Apostle Paul called Abraham the “father of us all,” those born in Israel and those who have faith like his (Rom. 4:16). In this week’s Torah passage, Lech Lecha (“go forth,” Gen. 12:1-17:27), we see Abraham’s first move of faith in leaving his homeland for some unknown destination Heaven was leading him toward. His response is an inspiration to us all.
The Messiah’s covenant with humanity via Abraham is the foundation of our faith. In this study, recalling Abraham’s journey of trust in Heaven starting in Genesis 12, we see the power of the Spirit to transform and empower us as overcomers of the attractive lure of a world steeped more in the knowledge of bad than of good. Like the new names for Abram and Sarai recorded in Genesis 17, the Messiah’s new name and our new identity in Him call us to a life of spiritual renewal, where we boldly proclaim His glory and advance His kingdom. May…
The account of Hagar and Sarah, recorded in Genesis 16, illustrates the timeless conflict between the flesh and the Spirit of God. As reflected on in Galatians 4, Hagar, the slave woman, represents bondage that the unspiritual can create from God’s Law, while Sarah, the free woman, symbolizes the liberty of the Spirit. This comparison teaches that the Law is meant to serve the Spirit, not the other way around. True freedom comes not from self-effort, but from submitting to God’s sovereign plan — preserved in the Law — and trusting in His promises, namely the Promised One, the…
This study delves into the rich, interwoven tapestry of Genesis 14, Isaiah 41 and Hebrews 7, where Melchizedek emerges as a prophetic foreshadowing of the Messiah’s eternal priesthood. Explore how Abram’s encounter with this mysterious king-priest points to the Messiah’s role as the ultimate deliverer and high priest. Uncover the Messianic themes woven throughout Isaiah’s vision and the Letter to the Hebrews, revealing the Messiah as the fulfillment of God’s promises and the one who ushers in the true rest for His people.
This study of Genesis 12–13, Joshua 24, Hebrews 11, Zechariah 2–4 and John 10 explored the theme of God’s promises and their fulfillment, tracing the lineage of the “seed” from Eve to Yeshua (Jesus). Vows, oaths and faithfulness are key principles for us because they undergird God’s promises, as seen in the chain of the “seed” from Eve to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David and ultimately to the Messiah. The rededication of the Temple celebrated at Chanukah is part of the prophecy of a “greater glory” to come to the structure, and it was fulfilled in Yeshua, the promised…
This study on the Torah reading לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha (Genesis 12–17) explores the spiritual lineage of Abraham and how it emphasizes God’s faithfulness and love, irrespective of human failings. This faithfulness and love reaches its fullness in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ).
Being a true descendant of the covenant the Creator of Heaven and Earth made with him means embodying the trust — faith — he had in Heaven’s promises, not just sharing his DNA. We explore the importance of spiritual commitment over rituals such as circumcision, biblical criticism toward religious figures’ service without sincerity, and the necessity for…
In the Torah reading לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha (Genesis 12–17), we are introduced to Abram (later renamed Abraham) when he is called to leave his hometown to for a new land.
God calls us into community, not only with Him but with His people. This is why He establishes a land, a place of rest where people can focus on fellowship with Him, whether one is in the land or not.
This Promised Land, originally occupied by Abraham, is meant to be a “home” for all of His people. It’s where God put His name, where the Word became flesh, died and…
The Torah reading לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha (“go forth,” Genesis 12:1–17:27) introduces us to Abram, a descendant of Shem, who God calls to leave his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans and to emigrate to Canaan. This is the start of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob historical trilogy.
This trilogy is so important to the understanding of the Torah that God introduces Himself to future generations as the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Yeshua (Jesus) taught that this name for the Almighty is a key witness of the resurrection to come.
And Lech Lecha also introduces us to the evils of Sodom…
In the Torah reading Lech Lecha (“go forth,” Genesis 12–17), we see some key motifs from Abram/Abraham’s life that are repeated or echoed elsewhere in Scripture. Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) is the ultimate expression of these messages from Heaven.
When you are called to move, what is your first question? Do I move to the next town, next state, across the country or to a foreign land? We usually want to know our exact destination before we move.
We also prefer to plan how we will transport ourselves? Will we go by car, train, bus or plane?
In the Torah section לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha (“get going,” Gen. 12:1-17:27), Abram was not given a destination. It’s a strange place to be when you don’t know where you’re going. It takes trust to make the first step. And this is the beginning of…
The Torah portion לח לח Lech-Lecha (Genesis 12-17) includes Abraham being called out of Ur of the Chaldeans. But there’s a specific event in Genesis 14 that deserves special focus: Abraham’s encounter with the mysterious Melchizedek. We meet this ancient pre-Israel king of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) again in the books of Psalms and Hebrews. Why is he so important, and what does he have to do with Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ)?
It’s not easy to leave one’s family, even at 75 years old, but God called Abram out of his father’s house for his own good. This was Abram’s first test.
In the Torah passage לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha/Lekh Lekha (“go forth,” Genesis 12:1-17:27), we learn that Abram’s faith came from both hearing God’s instruction and doing it. Doing matters, not just hearing. Hearing is easy, doing is much more involved and more difficult. When our life is smooth and we get instant gratification, it’s easy to continue walking in a way that brings a quick blessing. But when we are doing something that is…
God is not an American. As we study the Torah reading לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha (“get going!” Genesis 12–17), we should remember that the Bible He divinely inspired should not be interpreted through the lens of American history.
Paul’s discussions of circumcision, mainly in Galatians, Philippians and Romans, have been interpreted as being condemnation against the Torah, because the Law calls for circumcision for newborns and those wanting to participate in key parts of worship of God.
However, it must be remembered that circumcision by the first century A.D. had become an “identity marker” separating Jews from non-Jews. Like observance of Shabbat, circumcision was listed among the “works of [the] law” in the Dead Sea Scrolls that defined those separate from the corrupt religious system around the time of the first century. The rite of circumcision could be behind…
Galatians 4, with its discussion of freedom from being “under [the] law” and not of the Jerusalem related to the flesh, is often cited by those who argue that observing the Torah is a backward step for believers in Messiah Yeshua. However, considering what Paul already wrote in chapters 1 through 3 and the parallel discussion in Romans 5–7, his point in this chapter is that both Jews and non-Jews are in the same situation without God’s method of salvation, which isn’t God’s Law. Yet God’s goal for humanity long-term is heart-led obedience to His Law.
A common perception of an “angel” is a cute winged chubby baby, something as innocuous as a fairy, or a passive messenger. “The angel of the LORD” — Malakh YHWH in Hebrew — is a quite different figure that shows up throughout the Bible with massive power and authority. Who is he?
Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) is called the firstfruits of the resurrection (1st Cor. 15:20), and why are we called firstfruits of creation (James 1:18)? Pentecost originally was a celebration of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest and followed 50 days after the celebration of the firstfruits of the barley harvest. What is God teaching here about Yeshua and us?
The seemingly strange account of Abram and Sarai faking out Pharaoh is a microcosm of the later Exodus account. Abram and the descendants of Israel initially were welcomed and exalted, but then they were seen as a curse and told to leave, sent away with many gifts and riches.
In Genesis 12 we hear God’s great command to Abram “go forth from your country” to establish God’s ambassadorial nation, Israel. We also see the great man of faith, Abram, needed to mature in his faith, as we do.
Many have faulted Lot for choosing the good land on the plains near what later became known as the condemned city of Sodom, yet he really was “veiled righteousness” on display in the city. Abram’s choice of places to settle also had lasting consequences.
Abram wasn’t a man of war, but he fought a relatively major war for the time to rescue Lot. Afterward, he met the mysterious Melchizedek, who is mentioned in eternal terms in Psalms and the Apostolic letter to the Hebrews. Who is that man?
If we consider ourselves his “children” by having similar trust in God, we should follow his way. Lot chose the easy way, but that was not Abram’s way. Why did Abram go to war? Who are these kings? What is the story behind the story? Does God have anything to do with this?
An important part of the everlasting, single-side, faith-based contract God made with Abram involved this strange and graphic “vision” of animals cut in pieces, scavengers, darkness and God appearing as a smoking oven and a torch. Many scholars explain this away as a common form of ancient deal-making.
Some claim they’ve had “a vision from the LORD,” telling them a new teaching or to do this or that. However, in the Bible a vision accompanies “words of the LORD.” In other words, God speaks then He shows — gives “vision” — to understand what He has said.
This chapter is our introduction to Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian maidservant. We see how Hagar was exalted and then brought down. When Hagar fled and was at her lowest point, we discover God had His eyes on Hagar and had a purpose for her and her unborn son.
People find it easy to criticize Sarai and Abram for their impatience in waiting for the son God promised them, but our insight is simply nothing more than hindsight. We aren’t any smarter or more faithful to God than they were.
Apostle Paul used as illustrations the two women, Sarai and Hagar, and the covenants God made with their sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Once you transgress a covenant, you have no hope, unless Someone better than you steps in with a second, better covenant.
Circumcision has been a misunderstood “sign” of the deal El Shaddai, literally God Who Has the Power to Destroy Anything, “cut” with Abraham to create a great people and bless the world, ultimately seen in Messiah Yeshua. Can anyone become “blameless” before God?
Abraham obeyed God and had himself and all the men in his household circumcised and they all agreed to do it, including Ishmael. In the flesh, there’s no reason for circumcision, but if you believe in God, there’s every reason for it. Actively trusting God’s words — called “faith” and “belief” — is what makes one righteous.
