Tanakh Portion for 4 December 2005
Genesis 44-46.
The Torah portion for this week is taken from Vayigash. Joseph has tested his brothers to see if they were the same men who left him to be sold to slavery and finds that his brothers have changed. Upon revealing his identity to his brothers, he tells them that what they meant for evil, God has turned to good. Indeed it was necessary that Joseph go to Egypt to prepare the way for his brothers and their descendents to be saved from the famine, which still had five years to run. We see here that all was turned to good. Avram’s favouritism of Joseph, the dreams, the selling of Joseph into slavery, Joseph being cast into prison, all of these worked together to put Joseph where God wanted him to be. I am reminded of a verse from the New Testament, “All things work to the good of those who love the Lord.”
This goodness works in several ways. First we are brought into a state of blessedness, or shalom. Do you love the Lord? Do you accept his will? IF so you have entered the true state of blessedness, for you will accept what the Lord gives you. Joseph among others in the Bible have reached this state where they totally trust God. It is when we learn to say with Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” In other words total acceptance of God’s will and total faith in God. Do you have what you want or do you have what you need. Through my fourteen years in Honduras as a missionary, I usually had what I wanted, for I had learned to want what I needed.
As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of Yeshua, blessed be his name, may we be aware of the awesomeness of the divine plan. Yeshua was the culmination of the blessing made to Avram, that God would bless the whole world through him. That promise continues through us who are true Talmidim (disciples) of the Messiah. When we are salt of the earth, then the world through us is blessed. When we witness to the mission and work of Yeshua, the world is blessed through us. Part of our witness is learning to accept the will of God with grace and thankfulness.
For this and other reasons, it is very important to study the Old Testament. Yeshua truly does fulfil it, and it truly leads us to him, as well as the blessed life.
Shalom and blessings in the Name of Yeshua
+Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com
The Torah portion for this week is taken from Vayigash. Joseph has tested his brothers to see if they were the same men who left him to be sold to slavery and finds that his brothers have changed. Upon revealing his identity to his brothers, he tells them that what they meant for evil, God has turned to good. Indeed it was necessary that Joseph go to Egypt to prepare the way for his brothers and their descendents to be saved from the famine, which still had five years to run. We see here that all was turned to good. Avram’s favouritism of Joseph, the dreams, the selling of Joseph into slavery, Joseph being cast into prison, all of these worked together to put Joseph where God wanted him to be. I am reminded of a verse from the New Testament, “All things work to the good of those who love the Lord.”
This goodness works in several ways. First we are brought into a state of blessedness, or shalom. Do you love the Lord? Do you accept his will? IF so you have entered the true state of blessedness, for you will accept what the Lord gives you. Joseph among others in the Bible have reached this state where they totally trust God. It is when we learn to say with Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” In other words total acceptance of God’s will and total faith in God. Do you have what you want or do you have what you need. Through my fourteen years in Honduras as a missionary, I usually had what I wanted, for I had learned to want what I needed.
As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of Yeshua, blessed be his name, may we be aware of the awesomeness of the divine plan. Yeshua was the culmination of the blessing made to Avram, that God would bless the whole world through him. That promise continues through us who are true Talmidim (disciples) of the Messiah. When we are salt of the earth, then the world through us is blessed. When we witness to the mission and work of Yeshua, the world is blessed through us. Part of our witness is learning to accept the will of God with grace and thankfulness.
For this and other reasons, it is very important to study the Old Testament. Yeshua truly does fulfil it, and it truly leads us to him, as well as the blessed life.
Shalom and blessings in the Name of Yeshua
+Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com
posted by The Synod of Saint Timothy at 20:12
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