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It seems like an epoch has unfolded before our eyes within the space of eleven chapters as we read them. Actually, several epochs have taken place in the reality of things. The giving of life is an entire span of time that, particularly viewed as a seven day cycle, and is more than all history would be able to compete with in what was accomplished.
The rise and fall of man in the space of the garden is another era, along with the sin nature manifesting itself within man outside the garden. The genealogies for Seth’s children and all the other inhabitants of the earth are spoken of, and each one having life with the business of living and dying all within the first few pages of Torah.
An awareness begins to surface as we read the pages handed down to us. This illumination of who we are and how we came into being should fill us with awe and humility. It should completely remove the ambiguous thought patterns of life and death contrasted with eternal life and the spiritual awareness of eternity. From these few passages, we able to glean the ritual trespasses of man as he continuously makes a god in his own image.
The ability to choose between right and wrong is what makes us exempt from eternal life and, yet, it is the very foundation of accepting redemption and entering into eternal dwelling within the garden. Our choices have implications far beyond the reach of our generations and that of our children and their children after them. Each action taken, based on the knowledge, either known or unknown, has definite ramifications and reactions that is the basis of Torah living. We must endure the long suffering of righteous living so that our life choices will reflect the positive light that paves the Way for our future descendants. We must choose to accept the seed within us so that His light will mark the paths of the journey. By making the choice of living by the standards of YHVH and not looking to the seed of the earth or the defilement of the serpent, a standard is enacted before us that molds our very existence. No longer are we content to bask in the conquests of our own desires, but we willingly accept that what we see is temporal and not the truest form of reality. Our reality exists in the Person of Yeshua and His Kingdom. Our reality is realized through a lifestyle of walking in humility and accepting Providence as being the only way to find life.
Noach walked with YHVH and YHVH spoke to Noach, gave him instruction and enabled him to bear the seed of redemption within his loins and his children’s loins. Noach knew that each decision made would reap eternal consequences and that outcome would either be to the positive or negative, i.e. life or death. We assume our Elohim to be like us and not the other way around. We think in terms of our own inabilities to do good; moreover, the Creator will have the ability to serve out good, no matter what. How faulty is our thinking? If we, in our Greco-Roman minds, can only choose the right god to place on the pulpit and place within that god the proper character traits that will enable us to feel good about our actions, then humanity would be just fine. If only, after seeing that god and hoping to be like him, then we can fashion for ourselves the structures needed to oversee and to be seen by others, then we can run things from our vantage point and rule the way our god rules, thus a humanistic empire.
It is so easy to create Elohim in our own image. But, He is a consuming fire, yet first, we see Him as a destroying water that seeps into every part of humanity and earth to bury it from before His sight, a water that is used to undo the desecration of the land and man. The water sent upon the earth was stored up in the heavens and in the deeps of the earth for such a time as Noach’s time, for the sole purpose of cleansing and restoring back to the original state.
Similarly, when we begin our walk with YHVH, our lives are transformed in a floodplain of knowledge and revelation. It is not by coincidence that we are in need of purging. The dust that we are made of has become corrupt with the thoughts of man and the lust of his own flesh. By losing ourselves in the cleansing flood of His righteousness, we find ourselves alive in the Spirit of Elohim. We awaken to find that the earth has nothing for us, because YHVH took that portion as an inheritance to be handed back out when we are found to be pleasing and ready for the proper cultivation of that inheritance.
Our responsibility now is to find the seed within us and water that seed with more of Torah, more of the Ruach and more of the righteous works for YHVH than ever before. These deeds do not get us there, it was the invitation of grace that allowed us entrance into the ark of life and simultaneously took us out of a dying world. Now we stand within the Kingdom of YHVH. This Kingdom is not built with human hands. It is eternal. This Kingdom is within us through the seed prophesied in the beginning. Yeshua said, “The Kingdom is at hand, it is upon you.” Our good works, our obedience to His Word, are done with the understanding that it is less of us and more of Yeshua working within us, so that more of His original creation comes to life through the Spirit (the breath of Himself) We become the living arks of life that gets passed on to us from the Master. Not only are we the dwelling place for the Most High, but also the potential ark for those around us to enter in by the doorway of Life that Yeshua opens to others through our obedience. We are also the place where His presence dwells. As we bask in Him and in the that place of rest, we are revived to recognize the basis of righteousness and how to walk out that righteousness.
Then, after the times of rest, the Master sends us out of the ark, not rejected, but as trusted vessels to gather those in the wilderness that did not hear His voice so clearly or at all. We are sent as lambs before wolves, but we know that His presence remains within us as we are emptied out as arks of truth to the world so that we may bring them into the Ark of Life for safekeeping. Our lot is not a matter of making them choose, ours is the matter of living to make disciples of Truth.
If we choose to walk outside the ark and complain at is size, its shape, its smell, its very actualization, then we miss the call of YHVH and continue to walk in the blindness of knowing the Creator first hand. We will hear of Him, but we will create our own paths to run our own way and create the way that seems like it should lead to life.
In the parasha, we saw how Ham lifted his father’s skirt by looking upon Noach in his tent. Now we do not know exactly what took place, but I would venture that Noach had enjoyed his wine and was enjoying his wife as well. When he fell asleep, they were there for Ham to intrude upon. By looking upon Noach’s wife, according to Torah, Ham uncovered Noach or lifted his skirt. No matter what happened, however, Noach was not pleased and cursed Ham’s son, Canaan. Shem and the inhabitants of Canaan have been at odds with each other ever since.
When we choose to disgrace those around us, we lift there skirts for others to see. We, again, choose to play the role of Elohim in other’s lives and discredit the Creator from His proper role in their lives. He is the only one who can lift the skirt of others, this bringing judgement upon them. A person may be used to help others in distinguishing right from wrong and holy from profane, but they are not to judge or the one to bring conviction and certainly not the one to pass sentence for transgression. However, as a conduit for the Ruach to speak into other’s lives, one does receive the impact of what the enemy serves as condemnation. YHVH does not condemn until after judgement. At that point, the sentence of either life or the condemnation of death through separation form YHVH is given. Ours assessment is just simply not the basis for any righteousness without His voice. Remember, Noach walked with YHVH, he spoke the words of YHVH in cursing of Canaan and knew the wisdom of what he was saying.
So often, we open our mouths and speak death or speak judgement upon others. By doing so, we paralyze them from walking into the blessings of Life. Our words and actions can bring about disobedience in others if presented in the wrong attitude or if not spoken by His permission. It may seem like a small thing a the time, but as you can see from the genealogies of Ham, that seed went on to usurp YHVH and become the master of their own domains and more. It was YHVH’s grace to disrupt the pattern with division. The dispersion of the nations was to be a vehicle of blessing for the Word of YHVH to come to all creation and for the Seed of Righteousness to be received by all man.
It seems to be a struggle to just exist as believers and to choose to walk in Torah; however, our blessing is to press into the Kingdom by way of force. Not physical force or striving, but by forcing our way past the adversary and, along the ways, crushing his head. If Yeshua is in us, than we should be walking in such a way as to know our place in the kingdom of heaven. The force we exert is not by our will, but by what we see Him do for us and in us. All of it is meant to draw us closer to Him. All the trials and tribulations are for our good.
The death of Lot’s father, Haran, was not to bring about rejection. His death served as the door for Lot to walk in the commandments of YHVH so that his entire family and seed would see salvation. His seed would have to choose later, but the choice was given and YHVH had preference for that seed, even in disobedience. May we be children of the good word and seed. In this we say, “Hinney Ma Tov!” |
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