Parashah 4: Vayera (He appeared)

Parashah 4: Vayera (He appeared) - Genesis 18:1 through 22:24.

Haftarah (Writings and Prophets): 2 Kings 4:1-37.
B'rit Hadasha (New Testament): Luke 17:26-37; Romans 9:6-9; Galatians
4:21-31; Hebrews 6:13-20, 11:13-19; James 2:14-24; 2 Peter 2:4-10.

Summary & Overview

TORAH

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Genesis 18:1 | A Son Promised to Abraham and Sarah

Genesis 18:16 | Judgment Pronounced on Sodom
Genesis 19:1 | The Depravity of Sodom
Genesis 19:12 | Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
Genesis 19:30 | The Shameful Origin of Moab and Ammon
Genesis 20:1 | Abraham and Sarah at Gerar
Genesis 21:1 | The Birth of Isaac
Genesis 21:8 | Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
Genesis 21:22 | Abraham and Abimelech Make a Covenant
Genesis 22:1 | The Command to Sacrifice Isaac
Genesis 22:20 | The Children of Nahor

This Torah portion deals with the themes of Judgement and Salvation, the same
themes we saw in the previous two Portions; Noach with the Judgement of the
Earth by water and Lech Lechah where we looked at the Covenant made with
Abraham regarding Salvation. This Week we see the Judgement and
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and the Binding of Isaac, depicting
Salvation.
This Parashah starts with Abraham sitting in his tent when 3 men appeared to
him.

Abrahams Character
Gen 18:2-3 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and saw three men standing
opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet
them, and bowed himself to the ground, (3) and said, , if I have now
found favour in Your eyes, please do not pass Your servant by.
What did Abraham see when these three men stood
before him that he recognise them as YHVH? All the
detail is not described in here, but there must have
been something supernatural about their appearance
or in what they said that would give Abraham the
impression that it was YHVH standing before him.
Abraham bowed to the ground before them and this is
proof that it was YHVH standing there because they
did not rebuke him for bowing before them. This is a physical representation of
Elohim that means; Messenger, Judge and Ruler or King.

These are the attributes of Yshua where He came as Messenger and where He
will come as the Judge and will rule as our King in the New Jerusalem.
Abraham referred to himself as a servant. The word here for servant is ebed
meaning bondservant. This is a well-known term used by Paul and the disciples
referring to themselves as bondservants of Yshua the Messiah introducing
themselves in their Letters to the congregations in the Berit Chadashah (NT).
Abraham revealed himself as a bondservant of YHVH.
Q What does it mean to be a Bondservant?

Abraham the Bondservant

You will find the first Commandments regarding Bondservants in the Book of
Leviticus, right after the giving of the Ten Commandments and this, in fact, was
the first Commandment after the Ten Commandments.
A Bondservant is a person who sold himself to someone else because of debt,
and he had to work back for 7 years. After the 7 years he was set free and if he
chooses to serve his Master still out of free will, he became a Bondservant.
As a bondservant, he lived in hisMasters house, sit at
His table, lives like one of the Masters children. Living
in his Masters house, he had to obey the House
Rules and adopt the Masters way living (his culture).
A Culture defines a group of people residing in a
particular area who are like-minded and do similar
things.
Personal Application: This is a beautiful picture of
being born again when you choose Yshua as your
Master, to serve Him out of free by His work on the
Stake (cross). What people tend to forget is that
they have to give away their rights and not to be
their own masters of their lives anymore when
they follow Yshua. You need to submit under His
instructions if you are living in His House.

Culture:
(from the Latin cultura
stemming from colere,
meaning "to cultivate")[1]
generally refers to patterns
of human activity and the
symbolic structures that
give such activities
significance and
importance. Culture can be
defined as all the ways of
life including arts, beliefs
and institutions of a
population that are passed
down from generation to
generation. Culture has
been called "the way of life
for an entire society."

We as Christians today, pray the prayer and

make a choice because of our preferences. We
expect YHVH to help us sort out our messy lives
within our current culture. We are not willing to
change and conform to His way of living Hebrew Culture. We treat Him as
a Tool or a Magic Word to speak to make our problems disappear. Most
people who believe in Jesus (Yshua) today, do not understand the concept
of a Bondservant and never serve Him the way a Bondservants should, but
expect to be served by YHVH because of their rights as His children. This
order is the wrong way round, and you must realise that you are the
servant and He is the Master. In other words, you dont have a life
anymore and He is not your support system. Your life belongs to Him and if
you serve Him out of free will, then He will look after you as one of His own
children. This is what the concept of adoption that Paul mentioned in the Berit
Chadashah (NT). Adoption only happens through becoming a Bondservant.
Q - Why a Bondservant?
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In verse 3 we see the seriousness of being a bondservant; please do not

pass Your servant by.. You become a bondservant so that wouldnt pass
you by in the time when you need Him. What does it mean: to pass us by?
Pass by - abar rbi - means; to cover, to set apart (holiness), to pass
over (Pesach), to provoke to anger, to perish and to turn away (Judgment).
Hebrew Study Tip
As in many Hebrew words, they have positive and negative
meanings and the context reveal the interpretation and in some cases
but in others you can apply both positive and negative meanings. In
this case both meanings are applicable.
To be a bondservant means to be covered, to be set apart, so that
His anger may pass you over so that He will save you and not turn
away from you. This gives us a deeper understanding of a
Bondservant should be like; humble, submissive, obedient, set apart.
Having the attitude of a Bondservant results in being; covered, saved, receive
mercy and not being judged. This is the amazing thing about the Hebrew
language, the rhyming thoughts supports each other and gives substance and
the deeper meaning.
Abraham is our father of faith (Rom 4:16) and he set the example to us as
believers, what it means to be a Bondservant (adopted) and what it means to be
born again.

The Promise of Isaac

When YHVH visited Abraham and Sarah and revealed to them that they would
have a son, Sarah laughed because it was "impossible" for her to bear children
at the age of 90 and not only that, Sarah was barren her whole life. Because
Sarah laughed she named him Isaac, because Isaac means laughter. Nothing is
too hard or impossible for YHVH; He can do miracles and create something out
of nothing.

Sarah Lied and Abraham Lied Again

When YHVH appeared to Abraham and Sarah and told
them that they will have a son, she laughed. YHVH
confronted her and asked why she laughed and then
she denied it, lying because she was afraid. In the
previous Parashah we saw the same happening with
Abraham when he was afraid, he lied to Pharaoh
regarding Sarah being his sister and not his wife.
Q What can we learn from this?
Fear is the number one motive for lying, and we saw
that both Abraham and Sarai fell into the same trap. Abraham supposedly being
the father of faith definitely did not portray faith, but rather being described
himself as the father of fear influenced by the father of lies (Satan). This
connection proves that Satan rules by fear and fear is the enemy of faith.

YHVH will periodically test His set-apart people to see if they had build character
and grown spiritually. Another test came Abrahams way when he was
confronted by king Abimelech. For a second time, Abraham told the king that
Sarah was his sister and not his wife. Abraham failed the second time, and this
means that there will face another test in the future until he proves that he has
overcome his fear and grown in faith.
Interestingly enough, Isaac got exactly the same test as his father Abraham in
Gen_26:9 and said that Rebecca was his sister and not his wife - he failed the
same test his father failed.
Q - What do we learn from this?
It shows that Abraham did not teach Isaac on the mistakes he has made and
Isaac repeated the same mistake his father did. We should teach our children
from our experiences so that they can avoid making similar mistakes.
YHVH came to Abimelech in a dream and revealed to him that Sarah was
Abraham's wife. Abimelech was shocked because he did not sin intentionally
and he knew that YHVH would destroy him and his nation for committing such a
grievous sin.
We read in Gen_20:7 that Abraham functioned in the office of a prophet and that
he can intercede for the sin of the King so that the King and his kingdom may be
spared. This is the first place in Scripture where the concept of the Guilt Offering
is mentioned. Guilt Offering or "asham" ,sa was performed when a person
might have committed a sin, but was not sure or when the person committed an
unintentional sin. If this was the case, then the person could bring an asham or
Guilt offering, rather than a chatat taux or sin offering.
Offering is the word qorban ]brq and means 'to present a gift', unto YHVH.
It also means to draw near and this is why prayer is related to offerings we
give towards YHVH. Our prayers are 'gifts' unto YHVH that so that we can draw
near to Him.
In this case, Abraham's intercession prayer was to draw near to YHVH in order
to present a gift, in this case, an asham or Guilt Offering on behalf of king
Abimelech.
Personal Application: When we cause someone else harm or offended
someone that causes them to sin, that we can intercede for them, offering an
asham or Guilt offering on behalf of them.
We see in Gen_20:12 that Sarah was Abrahams half-sister so he did not lie
technically, but he did conceal the truth that she was his wife that misled the
King. He deceived the King by not giving him all the information and did not
correct the Kings response and wrong perception. This is called 'creative lying'
or telling a half-truth to create a false impression in the minds of people. This is
what Satan did to Eve in the Garden; he just asked a question has God
said? and she created the lie in her own mind. With this technique, you
technically do not lie but you sin by misleading people. The danger of this is that
you cause the other people to sin by acting on the miss-information you gave
them.

Sodom & Gomorrah Destroyed

The two Messengers or Witnesses were sent to
Sodom by YHVH to meet Lot at the gates of
Sodom, When Lot saw them coming into the
city, he met with them and offered his
hospitality and his home, just like his uncle,
Abraham.
They went to Lots house where he washed
their feet and prepared a meal with unleavened
bread. This is very similar to what Abraham did
in the previously.
Q What does Unleavened Bread represent?
Unleavened Bread is used at the Passover and connected to the message of
the Passover where you need to be ready to leave the Place of Bondage in
haste. Back then it was Egypt, here it is Sodom, and in the future, it will be the
System that is called Babylon.
Q - What can we learn from this?
Personal Application: We should always be ready to receive the truth (Two
witnesses). You should accept the truth and act on it as you see it being
confirmed with what is happening in the world. YHVH will send the Truth in
the form of Two Witnesses in the End times as described in Daniel 11:12
stating; when you see the Abomination of Desolation set up in the Holy
Place AND see the daily Sacrifices being stopped, then according to
Mat_24:15-16 and Mark 13:14, you should leave the System and flee to the
mountains.
These were the messengers or two witnesses that were sent to rescue Lot
from the city that would be destroyed. We see similarities regarding these
Two Messengers and the Two Witnesses in Revelation; they had the power
to strike these men with blindness and the witnesses in Revelation spoke and
caused the Judgements to come upon the earth, both cases doing signs and
wonders. This shows that YHVH will rescue His people just like He rescued
Lot when He will come to destroy Babylon. Rev_11:3-8
The Messengers of Elohim took Lot and his whole house, (his wife and
unmarried daughters) out of the city just before destroying Sodom. Lots
righteousness not only saved himself but also saved his whole house, those
under his covering. Or, will it? Everybody has the opportunity to be saved, but
not everybody will hold on to the end. In this case, Lots sons-in-law and his
daughters who were under their husbands covering, chose to ignore the
warning to come out and they perished. Later on, after leaving Sodom, even
Lots wife made a wrong choice at the very last minute and lost her salvation.
Matthew 24 tells us not to go back and grab clothes or anything from your house
and leave the System immediately. When our time comes, we cant go back, not
for our family or friends or anybody! You have to make a decision to leave
beforehand so that you are ready to act and need not be convinced when the
time comes.

Lots wife looked back. Her connection with the world and with her family that
were left behind was too strong and she was destroyed with them. The fear of
Yahweh was not in her so that she could overcome her flesh. All of us will have
to make our own decision, whether to go, stay behind or turn back.
We read in Gen_19:17 that the Messengers told Lot and his family to escape to
the mountains. This is similar to Matt 24:15-16 where Y'shua tells us to flee to
the Mountains. Do you see the parallels between the story of Lot and the future
End time events that may become your reality? This is why it is wise to study the
Word and the End Times so that you can know what is coming and what to look
for so that you can connect the Truth with Reality and act on it when the time
comes.
We are just like Lot living in Sodom today, and the Messengers of YHVH will
command to "come out" and flee to the mountains and leave the System of
Babylon as we read in Rev 18:4; "come out of Her My people" Lot means
"chance" or "fate determined" and "casting lots" and we have a chance to have
our destiny determined by YHVH so that we can be saved just like Lot, and not
left to chance the time of Judgement.
Looking at the sequence of events in a prophetic end-time perspective:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

YHVH revealed Himself to His people Met with Abraham

He affirms His promises; there is laughter and joy Promise of Isaac
YHVH reveals His Plan of Judgement - 3 men visited Abraham
His people pleaded and interceded for the lost Abraham interceded
YHVH save the righteous among the lost (those in the system) Lot saved
YHVH judges the System and the wicked is destroyed with it Sodom
destroyed

Revelation teaches us the YHVH will destroy Babylon and those that are in the
System at that time; they will receive the same plagues as prepared for Babylon.
His Word commands His people to come out of Babylon so that they might be
saved.
Matthew tells us when to come out of the System, and I believe YHVH will raise
up people or leaders during that time that will lead the people after they have left
the System, jut like He rose a leader like Moses when they left Egypt.
Hebrew Study Tip
Every Hebrew letter has a number, and every word represents a
number by adding the numbers of each letter of that word. Words are
then connected when they add up to the same number. The meanings
of these words can then be brought into the thought process to reveal
deeper aspects of the passage the word is found in. This is another
form of Hebrew Poetry where thoughts rhyme but through the
connection of numbers.
There are fascinating insights looking at the conversation between Abraham and
YHVH where he interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah on behalf of his family:
1. If there were 50 righteous - 50 is the same number for the words: Fifty is the
numeric value of the letter Nun (fruitful) which equals the numerical number for
the word Kingdom or Heir to the Throne. Fifty also equals the numeric value of
dumah or His blood and Yovel or the Jubilee. YHVH does indeed hold
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back judgment when the Blood of the Heir to the Throne who is part of the
Kingdom and those will be set free (Jubilee).

2. If there were 5 less or 45 - Five is the numeric value of the letter hey which
means revelation,light or breath of life. Five also represents the Five books
of Moshe, or Torah, in Scripture. This implies that YHVH would not destroy those
who have the Revelation of the Torah and His Breath of Life that is His Spirit.
45 - forty-five is numeric value of Lot and also Adam or mankind. While
Yahweh didnt find forty-five righteous souls, He has indeed provided salvation for
all mankind, those who will obey like Lot will be saved.
3. If there were 40 righteous - Forty represents trials and testings in
Scripture; such as the 40 years in the wilderness and the forty days that Yshua
spent in the wilderness to be tested; just to name a couple. Forty is also the
numeric value of lu'e or mine or for me as well as two phrases in Leviticus
25:25 ga'aloh, his kinsman and v'ga'al, and shall redeem" Those who
belong to Him will be tested as He was tested but will be saved by the Kinsman
Redeemer.

4. If there were 30 righteous - Thirty, the numeric value of the letter lamed or
shepherds staff. 30 is also the numeric value of ba kaha or in power and va
cheet ah or He will purify and va ah chayeh, and I make alive. He will not
destroy those He purified and made alive through His Power (Spirit) and followed
the Shepherd (Y'shua).
5. If there were 20 righteous - 20 is the numeric value of the letter kaf or palm
of the hand or covering. It is also the numeric value of Yadah or His hand
and abib or the first month in which Passover occurs. He will not destroy
those who are covered and protected by His hand and who entered into the
covenant partaking in the Passover Covenant.
6. If there were 10 righteous 10 represents the letter yud meaning Spirit of
YHVH or "hand of YHVH", also the word phrases vhoveh, and I came and
Avoh, I will come. YHVH came and will come again and save those who have
His Spirit (Eze_14:13-20)

Q - Who are the people that will be saved during this Judgement of YHVH?
All of those mentioned here better known as Bondservants of Messiah, those
who actually serve and follow YHVH through His Spirit and His Commandments.

Sarah cast Hagar and Ismael out

Gen 21:16 And she went and sat down across from
him, a good way off, about a bowshot. For she said, Let
me not see the death of the boy. And she sat across from
him, and lifted up her voice, and cried.
Ismael was not the son of promise and therefore a mistake
and the way Sarah dealt with her mistake was to ask
Abraham to cast her and her son out of their care into the
desert.
Q Was this mistake trying to rectify the first mistake?
No, YHVH confirmed to Abraham this was the right thing to
do and that He will look after them and make Ismael a great
nation. After leaving, Hagar used all the water for her and
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her son and sat down and cried bitterly because she knew that she and her son
might die in the desert.
From Hagars perspective, everything was lost, and she and her son is going to
die in the desert.
Q Do you feel like this some days when things do not seem to work out?
Just remember YHVHs promises that He will look after you and provide for your
every need. Everything that we received belongs to YHVH anyway.
Matt 6:25-34 So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat,
drink, or wear. Isnt life more than food and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds. They dont plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into
barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Arent you worth more than
they? 27 Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?
28 And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the
field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. 29 But I say that not even
Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 30 Thats
the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today its alive, and tomorrow
its thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you
people who have so little faith? 31 Dont ever worry and say, What are we
going to eat? or What are we going to drink? or What are we going to
wear? 32 Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly
Father certainly knows you need all of them. 33 But first, be concerned
about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will
be provided for you. 34 So dont ever worry about tomorrow. After all,
tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
YHVH heard her cry and the cry of her son and sent an Angel to comfort her.
YHVH looked after Ismael and his mother as he grew up and he became a
skilled archer in the desert of Paran where he married an Egyptian woman and
became a great nation as YHVH promised Abraham.

The Binding of Isaac

We saw previously how YHVH tested
Abraham and how he failed miserably adding
consequences to his life. This time the test is
even more challenging and will Abraham
overcome his fears and succeed?
Q What tests did Abraham face in this one
test?

This is another test YHVH send over

Abrahams life to test if he has
overcome his fear of death. The only
difference is that Abraham was not the
one who could lose his life but his son
Isaac. What made this test even more
challenging was that Abraham had to
be the one who will take his sons life, not someone else.
Abraham had to prove that he feared YHVH more than death itself.

Abraham had to demonstrate that he loved YHVH more than he loves his
only son.
Abraham was challenged if he still would believe YHVH promises
regarding a son, the Nation and a Land that YHVH promised him, would
all of this still come to pass without Isaac.

Personal Application: Do you love the Promises of YHVH (Isaac) more than
you love your exceedingly Great Reward (YHVH)? Are you willing to loose
everything you love in order to gain YHVH? Is YHVH the most important aspect
of your life and do you put Him first? Will you obey YHVH even if you face death
or the death of a loved one? This gives us the conclusion that our love can only
be proven through obeying the One you love the most. That is why John wrote
this passage quoting Moses:
Joh 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Exo 20:6 and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and
keep My commandments.
In an End Time perspective we read in the context of the final Judgement:
Rev 12:17 The serpent became angry with the woman. So it went away
to fight with her other children, the ones who keep YHVHs
Commands and hold on to the testimony of Yshua.
To love YHVH above all things means to hold on to His promises, keep His
Commandments no matter what. Sometimes you have to sacrifice something
very dear to you or make a decision that does not make sense in the natural but
has significant positive consequences in the spiritual. Sacrificing something for
YHVH does not look logical and will not make sense to people in the world, but it
is worth it at the end as we have seen through the life of Abraham.
Abraham loved YHVH more than he loved his son and through that he achieved
the greatest accomplishment in his life, and he became the Father of Faith. Paul
aspired to the same level of faith as Abraham when he said that everything is
worthless compared to Messiah and he is willing to lose everything in order to
gain Yshua.
Php 3:8 But no, rather, I also count all things to be loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Messiah Yshua my Master, for whose sake I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count them to be dung, so that I may win
Messiah
Just like Isaac's life was spared by a Ram that was caught in a thicket,
(Gen_22:13) so Y'shua is the Lamb of YHVH Who died in the place of every
sinner bearing all the sins of all humanity throughout all ages. Joh_1:29,
Rev_7:17, Rev_19:9, Rev_22:1 That is why His Blood has more value than that
of animals or even humans and makes it the currency or payment for all sin.
Hebrew Study Tip
Every Hebrew word has multiple meanings, and every meaning can be
read into a sentence to tell a story, describing certain aspects of
that word within each of the meanings. These meanings can then be
connected to passages elsewhere found in Scripture to support the
meaning.
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This is another form of Hebrew Poetry where thoughts rhyme connecting

thoughts of each of the meanings of a word, to passages or ideas found
elsewhere in Scripture.
The Rams horns were entwined in a thorn bush. Yshua wore a crown of thorns.
The word for horns is "keren" that means - corner (of the altar), the peak of a
mountain, a ray of light and power.
Y'shua is the Lamb of YHVH, the ray of light (truth) that was sacrificed
as on the "Altar" and stand down His "Power" so that He could save us.
Doing this, He received the Name above all names and the Authority to
rule as King of kings (peak of a mountain).
Q - What were the consequences of Abrahams Obedience?
We saw earlier what the disobedience or sins of Abraham brought to life;
Hagar came on the scene, Ismael was born, they were cast out into the Desert
and Ismael became a great nation and enemy of Israel. Abraham received
livestock that caused a quarrel amongst his and Lots herdsmen and resulted
then the separation of Abraham and Lot. Lot settled at Sodom and had to be
saved when YHVH Judged Sodom by fire, all of these events because of the
sins of Abraham and Sarai.
Through Abraham came the Seed that would save all humanity. Abraham
received the name and honour becoming the Father of Faith. Abraham was
declared Righteous through this great act of obedience, similar to what YHVH
went through when He Sacrificed His only Son.
Imagine the consequences if you believe YHVHs Word and promises and obey
His Commandments.

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