We are in the Torah series titled The Covenant of God – Repentance Series –
The Scriptures for this week may be summarized as the struggle between two brothers in which the Lord God states this is nothing less than the struggle between two nations (שְׁנֵי גֹייִם), the struggle between sin and righteousness, unfaithfulness and faithfulness. This week’s Torah portion opens with the phrase Bereshit / Genesis 25:19, וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק 25:19 Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac… (NASB) The description of the generations of God’s people draws in the importance of remembering, which leads us to focus upon putting God’s words into action. This is the truth of the gospel message and the power of God in our lives, where in His Messiah and through His Spirit, we are empowered to overcome sin, and we are brought from death unto life. These truths are important for those of us who have come to the conclusion that the Torah has not been abolished, and believe the Torah is God’s will for us to live as we strive to walk in the footsteps of the Messiah. In order to more properly understand this it is important to study the Bible from a historical and grammatical interpretation which helps us to draw in the sociological and cultural perspective. This approach is necessary in order to help discern the difference between believing in a theology, as opposed to believing in and understanding what the Scriptures truly teach us. In regards to the truth of the gospel message of which the Scriptures speak, the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:20 saying, “Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (NASB) In chapter two, Paul writes, Romans 2:15 “They show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.” (NASB) Paul speaks of a sort of universalism of the commands of God which are written upon the hearts of all men. These truths being written upon the heart are shown forth from the works of men, in the general consensus of “you shall not murder,” and “you shall not commit adultery,” etc. These universal Laws are understood as being good and righteous, and just. Romans 3:19 states, Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ θεῷ “And we know that as much as the law says, to the ones in the law it speaks; that every mouth should be shut and subject to trial should be all the world to God.” (Literal translation of Greek). The ones to whom the Scriptures speak are those who would join themselves to the Lord God of Israel. The Torah was given to a people for the purpose of bringing God’s message of truth and life to all the world. The point of the Torah, as Paul describes it, is to stop every mouth and make the whole world accountable before God. This seems to be the perspective of this week’s Torah portion in regards to those who are faithful (Jacob) as compared to those who are unfaithful (Esau) in relation to God’s covenant.
While studying the Bible, it is important to take a multidisciplinary approach by considering the history, the culture, the people, and the languages in order to help us understand the Scriptures and how to apply God's Word to our lives. MATSATI.COM Teaching Ministry examines the Hebrew Scriptures (Masoretic Text), the Aramaic (Targumim), and the Greek (Septuagint), coupled with studies in the rabbinic literature (Talmud Bavli, Mishnah, Midrashim, with the classical commentators: Rashi, Sforno, Rambam, etc). Our goal is to immerse ourselves in the language, the history, the culture, and the people who lived in the time of Moshe, the Prophets, and the Messiah, in order to deepen our understanding of Scripture, increase our faith, and grow in our relationship with the Lord!
I hope you enjoy this short study.
Take care and God bless!
Website Location: