Shabbat 13 Cheshvan 5994 / 28 October 2023
Day 301 Readigs:
Shabbat Shalom Marie, Lech Lecha - Crossing Over Into Destiny is the Torah Portion
Lech-Lecha, 7th Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 17:7-27
New King James Version
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in[a] which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but [b]Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; 27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Haftarah Lekh L’kha: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 40:27–41:16
Isaiah 40 28 Haven’t you known, haven’t you heardthat the everlasting God, Adonai,the Creator of the ends of the earth,does not grow tired or weary?His understanding cannot be fathomed.29 He invigorates the exhausted,he gives strength to the powerless.30 Young men may grow tired and weary,even the fittest may stumble and fall;31 but those who hope in Adonai will renew their strength,they will soar aloft as with eagles’ wings;when they are running they won’t grow weary,when they are walking they won’t get tired.
Isaiah 41
1 “Keep silence before me, coastlands!Let the peoples replenish their strength!Let them approach; then let them speak.Let us assemble for judgment.”2 Who has raised from the east one who is justand called him to be in his service?He hands nations over to himand subjects kings to him;his sword reduces them to dust,his bow to driven straw.3 He pursues them, passing on unscathed,hardly touching the path with his feet.4 Whose work is this? Who has brought it about?He who called the generations from the beginning,“I, Adonai, am the first;and I am the same with those who are last.”5 The coastlands have seen and became afraid.The ends of the earth have trembled.They have approached, and now they have come.
6 Every one helps his fellow workman,everyone says to his brother, “Be strong!”7 The woodworker encourages the goldsmith,the polisher encourages the hammerer;he says of the soldering, “Yes, that’s good,”then puts nails in [the idol] to keep it from moving.
8 “But you, Isra’el, my servant;Ya‘akov, whom I have chosen,descendants of Avraham my friend,9 I have taken you from the ends of the earth,summoned you from its most distant partsand said to you, ‘You are my servant’ —I have chosen you, not rejected you.10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you;don’t be distressed, for I am your God.I give you strength, I give you help,I support you with my victorious right hand.11 All those who were angry with youwill be disgraced, put to shame;those who fought against youwill be destroyed, brought to nothing.12 You will seek them but not find them,those who contended with you;yes, those who made war with youwill be brought to nothing, nothing at all.13 For I, Adonai, your God,say to you, as I hold your right hand,‘Have no fear; I will help you.14 Have no fear, Ya‘akov, you worm,you men of Isra’el!’I will help you,” says Adonai;“Your redeemer is the Holy One of Isra’el.
15 “I will make you into a threshing-sledge,new, with sharp, pointed teeth,to thresh the mountains and crush them to dust,to reduce the hills to chaff.16 As you fan them, the wind will carry them off,and the whirlwind will scatter them.Then you will rejoice in Adonai,you will glory in the Holy One of Isra’el.
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Lekh L’kha:
Acts 7:1–8;
2 And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 7 ‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’ 8 Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
Romans 3:19–5:6;
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all [b]and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified [c]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a [d]propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 4
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be [i]sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Romans 5
Faith Triumphs in Trouble
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, [j]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces [k]perseverance; 4 and perseverance, [l]character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Galatians 3:15–18; 5:1–6;
15 Brothers, let me make an analogy from everyday life: when someone swears an oath, no one else can set it aside or add to it. 16 Now the promises were made to Avraham and to his seed. It doesn’t say, “and to seeds,” as if to many; on the contrary, it speaks of one — “and to your seed”[a] — and this “one” is the Messiah.
Galatians 5:1–6;
5 For it is by the power of the Spirit, who works in us because we trust and are faithful, that we confidently expect our hope of attaining righteousness to be fulfilled. 6 When we are united with the Messiah Yeshua, neither being circumcised nor being uncircumcised matters; what matters is trusting faithfulness expressing itself through love.
Colossians 2:11–15;
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body [a]of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 7:1–19; 11:8–12;
8 By trusting, Avraham obeyed, after being called to go out[a] to a place which God would give him as a possession; indeed, he went out without knowing where he was going. 9 By trusting, he lived as a temporary resident in the Land of the promise, as if it were not his, staying in tents with Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, who were to receive what was promised along with him. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with permanent foundations, of which the architect and builder is God.
11 By trusting, he received potency to father a child, even when he was past the age for it, as was Sarah herself; because he regarded the One who had made the promise as trustworthy. 12 Therefore this one man, who was virtually dead, fathered descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky,and as countless as the grains of the sand on the seashore.[b]
Matthew 1:1–17
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1 The book of the genealogy[a] of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
Bible Study Together
Judges 16:4-31
4 After this it came about that he was in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 So the governors of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and [a]how we can overpower him so that we may bind him to humble him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and [b]how you can be bound to humble you.”
Samson Is Avenged
28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “Lord [r]God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let [s]me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed outwards powerfully, so that the house fell on the governors and all the people who were in it. And the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime. 31 Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. So he had judged Israel for twenty years.
Luke 10:1-24
The Joyful Results
17 Now the [i]seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us [j]in Your name!” 18 And He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless, do not [k]rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
21 At that very [l]time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I [m]praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for doing so was well pleasing in Your sight. 22 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.”
23 Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things that you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things that you hear, and did not hear them.”
365 Daily Kingdom Living
A Day For Joy!
While I’m sure the Lord appreciates beautiful, pitch-perfect music, he’s even more concerned about our hearts! The psalmist here reminds us that the ‘noise’ of worship, the enthusiasm of our singing, the shouted excitement of our praise holds a special place in honouring him. He made us; he keeps us. And that’s a lot to be joyful about!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, my heart is filled with love and joy for you today. You mean so much to me. You’ve saved and protected and helped me so often – even in this past week. I praise you. Hallelujah!! I shout to you. Hallelujah!! I worship you. Hallelujah!! I exalt you on high! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Jeremiah 51
The Utter Destruction of Babylon
1 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will raise up against Babylon,Against those who dwell in [a]Leb Kamai,A destroying wind.2 And I will send winnowers to Babylon,Who shall winnow her and empty her land.For in the day of doomThey shall be against her all around.3 Against her let the archer bend his bow,And lift himself up against her in his armor.Do not spare her young men;Utterly destroy all her army.4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans,And those thrust through in her streets.5 For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah,By his God, the Lord of hosts,Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.”
6 Flee from the midst of Babylon,And every one save his life!Do not be cut off in her iniquity,For this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance;He shall recompense her.7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand,That made all the earth drunk.The nations drank her wine;Therefore the nations are deranged. 17 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image;For his molded image is falsehood,And there is no breath in them.18 They are futile, a work of errors;In the time of their punishment they shall perish.19 The Portion of Jacob is not like them,For He is the Maker of all things;And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance.The Lord of hosts is His name.
20 “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war:For with you I will break the nation in pieces;With you I will destroy kingdoms;
Jeremiah 52
1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, till He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Titus 3
1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
Avoid Dissension
9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second [a]admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.
Psalms 100
1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, [a]all you lands!2 Serve the Lord with gladness;Come before His presence with singing.3 Know that the Lord, He is God;It is He who has made us, and [b]not we ourselves;We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,And into His courts with praise.Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.5 For the Lord is good;His mercy is everlasting,And His truth endures to all generations.
Proverbs 26:18-19
New King James Version
18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor,And says, “I was only joking!”