Veyera

This Torah portion of Veyera is the Hebrew word for ‘He saw’, is the 4^th of the cycle, we find that after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the daughters of Lot, lay with their fathers and conceived children by him. The explanation given by some of the Hebrew sages, for the apparent violation of the Torah restriction of incest is that Lot’s daughters believed that they and their father were the only survivor left on earth.

The Torah tells us that Lot’s daughters said, “We will make alive, from our father, a continuation, a zerah.” The daughters use the word zerah, or seed, rather than the word child.  The choice of word indicate their motives for lying with their father. It was not primary for bearing a child, but for accomplishing something far greater, it was to plant a seed, that would one day producer the Messiyah.

This seed would revealed the Messiyah, the revelation of the Light of bila hamavet lanetzach, of victory over death, and Techiyat haMetim, the Resurrection of the dead. 

In every stage of our spiritual development, our Heavenly Father revealed more of Himself to us. Let us now investigate the cause by which EL YAHVEH appeared to Abraham.

We have an account in this chapter of another interview between YAHVEH and Abraham, probably within a few days after the former, as the reward of his cheerful obedience to the law of circumcision. Here is, 

I. The kind visit which YAHVEH made to Abraham, and the kind entertainment which he gave to that visit, verse 1-8. 

II. The matters discoursed of between them. 

1. The purposes of YAH’s love concerning Sarah verse 9–15. 

2.           The purposes of YAH’s wrath concerning Sodom. 

(1.) The discovery YAHVEH made to Abraham of HIS design to destroy Sodom verse 16–22. 

(2.) The intercession Abraham made for Sodom verse 23, etc.

Gen 18:1 And יהוה  appeared to Abraham by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ, while he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.  So he lifted his eyes and looked, and saw three men standing over him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “יהוה , if I have now found favor in Your eyes, please do not pass Your servant by. - After every significant application of obedience, the Glory of YAHVEH makes an appearance. What significance stage did Abraham complete? Could it be circumcision? The last part of Parasha Lech Lecha, we heard of Abraham and his household being circumcised.

My spirit is in agreement with this interpretation; Torah did not give us a time line between events. Abraham was in His tent resting from the effect of this Divine impose surgery.

Did the removal of the flesh, that separate us from our carnal nature, create in Abraham the ability to see into the Spiritual realm? We know that the Hebrew’s ability to remove this barrier to his spiritual growth transcends the natural order of their life.

How did Abraham know whom the visitors were, to make him run during a time when he would be obvious in pain? Was it his ability to act enhance by his newly formed spiritual nature?

With maturity comes a outpouring of the Fruit of the Spirit; one of the fruits of the spirit is Humility. In humility Abraham bowed himself and asked, if he had found favor in YAHVEH eyes, do not past me by. The Men had not identified themselves to Abraham, yet he recognizes them.

Is it possible that those angels were there all along and Abraham eyes were just open that he could see them? When spiritual maturity is achieve, it will be like seeing beauty for the first time, that beauty, that Angel that were there all along.

Another attribute of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) is the ability to discern; discerning friend from enemy, wolf in sheep clothing from the real sheep. Abraham was able to discern from a far the Divine nature of the three Men. Have you ever seen someone who you just feel uncomfortable with; even though that person has never given you a cause to think so? That is the feeling I am talking about.

“Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.  “And let me bring a piece of bread and refresh your hearts, and then go on, for this is why you have come to your servant.” And they said, “Do as you have said.” Aḇraham ran into the tent to Sarah and said, “Hurry, make ready three measures of fine flour, knead it and make cakes.”  And Aḇraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hurried to prepare it.  And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

Even mature believer, such as Yahushua and Abraham offered to wash the feet of others. Yahushua in John 13:6-7 He wash His disciple’s feet. Our home should be and must be a place where other can come and have their feet washed. The spiritual implication of washing a person feet, has to do with our walk. Too often in our daily journey our feet becomes contaminated by the building block of the flesh, who is better able to help than a mature believer.

The washing of feet is essential to our spiritual development, as Yahushua says in John 13: ⁶Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?  ⁷ Yahushua (Jesus) answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shall know hereafter. ⁸ Peter saith unto him, Thou shall never wash my feet. Yahushua answered him, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

 If our feet, your walk do not get wash daily, if we do not visit the Laver, or wash ourselves in the Water that flows from Yahushua’s side, we can have no part of Yahushua.

Abraham was exercising the Altar called the Laver, or the Blood and Water that flow from our Messiyah side. It is at this Altar, that we help people on their journey to perfection, become perfect. Whom did we meet today that we could have help on their spiritual journey? Whom could we have helped today to overcome the desire of the flesh? Abraham obviously recognizes the journey of the three men, he offered to wash their feet and feed them with the Word.

Notice how Abraham offer the three Men milk and meat. I though that it was not permitted to eat meat and drink milk during a meal: or is this one of the man made commandments. It is a man made commandment.

In our spiritual journey to perfection, it is essential for us to stop, have a Sabbath rest to refresh our selves. Abraham offered his Visitors, Let us recline ourselves under this tree to refresh ourselves then you may continue on your way.

The Laver is only one of the Altars on the road to perfection, it is only a temporary rest area; and then, on we go. So is the Sabbath, we take a rest, then we continue on the journey. Abraham was in his Canaan, full maturity; he is now offering help to those who he sees on their journey. Abraham feed them and encourages them to continue their Journey.

Abraham called his wife, his helpmate to participate in ministering to the travelers. Abraham was showing the three travelers that he was aware of the pattern of ministry. When we act according to the Divine Pattern, as Moses did in building the Tabernacle, the Shechinah Glory will manifest it self.

Gen 18:9 And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “See, in the tent.”  - Abraham past the test that Adam failed! Where is your wife? At least He was able to give an accurate account to the Three Men as to where she was: Adam could not make that same statement. Now that the Angels were satisfied with his answer, they proceed to make him a promise.

Men if you do not know where your wife is spiritually and physically, you will not be able to receive the promise. Notice the Angel reply: And He said, “I shall certainly return to you according to the time of life, and see, Sarah your wife is to have a son!” And Sarah was listening in the tent door, which was behind him. 

Previously, the prophecy of a son had been given only to Abraham. Now it would be reveled to Sarah as well. The angel inquiring about her was no coincident: As Abraham knew where Sarah was physically, he also knew where she was spiritually; she was in her Tabernacle listening.

Why did the Angel in all His Wisdom not ask Abraham to bring Sarah by his side to receive the promise? Was Sarah not equal to Abraham or wasn’t she? Why weren’t there three women angels, or one man and two women, or even two men and one woman? When there is a strong Torah male leadership, women play a supporting role. As Yahushua is the head of the Messiyanic Assembly so is the man the head of the woman. YAHVEH will permit women leaders, where there are no suitable men. I want to live in YAHVEH Sovereign Will, not His Permissive will.

In the Church, the head will always receive the promise, the body will also hear the promise been given and adjust its self to help or support the head.

Now Aḇraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age, and Sarah was past the way of women. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “Each day in a person’s life carries with it its own challenges. What is supposed to be achieved today should not be left for tomorrow; because tomorrow carries its own burdens. In the normal course of events, everyone goes through life with his or her own spiritual curriculum: However, too often those events are marked fail or failed again in the lives of majority of humans.

Only great men such as Abraham and great women like Sarah, come through these experiences with pass, pass, and rewrite. This is the significance of the expression , literally, they came with days: Psalms 39:⁵ YAHVEH  let me know my end, the number of my days that I may learn how frail I am. ⁶ You have given my days a very short span; my life is as nothing before you.

A mature believer like Abraham and Sarah knew how to maximize every single opportunity, to squeeze ever ounce of opportunity out of every situation. The incident with the three Angels, they milk it for all its worth. A mature believer will take the opportunity to maximize every Parasha to learn the do’s and the don’ts of the Kingdom.

After I have withered shall I again have delicate skin, my master being old too?” In the literal sense, this is simply a simile for the return of the fountain of youth that would enable her to give birth. When a woman gets pregnant, the cells in her ovaries are in there most youthful stage, those embryos are linked to the mother by an umbilical cord, the liquid that the embryos is submerge in, is of the same essence as the mother and the child.

Women who today spend a great deal of money on plastic surgery could maintain a more youthful appearance by having more children. All women are born with a set amount of eggs, by having more children they would extend their productivity by nine month every time they get pregnant.   

 And יהוה  said to Aḇraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I truly have a child, since I am old?’  “Is any matter too hard for יהוה ? At the appointed time I am going to return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah is to have a son.”  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” The appointed time or YAHVEH’s day, are found in Leviticus 23. Every significant event about Isaac like Yahushua is marked by these days. These appointed days are as the time of life when our Lord requires us to come into His Presence.

Sarah is to have a son according to these appointed time, a true son of the promise is to live according to the appointed time. Christianity says that these days are nailed to the Cross, how sad for them when they realize that EL YAHVEH does not change.

           

            Gen 18:16-21 And the men rose up from there and looked toward Soḏom, and Aḇraham went with them to send them away. And יהוה  said, “Shall I hide from Aḇraham what I am doing,  since Aḇraham is certainly going to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? “For I have known him, so that he commands his children and his household after him, to guard the way of יהוה , to do righteousness and right-ruling, so that יהוה  brings to Aḇraham what He has spoken to him.”  And יהוה  said, “Because the outcry against Seḏom and Amorah is great, and because their sin is very heavy,  “I am going down now to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me, and if not, I know.” - Mature believer will always rise early in the morning to accomplish the task set before them. This is another Kingdom principle and a character of a mature believer.

The three messenger (Angels) was about to depart from Abraham on their way to destroy Sodom. They delayed their departure to give Abraham a chance to intercede on there behalf. All mature believers will always intercede on behalf of the lost soul: they understand the importance of every living person who was created in the Image of the Creator.

          I said before, that I believe that Abraham was a prophet; here we see EL YAHVEH revealing His plans to His servant the prophet Abraham. Since Abraham is destined to become a great nation, he has to teach his descendant the value of kindness and justice to all his future generations. It is appropriate that EL YAHVEH informed Abraham about His plan to deal with the wicked.

YAHVEH wanted Abraham to learn that the opportunity for repentance should be always open to sinner, even at the last minute. He also wanted Abraham to know that if there had been some righteous people in Sodom, even if the majority of the population was unsaved, the righteous few would spare the other.

The implication of verse 19, imply that the root of Sodom’s wickedness lay in its failure to abide by the principle that Abraham would instill in his offspring. The cruelties of Sodom had become part of the language as the archetype of selfishness, callousness, insensitivity, and depravity: the root of their evil was greed.

Sodom was a very rich and fertile land, as such; it became a magnet for people seeking their piece of the pie. The citizen of Sodom wanted to maintain their own prosperity on the backs of the new immigrants. However, the wealthy and well-connected Lots of the world were welcome with open arms.

The sexual perversion for which Sodom is notorious was employed to keep visitors away. Such selfish act manifests it self in cruelty and perversion and a civilization that elevates such behavior by using the law, forfeits its right to exist.