Parasha Vayera 5784
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Me
Me
This week we read Parasha Vayera, Genesis 18:1-22:24, which opens with the Adonai appearing to Abraham with two angels. The narrative tells us that Abraham, in his vast hospitality heart, made sure a tremendous meal was prepared for his visitors and washed their feet. Then the Lord tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son in a years time, and given Abraham’s and Sarah’s age and progression in life, she laughs and says to herself, “After I’ve grown decrepit, can I have desire—and my lord so old?” And while she thought she was laughing and talked to herself, the Lord knows our hearts and thoughts and called her on her laughter, to which she rapidly lied and said she never did.
Then Adonai informs Abraham that He is about to wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah out for their terrible sins. Abraham then, as only a righteous man would, intercedes on their behalf and asks the Lord would He really allow the righteous to parish because of the wicked. Adonai said he would spare the city if there were any righteous found and Abraham went from 50 all the way to 10, and ultimately none were found… I’d venture to say, not even Lot would have qualified, but he was saved on account of his relationship to Abraham.
Then in chapter 19 we read of the angels going to Sodom in the evening and Lot seeing them and welcoming them to his home for the evening because the plaza would be unsafe. We soon realize why as the entire city of all ages come to Lot’s door and began trying to beet the door down and force him to hand the men out to them to have their way with them. In a very awkward turn of events, Lot then offers his own daughters to the townsfolk if they’d spare the messengers. This was not a deal they were willing to make and the townsfolk are ready to kill Lot and his family to get to the visitors. The angels drag Lot into the house and then they struck the townsfolk with blindness and everything went chaotic.
The angels tell Lot to grab everyone in his family and to flee the city and never look back because they are going to destroy it because of their wickedness. Lot’s wife looks back at Sodom while they are running away and is turned into a pillar of salt. The next thing we see is Abraham wakes up early in the morning to see if the cities he interceded on had been spared for the sake of any righteous found there and all he saw was the cities’ wreckage in smoke...
Next we see the unexpectedly awkward relationship between Lot’s daughters and their drunk father and the offspring that would ultimately become thorns in Israel’s side for generations to come.
In chapter 20 we see Abraham again tell Sarah to say she was his sister in stead of his wife, and another king (this time Avimelech) tries to take her as his wife. But God appears to Avimelech in a dream and saves him from making a grave mistake. But, feelings are already hurt and the relationship between Abraham and Avimelech is now ruined.
In chapter 21 Sarah does in fact become pregnant and gives birth to a son, just like HaShem had promised, and they name him Isaac (laughter). This is followed by Sarah getting her own hurt feelings over Ishmael and Hagar and them being banished.
Then in chapter 22 we read the Akeidah, the binding of Isaac and the substitutionary sacrifice in place of Isaac.
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God
God
As we focus on Parasha Vayera we will see there is a very intriguing connective tissue tying the entire Parasha together, and as we work through the text let’s keep this principle, which helps draw out this connective tissue, in mind.
Principle: The primary objective of our discipleship should be full submission to and alignment with the heart of G-d.
(Repeat)
Parasha Vayera
Describe G-d appearing to Abraham with two angels, Abraham’s hospitality, leading into the promise of a son and Sodom and Gomorrah.
Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” “There, in the tent,” he said.
Then He said, “I will most surely return to you in about a year’s time, surprisingly, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind Him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years—Sarah had stopped having the way of women.
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I’ve grown decrepit, can I have desire—and my lord so old?”
Then Adonai said to Abraham, “Why is it that Sarah laughed, saying, ‘Can I really give birth when I am so old?’
Is anything too difficult for Adonai? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah denied it saying, “I didn’t laugh!” For she was afraid. But He said, “No—for you did laugh.”
Parasha Vayera
When they brought them outside, one said, “Flee for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stop anywhere in the surrounding area! Escape to the hills, or else you’ll be swept away!”
But Lot said to them, “No, my Lord, please!
Look, please, your servant has found favor in Your eyes and You have magnified Your merciful loyalty, which You have shown me by letting me live. But I can’t escape to the hill country—for the disaster will overtake me and I’ll die!
Look, please, this city is close enough to flee there, and it’s little. Please let me escape there. Isn’t it small? And let me live!”
So He said to him, “Behold, I will grant your request concerning this matter too—not to demolish the city of which you have spoken.
Hurry! Flee to safety there, because I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This is why the town is named Zoar.)
The moment the sun rose upon the land, Lot entered Zoar,
and Adonai rained sulfur and fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah from Adonai out of the sky.
So He demolished these cities and the whole surrounding area, all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground.
But his wife looked behind him and she turned into a pillar of salt.
Parasha Vayera
Now it was after these things that God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham.” “Hineni,” he said.
Then He said, “Take 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 about which I will tell you.”
So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split wood for the burnt offering, and got up and went to the place about which God had told him.
On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
Abraham said to his young men, “Sit yourselves down here with the donkey. As for me and the young man, we’ll go over there, worship and return to you.”
Parasha Vayera
Principle: The primary objective of our discipleship should be full submission to and alignment with the heart of G-d.
(Repeat)
Parasha Vayera
For the music director: a psalm of David. Adonai, You searched me and know me.
Whenever I sit down or stand up, You know it. You discern my thinking from afar.
You observe my journeying and my resting and You are familiar with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, Adonai, You know all about it.
Where can I go from Your Ruach? Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to heaven, You are there, and if I make my bed in Sheol, look, You are there too.
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts,
and see if there be any offensive way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Parasha Vayera
Principle: The primary objective of our discipleship should be full submission to and alignment with the heart of G-d.
(Repeat)
Parasha Vayera
After getting into a boat, Yeshua crossed over and came to His own town.
Just then, some people brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a cot. And seeing their faith, Yeshua said to the paralyzed man, “Take courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.”
Then some of the Torah scholars said among themselves, “This fellow blasphemes!”
And knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said, “Why are you entertaining evil in your hearts?
For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins …” Then He tells the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your cot and go home.”
And he got up and went home.
When the crowd saw it, they were afraid and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Parasha Vayera
So there remains a Shabbat rest for the people of God.
For the one who has entered God’s rest has also ceased from his own work, just as God did from His.
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through the same pattern of disobedience.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword—piercing right through to a separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
No creature is hidden from Him, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Parasha Vayera
Principle: The primary objective of our discipleship should be full submission to and alignment with the heart of G-d.
(Repeat)
Parasha Vayera
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable—who can know it?
I Adonai search the heart, I try the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.
You
You
(Call Worship Team back up and unmute)
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If our worship team will make their way back up to the stage.