Greeting and Introduction

 

Greetings saints of the Most High and welcome back to another installment of the Messianic Torah Observer. I’m Rod Thomas coming to you on a beautiful fall Shabbat in the DFW. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to fellowship with me on this blessed day of rest in Messiah Yeshua. And as always beloved, it is my hope, trust, and prayer that this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer finds you, your families, and your fellowships well and blessed.

 

As I am posting these thoughts and reflections, it is the 13th Day of the 8th month of Yah’s biblical calendar year, which translates into the Sabbath Day, November 16, 2024.

 

This week’s Torah Reading — Parashah 4 — is contained in Genesis/Beresheit 5.1-6.8, with the Haftarah contained in Isaiah/YeshiYahu 30.8-15, and the Apostolic in Matthew/Mattiyahu 23.1-39. I’ve chosen to entitle this discussion: Marring the Image of the Creator (Yehovah) Through Rebelliousness.

 

Reading 4 Synopsis

 

Since our reading this week is rather long, I will first give a quick synopsis of the content of the Torah Portion, that I will then follow with my thoughts and reflections. As always, beloved, I would encourage you to read and reflect on the weekly parashot, not out of some rote/mechanical act of righteousness that these Torah Reading regiments so often engender in people. But immerse yourself in these weekly readings for yourself because they reveal to us the Person, Character, and Will of Yehovah. And since we call ourselves Yah’s people, we certainly want to be acutely aware of what Yehovah expects from us. Right?

 

Let’s get started with the synopsis.

 

(5.1) Yehovah made humankind in His likeness. What does being made in the likeness of Yehovah mean? It simply means that when Yah created Adam and Eve, He endowed them with several aspects of His Person and Character. And within the realm of endowing His human creation with His Person and Character, of all that Yah Created, humanity was tasked with carrying out His will and purpose on the earth. In fact, humanity is uniquely tasked with imaging Him upon the earth. What does that mean? Simply this: Humans are the pinnacle of Yehovah’s earthly creation. In being the pinnacle of Yehovah’s earthly creation, they are supposed to serve an elevated purpose of mirroring their Creator’s Person and character throughout this earthly plain.

 

In Torah Reading 3, the lineage of Cain was discussed: Cain-> Enoch (not the Enoch of Seth’s line) -> Irad -> Mehujael -> Methushael -> Lamech (the first polygamist) -> Jabal (tents), Jubal (musician), Tubal-Cain (metallurgy), Naamah (daughter).

 

(5.2) Yehovah made humankind into two genders: male and female. Both the man and woman were called Adam (Septuagint).

 

(5.3) Adam’s offspring were of his own likeness, according to his image. Yah chose to begin with Seth as Adam’s first child as opposed to Cain and or Abel. So, does this mean that every man and woman is not made in Yah’s image?

 

(5.4-5) Adam lived 930 years and fathered sons and daughters.

 

(5.6-32) Seth (912 years) -> Enosh/Enos (905 years) -> Kenan/Cainan (910 years) -> Mahalalel/Maleleel (895 years) -> Jared (962 years) -> Enoch (365 years). Enoch walked with God and then disappear because God took him away. What does this mean? Was Enoch translated and relocated to heaven? The Septuagint notes that Enoch was not found because God translated him. Or did he die? -> Methuselah (969 years) -> Lamech (777 years) -> Noah/Noe fathered Shem/Sem, Ham/Cham, and Japheth. Did a Lamech believe that his son Noah was the prophesied Messiah of Genesis 3.15?

 

(6.1-2) The sons of Elohim took unto themselves human wives.

 

(6.3) Yehovah declares that His breath of life would not remain within humankind indefinitely. But rather, humankind would remain for 120 years.

 

(6.4) The progeny of the sons of God and human women were the Nephilim. The Septuagint simply refers to the progeny of these as giants. Thus, this presented a major corruption in Yehovah’s creative order.

 

(6.5-8) Yehovah observed that humankind had become so corrupted that He regretted having made them. Thus, Yehovah decided to wipe humankind and every creature He had made from the face of the earth. But Noah found favor in the sight of God. What does it mean to find favor in the sight of Yehovah?

 

The Human Creation Corrupted Through Rebelliousness

 

Much of our reading this week has to do with the lineage of Seth. Reading 3 discusses Cain’s lineage. And so this week, what we, the Torah Observant disciple of Yeshua, are being exposed to is the preliminary genealogical pathway that Yah would have the serpent/nachash crusher take to intervene in the affairs of humanity. There’s the righteous Seth-lineage, of course, from which the Messiah would emerge. Then there’s the corrupt-evil Cain-lineage that would stand in opposition to the righteous Seth-line.

 

Now, this is not to say that the Seth-line did not ultimately fall into corruption. Indeed, according to Moses’ record, “Yehovah saw the dysfunctions of the human in the land was abundant, and all the thoughts of inventions of his heart was only dysfunctional everyday” … such that “Yehovah regretted that He made the human in the land, and He was distressed in His heart” (6.5-6; RMT).

 

Walking With Yehovah in an Exceptional Covenant Relationship

 

None of this is to say that Yehovah did not have a relationship with certain individuals along Seth’s lineage. The fact of the matter is that He most certainly had an exceptional relationship/fellowship with Enoch and Noah, both of who possessed righteous characters that especially resonated with Yah’s holy and righteous character. And these exceptional souls, in engaging Yehovah in a covenant relationship, served as an abrupt counter to the pervasive corruption of humankind. Not unlike the many incidents throughout human history, where certain individuals, as well as Yisra’el, distinguished themselves from the rest of the world because they elected to walk with Yehovah (5.23).

 

According to the biblical record, Adam, Eve, and Yeshua were the only humans to have been made in Yehovah’s image. The rest of humanity is made in the likeness of their human parents (5.3). Now, does this mean that Yah’s likeness or His image is completely absent in all of humanity? Absolutely not. There has and always will be an inherent physical and spiritual connection to the Creator of the Universe in every rational human being. Despite the scourge of sin that more times than not mars the physical and spiritual connection or image we possess with the Creator, Yehovah’s ultimate image remains intact in every soul. Therefore, every human life is precious in Yehovah’s eyes. Every human possesses a part of Yehovah that is indelibly embedded in their being.

 

Unfortunately, just as aspects and elements of Yehovah’s image are passed down to every individual through their parents, so is sin.

 

Humanity Possesses a Rebellious Heart

 

Torah teacher and president of Torah Resources specifies it is “the heart of rebellion” that is likewise transmitted (Studies in the Torah-Genesis; p. 38). Along with that rebellious heart, we have its penalty that is also “passed on to all humankind”, which is death (ibid., p. 38; reference Romans 5.12).

 

And so what Adam’s failure did to his posterity was to inject into every succeeding newborn child and succeeding generation, not an eternal, holy, and righteous human existence as was the original Garden of Eden plan, but a temporal existence that is weighed down by sin and sin’s effects — such as death, illness, violence, poverty, wickedness, evil, etc. — was injected into every succeeding human generation. Again, this was not the Creator’s original desire and plan and purpose for His human creation.

 

Indeed, the inherent tragedy we see here is the eternal image of Yehovah that man was supposed to bear throughout the earth had become horribly marred because of humanity’s unrestrained rebelliousness. And this tragedy persists even today beloved.

 

The electorate of this nation spoke over a week ago to support a return to some modicum of conservative values. And the once ruling liberal left have completely lost their minds at the thought of returning to such values. They vociferously rail against such thinking and vow to fight against and to hold tight to their rebellious ways in their wholesale rejection of the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov and His ways. And this wholesale rejection — this rebelliousness, if you will — against Yehovah is pejorative throughout the entire world. The world at large much prefers living in darkness than in the light of Yehovah and His ways. And that’s why my spirit has been uplifted in the last few days that so many people in such overwhelming numbers stood up with their votes in support, at least in part, for a return to conservative values. And I believe that before the End Times officially hits this world, this nation, because of the stand she just took, may experience one of the greatest revivals in its history. Or at least, this is my hope.

 

The Hope of Yah’s Plan B

 

Returning: Despite this seemingly hopeless reality that humanity found themselves in, Yehovah had a Plan B. The very conduit by which sin and death has reigned supreme on this planet — that being through the seed of the woman — would also bring an ultimate and permanent correction to this dire human situation. Through the seed of the woman would come the Mashiyach/Messiah — the serpent crusher — who would right all wrongs, rebuild the broken relationship that humanity once enjoyed with their Creator, and extinguish the scourge of death forever.

 

One of the brightest lights to emerge from Seth’s line was Enoch. So unique was Enoch in character and being, that Moses laid aside the lineal routine he employed to document the lives of Seth’s progeny. Moses employed the literary method of citing that so-and-so lived for so many years, then so-and-so fathered so-and-so, then so-and-so died at the ripe old age of hundreds of years old. But of Enoch, Moses simply wrote that Enoch walked with Yehovah 300-years (5.25). What an extraordinary testimony to record about someone’s life! Oh, if such an epithet be written about anyone of us with such simple sincerity and truth!.

 

 

What did Moses mean by the statement that Enoch walked with Elohim 300-years? What did or what would that have looked like?

 

Previously, Moses recorded that Yehovah Elohim walked in Gan/Garden Eden “in the cool of the day,” presumably to commune or engage Adam who, along with Eve, hid themselves from Yah’s presence (Gen 3.8).

 

Now, some scholars have postulated that Yehovah’s evening fellowship sessions with Adam were what is commonly referred to by scholars as a “theophany.” A theophany is defined as “a visible appearance of God to humans, in a manner that a human could more easily relate to” (Barry, John; Faith Life Study Bible).

 

If this is an accurate depiction of what took place in Genesis 3.8, then we have before us a rough understanding of what the personal relationship/fellowship Adam once enjoyed with the Creator looked like. Yehovah’s very presence in the Garden in close physical contact with His human creation: teaching; modeling; querying; and loving on Adam.

 

But was the caliber of relationship and fellowship that Enoch enjoyed with Yehovah similar to that of experienced by Adam? It’s impossible to tell from the scriptural text, but there would no doubt have been some similarities. For our reading does not say whether the Creator took on human form to commune and fellowship with Enoch. With Yehovah, anything is, of course, possible. Yehovah chose not to reveal what His fellowship with Enoch looked like. But what we can safely deduce from 5.24 is that of all the extant human souls of that day, Enoch stood out from them because Enoch had an elevated/exceptional fellowship and intercourse with Yehovah. Enoch’s fellowship with Yehovah was precious and intimate, unlike any such relationship between Yah and humankind since Adam in the Garden. And since Enoch enjoyed such an exceptional covenant relationship with Yehovah Elohim, it stands to reason that during those 300-years he took on Yah’s righteous character. Enoch would have been in-tune with the Creator, unlike any other human being of this day. Clearly, Enoch’s Godly character singled him out from all of his human peers who all endeavored to reflect the image of the enemy on the earth. Whether society of that day shunned Enoch because he imaged Yehovah on the earth is not made clear in the text. However, the extra-biblical apocryphal texts paint a portrait of Enoch as sort of a shadow-picture of Yeshua, who called unto Himself several followers, all of whom He lovingly disciples in the Ways of Yehovah.

 

The other aspect of the Enoch story that is not covered in the biblical text is the man’s role in sorting out the whole Watchers’ mess, as recorded in 6.1-4. It is, instead, the extra-biblical writing of I Enoch that goes into stark detail as it relates to the man’s role in being an intermediary between Yehovah and the fallen watchers. Again, we will bypass the story of the Watchers and Enoch’s role in that story until another time.

 

Enoch’s Reward for Walking With Yehovah

 

 

Regardless of how Enoch walked out his faith before and with Elohim, our text makes it clear that his transition from this earthly plane was unlike any of his human counterparts up to that point in all of human history. And I would argue that it was the extraordinary nature of Enoch’s walk with Yah that made Enoch’s transition from this earthly plane so unique. Of this transition, our text simply states that Enoch walked with God and he was no more, for God took him (5.24).

 

Of all the controversial texts of scripture, this one seems to split faith communities right down the middle: (1) That Enoch suddenly died a natural death with no record of what happened to his body. And (2) that Enoch was spontaneously translated into the spirit realm and whisked off into heaven or to paradise somewhere. This scriptural uncertainty causes somewhat of a chaotic situation for believers to be caught up in. In fact, just this past Sukkot in Kenya, whether Enoch and Elijah were translated to heaven or they simply died natural deaths, was posed by of one speaker who brazenly asserted that both men had simply died natural deaths. And this speaker’s proof-reference was John 3.13 which reads:

 

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven” (KJV).

 

Interestingly, the speaker failed to acknowledge Hebrew 11.5, which reads:

 

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should NOT see death; and was not found because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (KJV).

 

From these verses, two phrases stand out:

 

(A) “…no man hath ascended up to heaven” (Joh 3.13). When interpreting, Yeshua’s words must be carefully taken into proper context. For the Master was talking to Nicodemus about the necessity for any who would enter eternal life to be “born again.” This issue about being born again became fused into a larger discussion about God’s people being able to discern spiritual, heavenly matters from carnal, earthly matters. Unfortunately, because Nicodemus could not understand such spiritual or heavenly matters, the central truth regarding the necessity of an individual to be born again was not penetrating the pharisee’s understanding. And so Yeshua, in trying to get Nicodemus to understand the concept of being born again through spiritual eyes, alerted the Pharisee to the fact that the concept of being born again was not a concept, like certain Greek philosophies and stories, that men say came from intrepid souls that journeyed up to heaven and brought back such lofty understanding. Regarding the truths that Yeshua was teaching Nicodemus, no human being — no one individual (“oudeis”) — has ever ascended up to heaven to receive and bring down to earth the things He — Yeshua — was revealing to the Pharisee that night. Only He, Yeshua, had been given such truths, and it was His to reveal to whomever He chose to reveal it. All of which is to say that the Master may have very well been making a passing reference to ancient Greek mythology (e.g., Homer or Virgil) that spun tales of humans embarking on fantastical journeys to unimaginable places to receive knowledge and experiences that would profoundly affect all of humanity. The Gnostics later told tales of humans receiving hidden or forbidden knowledge from heavenly beings (reference Borchert, Gerald; John 1-11-NAC Jn 1=11). In his statement that no man has ascended up to heaven but He that came down from heaven, He was NOT referencing either Enoch or Elijah whatsoever. And this is why when we seek to interpret passages in the Holy Writ that we make sure we factor in that passage’s surrounding contextual information.

 

(B) “…Enoch was taken up so that he did not experience death … he was not found because God took him up” (Heb 11.5).

 

Of every human soul listed in Genesis 5, Enoch was the only one not given a death pronouncement, and the writer of Hebrews verifies that Enoch, because of his exceeding covenant relationship with His Creator, was spared death (reference Sirach 44.16; 49.14; Wisdom 4.10). This passage simply states that Yehovah TOOK Enoch! And all the apocryphal texts support this statement.

 

Now, the mechanics of Enoch’s taking or translation is a whole other discussion that I’m not looking to go into at this juncture. But suffice to say, when Yeshua returns for His bride, those that belong to Him just might experience a little of what Enoch and Elijah experienced.

 

Bottom line: Enoch, like Elijah, never experienced death. Both because of their exceptional relationship with Yehovah were spared the experience of death that every other human being throughout history has had to experience.

 

To twist scripture to support and promote some erroneous ideology that we’ve somehow developed in our pea brains over the course of our lives invites unforgivable opportunities that steer humanity away from the true Gospel message. Enoch’s unique story teaches us a lesson about the necessity for each of us to possess that unshakable hope.” That hope is to someday receive eternal life. And eternal life — overcoming death — maybe had by each of us who’ve determined to “walk exclusively with Elohim” in this life.

 

We today have a slight advantage over the likes of Enoch in our efforts to walk with Elohim. We, the elect of Yehovah, have Yah’s Word, Yahoshua’s sacrifice, and Yah’s Set-Apart Spirit to facilitate our walk.

 

Then we have at the very end of our reading the one who caught Yah’s eye because of his exceptional, righteous character. Unlike his great grandfather before him, this one was not only selected to enjoy a covenant relationship with Yehovah, he would be the means by which humanity would realize the hope of his predecessor, Enoch, before him. The passage simply states: And Noah found favor in the sight of Yehovah. And it is here where Yah’s Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of the Kingdom begin in earnest.

 

Haftarah Reading

 

Our haftarah reading is found in Isaiah 30.8-15. And at first blush, our haftarah reading seemed to me to have no attachment whatsoever to this week’s Torah Reading. But a secondary reading, along with some reflection on what the prophet was writing to his people, provided the following crossover themes:

 

1. Rebelliousness: Yehovah, through the prophet, classified Judah as a rebellious people (30.9).

 

Rebellion in the Hebrew is “mer-riy’. It is an intentional defiance against Yehovah and His ways.

 

Rebelliousness can be described as contentiousness, even a bitterness against Yehovah. All of these descriptors describe the spiritual and physical state of Cain’s and much of Seth’s progeny. It’s a provocation of Yehovah by His human creation. How so?

 

Rational humans, as we’ve previously discussed, possess at least a modicum of Yehovah’s image and or character within their being. The Apostle Shaul confirms this truth in his letter to the Roman Messianic Assembly when he wrote:

 

(18) For the wrath of Elohim is revealed from heaven against all wickedness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (19) because that which is known of Elohim is manifest among them, for Elohim has manifested it to them. (20) For since the creation of the world His invisible qualities have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, both His everlasting power and mightiness, for them to be without excuse, (21) because, although they knew Elohim, they did not esteem Him as Elohim, nor gave thanks, but became vain in their reasonings, and their undiscerning heart was darkened (Rom 1; The Scriptures).

 

Yehovah equates the sin of rebelliousness with divination in 1 Samuel 15.24. And throughout most of the Tanakh writings, rebelliousness/mara/meriy, with just a small handful of exceptions, is specific to Yisra’el/Judah in some way or another, defying Yehovah and His ways.

 

The Theological Workbook of the Old Testament or TWOT beautifully delineates/breaks down specific actions that Yehovah sees as rebelliousness:

 

17. Complaining (Num 17.10; 27.14).

 

78. Challenging or defying Yehovah’s instructions (Psa 78.17; I Sam 12.15; I Kin 13.21, 26).

 

3. One’s own propensity to transgress Yah’s instructions (Isa 3.8). In other words, most individuals simply do not have the heart or will to obey Yehovah despite that individual very well knowing what Yehovah expects of them. They simply choose not to obey.

 

 

2. The prophet describes Judah as being children that refused to “shema” (i.e., to hear, listen, and obey) Yehovah’s instructions (Isa 30.9).

 

3. Isaiah describes Judah as children who encouraged one another to transgress Yah’s Torah. Furthermore, these same individuals strongly urged their teachers and leaders to not properly divide Yah’s Words of Truth; to water-down Yah’s instructions in order to appease the peoples’ carnal sensibilities (30.10-11).

 

 

Yehovah, in identifying Judah’s corruptness — her rebelliousness — warns her through the prophet of His impending wrathful judgment. Yehovah promised to break the nation like a potter breaks one of his flawed vessels (30.14). But in His warning to Judah, Yehovah offered the rebellious ones a way out of His impending wrathful judgment: Teshuvah. In their teshuvah, they would be saved (30.15). In so doing, their virtue would be founded in their prevailing peaceful existence and in their trusting faith.

 

Tim Hegg exposits a brilliant nuance to Yah’s extended arm of grace to Judah, of which He always extends to His wayward children:

 

“In repentance and rest — the Hebrew term for rest is found in the same root as the name ‘Noah/Noach’ which is ‘nachat’ — in repentance (i.e., teshuvah) and nachat you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength. But you were not willing…” (ibid., p. 43). And as it is always the case when it comes to Yehovah’s wayward children, the only way to avoid the impending utter devastation of Elohim’s wrath is to teshuvah. This would come about as a genuine response to Yah’s extended grace. That teshuvah must include a shedding of all vestiges of rebelliousness from among the people, of which was always a show-stopper as it relates to maintaining a true covenant relationship with Yehovah.

 

The elimination of all vestiges of rebelliousness in our lives involves us having a complete trusting faith in the Persons of Yehovah and His Messiah. For when we successfully turn our lives entirely over to Yah through a complete and genuine act of trusting-faith through Yeshua, we for the first-time get to experience true peace — shalom — rest — quietness — an outflow of the complete or whole salvation or Yeshua of the Elohim of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov (ibid., p. 43).

 

This call for His creation to return to Him and His ways has persisted throughout the ages. However, the state of the human heart, which Yah described as “only evil continually” (Gen 16.5).

 

 

Sadly, as the end of Isaiah 30.15 declares, most are not willing to accept that grace, peace/shalom, and rest that Yehovah has always freely offered to humanity. The failure point seems to always be the depraved nature of the human heart. This being the case, the only hope for humanity is to undergo spiritual heart surgery: whereby that stony-rebellious heart is replaced with a Godly heart of flesh. That heart of flesh abhors and resists rebelliousness, and it seeks to please Elohim at all costs.

 

Our Apostolic Reading

 

It is here where our apostolic reading picks up. Yeshua, amid His Sermon on the Temple Mount, just a couple or so days before His Passion, lays before His disciples and the throng of souls who’d assembled on the Temple Mount ahead of Passover that year, the line of separation between Yah’s Ways and the depraved ways of man and his religions. The Master picked apart with surgical precision the many failure points of Judah’s religious leaders and the burden that the religious leaders’ systems placed upon the people. The religious leaders’ supposed fence around Torah was nothing more than an impenetrable gate that prevented the people, as well as their religious leaders, from making it into the Kingdom of Heaven (Mat 23.13). The rule of Torah, which is Yehovah’s loving instructions in righteous living, were replaced with vain worship of Yehovah that consisted of rabbinic/manmade doctrines, precepts, and teachings. And this subordination of Yah’s supreme Words of life and truth to the contrived traditions of man is a clever act of rebellion. And Yehovah, as we’ve been discussing here, hates rebelliousness. That flawed, rebellious heart (i.e., a “yetzer ra”) must be replaced with a pliable, obedient, loving heart (i.e., a “yetzer tov”) that completely and wholly trusts in the Creator of the Universe. And it is upon the “yetzer tov” that Yehovah’s Set Apart Spirit inscribes His eternal and holy Words of Life and Truth: Yah’s Torah. Such is Yah’s amazing grace at work.

 

Conclusion and Call to Action

 

 

So, beloved, let us take/strip off all vestiges of rebelliousness from our lives today by finally turning our whole being over to Yehovah through the Person and Ministries of Yeshua Messiah. In so doing, we will open our hearts to a miraculous spiritual transformation that ultimately will result in Yah inscribing His Torah onto our hearts and minds, His Spirit residing within our being, and He becoming our all-in-all.