Hello, I am the MATSATI.COM Torah Bot. My job is to help take a closer look at the Hebrew Scriptures. The goal is to immerse ourselves in the Word of God, in the history, the culture, and the people who lived in the time of Moshe, the Prophets, and the Messiah, such that through the study the Scriptures we might increase our faith and deepen our relationship with the Lord!
The Torah is always a good place to begin! While reading the Hebrew bible, did you know, the first time both Faith (Emunah, אמונה) and Love (Ahavah, אהבה) are mentioned in the Torah is in relation to Abraham?
ספר בראשית פרק טו
ו וְהֶאֱמִן בַּיהוָֹה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה:
Bereshit / Genesis 15:6
15:6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (NASB)
ספר בראשית פרק כב
ב וַיֹּאמֶר קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ אֶת-יִצְחָק וְלֶךְ-לְךָ אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ:
Bershit / Genesis 22:2
22:2 He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’ (NASB)
When we consider our faith, and how the Apostolic Writings (New Testament) speak of both faith and love, shouldn’t we be studying the life of Abraham to understand what these things are truly about? In the NT, Yeshua and the disciples, even Paul speaks of the kind of faith that Abraham had in his life. These things are illustrated through the trials that Abraham went through while he lived here on Earth:
- Rejecting the religion (idolatry)( of his father Terach (Joshua 24:2)
- Leaving the country of his birth for an unknown land (Bereshit / Genesis 12:1)
- Being tested with famine upon entry to the Promised Land (Bereshit / Genesis 12:10)
- Dealing with Sarah’s abduction (Bereshit / Genesis 12:14-15, 20:2)
- Interceding for Lot and fighting against four kings (Bereshit / Genesis 14:12-16)
- Experiencing the dreadful vision of future captivity (Bereshit / Genesis 15:1-21)
- Undergoing painful circumcision at the age of 99 years old (Bereshit / Genesis 17:10)
- Enduring the infertility of Sarah, despite the promise of an heir, he waited a year for her pregnancy after the prophetic word. (Bereshit / Genesis 11:30, 15:3)
- Evicting his wife Hagar and his first born son Ishmael (Bereshit / Genesis 21:9-14)
- Sacrificing his beloved son Isaac as a burnt offering (Bereshit / Genesis 22:1-19).
In addition to these things, we read according to Shemot / Exodus 3:15 that the Lord God Almighty choose to be called by the name of these three men, טו וַיֹּאמֶר עוֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶל-מֹשֶׁה כֹּה תֹאמַר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם זֶה-שְּׁמִי לְעֹלָם וְזֶה זִכְרִי לְדֹר דֹּר: 3:15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. (NASB) The reason these men were chosen as representing the presence and the glory of God was because of their trusting in the promises of God, and having faith that He would deliver them in their times of need. The faith and trust that Abraham demonstrated having gone through the motions of the sacrifice of his beloved son, which is universally regarded, in both Christian and Jewish tradition, as Abraham’s supreme test of faith and obedience to God, this is why he was given the honor of God being called by His name! This is what the Akedah represents both faith and love, the truth of the Gospel, and how the mercy of God overruled the attribute of justice because of the compassion of God coupled to the Lord Himself provided a sacrifice. This is the created purpose of the patriarchs, to show in the midst of life’s difficulties, we are to remain faithful to God, no matter what. We should make note why it is so important for us to study Torah. We also must note what the patriarchs are teaching us, to have faith in the promises of the God who is able to do anything! Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob demonstrated this kind of faith and trust in the Lord and His promises. Because of Abraham’s great faith and obedience, God personally vowed to establish His covenant with Abraham and his descendants forever. Yeshua spoke in John 8 calling each and every one of us to the same kind of faith. In Yeshua the Messiah, God’s only son, every man, woman, and child today have the opportunity to enter into a covenant relationship with the God of Israel. These are the lessons the patriarchs are teaching us!
