God’s Perfect Plan Will Prevail
-- TORAH P O R T I O N --
Introduction:
Have you ever experienced a
promise that seemed impossible, yet it happened unexpectedly?
After the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah, Abraham traveled to Gerar (a Philistine city, now part of
southern-central Israel) with his wife, Sarah. There, they met Abimelech, the
king of Gerar. Fearing for his safety, Abraham told Abimelech that Sarah was
his sister, which led the king to take her into his household.
Why did Abraham do this? In verse
11, he explains to Abimelech that he assumed there was no fear of God in Gerar.
He worried that if the people discovered Sarah was his wife, they might take
her and harm him. Additionally, Abraham may have been considering God's
promise—that Sarah would bear a son named Isaac—and feared that this promise
was at risk.
Despite Abraham’s fear and actions, God’s grace and sovereignty ensured that His promise remained intact. His perfect plan would prevail. How?
1. Through Divine Intervention
(v.3)
God intervened by warning
Abimelech in a dream, saying, “You are a dead man because of the woman you have
taken, for she is a man's wife.” This intervention highlights that the promise
of a son through Sarah was in jeopardy.
Abraham, overwhelmed by fear,
seemed to forget that only God could protect him and Sarah. But God, faithful
to His word, ensured that His plan could not be altered.
Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the
plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
2. Through Intercession (vv.4-7,
17-18)
Abimelech pleaded his innocence
before God, insisting that he acted with integrity. God acknowledged this and
prevented him from touching Sarah. He then instructed Abimelech to seek
Abraham, whom He recognized as a prophet, to intercede for him through prayer.
Abraham prayed, and God healed
Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, allowing them to bear children
again. In this, Abraham served as an intercessor, foreshadowing Yeshua as our
great Intercessor.
Romans 8:34 – “Yeshua is the
one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God and
is also interceding for us.”
This point number two shows us the power of righteous intercession, and the mercy and grace of God.
3. Through Restoration (vv.14-16)
God commanded Abimelech to return
Sarah to Abraham to avoid further consequences. Abimelech obeyed, giving
Abraham sheep, oxen, male and female servants, and restoring Sarah to him.
Additionally, he gave Abraham a thousand pieces of silver—a form of bride
price—to affirm Sarah’s purity.
Abimelech’s generosity also
served as a tribute to God, acknowledging His justice. This restoration marked
a sign of peace between Abraham and Abimelech after the misunderstanding
concerning Sarah.
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
These verses make it clear that the Spirit of God rests upon
the Mashiach (Messiah) from the line of Jesse (Matthew 1:1, 6; Revelation
22:16). The Hebrew word Mashiach means Anointed One, signifying
someone set apart for a divine purpose. Yeshua fulfilled this prophecy in Luke
4:21, when He read from Isaiah in the synagogue on Shabbat.
What are the ministries of Yeshua according to prophet Isaiah?
First, He will preach good tidings which means to proclaim the good news of salvation. Matthew 1:21 says: “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.” The name Yeshua came from the Hebrew verb yasha which means “to save,” “to deliver,” and “to rescue.”
Second, He will heal the broken hearted, a heart that has been broken because of sin that keeps the person captive. Psalm 147:3: “He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.”
Third, He will proclaim liberty to the captives, a proclamation of freedom for those who were in slavery be freed. Galatians 5:1: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
In our Apostolic portion, Paul uses four explanations about the unchanging promise of God to Abraham..
1. He used the example of man's covenant which is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it so how much more a covenant made by a faithful God. No one can add to God's promise to Abraham(v.15).
2. He used to explain the seed of Abraham. By using seed and not seeds, he was pointing to Yeshua the greatest descendants of Abraham whom Adonai made His covenant promise to, so for Paul, the law cannot change this covenant(v.16).
3. He used the time span of four hundred and thirty years from the Abrahamic covenant and the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai so it had nothing to do with Abraham's justification( v.17).
4. He used the word inheritance and promise for us to understand that Adonai gave the inheritance to Abraham not because of the law because if that's the case, it is no longer a promise. Justification by faith comes by promise and not by law(v.18).
For Paul, the Torah did not annul the promise of God given in the Abrahamic Covenant, which was in the long run carried out in Messiah Yeshua. The Torah serves as a mirror to reveal to us that we are guilty sinners who could not be saved by obeying the Torah, rather it reveals to us the holiness of God. A genuine faith in Yeshua serves as the only means of salvation. All who put their faith in Him for salvation have Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise(v.29).
The connection of our Parasha is about the continuation of Adonai's promise to Abraham. In the Torah, Adonai intervenes through Abimelech's dream when the promise seed to Abraham through his wife was in danger. In the Haftarah, the fulfillment of verses 1 and 2 happened when Yeshua the seed of Abraham read it inside the synagogue(Luke 4:17-21). In the Apostolic, Paul uses the word seed not seeds in pointing to Yeshua as the seed of Abraham were the promises made.
Returning to my Introduction....God is Sovereign and He is Mighty to accomplish His plan. His timing is never too late or too early. We just
have to trust and believe that His plan will prevail and cannot be thwarted.
As you reflect on this Parasha, ask yourself: Do I fully trust God's timing and sovereignty, even when circumstances seem uncertain? Commit to surrendering your worries to Him, standing firm in faith, and believing that His promises will never fail.
Psalm 33:11
"The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations."
"No fear, no scheme, and no delay can hinder God's promise—His perfect plan will always prevail."
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
israelmyglory.org
alittleperspective.com
thingsofthesort.com
bethmelekh.com
Nelson KJV Bible commentary
thescripturesays.org
studyandobey.com
torahclass.com
The MacArthur Study Bible
No comments:
Post a Comment