Sabbath 3-29-2014
Lesson Notes of Ricky Samson
Gen 22 – Test Of True Greatness
Image from www.ligonier.org
Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV
1] Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2] Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Genesis 22:1-2 AHRC-RMT (Ancient Hebrew Research Center- Revised Mechanical Translation)
1] and it came to pass after these words and the Elohiym [Powers]greatly tested Avraham [Father lifted] and he said to him, Avraham [Father lifted], and he said here am I,
2] and he said, please take your son, your solitary one which you love, Yits’hhaq [He laughs] and you will walk to the land of Moriyah [Appearance of Yah] and make him go up there for a rising upon one of the hills which I will say to you,
Key Questions:
- 25 years after calling Avraham out of Ur, YHWH gave him a son, Isaac.
- 13 years later, YHWH greatly tested Avraham … his final exam… why?
- YHWH asked Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering …
- Is this test consistent with the character of God?
- How is this related to YHWH’s promise in Bereshit 12 when He called Abram out of Ur?
Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV
1] Now the LORD [YHWH] had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2] I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3] I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Torah Insights:
Bereshit 22 is actually a fulfillment of the promises YHWH made to Abraham in Bereshit 12 when He called Abram out of his country.
For 38 long years, YHWH was moulding Abraham to true greatness.
We discover that YHWH is not only interested in declaring Abram righteous (Bereshit 15:6) – which is the focus of most man-made “religions” —
Bereshit 22 shows us that The Ultimate Goal of YHWH is to show to the world that Abraham, representing His covenant people, has reached True Greatness!
Truly Great people are willing to obey YHWH
no matter what the cost!
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Hebrew Word Study:
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“Tested” — Strong’s H5254
נסה nâsâh
BDB (Brown-Driver-Briggs) Definition:
1) to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test
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Hebrew Ancient Pictograph of נסה nâsâh
1314) action: Lift concrete: Standard (flag) abstract: Refuge:
The pictograph n is a picture of a seed representing continuance,
the x is a picture of a thorn representing the idea of grabbing hold.
Combined these mean “continue to grab hold”.
The tribal flag that is hung from a horizontal pole and lifted up high
and seen from a distance.
H) action: Test co: ? ab: ?: A test to prove one is deserved of being lifted up.
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World’s Concept of Greatness
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When we talk of greatness, we have to make sure that we are looking at this from YHWH’s perspective rather than the world’s perspective.
Once again, the perspective of the world is very different from the perspective of YHWH
In the world’s perspective, greatness is associated with a great career or performance like that of an athlete. Think of the basketball “great” Michael Jordan – or the boxing “great” M Ali – Or Pop star Michael Jackson –
The following are the world’s characteristics of greatness:
1] Based on the performance of a person in comparison to the performance of others in the same field at the same time.
2] Whether someone is great or not is determined by other people who “judge” their performance.
Therefore, by definition, only a “few” can be great. A competition means there is only one winner.
Therefore, the majority of people become spectators who simply “identify” with their “great heroes”. They imagine that whatever their hero does, they also do. They are the ones scoring the points. But in reality they are just spectators!
In many ways, church services have become a spectator sport.
Great preachers are “applauded”. Not so great preachers are “criticized”. Worshippers sit on pews, expecting to be entertained by the “worship leader”.
In contrast, Abraham was all alone on the stage of YHWH.
There were no “spectators” to applaud or boo him. Only YHWH’s eyes and judgment were important.
In contrast to the world’s perspective, Abraham was very old, 113 years old!
Most of the world’s great are retired by 30!
YHWH’s test of greatness was not related to a skill that Abraham had.
It was not related to the amount of wealth that Abraham possessed.
It was not related to the amount of knowledge in Abraham’s head.
It was not related to Abraham’s age.
YHWH’s test of greatness was related to Abraham’s heart.
It was related to Abraham’s RELATIONSHIP with YHWH.
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Purpose of YHWH’s Test:
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Genesis 22:11-12 NKJV
11] But the Angel of the LORD [YHWH] called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”
12] And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him;for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
YHWH tests His people to expose what is really in their hearts.
YHWH wants to know if His people “fear” Him / love Him.
Will they obey Him fully despite any obstacle?
YHWH’s “tests” are not the same as the tests we used to have in school.
YHWH’s tests are NOT MEANT to fail us or embarrass us!
In school, we could fail the tests!
We cannot fail YHWH’s tests.
YHWH prepares us, like a refinery, to make sure that by His grace,
we will pass His test with flying colors!
An important thought to consider is that in school, we could pass the test by “cheating”. We cannot cheat YHWH’s tests. Unlike our school teachers, YHWH sees everything we do.
From this we can deduce that to YHWH, the “externals” – the way we look, the way we dress, the rites/rituals we perform are less important to YHWH.
It is what is in our hearts that is important.
This deduction is confirmed in other parts of Scripture. Here is the advice that YHWH gives to the prophet Samuel when Samuel was ordered to select a king for Israel:
1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
7] But the LORD [YHWH] said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD [YHWH] does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD [YHWH] looks at the heart.”
King David understood YHWH well and in his “confession” psalm, he prayed:
Psalms 51:6, 16-17 NKJV
6] Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
16] For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart– These, O God, You will not despise.
Therefore, if one’s heart is not right, his sacrifices and prayers are an abomination to YHWH who sees what is in his heart. King Solomon, son of King David, understood this principle well:
Proverbs 15:8-9 NKJV
8] The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD [YHWH] , But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9] The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD [YHWH], But He loves him who follows righteousness.
All of YHWH’s people will go through similar tests as Abraham.
Moses clearly taught this concept of testing:
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 NKJV
2] And you shall remember that the LORD [YHWH]your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
3] So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
King David also understood this concept of “testing”:
Psalms 11:5 NKJV
5] The LORD [YHWH] tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.Psalms 17:3 NKJV
3] You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Psalms 66:10 NKJV
10] For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.David’s son, King Solomon, the wisest of all men, also understood:
Proverbs 17:3 NKJV
3] The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD [YHWH] tests the hearts.The prophet Isaiah predicts this testing:
Isaiah 48:10-11 NKJV
10] Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11] For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.
The prophet Zechariah talks about this testing in the “end times”
Zechariah 13:9 NKJV
9] I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say,’The LORD [YHWH] is my God.’ “———————————————————————
Side Note: How is Silver Refined?
Silver is purified through a somewhat complicated chemical process. First, the processed silver is covered in nitric acid. Next, it is heated, strained, and added to cold water. It is filtered again, and then copper is inserted into the liquid to extract the pure silver.
Reference: www.amateurpyro.com
It is burned in the hottest part of the fire. If the silver is left in the fire to long it will be completely destroyed. Heat is the purifier.
http://answers.ask.com/
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THE FOCUS OF SCRIPTURE
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Did you notice the focus of scripture?
It is on YHWH refining His people so that they will love Him with all their hearts, soul, and strength and demonstrate this love with 100% obedience!
This is in contrast to the focus of modern day religion which is trying to focus us on a Messiah that is EXTERNAL to us and on the sacrifice of this Messiah rather than on focussing on our obedience to YHWH!
Focussing on someone else’s sacrifice, no matter how great that sacrifice is, will not lead anyone to greatness. People become SPECTATORS.
The focus on obedience to YHWH will lead to greatness.
The main characteristic of those who make it to YHWH’s hall of fame is their FAITH IN YHWH THAT LEADS THEM TO OBEDIENCE EVEN THOUGH YHWH’S COMMAND DOES NOT MAKE ANY “HUMAN SENSE”.
Here is a warning from the Torah about people who lead you to focus on another “god” that is different from YHWH, even if this person performs “signs and wonders”:
Deuteronomy 13:1-18 NKJV
1] “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,2] and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’–which you have not known–‘and let us serve them,’
3] you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4] You shall walk after the LORD [YHWH] your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
5] But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD [YHWH] your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD [YHWH] your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.
6] “If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you [the Jews] have not known, neither you nor your fathers,
7] of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth,
8] you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him;
9] but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.
10] And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the LORD [yhwh] your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
11] So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.
12] “If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell in, saying,
13] ‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” ‘–which you have not known–
14] then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you,
15] you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock–with the edge of the sword.
16] And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.
17] So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers,
18] because you have listened to the voice of the LORD [YHWH] your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the LORD [YHWH] your God.
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Results When Avraham passed his test:
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Genesis 22:15-18 NKJV
15] Then the Angel of the LORD [YHWH] called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16] and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD [YHWH], because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son–
17] blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18] In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
The obedience of Abraham to YHWH brings blessings far into the future!
Our obedience to YHWH will also impact future generations with blessings!
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APPLICATION TO US
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1. Revise your view about “afflictions” in your life.
Let us view them as they really are: “tests” of YHWH to refine us, to make us great.
2. Rejoice and be thankful. YHWH is wanting to lift up your banner.
We are YHWH’s covenant people. Our afflictions are designed by YHWH to bring out the greatness in all of us! So instead of complaining about our “afflictions” let us rejoice and thank YHWH for them.
3. Focus your life and your childrens’ lives on loving YHWH with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength. These are probably the 7 most important verses in the Torah:
Deuteronomy 6:1-7 NKJV
1] “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD [YHWH] your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,
2] that you may fear the LORD [YHWH] your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
3] Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD [YHWH] God of your fathers has promised you– ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
4] “Hear, O Israel: The LORD [YHWH] our God, the LORD [YHWH] is one!
5] You shall love the LORD [YHWH] your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6] “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
A practical application of this is in obeying YHWH’s command to keep the 7th day Sabbath and His “feasts” (moedim = appointed times).
Leviticus 23:2-3 NKJV
2] “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD [YHWH] , which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
3] ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Note that the weekly Sabbath is one of YHWH’s appointed times!
We are commanded to have a “holy convocation” which means a public gathering, (as opposed to a private meeting in our home).
Often our “testing” comes in the form of a “conflict” of schedules.
There will be an “important occasion” or “family gathering” or “important business meeting” during the Sabbath.
Instead of meeting YHWH at His appointed time, we cancel YHWH’s appointment in favor of another human appointment. We are afraid of “What will people say if we don’t attend their “party”?
The better question is “What will YHWH say?”
Abraham was prepared to kill his son Isaac, because YHWH commanded him to do so. He was prepared to obey at all costs.
I pray that one day, we all will be able to do the same.
By the way, please never say “sorry” to me for missing the Sabbath appointment. It is not to me that you should say “sorry” but to YHWH.
HaleluYAH!
If you have questions or need for clarification please contact me at my new email.
Ricky Samson
email – rickysamson.YHWH@imb0ss.com
(Note the “0” is a number not a letter)