Month: April 2010

So the blueprint of Israel is starting to emerge. The Lord had said to Abram in Genesis 12.2, that He will make of him a Great Nation and He will bless Abram and make his name great, and he shall be a blessing.

Now, the word You, as in I will bless You, can be either singular or plural. In these verses of Scripture, the word You is both singular and plural. This is what I mean.

In Genesis 12.2, the Lord said to Abram, I will make of You a Great Nation. That is the Great Nation Israel will come forth from Abraham. The Lord also said to Abram, I will bless You and make your name great, and You shall be a blessing.

These great blessings and promises of God, I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing, are given to Abraham, Israel and the Jewish People.

Now please listen to this. Non Jewish People who believe in Yeshua the Messiah, who fear God and keep all His Commandments and Laws known as the Law of Moses, join in with that Great Nation Israel and her Jewish People, and you also will be blessed, and your name will be great, and you shall be a blessing. Amen?

Likewise in Genesis 12.3, where the Lord said to Abram, And I will bless them that bless You and curse him the curses You.Those who bless Abraham and Israel and the Jewish People and the Torah (Law) abiding Non Jewish Believers in Messiah Yeshua; well those who bless us will be blessed, and those who curse us will be cursed.

And then the greatest blessing from Genesis 12.3. The Lord said to Abram, And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed. Let me say this. For unto Abraham and the Jewish People was a child born, and unto Abraham and the Jewish People is a Son given. That is Yeshua the Messiah, in Whom all the families of the earth are blessed, to those who receive him, to those who love Him and  honor him. To those who obey Him and keep the Commandments and the Laws of God known as the Law of Moses. They will be blessed. And this is the greatest blessing of All. The Messiah Yeshua.

Now one of the many blessings for Israel and all who love Messiah and obey Torah (The Law) is found in

Isaiah 27.1,6

Verse 1 – In that day – When the Lord returns.

 Leviathan – In Hebrew – Leev yah tan – is symbolic for satan the 
 serpent. he will be chained for 1,000 years during the
 millennium, and after the millennium will be tossed into hell
 forever. Revelation 20.1-2,10. Crooked – In Hebrew –
 Ah kah lah tone – Meaning – Tortuous, that is, as we  know,
 satan causes pain, suffering and torture.
 Also the word means Wrest – to distort and lie and twist the
 meaning of Scripture.. Such as this. Yeshua is not the Messiah,
 or the Law of God, that is, the Law of Moses, is dead.  That is
 wresting the Scriptures and that is wrong.

Verse 6 – In the Millennium, Israel will blossom and bud. Her Jewish 
            and Non Jewish Believers in Messiah who live by Torah, 
            will be a blessing, a blessing to the Lord God. And our 
            name will be Great. And will take root in the Lord God and 
            flourish and prosper in the Lord.  

Even with God’s great blessings, Israel and the Jewish People pay for our sins and have paid for our sins, double.

Isaiah 40.1-2
Anti Semitism, the Holocaust, Pogroms; the massacres of Jews, wars, all the Nations are against Israel, etc, etc, etc.

Though we are blessed, you and me, Jewish and Non Jewish Believers in Messiah, we will from time to time suffer as Messiah did with troubles and persecutions.

Matthew 5.10-12
Righteousness is a word meaning, right with God because of our faith in God and Messiah and our obedience to Torah.

But the Lord will always deliver us and rescue us, and bless His Chosen, always.

Exodus 14. 1-4,  30-31

From the very lips of Messiah come the ultimate blessing for blessing His People, you and me, and the tragic curse for cursing His People.

Matthew 25. 31-32, 46

Now, with the great blessings given to Abraham and his descendants, the Jewish People, the history of Israel starts to develop and is set in motion.

Genesis 12.4-7

Here are the boundaries of Israel, the Land given to the Jewish People forever.

Genesis 15. 18-21

Verse 18   Covenant – Beh reet –  Here, a promise or a contract made by God that cannot and will not be broken, ever. 

The River of Egypt – The Nile.

The borders of Israel promised by the Lord God will be fully realized when the Lord returns and sets up His Messianic Kingdom in Israel where He will reign in Jerusalem.

Here are the borders:
Today’s Israel including Gaza, the West Bank, all of Jerusalem, the Land of Egypt to the Nile River, including the Sinai Peninsula, Jordan, Lebanon, most of Syria to the Euphrates River, much of Iraq to the Euphrates River, and possibly a portion of Saudi Arabia.

So, why did the Lord God cast out and destroy the Canaanites, and then give the Land of Canaan to the Children of Israel to possess it forever? Because of sin. Breaking God’s Law. 1John 3.4. The crooked serpent satan even today teaches us to sin because satan’s teaching is, The Law is dead. 

Genesis 15.15-16
Amorites – A term sometimes used in Scripture for all the Canaanite Nations. Their iniquity is not yet full – When God says they have done enough sin, it  will be enough and He will cast them out and destroy them. Their cup of iniquity will be full or was full.

Theses were some of the sins and abominations of the Canaanites:
-They sacrificed their children through fire.
-They prayed to graven idols.
-They sacrificed to false idols.
-They had immoral, ungodly sexual relations.
-They burned incense to strange gods.
-They made graven images to Baalim, a strange god.
-They rejected God’s Laws and every Law God established. Somewhat
 like today throughout the world including the United States of America.
-They served and obeyed their own will rather then the will of God. The
 will of God is obedience to His Laws. The same thing is happening
 today throughout the world including the United States of America.
-That brought about their ruin.

Leviticus 18.24-30,  

The Land given to Israel is the most beautiful in the world, God says.

Ezekiel 20.5-6

Let’s see who the Canaanite people were.

Genesis 15.19
The Keninites and the Kenizites were a Canaanite people.

The Kadomites – Also a Canaanite people who lived in the Syro-Arabian desert or in parts of Syria and today’s Saudi Arabia.

Genesis 15.20
The Hittites were also a Canaanite people who perhaps lived in Hebron where years later Sarah and Abraham were buried.

The Perizzites were a Canaanite people who lived in the future regions of Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh, large portions of today’s central and northern Israel.

The Rephaim were a Canaanite people and were giants. Possibly Goliath was a Rephaim or an Anakim who were also giants. Both peoples were upwards to 10 feet tall.

Genesis 15.21
The Amorites were a Canaanite people who lived in the future regions of Judah in today’s southern Israel, and also in Jordan of today.

The Canaanites – The people who 3,500 years ago were the inhabitants of Canaan, today’s Israel. History books describe Canaan as the land along the Mediterranean Sea from the south of Gaza to modern day Syria and Iraq. Precisely the Land the God of Israel gave to Israel.

The Girgashites were a Canaanite people.

The Jebusites were a Canaanite people who inhabited Jebus or in Hebrew, Yeh voos, today’s Jerusalem.

Jerusalem became the capital of Israel when King David captured it from the Jebusites. It is the capital of Israel today, and will be the capital of Israel forever.

2 Samuel 5. 4-10

The enemies of Israel and Jerusalem will disappear one day and will be no more.

Isaiah 52.1

In the Millennium, the Messianic era, Jerusalem will be called a City of The Truth. In Hebrew –
Eer Hah Eh meht.

Zechariah 8.3

The Holy City that will come down from God after the 1000 year millennium is New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21.1-4

Then all Israel shall be saved. All Believers, Jewish and Non Jewish, who love Messiah Yeshua and fear God and have kept His Commandments and His Law known as the Law of Moses, will be all Israel and will live in New Jerusalem which is Heaven with our God and Messiah forever.
 
Romans 11.26

Shalom.  Ira Weinstein

                

Last Week we ended our message while teaching in Genesis 12.2 where the Lord said to Abraham,”I will make of you a Great Nation.” Israel is a Great Nation because God is the God of Israel and the Jewish People.

This Covenant of God with Abraham, the first Jewish Person, was made some 4,000 years ago, and nearly 2,000 years before Messiah, and well before Christianity and all other religions.

Today, the God of Israel is also the God of  all Non Jewish People who join in with that Great Nation Israel by believing in Yeshua the Messiah and observing the Laws and Commandments God gave to His People Israel.

Paul wrote in Romans 9.4-5, speaking of God’s gifts and calling to Israel, that Israel is adopted by God, they have received God’s glory, His covenants, the giving of the Law, the service of God, and the promises. The fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are Jewish and belong to Israel. God named Jacob Israel. And as a human being, because Yeshua is God, Messiah is from Israel, a Son given to the Jewish People. 

Thus, all those gifts and calling, all of them, are available to everyone who receives Messiah Yeshua and who fear the Lord their God, who walk in all His ways, and who love Him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and who keep the Commandments of the Lord God and His Laws which we know as the Law of Moses. Then you are truly grafted in, becoming fully part of God’s chosen people Israel, receiving all God’s blessings, promises, covenants and yes, Messiah Himself Who is the God of Creation.

So the question might be, What do we call ourselves? Well, we can call ourselves Believers, or Messianic Believers, or Messianic Believers in Yeshua the  Messiah, or Messianic Believers in Yeshua the Messiah who obey Torah, or simply Believers in Messiah, or one of God’s chosen people Israel. Or you continue to refer to yourself as Jewish if you are Jewish or Christian if you are Christian. However, I think what we call ourselves is less important then how we conduct our lives in following the Lord God. That is what is important.

Numbers 15.14-16
Here is the beginning when the Lord called Non Jewish People in with
His chosen people.

Stranger – Non Jewish

Sojourn – Comes from the Hebrew word –  Gore – Meaning to turn aside
from, that is, join in with Israel in faith.

Generations – In perpetuity, forever

Manner – One standard of judgment according to the Laws of God.

Here is the Biblical formula for being One with God and Messiah.

John 17.20-23

Verse 20 – These – Are Messiah’s Disciples.
                    Messiah’s Disciples lived according to His teachings,
                    their belief in Him and obedience to Torah, God’s Laws.

                    His Apostles.
                    His Apostles Were Sent By God to teach Messiah and
                    Torah.

Verse 21 – One in Us.
                    The word One means, like or similar, or identical, same
                     as.

                     One – Meaning we must be like God and Messiah, that
                      is obedient to God and His Laws, The Torah.

                      Father in Me (Messiah) – God is in Messiah because 
                      God is the Messiah.

                      I (Messiah) in You (God) – Yeshua is in God because
                      Yeshua the Messiah is God.

Verse 22  –  Glory is Honor, Praise and Dignity.
                      True Believers in Messiah have the same Glory, and
                      Honor, Praise and Dignity that God gave to Messiah,
                      the very same.

                      That they may be One even as we are One. That is we
                      are to be like Messiah and God. Obedient to the Word
                      of God and the Commandments and Laws of God. 

Verse 23  –   I in Them, that is Messiah in us. ie, the Holy Spirit in us.  
                       See Acts 5.32. God gives the Holy Spirit only to those who
                       obey Him. 

                       Perfect meaning, we are complete, perfect, lacking nothing,
                       because we do what God commands us. Believe and obey
                       Him.

                       And perhaps the most wonderful Scripture of all. God loves
                       us as much as He loves Messiah. And Messiah is God. Think
                       on that for a moment.

Thus, Jewish and Non Jewish People have the very same requirements to
enter the Kingdom of God, that is Heaven. Belief in the Messiah Yeshua and
Obedience to the Laws and Commandments of God, known as Torah and
also the Law of Moses.

God magnifies His Word above all His Name. That is how much He requires us
to observe His Word and Teachings and Laws.

Psalm 138.2

Here are some of the many Blessings and gifts that come with being One with
God and Messiah.

Romans 8.17,  Ephesians 1.3-5,  Philippians 2.5

God’s love is conditional. His love requires us to be One with Him.

Let’s clarify Who Israel is.

Romans 9.6-8

Verse 7 – Israel has 7 million People.
                 80% are Jewish. 20% are not Jewish.
                 80% are Jewish from Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons.
                 20% are not Jewish unless they are grafted in.
                 Called – Isaac is called by God and has God’s promise                
                 to inherit all the promises God made with Abraham.

Verse 8 -Flesh – Ishmael who was from Hagar an Egyptian woman.
                 Children of the promise (Israel, the Jewish People) are the
                 Called from Isaac.

Genesis 17.18-21
Israel is from Isaac. God gave the Covenant to Isaac for an everlasting
Covenant.

What is the Covenant?

Genesis 17.7-8
To be God to Israel and the Jewish People, and the giving of the Land
of Israel to the Jewish People forever.

Genesis 21.9-12
God’s Chosen People Israel come from Isaac for a purpose. To be God’s
witnesses to the world.

Genesis 25.19-26
Jacob is from Isaac.

Genesis 32.28-30
God gave Jacob the name Israel.

Israel is from Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons.
Genesis 49.1-2,16,28,  Exodus 1.1-9,  Exodus 2.23-25

Exodus 4.22
God is the Father of Israel.

Exodus 5.1,  Exodus 14.24-25
God is the God of Israel.

Non Jewish People are saved also, of course, by being One with God.
Romans 9.23-26,  Romans 11.17,  Romans 11.29

Who is the Israel of God?
Galatians 6.15-16

The Israel of God is from Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons, and all the true
Believers in Messiah who are grafted in, that is One with God and Messiah. 

The Israel of God in Eternity are those who are One in God through
belief in Messiah and obedience to Torah.

Isaiah 66.22

Thus, Israel is the Jewish People who are from Isaac, Jacob and his
twelve sons, and Non Jewish People who are grafted in through faith
in Messiah and obedience to Torah.

As Paul says in Romans 11.26, And so all Israel shall be saved.

And not all Jewish People and not all the Church will make it into Heaven
but those who are One with God and Messiah through faith in Yeshua and
obedience to the Law of Moses.

Genesis 12.3
To bless or curse Abraham or the Jewish People or grafted in Believers,
is to bless or curse God.

In Abraham shall all the families of the earth be blessed. The greatest
blessing of all that flows from Abraham is Messiah Yeshua who blesses
all the families of the earth to those who receive Him.

As Yeshua said in John 4.22, “Salvation is from the Jews.” The Salvation
given to the nations is from the Jewish People through Yeshua Who is
Jewish, Whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Shalom.  Ira Weinstein

In these passages of Scripture, the Lord God teaches us about the origin of Israel or its very beginnings. And we also learn about some of the great and extraordinary Covenants of Promise God made with Abraham and to all Israel. And yes, to those who are not Jewish but join in with Israel, especially the Jewish Believers in Messiah Yeshua by believing in Messiah and live their lives according to Torah, God’s Laws and Commandments He gave to Israel and all the world. So, let’s call this teaching, God’s great Covenants of Promise. 

Genesis 12.1
Judaism titles this chapter Lekh Leh-khah, meaning Go Forth.

Abraham’s country – Ur of the Chaldees which would be in today’s southern
Iraq.

Your kindred – Your native Land where you were born which was Ur of the
Chaldees.

A Land – Hah Arehtz The Land, that is, a specific and special Land which
today is Israel.

Genesis 12.2
Make of you a Great Nation. The word Make in Hebrew is Ah-sar meaning
to bring into existence (from Abraham)

I can think of no other Nation brought into existence by one man.

So, why is Israel a Great Nation? Israel is the size of New Jersey, the third
smallest State in the United States. Israel has only seven and a half million
people of which six million are Jewish and one and a half million are mostly
Arabs. Worldwide, there is a total of  fourteen million Jewish People or less
then one forth of one percent of the world’s population. The United States
is five hundred times larger then Israel. So why does The Lord God call
Israel a Great Nation?   

I believe Israel is a Great Nation because The Lord God is the God of
Israel, and the Jewish People are God’s Chosen People. Also, The
Lord God has chosen Israel to be His Servant and His Witnesses. Plus
the many Covenants and Promises God has made with Israel. And for
that, Israel and the Jewish People are a Great Nation. And yes, Non
Jewish People join in with Israel by believing in Messiah Yeshua and
diligently observing to do all His Laws and Commandments which He
commands us. Then you become fully part of that Great Nation Israel,
receiving all the Covenants of Promise given to Israel and that includes
Eternal Life in Heaven with your Saviour and God, Yeshua the Messiah.
And that is the  Word of God.

Isaiah 41.8-14
Servant in Hebrew is Ah-vehd. My Servant is Ahv-dee; meaning, A
Messenger of God, Worshippers of God, Godly (which means believing
in Messiah and obeying Torah, the Laws of God, known as the Law of Moses),
Ministers and Ambassadors of God, Sent by God to do His Service. Some of
God’s Servants were Prophets chosen by God. A Servant of God is also a
friend of God.

Let’s look at some of the Covenants of Promise given to Israel and explained
by Paul.

Covenant in Hebrew is Beh-reet meaning, A contract or a commitment made by
God. God’s Covenants include His  Word, Law, Commandments and Promises.
Psalm 105.8-10

Romans 9.1-5
Adoption – Webster’s – To take and use as one’s own.

Glory – Honor and respect and esteem. Also Israel has seen His Glory The
Shekhinah,His Glory or God’s Presence.

The Covenants of Promise belong to Israel – All the Covenants of Promise
belong to and were given to Israel including the New Covenant, that is the
New Testament.

The Giving of the Law – The Lord God gave the Law (The Torah) to Israel
to give to Israel and all the world. 

The Service of God – This is how we serve God, Romans 12.1-2 

The Promises – All the Promises were given to Israel, Ephesians 2.11-12

The Fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are Jewish and belong to Israel.
Deuteronomy 10.15

Messiah in the flesh – Messiah is God Who came to this earth a human
being. He is Jewish and comes from Israel. Matthew 1.1-2

Isaiah 66.22
Israel will remain forever as will all Jewish Believers in Messiah will remain
forever. And the Believers in Messiah who are not Jewish and observe
according to Scripture as taught above will remain forever in Israel, the
New Jerusalem in Heaven.

Romans 11.29
And God never changes.

To summarize:

The Lord God chose Abraham and called him out of the Gentiles to be the
father of a Nation and People, Israel and the Jewish People. Chosen by
God with the most important of missions. To tell the world everything we
know and have been taught by God about God and His Messiah Yeshua.
We have accomplished that  assignment with the Bible.

The Greatest and most important teaching is this, Believe in Messiah
Yeshua and then lead a new life by obeying Torah. That will make you
part of the Great Nation Israel and you will be rewarded with all God’s
Promises and Covenants which include Eternal Life in Heaven. And
that is the Word of God.

Shalom.  Ira Weinstein

We are continuing our study in Genesis 12.1-3 when the Lord God called Abraham out of the Nations. And the Lord called Abraham for a reason. To be the father and ancestor of Judaism, a people who would become God’s Chosen People and His Witnesses. 

And sometimes it’s not an easy assignment to be a witness for the Living God, the God of Israel. Sometimes it’s just plain tough, whether we are Jewish or not Jewish telling others the truth about God; everything we know about the Lord and everything we have been taught about God from the Bible.

Here is the truth from the Written Word of God in the Tnakh (OLd Testament) and New Testament. Yeshua is the Messiah. He is the God of Creation and He is the Holy Spirit. And God’s Law is the truth and His Commandments are righteous and are to be observed and obeyed by all mankind. And too often the truth is not received, and it sometimes hurts.

Yeshua said in Matthew 4.4, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Paul wrote in Romans 1.25 of men who changed the truth of God into a lie. Daniel wrote in Daniel 7.25 about a man who will attempt to change God’s Times and Laws. The change has been fatally made. Most people have changed God’s Laws and Times but Psalm 2.4 reads. He that sits in the Heavens shall laugh at them and rebuke them. While Proverbs 28.4 reads, They that forsake the Law praise the wicked, but such as keep the Law contend with them.

Telling the truth about God, even living a Godly life can be met with much opposition at times. It can be difficult and painful. Even divisive with family and friends and others because the lies have been taught and lived for some 1800 years and are accepted today as truth. It’s sad.

This morning’s teaching, I hope, will be a teaching of understanding and hopefully, a teaching of encouragement for all of us who believe in Messiah and live our lives according to God’s Commandments and Laws. So let’s get started.

There are times we are tested by God to see if we will obey His Commandments
or not. And those tests may be tough.

Deuteronomy 8.1-3

Other times we are rejected outright because of our belief in Messiah Yeshua and because we tell the truth about God.

John 7.7,  Romans 8.17,  2Timothy 3.12

Abraham had his own problems as well.

But first, let’s look at the foundation of belief.

Genesis 15.6  
Believing in the Lord God and Messiah Yeshua.
Believed comes from the Hebrew word Ah mar; Meaning,
Faithful, loyal, true to God, dedicated to God, devoted,
committed, trusting, dependable, reliable, established and
right. And that’s counted as righteousness.

Righteousness – Tseh dah kah; Means Right with God.

Genesis 26.5
Abraham obeyed God. He obeyed God’s instructions, His
Commandments, His Statutes and His Laws.

That is the bedrock of belief in Messiah Yeshua.
Belief in Messiah and obedience to God’s Laws.
John 14.15-16,  1John 2.3, 1John 3.4, 1John 5.3.

Back to Abraham’s tsuris or troubles for being a man of God.

Genesis 12.14-17
Abraham’s wife Sarah was taken by Pharaoh until the Lord
intervened.

And later on, God tested Abraham with a mighty test.
Genesis 22.1-2, 10-12

Keep this in mind. God never changes. He never changes
His Word or Laws or Covenants or anything He speaks.

Malachi 3.6

Hear the words of Peter and Shaul, Paul.

1Peter 4.12-14,   1Corinthians 10.13

Jacob was hated by his brother Easu who wanted to kill him.
And Jacob was a man of God. The Lord says that he was
perfect and gentle and upright meaning he obeyed God.

Genesis 25.27
Plain – the Hebrew word is Tahm, Meaning perfect, gentle
and upright.

Genesis 27.41,  Romans 9.13,  Psalm 1.1-6

Joseph, Jacob’s eleventh son, a great man of God, had
his troubles as well.

Genesis 37.3-4,  Genesis 39.20,  Genesis 50.15-21

The Disciples and Apostles of Messiah loved Him and they
obeyed the Commandments and Laws of God. And they too
experienced troubles from time to time. It’s part of the walk,
so don’t be surprised.

John 17.6,  Acts 5.17-20, 27-29, 32-42,  Luke 6.26,

Matthew 10.34, 

Those who truly love God in word and deed obey Him.

The Prophets were not exempt from opposition.

1Kings 22.5-8, 26-27,  Jeremiah 38.6,  

Numbers 16.1-4,  Isaiah 53.3 

Yes, there can be pain and sorrow in our walk with the Lord.
It’s to be expected because we must share in the sufferings
of Messiah, even as the Prophets, the Disciples and the
Apostles experienced grief. But the rewards are abundant
with blessings and eternal life.

Romans 8.18,  Matthew 24.11-13,  James 1.25, 

Zechariah 14.5

So in conclusion:

At times our walk with the Lord is difficult. We will have
troubles and tribulations in our lives because of our
belief in Messiah and our obedience to God’s
Commandments. But the rewards are Blessings and Salvation.
We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Messiah in Heaven.

Many of our tribulations are trials from the Lord to see if we
will obey Him or not. And the Lord will never give us more then
we can handle. He will end it.

Other problems will come because you are not obeying God
and His Laws, and perhaps He will not end the grief until you 
begin to obey Him.

But it’s important to know, the Blessings and Eternal Rewards
are to those who Love God and Messiah and delight in the
Law of the Lord.

Shalom.  Ira Weinstein

From Genesis 11.10 through verse 32, the Bible reveals the descendants of Shem, the oldest of Noah’s three sons. And one of Shem’s descendants was Abram whom the Lord later called Abraham.

Genesis 11.10 and 26
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham when Abram was
99 years old.

Genesis 17.1-5

Abram in Hebrew is Ahvram meaning High father or father of elevation.

Abraham in Hebrew is Ahv rah ham meaning Father of many nations.

Nations in Hebrew is Goy eem meaning People, nations, including Israel.

Here is some additional information about Abraham:
-Abraham was born 292 years after the flood.
-Noah was 893 years old when Abraham was born.
-Abraham was 57 years old when Noah died at the age of 950
 (Genesis 9.29).
-Thus Abraham knew his great, great, great, etc. grandfather for 57 years.
-Abraham was 75 years old when the Lord God called him to establish the
 Jewish People, the beginning of the People of Israel.
-Thus making Judaism about 4,035 years old today.
-Abraham was born around 2100 BCE (BC) or some 4,110 years ago.
– I beleive when the Lord God changed his name to Abraham, his new
  name represented a change of importance in his life to a man obedient
  to God’s Commands.
-Some 367 years after the flood, he was called by God.
-And he is also the father of many royal dynasties.
-Yeshua the Messiah is known as The Son of Abraham, Matthew 1.1.

Genesis 11.26
Terah was Abraham’s father.

Joshua 24.2

Genesis 11.27
Terah in Hebrew is Teh rakh, His name has no meaning

Nahor – Nah khor  Abraham’s brother and named after his Grandfather,
  Terah’s father. His name means Snoring, or Breathing hard.

Haran – Hah ran,  Abraham’s other brother, means Mountainaire.

Lot – Lote,  Abraham’s nephew. Lot means veil or covering.

Genesis 11.28
The Land of His Nativity – His birthplace in Ur of the Chaldees.

So I assume the thre brothers, Abram, Nahor and Haran were born in
   Ur of the Chaldees.

Ur of the Chaldees was in today’s southern Iraq near the entrance of the
   Persian Gulf. Perhaps called Basra today.

From the earliest times, Iraq was known as Mesopotamia. In World War 1,
   Britain occupied most of Mesopotamia and renamed it Iraq in 1922.

Genesis 11.29
Sarai, in Hebrew is Sah rye meaning My Princess.

God changed her name to Sarah also meaning Princess.

Genesis 17.15-16

-Sarah was the mother of the promised son to Abraham who was Isaac.
-And Sarah was indispensable to all the promises God made to her
 husband Abraham and their fulfillment.
-The Rabbis have this true saying about Sarah. The natural impossibility
  of her giving birth at 90, not to mention her life long infertility, only
  highlights the supernatural character of Isaac and the Nation and People
  Israel that descends from him. Supernatural, I say, because we, the Jews
  are still here against the multitude of onslaughts throughout our 4,000 
  year history to destroy us.
-And Sarah also is the mother of many royal dynasties.
-And since Yeshua is known as the Son of Abraham, He is also the Son of
 Sarah.

Back to Genesis 11.29
Nahor, Abraham’s brother whose wife was Milcah, meaning Queen, married
   his brother Haran’s daughter.

Iscar was Lot’s sister.

Rebekah was Milcah’s Grand daughter.

Genesis 22.20-23

And a beautiful story is told about Rebekah in the Bible.

Genesis 24

Genesis 11.30
Sarah gave birth to Isaac at the age of 90.

Genesis 11.31
Terah, Abram’s father took the whole mishpahkha, the family.

Haran, the city, was also in Mesopotamia between the
   Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, in todays Syria well north of Damascus.

Genesis 11.32
All this information was given to Moses when God spoke to him Face
   to face over the 40 year period in the wilderness

That’s why Judaism calls the first five books of the Bible, the five books
   of Moses.

Deuteronomy 34.10

Genesis 12.1
The Lord had said: Possibly these Words were spoken by God to Abraham
   in Ur of the Chaldees and not Haran.

Acts 7.1-3

Back to Genesis 12.1
Your kindred – Your native land where you were born.

I will show you or Provide for you.

Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan would be about a 1500 mile trip, on
   camel, horseback, wagon and walking.

Abraham is the father of Judaism and God established and created
   the Jewish People for a number of reasons. Here are just a few:

Deuteronomy 6.4-7  
To teach the Jewish People and all the world about the One and 
   Only God.

Deuteronomy 7.6-9
To be a Holy People requires Trust, Faith and Obedience to God’s
   Commandments.

Romans 3.1-2 

Romans 11.16-17
For the Non Jewish Person to be grafted in to the olive tree, which
   is Israel and the Jewish People, especially the Jewish Believers, 
   you must come believing in Messiah Yeshua and bringing the 
   Torah. That is you must be obedient to the Laws of God which is 
   the Law of Moses, God’s Laws and Commandments.  

Thus God chose His Jewish People to be His witnesses to the world.
   To inform all mankind about the One God of Creation. We have
   done that through the Bible, the Tnakh and New Testament which
   teaches the world about the Lord God. And Jewish People wrote it,
   all of it.

So to conclude:
Prior to Abraham, we know of only two people who walked with God.
Walking with God is having faith in Him, believing in Him, and obeying
Him. Perhaps there were others. We don’t know.

Enoch was raptured. And Noah was a just man and perfect and He
walked with God. And Noah and his family were saved from the disastrous
flood.

Some 367 years after the flood, God chose the man Abraham and his
descendants, the People of Israel, the Jewish People, and delegated
them with the responsibility of the very Words of God which include God’s
Covenants, His Laws and His Commandments to give to all mankind to
hear and obey and to do.

And of course, God has given the world His Jewish Messiah Yeshua to
forgive all our sins so we can start anew by obeying the Lord God and
pleasing Him. God is the Creator. We are His creatures.

This morning’s teaching was not on salvation. But God’s Words committed
to the Jewish People that give salvation and eternal life is this. Believe in
Messiah Yeshua and keep the Commandments of God. This is the way
to salvation and eternal life from God’s Oracles written in both the Tnakh
and New Testament.

Shalom,  Ira Weinstein