water them a cup of consolations concerning his father and concerning his mother.

This cup of consolations is what one person can ‘pour’ upon another when they are both mourning over a dead person for whom they greatly cared. Yehovah is indicating what will not happen. (They will suffer many deaths, but the deceased loved ones will not be buried, and individuals will not separate from the group to console others in mourning. Instead, dead bodies will be everywhere.

The Cup of the New Covenant

Matthew 26:27 And He took the cup. And gave thanks. And He gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of it. ²⁸For this is my blood of the new Covenant that is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

This text gives the appearance that the cup is His blood. Another text will correct this view, showing that the cup is the Covenant that is in His blood.

Luke 22:17 And He took the cup. And He gave thanks. And He said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. ¹⁸For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come.” ¹⁹And He took bread. And He gave thanks. And He broke it and gave unto them, saying, “This is my Body that is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new Covenant in my blood that is shed for you.”

(Body does not refer to Yeshua’s physical body; it refers to what is later called “the Body of Christ,” having all living Israel as its core, and having additions in Saints from all races.)

This text mentions two cups, but the first cup isn’t described. The second is the New Covenant, and that is in His blood. Thus, it refers to the shedding of His blood on the cross. Yet, the cup is not His blood. It is the Covenant. Thus, that cup represents that Covenant.

Who drinks that cup, and what does it contain? The cup Yeshua passed contained wine at this Passover meal. Yet, what are the contents of that cup that Yeshua is describing? The cup contains Yeshua’s blood. This will directly link to the other section in this document in which King David refuses to drink the blood of valiant persons who risked their lives to obtain good-tasting water for him. Everyone who takes advantage of Salvation provided by Yeshua’s blood being shed drinks His blood.

John 6:49 “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ⁵⁰This is the bread that comes down from the heavens so-that a man may eat thereof and not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from the heavens. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, that I will give for the life of the world.” ⁵²The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³Then Yeshua said unto them, “Faith! Faith, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. ⁵⁴Whoso eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵For my flesh is certainly food and my blood is certainly drink. ⁵⁶He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he who eats me—even he shall live by me. ⁵⁸This is that bread that came down from the heavens—not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He who eats of this bread shall live forever.”

Thus, anyone taking advantage of Yeshua’s sacrifice is drinking His blood.

Mark 14:23 And He took the cup. And when He had given thanks, He gave it to them. And they all drank of it. ²⁴And He said unto them, “This is my blood of the new Covenant that is shed for many.”

1 Corinthians 11:25 Also, after the same manner, He took the cup when He had supped, saying, “This cup is the new Covenant in my blood. Do ye this in remembrance of me as oft as ye drink it.” ²⁶For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death until He comes. ²⁷Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸But a man shall examine himself, and so he shall eat of that bread and drink of that cup.

The Cup into the Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:13 For we are all immersed into one Body by one Spirit, whether we are Jews or Greeks, whether we are slaves or free. And we all have been made to drink into one Spirit.

This corresponds to the waters of life from the following text:

John 7:37 In that great last day of the feast, Yeshua stood. And He shouted, saying, “If any man thirst, he shall come unto me and drink. ³⁸He who believes on me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of the waters of life shall flow out of his belly.” ³⁹But He spoke this of the Spirit that they who believe on Him shall receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Yeshua was not yet glorified.

Thus, drinking of the Spirit of Yehovah is drinking of the waters of life. While no cup is mentioned, a drink is still used.

January 7, 2009August 22, 2016

Genesis 23 – Funeral Arrangements QA Supplied

Funeral Arrangements

(Genesis 23, Questions and Answers Supplied)

Background and Printed Text: Genesis 23:1-20

Genesis 23:1 And the lives of Sarah were 100 year and twenty year and seven years, the years of the lives of Sarah. ²And Sarah died in the City-of-Four. He is Hebron in the land of Canaan. And Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

³And Avraham arose from upon the faces of his dead-one. And he spoke unto the sons of Khet to say, ⁴ “I am a sojourner and a dweller with you. Give to me a possession of a tomb with you, and I will entomb my dead-one from my faces.” ⁵And the sons of Khet answered Avraham to say to him, ⁶“Hearken-to us, my lord! Thou art a prince of Elohim in our midst. Entomb thy dead-one in a choice of our tombs. A man from us will not obstruct his tomb from thee from entombing thy dead-one.” ⁷And Avraham arose. And he prostrated to the people of the land, to the sons of Khet. ⁸And he spoke with them to say, “If there is with your being to entomb my dead from to my faces, hearken-ye to me and encounter-ye for me in Ephron the son of Tzokhar. ⁹And he has given to me the cave of the Makhpaylah that is to him that is in the edge of his field. He will give her to me in your midst for a possession of a tomb via the full silver.”

¹⁰And Ephron dwelt in the midst of the sons of Khet. And Ephron the Kheti answered Avraham in the ears of the sons of Khet to all comers of the gate of his city to say, ¹¹“No my lord. Hearken-to me! I gave the field to thee and the cave that is in him. I gave her to thee to the eyes of the sons of my people. I gave her to thee to entomb from thy dead.” ¹²And Avraham prostrated to the faces of the people of the land. ¹³And he spoke unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land to say, “But if thou— were— hearken-to me. I gave silver of the field. Take from me, and I have entombed my dead there.” ¹⁴And Ephron answered Avraham to say to him, ¹⁵“My Lord, hearken to me. A land of 400 shekels of silver is between thee and between me. What is he? Entomb thy dead-one.” ¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver that he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, crossed-over to a merchant.

¹⁷And the field of Ephron that is in Machpelah that is to the faces of Mamre, the field and the cave that is in him and all the tree that is in the field that is in all his borders around arose ¹⁸to Abraham for an acquisition to the eyes of the sons of Heth, and all comers of the gate of his city. ¹⁹And afterward, Avraham entombed Sarah his woman into the cave of the field of Machpelah upon the faces of Mamre. He is Hevron in the land of Canaan. ²⁰And the field stood, and the cave that is in him, to Avraham for a possession of a tomb from the sons of Khet.

I. Sarah’s Death (verses 1-2)

Sarah had her first son at age 91 (see Genesis 17:17 and 17:21). She therefore had 36 years with her son before she died.

She died in the city of Hebron. Avraham came to mourn and weep for her.

Questions

1. Why is the English so strange in verse 1? The Hebrew language often uses the singular when the numbers are large. Therefore, it uses “100 year” instead of 100 years.

Something else is different about this verse. Instead of the normal Hebrew expression (“100 and 20 and 7 years”), it is divided up into three parts: “100 year and twenty year and seven years,” as if she had three separate parts to her lives (plural). If this is correct, she had one life that lasted 100 years, one that lasted 20 years, and one that lasted 7 years. This was one lifetime, but changes occurred for her when one part of her life turned to another. No other place in the Bible does this.

2. Why are her lives plural (instead of ‘life’)? Everyone’s lives are plural. Your lives are plural. You are living as a child at this time. Your life will change once you become a teenager. It will again change when you are a younger adult. It will change again when you become an older adult, and when you become a very old adult.

3. Why does the text twice mention, “the lives of Sarah”? This tells the reader that this is very important information. She truly had these years of her lives in these blocks of time.

4. Where is Hebron?

(See if you can find it on this map. Note the location of the Salt Sea, also known as the Dead Sea.) The Sea in the upper left corner is the Mediterranean Sea. The next map will show where that is. Africa touches the Mediterranean to the south.

5. Wasn’t Avraham present when Sarah died? If he had to come mourn for her, he must not have been. He was over a large group of cowboys and shepherds, and could have been away on business when this occurred.

6. What does mourn mean? This is all that is involved in greatly missing a person (or an item) who has died, feeling very sad for the loss, expressing sadness (sorrow), etc.

7. What does weep mean? That is what we call crying, when tears are shed. When the Bible uses cry, it normally means to call out loud.

II. Approaching the People for a Burying Place (verses 3-9)

Avraham mourned and wept over Sarah.

He then arose, and spoke unto the sons of Khet on whose land he was grazing the cattle and sheep. He needed a place to put her body.

Avraham told the sons of Heth that he is a sojourner and a dweller with them. He asked them to give him a possession of a tomb.

The sons of Heth recognized Avraham as a prince of Elohim among them. They told him to choose one of their tombs to place his dead one. None of their men would keep him from taking one of their tombs.

Avraham stood, and he then prostrated before the people of the land, the sons of Heth.

Avraham spoke to them; if there was ‘with their being’ to entomb his dead from his faces, that is, from his sight, if they would encounter in (speak directly with) Ephron the son of Tzokhar, that will result in his giving the cave of the Makh-pay-lah located in the edge of his field. Ephron will give her (the cave) to Avraham in the midst of their land for a possession of a tomb, and at the full price of its value in silver.

Questions

1. How long did Avraham mourn and weep for Sarah before he began to discuss with the sons of Heth regarding a burial place? The text doesn’t say. Bodies of the dead needed to be placed into the ground (or preserved) very soon, since the smell would very quickly become very bad.

2. Why didn’t Avraham use the word sell instead of give? His request, “Give to me a possession of a tomb with you,” was not a request for free land. The expression, “Give,” in Hebrew, might be for pay, or it might not. He didn’t use the word sell because even with an exchange of money, the local people needed to give him a possession. If they sold him the land, they might later reclaim it. If they gave him a possession, he would have it and a clear title (ownership that no one would dispute).

3. Did the sons of Heth (Khet, in Hebrew, meaning hot in English) believe in Elohim? Just because they spoke of Avraham as a prince of Elohim doesn’t mean they believed in Elohim. Many today speak of ‘Jesus’, and very few know anything about Him that is right. They don’t believe in Him, but they really think they do. The same was true in Avraham’s day. The sons of Khet didn’t believe in Avraham’s Elohim; they had their own elohim (gods) in which to believe.

4. Why was Avraham friendly with them (if they didn’t believe in Elohim)? Men and women who fear Elohim (who fear Yehovah) will certainly be very gracious and kind to neighbours who don’t believe in Him; Yehovah is kind to them! Anyone who claims to believe in the Biblical God but who holds a grudge against someone because that person doesn’t believe in the Biblical God doesn’t know anything that is important about the Biblical God.

5. What did the sons of Khet mean by, “Thou art a prince of Elohim”? They knew that Avraham believed in Elohim, and they saw how Elohim had blessed him, making him a ruler over many cowboys and shepherds. He therefore was a prince over his cowhands and sheephands. Since he was living in the midst of the sons of Khet, he was therefore a prince among them. He treated them very well, and was a true friend.

6. Why would no one among the sons of Khet obstruct Avraham’s choosing any tomb among them, since tombs were often very expensive and difficult to construct? They greatly respected Avraham. He had been a friend to them.

7. Why did Avraham prostrate to the people of the land, and who are they? They are the common folks, and in this case are the sons of Khet. Avraham prostrated to them to show his willingness to serve them, and to show that he was humble and not arrogant.

8. Why didn’t Avraham ask Ephron for himself? If Ephron might feel as if he had to acquiesce if Avraham directly approached him. If his fellow citizens approached him, the refusal would be much softer.

9. Did did Avraham insist on paying the full price, and refused to seek a bargain? Avraham was a prophet. He knew that this land would be his at a later time. Had he obtained the land at a bargain price, that would have given reasons for dwellers in the region to see Avraham and his offspring as cheats rather than as good neighbours.

Early Americans purchased land from American Indian groups for prices far below the land values. This now is a problem, since modern American Indians know how their ancestors were cheated. Avraham had no desire to give reasons to Middle Eastern occupants to see Avraham and his offspring as cheaters.

III. The Supposed Price (verses 10-16)

Ephron was now present. He spoke to Avraham in front of witnesses: the sons of Khet and all comers to the city gate.

He first spoke as if he were in an argument with Avraham: “No my lord. Hearken-to me!” He then stated, “gave the field to thee and the cave that is in him.” He next stated, “I gave her to thee to the eyes of the sons of my people.” Still, as if that wasn’t enough, he stated, “I gave her to thee to entomb from thy dead.”

Avraham prostrated himself (went flat down on his stomach) to the faces of (straight in front of) the people of the land. He spoke unto Ephron so that the people of the land could hear: “But if thou— were— hearken-to me. I gave silver of the field. Take from me, and I have entombed my dead there.” Avraham determined to purchase the field, not take it as a gift.

Ephron then spoke of the price and his and Avraham’s relationship: “My Lord, hearken to me. A land of 400 shekels of silver is between thee and between me. What is he? Entomb thy dead-one.”

Avraham then hearkened to Ephron and weighed the silver to him that Ephron had determined. The silver was the same kind that “crossed over to a merchant,” the same kind used in stores.

Questions

1. Where was Ephron before this? The text doesn’t say. The way the text is worded, it seems that the sons of Khet went and spoke to him, and that he then came to speak directly with Avraham. He then could tell Avraham face to face that he was giving the field and the cave to him.

2. Why did Ephron answer Avraham “in the ears of the sons of Ket to all comers of the gat of his city”? He wanted witnesses to hear that he was giving that field and its cave to Avraham. He also knew that having witnesses hear this was important to Avraham.

3. Why did Ephron start by saying, “No, my lord. Hearken to me”? It was as if Ephron and Avraham had disagreed. It was a very friendly disagreement in which Ephron had given the field and its cave to Avraham, but Avraham had wanted to purchase it.

4. Why did Ephron state, “I gave” three times? He was determined to make sure that all realized that he had done this.

5. What does “to the eyes of the sons of my people” mean? It means directly in front of and in full view of the citizens who were his people.

6. The expression, “to entomb from thy dead” is not the way speakers of the English language would say this. What does it mean? The word from means away, at a distance. Thus, “to entomb from thy dead” means “to place into a tomb in order to be at a distance that that Avraham is no longer where her dead body is located.

7. Explain “But if thou— were— hearken-to me”: It is as if Avraham is having a very difficult time with words. He wanted Ephron to take silver for the field, not to give it to him as a gift.

8. Why did Avraham insist on giving silver for the field instead of taking it as a gift? Avraham knew that folks from Epron’s people in later generations would resent (feel a strong anger) the gift to Avraham and his people, and they might reclaim the field and the cave as their own, as if Avraham never truly gained title (official ownership) to it. He had to make certain that the transaction (act of doing business) was both legal and public.

9. Was 400 shekels of silver a lot? No. That is why Ephron said, “A land of 400 shekels of silver is between thee and between me. What is he?”

10. Why was the fact that the silver was crossed over to a merchant important? This showed that it was normal currency, not something that might later be viewed as an unusual currency by which Avraham got a great bargain, cheating Ephron.

IV. The Receipt (verses 17-20)

The text explains what arose to Avraham for an acquisition (something that a person acquires: gets, obtains, and now owns):

The field of Ephron located in Machpelah, straight in front of Mamre
The field and the cave in the field
All the tree (we would say trees) in the field in all the fields borders.

The sons of Khet and all covers of the gate of this city saw this transaction.

Avraham entombed Sarah in the cave of this field. The other name of this location is Hevron (most call it Hebron) in the land of Canaan (named after the most powerful race present, the Canaanites). The text again stated that the field and its cave stood for a possession of a tomb from the sons of Khet.

Questions

1. Why are so many words used to indicate that Avraham truly acquired the field from the sons of Khet by legal means? Yehovah knows the future. He knew that this acquisition would be challenged in a future generation.

There is another reason. This is the only part of the entire land that Avraham acquired. Yehovah made a Covenant (a vow that is made with a god/God as a witness to enforce the vow) with Avraham. This Covenant stated that Avraham would acquire all of this land. That never happened, and Avraham died. Either Yehovah did not keep His word (which isn’t true) or He will keep it by resurrecting (bringing back to life in a human body) Avraham from the dead and giving him the land!