FEAR

“’Why did you say, “She is my sister,” so that I took her to be my own wife? Now therefore, here is your wife! Take her, and go away.’”
Genesis 12:19

Fear will make us do many things, wouldn’t you agree? Growing up fear would make me lie, make me run away, and make me hide. When I was caught doing wrong and afraid of punishment I would deny my actions and bluntly lie. Then I would find myself in even more trouble because I lied in addition to doing something wrong. I find myself correcting my children of this now too. I tell them that more punishment comes when you lie, so just tell the truth. But it is that fear that causes us to deny the truth. It is this fear that makes us run away and hide also, wanting to get out of harm’s way and do anything we can to find that safety. For Avram, fear made him do something bazaar as well, as he told a half truth concerning his wife, Sarai.
As Avram and his clan were coming into Egypt, forced there because of the famine spreading through the region, Avram faced fear. In his fear of believing the Egyptians would kill him over his wife, Avram, the man of faith, told his wife to agree in the telling of a half truth. While Sarai was in fact his wife, she was also his sister. By agreeing to this idea, Sarai was married by the Pharaoh only to be found out as Avram’s wife and released by the Pharaoh in fear of what Adonai would do. The decision, however, was a result of fear.
Would Adonai still have blessed and protected Avram if the truth had been told from the beginning? I am pretty sure He would have, especially since Adonai had already given him a promise in Genesis 12:2 about making him a great nation. In fear, however, Avram met panic. We are no different, though. Fear will cause us to do some crazy things, but fear is of the enemy. Why do we listen to fear instead of listening to the voice of Adonai? Isn’t it time we stop listening to the voice that only brings distance and pain, and put our faith in the words of our Father?

Genesis 12:14 – 13:4

GET YOURSELF OUT

“Now Adonai said to Avram, ‘Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.’”
Genesis 12:1

There are times in life when Adonai gives us a simple command. Since we have been given freewill, Adonai cannot perform the command for us. It comes down to us and whether we will obey or not. For Avram (Abram), just such a simple command was given. Genesis 12:1 tells us that Adonai gave Avram the command to get out of the country he was currently residing in. He was to get away from the land and the relatives and travel to a land that would be shown to him. The blessing of a great nation was given to him at this same time, but everything hinged on Avram’s obedience. In Genesis 12:4 we read of Avram’s obedience. To the command to leave, Arvam obeyed.
I cannot help but wonder how many times Adonai has given me simple commands. Too many times I find myself stuck on the big ones and trying to work out ways around His will that I honestly ignore the simple ones. But where is the faith the Avram had? I am not quite sure I have that faith, or at least walk in that faith. Avram heard the command to get out, obeyed, and left. I hear the command and then what? I hear the command to stop sinning, to watch my speech, to be a reflection of Adonai in all my actions, but do I obey? Am I a follower of Him only when it is convenient?
As I continue to grow in my relationship with Adonai, I want to also grow in the speed in which I obey. I want to stop asking questions and stop trying to find a way around what I am being asked to do and just do it. If He says to get myself out, I want to get myself out. The blessing for doing His will is just an obedient step away. I know what and where He is asking me to leave, but what about you? What and where do you need to get out from?

Genesis 12:1-13

BAVEL

“So from there ADONAI scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city.”
Genesis 11:8

Unity can be a good thing or a bad thing. When I was growing up I sang in the school choirs, from elementary through college. Having a unified voice would always send shivers down my spine. It wasn’t because it was a bad sound, but because the blending of many voices into one note sounded so amazing. But the flip side to this was when the voices were supposed to be in unison and not. That one voice that was off could cause me to move from shivers to straining twitches as my body reacted.
In reading the story of the tower of Bavel (Babel) I can see how this same idea applies. I think personally that Adonai was not so much upset that the people were working together, but that the unison of their hearts was wrong. In Genesis 11:4, the people decide to make a tower reaching heaven, “…so that [they could] make a name for [themselves]…” Their fame and glory was their purpose as opposed to Adonai’s fame and glory being the purpose. The end result was that Adonai scattered the people and scrambled their language into bavel (babble).
Again I say that in my opinion unity is not always a bad thing. But I will say we need to be unified in the ways of Adonai. Let us join in Adonai’s choir and sing unison with Him, in voice and in heart, for it is His song we are to be singing.

Genesis 11:1-32

WHERE DID THEY GO?

“Here is the genealogy of the sons of Noach – Shem, Ham and Yefet; sons were born to them after the flood.”
Genesis 10:1

If I had to think as to where all my living relatives live, it would be as so. My grandmother lives in Arizona, my uncles and aunts live in California and Colorado. My cousins live in California, Colorado, and South Carolina. And then my mom, brothers, and sister live in Texas now. Lastly, my kids and I live in Tennessee. It is hard to imagine that at one time back in my younger days, we all lived within a two hour radius of each other. Yet as we grew up, we also spread out.
In reading the Parashah portion today we see the same thing. Following the flood, Noach’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Yefet all had their own families. Their families had families who had families who had families and over time they too spread out. The Torah doesn’t tell us exactly where they went, well not all of them, but I was curious to know. Leave it to me, however, to do a little digging and find the approximate details as to where each clan landed. From best we can tell, Shem’s descendants traveled east to make up a majority of Asia. Ham’s family line found its way south to the area of Africa. Yefet’s lineage moved into Europe.
While I do realize that many will be un-phased by this, I find it interesting. Following the destruction and overpowering of Israel years later, Jews from all over were dispersed. It is only recently that Jews are discovering their true roots and coming back into the knowledge of who they are. And it is not just Jews from the Middle East, but from Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia. The families are coming back together, back from a season of hiding and being dispersed, and back into relationship with the Messiah. Wherever we went, we are now heading back to our roots.

Genesis 9:18 – 10:32

I WILL REMEMBER

“The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”
Genesis 9:16

This past August I was driving a moving truck with my family’s things in it from California to Texas. The journey started out great and I was making good timing. I barreled through my small portion on California, up the I-15 to the I-40, made it through all of Arizona, and then found myself in New Mexico. It was when I was in New Mexico, though, that things began to change. Having been driving through a good portion of the night I found myself sleepy. No problem, I would just take a little nap. But as I awoke and started driving again, I found myself soon coming into a storm. For the latter part of my drive through New Mexico I found hit and miss downpour and strong winds. As I continued to press on I looked up in the sky and saw for the first time ever, a double rainbow. My mind suddenly went back to Adonai’s promise to never flood the earth again, but also to a feeling of peace that He would keep me safe. Little did I know that more rain and stronger winds would meet me in my final miles of New Mexico.
I wonder in some ways if that is what Noach felt as well. Now I didn’t have the feeling of concern Noach would have had of another flood while on my journey, but I am referring mostly to peace. When Adonai sent the rainbow, it was His covenant that He would never flood the earth again. As I have learned, Adonai takes covenants made by Him and with Him very seriously. So seriously that in Genesis 9:16 when the rainbow is given, Adonai agrees that He too will remember His covenant when the rainbow is seen. The peace that must have followed as Noach heard these words may have been the same peace that I felt as I saw the double rainbow that evening in the sky.
Eventually I did make it into Texas, and within only a few miles of crossing the border, the storms subsided. The peace that I had felt as I looked up into the sky back in New Mexico seemed to travel in front of me in Texas. Although the journey took a few hours longer than I had expected, the peace I felt was beyond anything I had ever felt. And it is the same peace offered to you. Isn’t it great to know that Adonai does in fact remember?

Genesis 9:8-17

WELL DONE STEAK

“…only flesh with its life, which is it s blood, you are not to eat.”
Genesis 9:4

For those of you who know me, you know that I enjoy cooking. I enjoy it so much that I have even considered doing culinary school before. Not that I ever plan to open a restaurant, but more so just because cooking is a second passion for me. But in all my playing in the kitchen, reading cook books, and eating out, I have learned at few things. I have learned what flavors do not mix well, I have learned that a timer is a helpful item to have when baking, and I have learned that a recipe is only a guideline, not a rule.
However, in reading the Torah, I have also learned a tip or two when it comes to food. When Adonai created the garden He gave man the freedom of eating from any tree except that of the knowledge of good and evil. Perhaps from this I can learn to eat a few more fruits and a few less sweets. But skipping ahead to Genesis 9:4, I also learn that the blood of anything is its life. Because of this, Adonai denies us from eating any meat not fully cooked. Now as one who enjoys a steak or a burger a little medium well, this can be hard to swallow. But it makes sense. If the life is in the animal, then are we not eating life? As difficult as this law is, I must obey Adonai. Going forward, I must order my steak well done instead.

Genesis 8:15 – 9:7

JUDGMENT

“All living things that moved on the earth perished – birds, livestock, other animals, insects, and every human being, everything in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life; whatever was on dry land died.”
Genesis 7:21-22

We all know the flood story. We all know that Noach was found righteous and asked by Adonai to build the ark. The rains came and the world was wiped out, all except Noach and his family, and a few animals. But have we cheapened the story? As I was contemplating what to write this morning I could not help but think of the judgment Adonai brought down. What I mean is, we all know this story but I think that we forget that it was a terrible catastrophe. Adonai was indeed righteous in his judgment of the world, but to be one of those people who were not saved on the ark with Noach would have been scary.
I don’t mean to put any fear in you, but this same concept will indeed happen again. I’m not talking about the flood, for the rainbow is our promise against the world being flooded again, but I am talking about judgment. As in the days of Noach, Adonai is looking for a righteous remnant. It is these who follow after His ways that He calls sheep and splits them apart for the goats. And it is these who Adonai will call His bride at His return. He will not take the goats, nor will He take a spotted bride. He will judge all the people and take the righteous.
Noach was chosen because he was righteous. This truth should speak to us the urgency to be right with Adonai. Since we do not know the time of the return, let us get right now.

Genesis 7:17 – 8:14

TWO BY TWO

“Of every clean animal you are to take seven couples, and of the animals that are not clean, one couple.”
Genesis 7:2

In Sunday School growing up it was always taught that the animals went in to ark in pairs. With this idea it always seemed as though only two animals of each kind went in the ark. So there was a male and female lion, male and female kangaroo, and male and female aardvark, and so on and so forth. But having read this passage again, the true story is different. While the animals did go in perhaps two by two, there were not two of every animal. According to Genesis 7:2, some breeds of animals had a total of fourteen that boarded. It was these clean animals that were used in sacrifices while Noach and his family were on the ark.
As I read this portion today I am challenged. For so long, being raised in a standard Christian church, I have found myself believing what was taught to me as opposed to what I read for myself. I recall the flannel board cutouts that showed the ark and the animals in pairs walking to it. I never challenged if I was being taught right. But of how many other lessons have I just taken someone’s word on as opposed to searching it out for myself? And how many other words have I listened to as opposed to listening only to the voice of Adonai? The challenge for all of us today should be in seeking out or hearing Adonai’s Word for ourselves as opposed to letting another’s word dictate our understanding.
I pray that as you and I seek Adonai in the days to come we will find Him. But I pray that you and I seek Him for ourselves.

Genesis 7:1-16

RIGHTEOUS NOACH

“…Noach (Noah) was a man righteous and wholehearted; Noach walked with God.”
Genesis 6:9b

The Torah defines for us that Noach (Noah) and Chanoch (Enoch) were described as the righteous, blameless men of the early generations. These men are defined as men who walked with Adonai. As we know, Chanoch was taken by Adonai and never saw death, and Noach was commanded to build an ark in which he and his family were preserved. Taking a deeper look, Kayin’s (Cain’s) family line perished in the flood based on the wickedness that crept into his heart and ended his brother’s life. Shet’s (Seth’s) line, however, was preserved and found these two righteous men as descendants.
Although the parashah’s portion for today is a few names and the calling of Noach to build an ark, there is so much more to it. If Noach had not been seen as righteous, I wonder if we would still be here today. With the regret that Adonai felt when He saw the sin of man (Gen 6:6), would He have ended the entire world in the flood as opposed to saved the remnant? It is because of Noach’s righteousness that we are alive. That does not mean that we should praise Noach, but that we should praise Adonai for Noach. I do feel also, though, that this should serve as a wake-up call to us, showing the blessing and preservation by Adonai for those who live according to His ways. Let this be said and seen in us, that we are found righteous and therefore preserved.

GENESIS 6:9-22

REGRET AND HOPE

“Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only.”
Genesis 6:5

In Deuteronomy 12:28, God warns us, “Obey and pay attention to everything I am ordering you to do, so that things will go well with you and with your descendants after you forever, as you do what Adonai sees as good and right.” Although this was not stated for years on down the road, the idea was still something that Adonai expected from His people since the beginning. Adonai expected from His people that they obey His commands. The problem was that as more people were birthed and the earth was populated, people began to stray away from Adonai. In only ten generations, from Seth to Noah, the world had already turned evil. The evil was in fact so bad that Adonai began to regret His creation of man (Gen 6:6).
Our Torah portion for the week, however, ends on an encouraging note. Genesis 6:8 tells us that Noah found grace in the sight of Adonai. Grace here is the word CHEN, meaning favor or acceptance. Noah, as we will see, was a cut above the rest at his time, and as such became the one Adonai used to take His plan to the next level.
As I close out this portion and this week, I feel like I should do so with a challenge. Sin knocks at our door, daily, hourly, minutely. Too often we desire to give in. We know we should not, but the desire is there. In the ten generations that passed in this time frame, man went from following Adonai to following pleasure. The result, as we all know, was the flood that saved only one man and his family. Let us not find ourselves in this position any longer where we are the regret of Adonai. Let us rather be found as was Noah, with grace in His sight.

GENESIS 5:25 – 6:8

SO CLOSE

“Hanokh (Enoch) walked with God, and then he wasn’t there, because God took him.”
Genesis 5:24

Being single, I find myself in different seasons joining on-line dating sites. It isn’t so much that I expect to find someone as much as it is that I am wanting to converse with people like me. Sure, if it lends itself to a date I may take it, but one must filter through many wrongs to find that right on-line. With all that said, I find myself some nights in a chat room, having conversations with all sorts of people around my age. It never fails, though, that every conversation makes its way toward what people desire in a mate. And the number one answer is a best friend. Having been married and now divorced, I can agree. The woman I married, although great in many ways, was never my best friend. Maybe we didn’t date long enough or didn’t have trust built up, but regardless, we were never each other’s best friend. We were roommates.
As I find myself now with the option and fear of dating again, I have come to realize that I too want to marry my best friend. I want someone I can click with, bond with, trust, be myself around, and be encouraged to change but not forced. When I think back to my childhood, my best friend accepted me as I was. We didn’t agree on everything, but we didn’t try to change each other also.
Perhaps I am getting off track. The point I am trying to make is that I desire in a spouse a closeness. But it seems like Adonai also desires a closeness with us. When I read about Hanokh in the Torah, I read that he walked with Adonai and then was no more. He was best friends with Adonai. The two didn’t have some casual relationship where they just met once a month to catch up over dinner and then be on their ways. No. When I read this I think of a tight unit. Hanokh ‘walked’ with Adonai. Hanokh HALAK with Adonai. His whole manner of life brought glory to his maker. The two were so close that nothing could separate their bond. Be it in marriage, or more importantly in relationship with Adonai, I long for closeness.
Oh Adonai, I want to make you my everything and walk with you.

GENESIS 5:1-5:24

OUR OFFERING

“Adonai said to Kayin (Cain), ‘Why are you angry? Why so downcast? If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door – it wants you, but you can rule over it.’”
Genesis 4:6-7

The story of Kayin (Cain) and Hevel (Able) is more relevant to us than we may think. The general gist of the story is centered around two offerings. One offering is acceptable to Adonai while the other is not. After an exchange of words, Kayin takes out his frustrations by killing his brother. As a result, Adonai questions Kayin as to where his brother is and Kayin gives the familiar response of, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
While we all know the story and could quote it probably word for word, I think it is important that we take a look at the offerings of the two brothers that they brought before Adonai. Kayin brought before Adonai an offering from the soil, while Hevel brought before Adonai an offering of firstborn sheep, including their fat. Hevel’s offering is recorded as accepted by Adonai while Kayin’s is not. The entire story rests on Kayin’s offering not being worthy of Adonia’s acceptance.
How can we apply this to us? I feel it may not be as hard to find a connection as we think and perhaps all comes down to the offerings in which we ourselves are giving Adonai. Adonai specifically showed Adam and Eve the sacrifices that He desired. I would image that these two passed this lesson on to their children. Yet Kayin still chose to bring the wrong offering. The same can be said of us. We have also been advised by Adonai as to what offering to bring, that of a broken and contrite heart (Ps 51:17). Failure to bring Him what He commands puts us also in a place where our offering may not be received.
To state it simply, in my addiction I have learned that the un-meant prayer of forgiveness for being caught does not hold as much weight and value as that of being truly sorry. My words can cheapen it, but my heart should mean it. I encourage you then, to consider the offering you are bringing before Adonai. Is it right and in accordance to His Word and His commands, or is it just words that carry little value and no true heart?

GENESIS 3:22 – 4:26

GARDEN CHRONICLES

“Adonai, G-d, took the person and put him in the garden of ‘Eden to cultivate and care for it.”
Genesis 2:15

There are a couple things we can gleam from in today’s Torah portion. The first piece is centered around Genesis 2:15 where Adonai takes his creation of Adam and places him within the garden, commanding that he cultivate and care for the land. In the Hebrew, it is this work that is considered part of the blessing from Adonai. Before sin ever affected the garden, Adam was told to tend the ground. This word cultivate which is used is the Hebrew word of AVAD. Avad is translated as labor or bondage. However, taking this root we also have the term of avodat mishkan, which is the service of worship done within the Tabernacle. Adodah is a common term for worship, and therefore one must wonder if both worship and work are related as opposed to separate.
As I read on I find in Genesis 3:3, after Adam is now joined with his wife Eve, the serpent comes to pay a visit. It isn’t that I have not read this passage before, but rather I have not caught the fullness of this passage before. Adonai command Adam and Eve to not eat from the tree, but neither to touch it. The command to not eat is what I remember from Sunday school growing up, but the command to not even touch was the part I saw for the first time just this morning. The result for eating or touching the tree was death.
After the two eat of this tree they feel shame and cover themselves. It is following this that Adonai comes to the garden and looks for His creation. When Adam and Eve cannot be found in the garden by Adonai, Adonai calls out, “Where are you? Ayeka?” It is their response to the questions of Adonai they speak to me. Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent. While many people will find a way to blame Eve, I cannot fully agree. The whole act is built on blame shifting. We know that the serpent was the root cause, but both Adam and Eve made their own decision to touch and eat.
Let us go forward today with these three things in mind. First, our work can be a form of worship. Second, there are things that Adonai has commanded us not only to indulge in, but also to not even touch. And third, we are all accountable for our own actions.

GENESIS 2:4 – 3:21

THE GOOD MAN

“So G-d created humankind in his own image; in the image of G-d he created him: male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27

If we were to look back over the first few days of creation we would notice that at the close of the first five days Adonai looked over His work and declared it good. We see this in Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21 and 25. Up until this time all that Adonai had created was good. But on day six when Adonai added man as part of His creation, He looked over what He had made and declared it very good (1:31). What was it that allowed this piece of creation to move away from the good category to that of the very good? While the world and animals and plants were all made within the spoken command of Adonai, man was made within His image. It is this single difference that separated man from anything else, and it is this difference which defines man’s relationship with his creator.
From the beginning man has had a hole that only Adonai can fill. This hole desires Adonai, but in many areas is filled with others items or idols. The problem, however, is that these other things cannot fill it correctly. Have you ever heard the phrase of putting a square peg in a round whole? This void and desire are much the same. The hole is the round hole, but the idol is the square peg. Sure, it can be jammed in there, manipulated, or cut smaller so as to fit, but the true fit only comes with a round peg in a round hole.
We are made in His image. We are made in the reflection of Adonai and for His joy. Why then do we walk around feeling as though we hold no value? Our creator has declared us very good. But then why also do we so casually run from our creator and seek other things that will not bring us the fulfillment in life that only our creator can? Isn’t it time we start seeing ourselves as His reflection and allow Him to be the peg that fills our hole?

GENESIS 1:24 – 2:3

BE FRUITFUL

“Then God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful, multiply and fill the water of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’”
Genesis 1:22

As we look in this section of the Parashah, we read of Adonai’s creation on the fourth and fifth days. It is on these days that Adonai creates the sun and the moon, as well as the animals of the sky, land, and water. The only command given by Adonai to the animals is the same command He would later give His next creation in Genesis 1:28, that being people. They were to be fruitful and multiply.
Giving thought to these words this morning while walking, I could not help but to consider the words in III John 2 which read, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is greatly getting along.” We are probably better versed in the King James Version when it comes to this verse, but the point is still the same. John writes wishing that we are prospering even as our soul is prospering.
Could it be that while Adonai’s command to be fruitful and multiply has physical meaning, that maybe it also has a deeper spiritual meaning? Adonai desires that we procreate, but He is as concerned with the fruitfulness and multiplicity of our heart toward Him. It is in this understanding that I challenge you today to evaluate. Have you been obeying His word, being fruitful in spirit just as you probably have been fruitful in the physical?

GENESIS 1:14-23

THE ONE WHO SPEAKS

“Then God said, …”
Genesis 1:3

It is within the first parashah of the Torah that we read of God revealing Himself. In time He reveals Himself as Jehovah Shalom, El Elyon, and Abba, but first He reveals Himself as the One who speaks. In the beginning, B’RESHEET, God created the heavens and the earth with only words. He spoke and it was. He spoke, “Let there be light,” and light was. He spoke, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters to separate them,” and there was. He spoke about the water being gathered and about grass, seeding plants, and fruit trees being brought forth and they were. God spoke and the world came into existence.
The word of God holds power, and what He speaks comes about. He spoke to Noah that a flood was coming and for forty days and nights it rained. He spoke to Abram that he would be the father of many and in God’s timing it came to be. And He spoke that the Messiah would come from the line of King David. This too came to pass.
The question that begs to be answered then is what God is speaking to you? What is it that is in the process of being formed and birthed in your own life? What has God already spoken to you that is about to come to pass? The very One who created something out of nothing is creating even now in your life. Do you hear His words? “Then God said…”

GENESIS 1:1-13