Was Paul Struggling with Sin?

Introduction

The second half of Romans 7 has become the focal text determining whether the Saint can successfully refrain from sinning. Some believe the doctrine of Sinless Perfection, which states that one can become ‘entirely sanctified’ so that he looses the ability to sin. Others claim that the most successful among the Saints are bound to sin at least once in a while, if not on a daily basis. This second view is encapsulated in “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” This document will examine Romans 6 through 8 as a unit to see what is right.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? ²Absolutely not. How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it? ³Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized into Yeshua Christ were baptized into his death? ⁴Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also of the resurrection, ⁶knowing this–that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ⁷For he that is dead is freed from sin. ⁸Now if we are dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death has no more dominion over him. ¹⁰For in that He died, He died unto sin once. And in that He lives, He lives unto God. ¹¹Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God through Yeshua Christ our Lord. ¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that ye should obey it in its lusts. ¹³Neither 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. ¹⁴For sin shall not have dominion over you. For ye are not under the law, but under grace. ¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? Absolutely not! ¹⁶Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness? ¹⁷But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered you. ¹⁸Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. ¹⁹I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. ²⁰For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. ²¹What fruit had ye then in those things of which ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end–everlasting life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Yeshua Christ our Lord. 7:1Know ye not brethren (for I speak to them that know the law) that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? ²For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to the husband so long as he lives. But if the husband is dead, she is loosed from the law of the husband. ³So then if she be married to another man while the husband lives, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband is dead, she is free from that law so that she is no adulteress though she is married to another man. ⁴Therefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ so that ye should be married to another—to Him who is raised from the dead—that we should bring forth fruit unto God. ⁵For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins that were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. ⁶But we are now delivered from the law, that being dead in which we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit and not the oldness of the letter. ⁷What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! No, I had not known sin but by the law. For I had not known lust except the law had said, “Thou shalt not covet.” ⁸But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin is dead. ⁹For I was alive without the law once. But when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰And I found the commandment that is to life unto death! ¹¹For sin deceived me, taking occasion by the commandment, and by it slew [me]. ¹²Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. ¹³Was, then, that which is good made death unto me? Absolutely not. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. ¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual. And I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵For I don’t allow what I do. For what I would, that don’t do. But what I hate, I do that! ¹⁶If then I do what I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. ¹⁷Now, then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwells no good thing. For to will is present with me, but to perform that which is good–I don’t find. ¹⁹For I don’t do the good that I would. But the evil that I would not–I do that! ²⁰Now if I do what I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹I find, then, a law—that when I would do good, evil is present with me. ²²For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. ²³But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin that is in my members. ²⁴O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? ²⁵I thank God—through Yeshua Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with the mind, but the law of sin with the flesh. 8:1Therefore, now, no condemnation is to them who are in Christ Yeshua. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Yeshua has made me free from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh ⁴that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk–not after the flesh–but after the Spirit. ⁵For they who are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, and they who are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷For the carnal mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸So then, they who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit—if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. ¹⁰And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, and the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹And if the Spirit of Him Who raised Yeshua from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. ¹²Therefore, brethren, we are debtors–not to the flesh to live after the flesh. ¹³For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit, ye shall live. ¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God—they are the sons of God. ¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of ‘sonshipment’ by which we cry “Abba!” “Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with [Him], that we may be also glorified together. ¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy [to be compared] with the glory that shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God! ²⁰For the creation was made subject to vanity—not willingly, but by reason of Him who has subjected in hope. ²¹For the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. ²³And not only [they] but ourselves also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit–even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the ‘sonshipment’—the redemption of our Body! ²⁴For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man sees–why does he yet hope for? ²⁵But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for [it] with patience. ²⁶Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we don’t know for what we should pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. ²⁷And He Who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to God. ²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God—to them who are the called according to purpose. ²⁹For whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰And whom He did predestinate, He also called them. And whom He called, He also justified them. And whom He justified, He also glorified them. ³¹What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³²He Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all—how shall He not also freely give us all things with Him? ³³Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? God is Who justifies. ³⁴Who is he who condemns? Christ is Who died—yea rather Who is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also makes intercession for us! ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation? or distress? or persecution? or famine? or nakedness? or peril? or sword? ³⁶as it is written, “We are killed all the day long for Thy sake. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come ³⁹nor height nor depth nor any other creation shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Yeshua our Lord!

Romans 6

Verses 1 and 2 teach that those identified as we are not to continue in sin, because they are dead to sin. It would be strange for a dead person to continue doing something that he did when he was alive.

Who are the we? Are they Saints or non-saints? Verse 3 identifies them as those who are “baptized in Messiah Yeshua,” and thus, baptized into His death. Are they Saints? Paul was not referring to counterfeits. They are Saints. (A Saint is anyone who is born of God, having Salvation.)

What does “not continue in sin” mean? To not continue means to stop. Texts must be taken literally.

Verse 4 continues, baptism is a burial into death. Since Messiah was literally raised up from the dead (by the glory of the Father), so we are also to walk in newness of life. If anyone continues to ‘occasionally sin’ (which is what he did before salvation), how does this demonstrate genuine newness of life? This makes no sense. The issue of this text is sin, not salvation. If salvation is still in question, other texts cover salvation much better.

Verses 5-7 speak of death and resurrection. The “old man is crucified” (not “being crucified”), that the Body of sin might be destroyed (the result of the old man being crucified). The accent is on this statement: “Henceforth (from now on) we are not to serve sin!” If anyone still serves sin, what good did the act of being baptized into Messiah’s death accomplish for him?

Anyone who is dead is freed from sin. This Old Man of sin is a group, not an individual. It is a Body. The New Man is also a Body. One must leave the Old Man of sin and be placed in the New Man.

Verses 8-11: A resurrection depends upon first being dead with Messiah. There is no basis for a hope in the resurrection if one is not dead in Messiah. No one can be partially dead. Anyone who claims to be still connected to an “old man” does not yet have the assurance of the resurrection.

Verse 9 demonstrates the finality of the death of Messiah and the finality of His resurrection. These statements are all absolute, not progressive in nature.

Verse 10 states that Messiah lives unto God. He no longer needs to repeat the dying process, and neither does anyone who has been born of God. The process is completed never to be done again.

The ‘likewise’ of verse 11 cannot be overstated. The Saint is to reckon himself to be dead indeed unto sin. To reckon is to consider something factual. The Believer is not to live in a dream world. Anyone who reckons himself to be something that he is not is living a lie, not the truth. Messiah is only interested in Truth, not in visualization or self-deception. He desires an honest self-appraisal.

Verses 12-14 give the result of this reckoning. If someone is reigning or ruling, he has the power. If sin is reigning, sin has the power. No Saint is to give sin any power. He is not to obey sin in any of sin’s lusts. Anyone who still sins is doing the opposite of the commands of these verses.

Members of the Body are the bodily parts. Yielding bodily parts to be instruments of unrighteousness is giving in to sin. Sinning daily (or even once a week) is voluntarily yielding bodily parts as instruments of unrighteousness. Some so-called “Christians” are stupid (brutish, K.J.V.) and are not able to understand these texts. Unbelievers know the right standard for Christians. They become outraged (or entertained) if a Christian sins.

Anyone born of God and truly alive from the dead is to yield to God. If he does not, this whole chapter does not apply to him. Yielding to righteousness and to God is to not sin. It is not a struggle; it is a yielding. Anyone who is struggling to not sin shows that he hasn’t been born of God. He is still a slave trying to break free. The word yield means to not contend, to not give resistance; to let another do what he is going to do without hindrance.

Verse 14 states that sin shall not have dominion over anyone who is yielded unto God. A dead person is not under the penalties of the Law, as Paul states:

Colossians 2:14 And you—being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh—He has made-alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, that was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. ¹⁵Having spoiled principalities and powers, He openly made a show of them, triumphing over them in it.

Messiah, in His death, blotted out the handwriting of the ordinances (not the Law) that specified the crimes of which each one was guilty.

A dead person is not under the Law. The Law only has contention with those who are alive and are violating it. A corpse does not—indeed cannot—violate the Law! One who is dead (to sin) and alive (to God) is under the Grace of Yehovah, having taking advantage of that Grace! The Saint lives a lifestyle above the requirements and expectations of the Law, not under it, by this Grace. The Law (Torah) was given to unbelieving Israelis, not to Saints.

Verse 15 asks the question, “Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? Absolutely not!” Paul deals with sinning in this blatant and absolute manner.

Sin is unto death (verse 16). Obedience alone is unto righteousness. A man will be the servant of the one to whom he yields.

The historical fact (verse 17) is declared: “Ye were the servants to sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

Yielding a group’s “members servants to righteousness unto holiness” (verse 19) is a choice. Paul would be foolish to tell the Romans to do something they could not do were this not the case.

(Verses 20-22) The tense of the statement “… for when ye were …” demonstrates that this is no longer the case. They are no longer “the servants of sin.” But now being made free from sin, and having become servants to God, they can bear fruit. No one in the state of death can bear fruit.

Verse 22 states that those identified as ye are freed from sin, they now have their fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting life. Verse 23 states that the wages of sin is death to them, and the gift of God is everlasting life. The wages of sin for the non-saint will not be death, since the non-saint is already dead. The wages of sin for the non-saint will be greater damnation.

Romans 7

According to verses 1-3, the extent of the Law only reaches to those who are physically alive. Verse 4 explains that the death of the man means that the man is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Law, not that the Law is abolished.

The purpose of this new life is to bring forth fruit. Sin kills, it doesn’t cause fruit production. Dead things don’t grow. They rot.

Verse 5: “When we were in the flesh” indicates that those identified as we are no longer in the flesh. We brought forth fruit unto death when we were in the flesh.

Verse 6: That in which we were held is dead. This group identified as we have been delivered out of the ‘hands’ of the Law. We are now to serve in newness of spirit, and not the oldness of the letter.

Verse 7: One purpose of the Law is to know what is and isn’t sin. The Law is good. Since the purpose of the Law is to know sin, if the Law had not been there, “I” (Paul—or whom he typifies) would not have known sin. (Verse 8:) But sin worked in ‘me’ every manner of concupiscence. Paul (or whom Paul typifies) recognized sin to be exactly what it was because the Law informed him!

Do not overlook the tenses of the statements. The Spirit of Yehovah is prophetically speaking through Paul in the past tense: “I had not known …” “… for when we were …” His reference is to the old life in contrast to newness of life in Messiah.

Verse 9: There was a time when the Law had nothing to do with Paul (and to the one Paul typifies). He was a child under the tutelage of parents. When he later learned the commandment, however, sin came alive for him. He found that the wages of sin were death. Paul died. He died as certainly as Adam and Eve died according to the promise, “In the day that you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, dying, you will die!”

Verse 10: The commandment’s purpose was to life! (ohÐœ8j0k) It preserved the follower from being put to death until he (he or she) could come to faith if the follower refrained from death-penalty offenses. He would then no longer need the commandment in order to do righteousness; he simply would do righteousness (as he yielded to God). The commandment declared that the result would be death for anyone breaking the commandment, however.

Sin deceives, and sin slays. The commandment specified what sin is, and thus what is worthy of death. The Law declares sin and its consequences. It is of Yehovah, and it is holy. The commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

Verse 13 asks, since the commandment is good, and since, by the power of the commandment, sin slays, is the commandment made to be death? No. Sin works death by means of the commandment. (There would be no death if there were no commandment declaring something to be sin and a cause of death.) The commandment demonstrates that sin is exceedingly strong!

Verse 14: I ask you, Was Paul carnal, sold under sin at the time of this writing? The Greek is even stronger. It states that he sold himself to sin. This verse declares this in the present tense. Is this the condition of an inspired and infallible writer of a book of the Bible?

In one Jewish form of argument, it is usual to go from the past tense to the present. Look at the tenses of the verbs in the following quote: “I came and found the car gone. So I ran into the house. And what is the first thing I find? I find that the safe is missing too!” The tense changed, but it is still describing an event in the past. The Spirit of God through Paul either employed this technique, or Paul was in no condition to tell others that they need to be freed from sin.

Paul states in 6:20 and 6:22 that the Saints have been made free from sin and servanthood to sin, and have become servants to God. Did Paul change his mind?

To be “sold under sin” is to sell one’s self to be the servant to sin. Did Paul do that as a Saint? Would his writings be infallible if he were still a (voluntary) slave to sin?

Being carnal is walking after the flesh. Why does Paul refer to those who “do not walk after the flesh” (8:4) as if it is the norm for Saints?

If Paul was still carnal and sold under sin at the time of this writing, he certainly stated that we are not to be carnal or sold under sin! Was he confused about his own status? Nonsense. Paul is either discussing his past as if it is the present, prophesying for another whom he typifies, or he is quite the hypocrite, telling others to do what he never could accomplish until he was dead! Paul was not carnal or sold under sin at this time.

Verses 15 and 16 show the dilemma of the non-spiritual person who desires to do right on his own: he does the opposite of what he knows is right. It is a very part of his carnal nature!

Verse 17 demonstrates the result of “indwelling sin:” the tendency to sin! It is ‘only natural’! There is no ability to do good! (verse 18-20). Evil (only) is present with the sinner, with the carnal person, with the non-Saint. Paul found himself captive to the law of sin that was an integral part of him (when he was carnal, and when he was non-spiritual, verse 23). [In 8:2, he declares that he is free from the law of sin.]

How can anyone get free from carnality, from slavery to sin and from death? Only through Messiah Yeshua our Lord (verse 25). Until that happened, Paul could only serve the law of sin with his flesh. He was a slave. These texts demonstrate the futility of achieving salvation by works. Paul was righteous, a hot zealot, but he was not born of God. He was a slave to sin.

Romans 8

(Verse 1) Those who are in Messiah Yeshua have no condemnation, since the Law of the Spirit of life via Messiah Yeshua has made them free from the law of sin and death. One who is freed from the law of sin will no longer serve sin (Romans 6:12).

Was the problem the Law? The Law (verse 3) was weak by its weakest link: the flesh. The flesh could not uphold the righteousness of the Law. Only the Spirit of life could provide the support for the righteous life. Messiah came in the likeness of sinful flesh in order to condemn sin in the flesh. My Grandfather explained it this way: A perfectly sound nail will hold nothing if it is hammered into rotten wood. The Law is the nail, and the flesh is the rotten wood. The nail is weak because of its placement, not its design.

“The righteousness of the law will be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” There are only two types of individuals: those who “mind the things of the flesh” and those who “mind the things of the Spirit.” The result of being carnally minded is death. The result of being Spiritually minded is both life and peace.

The carnal mind is an enemy against God. It cannot be subject to the Law of God.

Verse 8 teaches that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. The contrast is being in the Spirit. The “Spirit of God dwells in you.” No person without the Spirit of Messiah is holy to Messiah—Messiah’s property.

If Messiah is in anyone, the Body is dead (not dying) because of sin, and the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Verse 11 returns back to the original topic of Romans 6:5. If the Spirit of God dwells in anyone, he will be resurrected by God’s Spirit Who dwells in him. Only those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (verse 14). Those who live after the flesh shall die (verse 13).

Sinless Perfection

Anyone who subscribes to the concepts of “sinless perfection” (the idea that the saint can and should reach a point where he cannot sin any longer while in the mortal body) is damnably deceived. The Scriptures warn the Saints of the dangers in this world:

1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

Sinless perfection is a doctrine for fools. Refusing to sin is the obligation and occupation of Saints.

Conclusion

Either Paul was a Spiritual schizophrenic or he was describing himself (in the second half of chapter 7) as he was before he turned to Messiah. Anyone who teaches that Paul had a struggle with sin and sinning throughout his Christian life is teaching the opposite of his own declaration of the liberty that every Saint enjoys—liberty from the slavery to sin and sinning.

Paul’s commands to the Romans are absolute: Do not yield the members of your body to sin and sinning under any circumstance. Yield to God and to righteousness.

Anyone who struggles to do right has not yet come to the point of mortifying the deeds of the body (8:13). He is still a slave in need of Salvation from sin.

The Saint has no excuse to continue sinning.

February 9, 2009July 5, 2017

The Faces

The Hebrew word faces is always plural. The singular would describe turning, as in a corner. A living creature never has only one face—one turn. The faces consist of many turns, and the faces can turn to show many reactions. One face can express anger, while another expresses joy.

Face appears early in the Bible:

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the faces of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the faces of the waters.

Children naturally associate with faces more than do adults. This is one reason why they are attracted to stuffed animals. They have friendly, soft faces. A dark room may frighten a child, because the faces of the room are unknown. Moving waters, as the ocean waters, have faces that are constantly changing. The soil also has faces:

Genesis 2:6 There went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

Humility or sudden fear is shown by the ‘childism’ falling on one’s faces:

Genesis 17:3 And Abram fell on his face.

Just as a child whose faces show the direction the child intends to go, the Bible describes the same thing regarding adults:

Genesis 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom.

If a child is afraid of someone, he will run from that person’s faces:

Genesis 35:1 And God said unto Jacob, “Arise! Go up to Bethel and dwell there. And make there an altar unto God Who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the faces of Esau thy brother.”

A child who shows great affection for an adult will go for his faces. This is also true of Biblical adults:

Genesis 50:1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face. And he wept upon him and kissed him.

Even if a child cannot run from someone he fears, he will hide his faces:

Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

Children do not tend to fear what they cannot see (or imagine). Thus, Yehovah determined to place His fear before the faces of the Israelis:

Exodus 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, “Fear not! For God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”

When a child becomes angry with someone, she sets her faces against him, just as the Bible portrays:

Leviticus 17:10 “And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you who eateth any manner of blood, I will even set my faces against that soul that eateth blood and will cut him off from among his people!”

Some form of the word faces is used at least 2,100 times in the ‘Old Testament,’ since it is found in the word translated before (meaning in front of, orliterally, to the faces of). Children learn early about faces, and they show their inner thoughts on their faces.

Many cultures have portrayed what they believe to be the face of Jesus through their icon art. These almost never show Jesus as Jewish, but reflect the cultural view of how Jesus ‘should’ look. The faces of Gentile Jesuses are neither Biblical nor Scriptural. Yeshua’s faces drew children:

Mark 10:13 And they brought young children to Him so that He would touch them. And the disciples rebuked those that brought. 14But when Jesus saw, He was much displeased. And He said unto them, “Dispatch the little children to come to me, and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of God. 15Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter into her!” 16And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them and blessed them.

Yeshua chose to be born with a Jewish face. Attacks against the Jews sometimes feature a stereotypical, twisted Jewish face with a broken nose and dark eyebrows. While Jewish features are not standard, and reflect the many cultures of the world, hating or ignoring the faces of Jews is the same as hating the faces of God. Many churches claiming to be based on Christianity like faces in their memberships to reflect themselves, not folks who look different, especially who look Jewish. Yet the angels of Jewish children always behold the faces of Yehovah the Father:

Matthew 18:10 “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones. For I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father Who is in heaven.”

Do you portray the faces of Yeshua to others, especially to Israel? Jewish individuals who care find it strange when a non-Jewish person ‘looks’ so much like the Biblical God and Biblical Saints. Consider the surprise of the Jericho spies when Rahab said,

Joshua 2:9 And she said unto the men, “I knew that Yehovah gave to you the land, and that your terror fell upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melted from your faces. 10For we heard how Yehovah dried up the waters of the Red sea from your faces in your exiting from Egypt, and what ye did to two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side Jordan—to Sihon and to Og whom ye utterly destroyed. 11And we heard. And our hearts melted. And spirit did not arise again in a man from your faces. For Yehovah your God—He is God in the heavens from above and upon the land from under. 12And now vow, pray, to me by Yehovah. For I did Grace with you. And ye shall do Grace, even ye, with the house of my father. And ye shall give to me a sign of Truth. 13And ye will make-live my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that is to them. And ye shall rescue our beings from death.”

Rahab, a Gentile and a Canaanite, certainly showed a Jewish face!

February 9, 2009August 22, 2016

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 9, 2009March 29, 2018

The Arm

While a child becomes familiar with an involved adult’s hand (for good or bad), the arm is also a vital part of that relationship.

Continue reading “The Arm”

February 9, 2009October 7, 2016

Genesis 22 – The Test QA Supplied

Genesis 22: The Test

Questions and Proposed Answers Supplied

Background and Text: Genesis 22:1-19

Genesis 22:1 And he was after these things. And the Elohim (the Gods) tested [singular] Father-Of-A-Crowd (Avraham). And He said unto him, “Avraham!” And he said, “Behold, I am!” ²And He said, “Take, na, thy son, thine only that thou loved, He-Will-Laugh (Isaac). And walk. Walk unto Land of the Bitterness-of-Yehovah (Moriah). And ascend him there for an ascension upon one of the mountains that I will say unto thee.”

³And Avraham early-rose in the morning. And he bound his ass. And he took two of his youths with him, and Isaac his son. And he cleaved trees of ascension. And he stood. And he walked unto the place that the Gods said [singular] to him.

⁴In the third day, and Avraham lifted his eyes. And he saw the place from a distance. ⁵And Avraham said unto his youths, “Sit to you here with the ass. And the youth and I will walk unto so. And we have worshipped. And we have returned unto you.” ⁶And Avraham took trees of the ascension. And he put upon Isaac his son. And he took the fire and the meat-cleaver in his hand. And both of them walked together.

⁷And Isaac said unto Avraham his papa, and he said, “My Papa!” And he said, “Behold, I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold the fire and the trees! And where is the lamb for ascension?” ⁸And Avraham said, “Elohim will see to Himself the lamb for ascension, my son.” And both of them walked together.

⁹And they came unto the place that the Gods said to him. And Avraham built the altar there. And he ordered the trees. And he bound Isaac his son. And he put him upon the altar from above to the trees. ¹⁰And Avraham sent his hand. And he took the meat-cleaver to slaughter his son.

¹¹And Messenger Yehovah called unto him from the heavens. And He said, “Avraham! Avraham!” And he said, “Behold, I am.” ¹²And He said, “Do not send thy hand unto the youth! And do not do to him a blemish! For now I knew that thou art a fearer of Elohim! And thou did not spare thy son thine only from me.”

¹³And Avraham lifted his eyes. And he saw. And behold, another ram is caught in a thicket via his horns. And Avraham walked. And he took the ram. And he ascended him for an ascension under his son.

¹⁴And Avraham called the name of that place ‘Yehovah-Will-See,’ which he will say today, “Yehovah will see in the mountain!”

¹⁵And Messenger Yehovah called unto Avraham a second-time from the heavens. ¹⁶And He said, “Via me I swore,” Yehovah declared, “that because thou did this saying, and thou did not spare thy son thine only, ¹⁷that blessing I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thy seed as stars of the heavens and as sand that is upon the lip of the sea! And thy Seed will inherit the gate of His enemies! ¹⁸And all races of the land will bless-themselves via thy Seed [on the] heel-that thou hearkened into my voice!”

¹⁹And Avraham returned unto his youths. And they stood. And they walked together unto Well-Of-Oath. And Avraham dwelt in Well-Of-Oath.

²⁰And he was after these things. And He told to Avraham to say, “Behold, Queen childed—also he—sons to Snorer thy brother, ²¹Counsel his firstborn and Contempt his brother and They-Stood-A-Mighty-One the father of I-Will-Elevate ²²and As-Violence/Devil and His-Vision and Distinction-Of-Fertility and He-Will-Drip and They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One. ²³And They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One childed Multiplied-Decanting. Queen childed these eight to Snorer brother of Avraham, ²⁴and his concubine—and her name is They-Saw-What? And she childed—also he—He-Slaughtered and He-Burned and Thou-Wilt-Hush and Thy-Belly.

I. The Startling Command (verses 1-2)

The Bible declares that the Elohim (the Gods) tested Avraham. It does not give the purpose for the test in this section, but it does show that He does such things.

Avraham finally had a son of the promise. He loved his son, as Elohim attested (Elohim was a witness to this and said so). He now told him to take his son whom he loved, and go to the land of Moriah.

Elohim referred to Isaac as “thy son, thine only” as if Ishmael did not exist.

He told him to walk, then to ‘ascend’ his son for ascension in the same way that one would do an animal. Elohim would tell him upon which mountain to do this.

Questions

1. Does God test everyone? No, He doesn’t, and certainly not in this way! This was a special case.

2. Why did Elohim test him in this way? You must ask this question after you have read the entire section!

3. Why does the Hebrew Bible use Elohim (meaning Gods instead of God)? This constantly tells the reader that Elohim is all the Gods there are! He is the God of the land, God of the sea; He is the God of the heavens, God of creation; He is the God of requests, the God Who can do anything anywhere, as long as it isn’t against Who He is.

4. Why does the Hebrew Bible use ‘the Elohim’? That means the Gods, as if that is only His identity. Others may speak of their gods, but only this One can be called the Gods, and the speaker will be right.

5. What does the Hebrew word na mean (verse 2)?It is a word that indicates that the speaker isn’t angry or demanding, but is speaking in a soft manner.

6. Why does Elohim refer to Isaac as Avraham’s only son when Avraham also had Ishmael? He is the only son of the promise, the son through whom the races of the world will be blessed. Ishmael is the son of the slavewoman; Isaac is the son of Avraham and the son of the promise.

7. What does “thy son, thine only that thou loved” mean? It doesn’t mean that Avraham didn’t love Ishmael. It means that Isaac is Avraham’s son, his only son, and he loved that son.

8. Why is loved in the past tense? It is as if Elohim is in the future, and is looking back into the past at Avraham. Then He could say, “Avraham loved that son.”

This pictures what will happen with Yehovah (the Father) and Yeshua (the Son of Yehovah) in the future. Yehovah will take His Son, His Only whom He loved, and He will do this very thing.

9. Why must Avraham walk? Couldn’t he ride animals? Even if he did, the animals still walked. This was not something done at a run. It was a slow, deliberate action.

10. What was the name of the mountain where this event would take place? The Bible doesn’t say. It is in a range of mountains located in the Land of the Bitterness-of-Yehovah (Moriah).

Mountains in the Bible often indicate what we would call hills. They don’t have to be so tall, though some are very tall.

11. What does “ascend him there” mean? (This is Hebrew wording. You will not find this wording in English.) It means to slaughter, to then separate the pieces of the slaughtered animal, to arrange them on an altar under which a fire is lit, then to slow-cook the animal and its pieces while the fragrance and smoke ascends to the heavens. It pictures a person or a group that has been slaughtered, and who then ascend into the heavens. Folks did these ascension sacrifices before those who died ever went into the heavens! Until Yeshua’s death, Saints and non-saints went to Sheol (located in the core of earth).

12. Did Elohim command Avraham to kill his son? Yes, that is what the command means!

13. Did Elohim do right by commanding this? Everything that is right or wrong always goes back to a god or God (a false god or a real God). There cannot be right or wrong if there is no god/God. Without a god or God, there are only opinions, not right and wrong actions. The very words right and wrong used in this way assume a god or God!

Since Elohim is the Gods, if He says to do something, it is right. If He says to not do something, doing it would be wrong. He told Avraham to do this; it was right. Now, readers must think why it was right, since the Bible prohibits murder! (Intentionally killing a person without the person being guilty of a crime, or without it being an act of war or heroism, is murder.)

II. Avraham’s Quick Response (verse 3)

Avraham rose early in the morning. He loaded the ass with the saddle and with provisions. Two youths and Isaac accompanied him.

Avraham split the wood for the sacrifice. He then stood up and went with the three unto the place Elohim told him.

Questions

1. Why did Avraham rise early in the morning? It was as if Avraham desired to do this, or it was as if he desired to ‘get this over with.’ Another text will give us the information we need to figure this out:

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Avraham offered up Isaac when he was tested. And he who had received the promises (Avraham) offered up his only begotten son ¹⁸of whom it was said that, “thy seed shall be called in Isaac,” ¹⁹accounting that God was able to raise up even from the dead.

Therefore, Avraham knew that Elohim would keep His promises through Isaac, and this included Isaac being alive even if that included raising him from the dead!

2. Why didn’t Avraham ask another slave (perhaps a much younger man) to split the logs for him? This was a very personal ascension sacrifice. Avraham did not desire to include anyone else in this act, though he did take two youths to accompany Isaac and him.

3. Why did Avraham take the other two youths? See if you can figure this out as the event unfolds. (I will ask this again later.)

4. How did Avraham know the right place to go? Elohim gave him the directions: “He walked unto the place that the Elohim said to him.”

5. Did Isaac wonder where they were going, and why? If he did, he didn’t speak yet.

III. The Fire and the Meat Cleaver (verses 4-6)

The journey took several days. Avraham saw the destination on the third day, still a distance away.

He told the two youths to stay with the ass while Isaac and he would go the rest of the way.

Avraham gave the reason for the journey: Isaac and he were going to worship, and both would return to the youths.

He loaded the trees for the ascension upon Isaac. Avraham took burning wood to light the fire, and a meat cleaver. They both walked together.

Questions

1. Did Avraham lie when he said, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you”? No. He knew that Yehovah would have to raise Isaac from the dead in order to complete His promises through Isaac.

2. Could the youths see Avraham and Isaac while they finished their journey? Yes, they could. The area did not have many trees; one could see for quite a distance.

3. Why didn’t the youths ask him where he was going? The text doesn’t give the reason. The youths did what they were told.

4. What does so mean in “The youth and I will walk unto so”? It means there.

5. Why did Avraham say, “We have worshipped” rather than “We will worship”? In Hebrew, a future followed by a past tense verb shows cause and effect. In this case, the future verb is in the sentence: “And the youth and I will walk unto so.” The past tense verbs that follow are in these two statements: “And we have worshipped. And we have returned unto you.” Thus, Avraham is quite certain what will follow his walking with Isaac.

6. What does worship mean? It means to lie prostrate (flat, face down) before another.

7. What are trees of the ascension? They are pieces of firewood.

8. Why did Avraham place the wood on Isaac instead of carrying it himself? This is a type: a picture that is real in itself, and pictures something else that is real, and far more important. Isaac carried the trees; Yeshua will also carry the trees. (Those trees are not large, whole trees, but cut pieces of trees.)

9. In what form was the fire that Avraham took? I was probably in the form of embers, which would be a firebrand, rather than a fully flaming torch (which would burn too fast).

10. What was the purpose of the meat cleaver? It was to cut the sacrifice into pieces. The sacrifice, in this case, was Isaac!

11. Isn’t this a gruesome scene? Yes, it is! It is supposed to be!

IV. The Question (verses 7-8)

Isaac became curious at this point. Sacrifices require sacrificial animals. They had brought none with them. Isaac said, “My Papa!” Avraham replied, “Behold, I am, my son.” Isaac observed, “Behold the fire and the trees! And where is the lamb for ascension?” Avraham told him, “Elohim will see to Himself the lamb for ascension, my son.” That must have satisfied Isaac; they both walked onward together.

Questions

1. What did Avraham mean by the reply, “Elohim will see to Himself the lamb for ascension”? Avraham was a prophet. He was prophesying about what Yehovah and Yeshua would do in the far future. He spoke of a lamb. That is the Lamb of God.

2. Why didn’t Avraham tell Isaac what he was about to do to him? That would have been very frightening! It seems that Isaac suspected nothing. He fully trusted his papa.

3. Did Avraham love Isaac? Yes, he did very much!

V. The Grim Task (verses 9-10)

They finally arrived. Avraham built the altar. He ordered the trees—he set them in order so that they would burn just right. Then he tied up Isaac! He placed him upon the altar—upon the firewood trees!

Avraham then sent his hand… He took the meat cleaver to slaughter his son!

Questions

1. Why did Isaac submit to being tied? Isaac trusted Avraham. He had no reason to not trust him.

2. Did Avraham gag his son? The text doesn’t indicate that he did, and I don’t think that he did; but I have no proof either way.

3. Why did he tie him in the first place? Avraham was about to slaughter him. If his first strike didn’t kill him, Isaac would suffer great pain. Therefore, he needed to be still while Avraham slaughtered him. (This is a very frightening event!)

4. Had Avraham slaughtered his son in this way, would not this have been a heinous (enormously and shockingly evil) crime? Would it not have been wrong and sinful? If Yehovah had not commanded it, it would have been! Yehovah is the Gods. If He commands, it is not wrong to obey, and it is wrong to disobey, since He created man. Still, this event in the Bible is very surprising until the reader knows the reasons for it.

5. How would you feel about someone coming at you with a meat cleaver when you are tied up? (Each student needs to answer this.)

VI. The Results of the Test (verses 11-12)

Messenger Yehovah (also known as the Angel Yehovah) called Avraham’s name twice: “Avraham! Avraham!” Avraham responded, “Behold, I am!” This Messenger Yehovah commanded him to not send his hand unto the youth. He also commanded him to not do to him a blemish!

This Messenger said, “For now I knew that thou art a fearer of Elohim! And thou did not spare thy son thine only from me.”

Questions

1. Why did Messenger Yehovah call Avraham’s name twice? He needed to quickly stop him from going through with the slaughter!

2. Why did the messenger tell him to stop after Elohim had told him to do this? This whole action was a test and a type. Elohim had no desire for Avraham to slaughter Isaac. The picture of this was designed for readers to understand what Yehovah did with Yeshua.

3. Didn’t Messenger Yehovah already know that Avraham was a fearer of Elohim? Yes, since Messenger Yehovah is Yeshua, and He knows almost all things (except what He intends to not know). He had to prove it to readers, however. Besides this, what Elohim knows and what He proves to Himself are two different things. While He knows the end from the beginning, He still does not judge until a person (or an angel) has done what the person intended.

4. Who is Messenger Yehovah, and how could a reader know this? By identifying Himself as me in “thou did not spare thy son thine only from me,” this Messenger identified Himself as Elohim.

5. Would Avraham have killed Isaac? Avraham would have carried out Elohim’s orders had He not stopped him. He feared God.

VII. The Exchange (verse 13)

Avraham lifted his eyes. A ram was caught in a thicket by his horns. He was not damaged, but was stuck. Avraham walked to the ram, took it, and exchanged the animal and his son. He then ascended the animal on the altar.

Questions

1. Why did Avraham offer the caught ram (instead of letting it go, or instead of eating it)? He had prepared to do a sacrifice, and he had gained his son in the meantime.

2. Why did Yehovah provide a ram instead of a lamb? Careful readers would realize that this was not the prophecy that Avraham made. Therefore, they would look for the exact fulfillment of the prophecy, realizing that this isn’t that fulfillment!

3. Explain under his son in “he ascended him for an ascension under his son”: This Hebrew expression means in the place of his son.

4. The text stated, “And behold, another ram is caught in a thicket via his horns.” Explain why the text states, “another”: It is as if Isaac were a ram, and the animal were the second ram! (Biblical Hebrew does refer to persons as rams when they have the strength qualities or the rank (among their peers) of rams.

VIII. The Naming of the Place (verse 14)

It was Avraham who had said before that Yehovah will see to Himself the lamb for ascension. The animal caught was a ram, not a lamb.

Avraham now called that location Yehovah-Will-See. Yehovah will see in the mountain.

Questions

1. What was significant about the animal being a ram rather than a lamb? The lamb refers to the Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua, Whom Yehovah will sacrifice for sin (and for other reasons).

2. This verse states, “Yehovah will see.” What will He see? He will see to Himself the lamb for ascension. In other words, Yehovah will see Himself in the form of Yeshua, and Yeshua as the Lamb that Avraham prophesied.

3. In what mountain will Yehovah see this Lamb? I propose that He will see that Lamb in Mount Zion, the most important mountain on the planet. That is when the Lamb of God will reign as King.

IX. The Results of Obedience (verses 15-18)

Messenger Yehovah called a second time to Avraham from the heavens. He swore (vowed) via Himself.

Avraham had done two noble acts: He had

done the saying of Messenger Yehovah
not spared his son, his only.

Yehovah vowed to do the following:

He will bless Avraham.
He will multiply his seed as stars of the heavens and as sand that is upon the lip of the sea.

He also stated two results of these things:

His Seed will inherit the gate of His enemies.
All races of the land will bless themselves via His Seed.

All this was because Avraham had hearkened into His voice.

Questions

1. Why did Messenger Yehovah vow? He vowed because of the importance of what He was about to say. He could have promised, but a vow is much more important than a promise (in many cases).

2. Why did Messenger Yehovah vow via Himself? When one vows, one uses the name or identity of someone or something greater than himself. There was no one greater than Yehovah, so He vowed via Himself. A text mentions this:

Hebrews 6:13 When God made promise to Avraham, He swore by Himself (because He couldn’t swear by anyone greater) ¹⁴saying, “Blessing, I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee!” ¹⁵And so he [Avraham] obtained the promise after he had patiently endured—¹⁶(For men indeed swear by the greater. And an oath for confirmation is an end of all strife to them.)—¹⁷in which God confirmed it by an oath, far more willing to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability [unchangeability] of His counsel.

3. Do the stars of the heavens multiply? They don’t at this time, but they will many centuries from now during a time called the Millennium (meaning the thousand years). Messiah Yeshua will reign at that time over the whole planet. He will put many stars into the heavens, and they will multiply during that thousand years that He will rule.

4. Does the sand of the sea multiply? It does, even today! With every crashing wave, sand particles, which are made of silicon, and are tiny pieces of rounded glass, break into smaller pieces. Window glass is made of silicon; it is made of sand! The front window of automobiles is also made of silicon, but has a very thin piece of plastic between two pieces of glass so that it won’t easily shatter if broken. Glass that is broken is very sharp. Sand isn’t sharp, because the waves hit the sand particles together, rounding off any sharp edges. In this way, however, the sand particles multiply in number!

5. Verse 17 states, “thy Seed will inherit the gate of His enemies.” Identify this Seed: This Seed is Messiah Yeshua.

The word seed, like deer and fish, is a word that can refer to one, or it can refer to more than one (it can be singular or plural). When farmers and gardeners speak about seed, they normally mean a large group of individual seeds. Yet, they can also refer to one seed, like an avocado seed.

The seed in this text refers to One: to Messiah Yeshua. A verse explains this:

Galatians 3:16 Now, the promises were made to Avraham and his seed. He doesn’t say “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one: “And to thy seed,” which is Messiah.

5. When will this Seed inherit the gate of His enemies, and why would the Seed want a gate? This Seed is Messiah Yeshua. He will inherit this gate at the end of a time period called the Tribulation, the worst time the world will ever see, and He will hold that gate for the entire Millenniuim (thousand years) during which time He will rule over all the earth.

If He holds the gate of the enemies, He holds the location of justice—like the courthouse of our cities. In some cultures, judges judge matters of law at the gate of the city or village so that there is plenty of room for folks to watch. This used to be where trials were held, and it will again be where they will be held in the far future. If Messiah Yeshua holds the gate of the enemies, He will hold the court system and the judges, and will make sure that all judgments are done right, according to His standards.

6. Identify “all races of the land”: Those are all races that are on the planet. A race is a very large group of individuals who all come from a common ancestor.

7. What does “will bless themselves via thy Seed” mean? Since this Seed is Messiah Yeshua, and since a blessing is normally something very good that has been given to another in order for that person to benefit (do good for) others, this means that all races will benefit other races by means of Messiah and what He gives to them. That means that races won’t waste time hating and trying to destroy each other, but will instead do great business with other races and do them much good.

8. Why will such good things occur, according to this text? The text states, “[on the] heel-that thou hearkened into my voice!” The expression, “on the heel that” means that this follows the other. If something is on your heel, it is right behind you! Put that into the text, and you will see that all races of the land will bless themselves right behind (on the heel of) the fact that Avraham hearkened to [both listened and obeyed] Messenger Yehovah’s voice!

X. The Return (verse 19)

Avraham and Isaac returned back to the waiting youths. They all walked together unto Well-Of-Oath, Beersheba. Avraham dwelt there.

Questions

1. Perhaps now you can answer the question why Avraham took the youths with Isaac and him: He took them so that they would be with Isaac after Isaac was slaughtered and raised from the dead! He took them, because they were Isaac’s companions, and they would benefit Isaac after this traumatic event.

2. The text states that “they stood.” Who stood? The youths stood. They were sitting there, waiting for Avraham and Isaac to return.

3. What was the topic of conversation as they walked to Beersheba? The Bible doesn’t say what it was. The Bible only includes information that is directly pertinent [on the same subject] and important to the plan of God. It never includes unimportant details.

4. Did Avraham like Beersheba? Yes! He lived there for quite a while.

XI. Names (verses 20-24)

Avraham had a brother named Nahor (which means snorer). His wife was Milcah, meaning Queen. Someone (identified only as he) told Avraham that Milcah had birthed sons, so that Nahor and Milcah now had children.

I have provided meanings for the names of the children. I can be certain of the meanings of some of the names, and I am less certain of the meanings of other names because I have very little information upon which to determine their meanings. Please know this as you read the meanings that I have proposed.

English Name	Proposed Meaning
Huz	Counsel
Buz	Contempt
Kemuel	They-Stood-A-Mighty-One
Aram	I-Will-elevate
Chesed	As-Violence/Devil
Hazo	His-Vision
Pildash	Distinction-Of-Fertility
Jidlaph	He-Will-Drip
Bethuel	They-Wasted-A-Mighty-One
Rebekah	Multiplied-Decanting
Reumah	They-Saw-What?
Tebah	He-Slaughtered
Gaham	He-Burned
Thahash	Thou-Wilt-Hush
Maacah	Thy-Belly

Questions

1. Why did folks name their children with such weird names? Those names serve two functions: they explain what the parents were seeing or experiencing when the children were born, and they give prophetic information about events yet to come! (If you carefully string the names together, you will see sentences that give information about events to come.) That means that Yehovah participated by making certain that parents named their children in these ways (usually without the parents knowing anything much about Yehovah, and not knowing that He was participating).

2. Why would a parent name a baby Snorer? I suspect that the child snored from the time it was born! But I don’t know.

3. What does decant mean? It means to pour liquid from one container into another.

4. What is a concubine? A concubine is a wife, but she will not receive any inheritance left by the husband. It is the same thing that a man and a woman might agree to do today as part of a prenuptual agreement (a pre-marriage agreement).

5. How is Rebekah’s name prophetic? Her name is Multiplied-Decanting. She decanted water from buckets into watering troughs for camels. That was how Avraham’s slave knew that Yehovah chose her. See Genesis 24 for the whole story!