9th Portion
[3-9 Dec 2023]
Theme of the Book of Genesis:
Desire for life, to choose life and to create!
Meaning of "vayeshev" = "and he settled / lived / dwelled"
This week's Torah portions:
Sunday: Gen 37:1-11
Monday: Gen 37:12-22
Tuesday: Gen 37:23-36
Wednesday: Gen 38:1-30
Thursday: Gen 39:1-6
Friday: Gen 39:7-23
Shabbat: Gen 40:1-23 & Amos 2:6-3:8
Apostolic Writings:
Matthew 1:1-6
Matthew 1:16-25
Daily Bread for Busy Moms portions:
1 Samuel 10-15
Psalms 50-55
Mark 7-10
The very first parashat was almost like an intro to the Torah readings. And then parashot (plural for parashat) 2-8 was linked to the 7 days of Creation. Remember that the theme of Bereshit (Genesis) is about a desire for life, to choose life and to create. So Week 2-8 is linked to the 7 days of Creation and illustrated the 7 principles which we have to live by if we desire life.
The number 7 has the spiritual connotation of completion of the natural. And the number 8 carries the spiritual connotation of things beyond the natural. After the natural comes the supernatural. Thus after you have this desire for life and pursued it - following Abba's principles, then we enter into that life and experience the supernatural - living in Abba's rhythm.
In this parashat we read that Jacob (now Israel) settles in Hebron. Rachel his wife and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin passed away when she gave birth to Benjamin. We read from Scripture that Joseph was Jacob's favourite. The favouritism which Jacob displayed towards Joseph was not well received by his brothers (understandably so). And as if that wasn't enough - Joseph also had two dreams and he shared the interpretations of the dreams with his brothers - which upset them even more. We all know the story of how Joseph's brothers threw him in a pit and then sold him to the Ishmaelites (offspring of Ishmael, Abrahams son with Hagar, Sarah's maidservant). And Potiphar bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites.
We also read in this section about Judah (one of Jacob's other sons) - having 3 children. Judah had three sons. The eldest son died and the second eldest son married the eldest's wife, Tamar. But the second eldest son didn't want to give his brother an offspring so he didn't want to impregnate Tamar. As a result of not wanting his brother to have an offspring, the second eldest son also died. Judah was afraid that his 3rd son would also die and thus he didn't want to give Tamar as wife unto him.
Tamar was determined to have an offspring. So she disguised herself as a Syrian bride and seduced Judah. When he took her, he gave her items such as a ring and a staff, etc. - all things which suggests that he's saying that he will marry her. When Tamar fell pregnant, Judah wanted to kill her as he thought she fell pregnant from harlotry. But then she brought forth all the things which Judah had given her. Tamar gave birth to twins. One of which was Perez - from which the line of David was born.
At the end of the parashat Joseph is in jail. But we see that God blessed everything which Joseph did. Joseph's story is a story about rising to the top despite the though circumstances which he faced throughout his life.
The theme of this parashat is about after entering your rest - you have to continue living form this place of Abba's rhythm. A lifestyle of willingly listening and obeying Abba's instruction. It's about putting a rhythm in place so that a next generation can be blessed by it. It's a phase of finding your identity and authority in Him. And this is not the final destination, but rather the beginning of your journey! It's about entering into a lifestyle of overcoming! A lifestyle of victory and proceeding into whatever Abba place in front of us!
God's not looking for perfect people - Yeshua came to be The Perfect One. But through Him we don't have to be perfect to live as overcomers in His rhythm!
Just like Joseph didn't only save His family from the famine, he saved the whole of Egypt as well. It was a foreshadow of what Yeshua would come and do! Yeshua didn't only come to save the Jews - but He also came to save the Gentiles: you & me! Yeshua came to save us even though He knew that we fall short of the glory of God. But through Yeshua's Blood - we can live as overcomers! Through Yeshua every person of the earth has the opportunity to be saved!
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Portion 9: Vayeshev (This blog you are reading now)
