God's Friend, Abraham

The Bible starts in Genesis 12. 

Obviously it doesn’t, but here’s what I mean. Prior to Genesis 12, we are hurtling through time at break-neck speeds! Genesis 1 sends us through millions of years. Genesis 2 to 6 sends us through more than a thousand years. 6 to 11 sends us through hundreds of years. Imagine: you’re in a rocket ship advancing at a pace that keeps up with the narrative. Moving through Genesis 1, you’re a blur through space. Approaching Genesis 2 you begin to slow but you’re still zipping ahead at notable velocity. Incredible stories go by in the blink of an eye. You barely have time to make out the characters of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. In a moment you’re a thousand years ahead of them. You’re braking hard now. Your ship shakes violently as it pierces the dark clouds above the flood. It’s decelerating fast. You catch a quick glance of Noah and his family before your rocket sails past. You narrowly miss hitting the top floor of the tower of Babel as you descend and decelerate toward the surface. Then it happens: the opening of Genesis 12. 

Your ship touches down and slows to a stop at the end of a runway. There before you––no more than 20 feet away––stands a 75-year old shepherd clutching his staff. You see him through your windshield, but he doesn’t seem to notice your presence. God now invites you to exit the rocket and join him for a long walk through a barren countryside. You’re going to shadow him for the next 13 chapters or so, advancing at the pace of a man on foot. Compared to the outrageous speeds you’ve been traveling, Genesis 12 is the beginning of a whole new experience. It’s as if the Torah has been hurrying you along just to get you to this one man and his family. It’s like God’s been so excited for you to meet him and He just couldn’t wait. He couldn’t wait to introduce you to His friend, His companion, this shepherd named Abraham. 

When we first meet him, his name is Abram. Already 75 years old, Abram is very special in God’s eyes, so much so that he is called God’s friend (James 2:23). Unbelievably, he is the man whom God treated as an equal. 

Say what?! How can the Creator of the universe treat a man as His equal? 

It’s because God is a lot more humble than we might think! 

Do not hear me lifting Abraham up to God’s level. By no means! Abraham is but dust and ashes. Abraham himself wouldn’t dare do such a thing. What I am saying is, God, in a stunning act of grace and humility, bent down and treated Abraham as an equal. He humbled Himself enough to do the unthinkable: to initiate a blood covenant with a mere mortal! A blood covenant is done on level ground between equals, between committed friends. And as we follow this man Abram (soon to be Abraham) over the coming years, we find that he really is God’s friend. Allow me to make the case.

In Genesis 18, God and Abraham are walking together. They come to a mountaintop, or a cliff’s edge, and they look down at the city of Sodom. It is soon to be destroyed. And we read this: “Then the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’” (Genesis 18:17). 

Read it again because what a special piece of Scripture! It’s a rare glimpse into God’s private thinking. God knows that He is about to destroy Sodom, and here it’s like He says to Himself, “Shall I hide this from my friend? Friends don’t keep secrets from one another. Abraham is trustworthy. I will confide in him.” 

What ensues is a conversation for the history books. God and Abraham go back and forth in a dialogue about the city’s judgement. The discussion reveals the quality of their friendship. These are a few friends talking to each other: the Judge of all the earth alongside a bag of dust and ashes; they are walking and talking about current events as life-and-death realities hang in the balance.

This by itself is a marvel to behold: Abraham’s friendship with God is so unique. But there is more. 

In Genesis 22 we have another demonstration of friendship between them, wherein God actually says please to Abraham! Why would the Lord say please to a man? Well, perhaps because they’re friends, and friends say please to one another. 

After all, God realizes that He is asking a lot of a friend when He says to Abraham: “Please take your son, your only son whom you love––Isaac––and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there on one of the mountains that I will point out to you” (Genesis 22:2 ISV). Now note that most English translations forgo the please. This is in part because the Hebrew word na can be translated in different ways. But it is also because, at some level, it is uncomfortable to hear God say please to a man. The International Standard Version and Young’s Literal Translation translate the verse to say please, but the other translations translate the verse to say now. Their translations will read, “Take now your son, your only son...” But understand that, in Hebrew, it’s the same word. The word is na.

Na can and does mean please elsewhere in Genesis. Na is the word in Genesis 18:4 translated please when Abraham says, “Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree” (NASV). Na is the word in Genesis 12:13 again translated please when Abraham says, “Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you...” (NASV).

Na is the word used in Genesis 22:2 when God says to his friend Abraham, “Take please your son, your only son . . . and offer him there on one of the mountains that I will show to you.” In your translation it may say now there, but understand the word can be read as please just the same. And given the circumstances, I think it’s more fitting to read it as such. 

We know how the story goes: Abraham leads his son up the mountain to offer him there. But then, God stops Abraham from doing it. Many years later Jesus provides this insight: “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). I believe that, there on Mount Moriah after the ram became a substitute for Isaac, Abraham saw what God’s Son would one day have to go through. And just like God revealed to Abraham what would happen to Sodom before it actually happened, so too God revealed to Abraham what would happen to His Son before it actually happened. 

I mean, the two of them were friends, right? And friends don’t keep secrets from one another.

Why Does Noah Curse Canaan?

When Ham violates Noah in Genesis 9, why does Noah curse Ham’s son? Wouldn’t it make more sense to curse Ham directly? 

The story goes like this: After the flood, Noah plants a vineyard and drinks its wine; he gets drunk and lays uncovered inside his tent. His youngest son, Ham, sees his father naked. Ham tells his two brothers outside, and the two brothers respectfully go in and cover their father’s nakedness. When Noah wakes up from his stupor, he discovers what Ham has done to him (9:24). Noah then curses Ham’s son, Canaan. 

What did Ham do to his father? 

Well, we have to get in Ham’s head. What was Ham thinking? 

Let’s appreciate the age difference between Ham and his father. We know that Ham is at least 500 years younger than Noah (reference Genesis 5:32, 7:6, 11:10).

Next, let’s understand how much time has passed since the flood. When this event happens, enough time has passed that a vineyard planted by Noah has reached a state of maturity. Furthermore, Ham has by now had his fourth son, a child named Canaan (10:6). These establish that we are years away from the flood. 

Now, Ham naturally expects to live as long as his father has. So then, Ham believes another 500 years are ahead of him. That is a long time to accrue power, notoriety, wealth and respect. And already he sees himself as a powerful figurehead, a father to subsequent generations. His two brothers, Shem and Japheth, are his equals so to speak, all three being Noah’s direct descendants. At this level, Ham is one of three, and by golly a third of the earth sounds good to him. 

But wait. Coming off the ark, God told Noah to be fruitful and multiply! And Ham knows his father will be faithful to God. Just look at his track record! And having received such a clear directive, there is no doubt Noah will multiply. He will have more sons. But then, what does that leave Ham? 

With less and less share! 

Eventually Ham may not be one of three. He may become one of 10 sons, 15 sons, 20 sons! That sounds like war to a man who values power. Just the thought of it makes him upset. After all, Ham endured the flood with his father; he helped his father build the ark and feed the animals; he was among the select few to have this experience! If Noah now adds new sons to the family, these newborn sons will never understand what he and his brothers had to go through. And yet, the new sons will become equal to Ham and his two existing brothers. 

Ham cannot have it. So while alone with his father inside a tent, he makes his decision. He will prevent his dad from having any more children. Noah is black-out drunk and Ham will act swiftly. 

The passage in Genesis is interesting, isn’t it? It says Ham saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside . . . When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him...

What did Ham do to Noah?! 

I can’t prove it because the text is ambiguous, but this is what I think happened: Ham damaged Noah’s male organ, an act so severe that it prevented Noah from having any more sons. 

This explains why Noah stops at three sons when God clearly commanded him after the flood to be fruitful and multiply.

Secondly, Ham is not so ashamed to keep his deed a secret. Why? Because his brothers are also benefactors! His deed has cemented their place at the top of all subsequent generations. He doesn’t run away from his crime like Cain did; Ham openly tells his brothers what happened. 

But neither brother reacts as Ham had expected. They cover their father, their faces turned backward so as not to look upon Noah and his body. 

When Noah wakes up, he sees what Ham has done to him. This is when he curses not Ham but Ham’s son, Canaan. Perhaps this is his reasoning:

Canaan is Ham’s fourth son (10:6). Since Ham prevented Noah from having a fourth son, Noah prevents Ham’s fourth son from flourishing. The curse is one of humiliation. Every time Ham thinks of his fourth son, he remembers the fourth son he denied Noah from having. Because Ham limited the lineage of Noah at the fourth son, so Noah now subjugates the linage of Ham at the fourth son. 

Why doesn’t Genesis provide these details in plain sight, leaving nothing to question?

Maybe it’s because God is handling the matter with sensitivity. God is avoiding details on purpose in a manner that’s respectful to Noah. God Himself is covering the wound that Noah bears; He does so right alongside Shem and Japheth. And because the ugly details have been covered with such discretion, what exactly happened to Noah inside his tent that day will remain a mystery. 

The Old Man Noah

The flood is, at its core, a story of identity crisis. 

Typically when people get to know you, they get to know you by your interests, your friends, the places you go and the things you do. But imagine Noah aboard the ark. Those identity markers cease to exist. His entire world has been swept away. He has to make sense of himself without so much as a hobby or a hometown.

To relate this to modern times, it would be like suddenly finding yourself in a world without sports, restaurants, pop culture. Apple computers? No such thing. Nike shoes? No such thing. Hollywood? Starbucks? The Superbowl? Your grandkids are scratching their heads. 

Without a culture to contextualize your life, who are you? 

Noah is battling seasickness and asking himself this very question. He is forced to make sense of himself in a brand new way. The world that created him has been stripped away. What remains––his character, his family, his faithfulness, his experiences––these constitute the only identity he has left.

Identity remains an issue even after the flood. Coming off the ark and starting again, Noah is an old man in a new world. The next-to-oldest male is 500 years younger than he is. And outside his immediate family, every other person in the world is at least 600 years younger! 

Without as single male contemporary, Noah certainly feels lonely! He misses the company of an older person. No matter how much he appreciates God’s deliverance, no matter how much he loves watching his kids have more kids, in certain respects his heart remains on the other side of the flood. Noah spent the majority of his life there, after all.

I have to relate this to Job. Job also lost his whole world in a storm. (Job 38:1 refers to Job’s experience as a storm.) Job had an identity crisis of his own. Even after all things are restored to him (Job 42:10), God never takes away the pain of his loss. Job still has to grieve his previous life. We read that “the Lord blesses the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part” (Job 42:12) and that Job goes on to have “seven sons and three daughters” (Job 42:13). Nevertheless, Job never forgets the children he had beforehand, those who died when a literal storm killed them (Job 1:18-19). Job mourns them even after God blesses him in the latter part of his life. 

In a similiar way, I have to think Noah’s heart breaks when remembers his former life. A large part of him died right along with the others.

The Torah does an interesting thing with Noah. It groups him with his fathers as if to suggest Noah is of the old world more than he is the new one. To see this, we have to set two lineages side by side. 

First look at Shem’s lineage in Genesis 10. These are those living after the flood. 

Now read the lineage of those living before the flood (Genesis 5). You’ll notice the language is different:

Now we spotlight Noah. Specifically, look at the two verses that bookend his life (Genesis 5:32 & Genesis 9:28-29). Bringing these verses together, we read:

After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth . . . After the flood Noah lived 350 years. Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died. 

Pulling out the middle section, we find that Noah’s life is encapsulated by language that resembles those who came before the flood. 

Why? 

Because Noah is of the old world. Unlike his sons, he is a man of the past. He bridges humanity to the future, yes, but most of his life experience remains on the other side of the flood. Unlike his sons, he will, in large part, remain a foreigner in this new world. 

Contrast Noah to his three sons. From an early age, his sons grew up expecting a new beginning. Their short time in the old world was spent preparing for the new one. Their minds were always looking forward. But Noah? He spent 600 years in the old world! And for much of his life, he knew nothing of a flood! For at least five centuries, the old world was the only world as far as Noah was concerned. So naturally, Noah is attached to the older generations more than the newer. The old man Noah belongs with his fathers on the other side of the flood, and so the Torah, poetically, uses language that attaches him to the lineage of Adam and Seth. But his kids, living most their life after the flood, go on to populate a new world, knowing a rhythm different than that of Noah and his fathers.

Why a Flood?

In Genesis 7 we read about humanity’s big reboot––the flood. But a question arises: of all the ways God could restart the world, why would God choose to use water?

The secret is revealed in Numbers 31. Not only does it explain the water of the flood, but it also explains why earth’s final cleansing will come by fire.

Reading Numbers 31:21-23, we see the Israelites have returned from battle, victorious. In their victory, they have come to possess vessels of precious metal, gold, silver, etc. But before they bring these vessels into the camp, the priest Eleazar stops them. He’s like, “Stop! God wants these items purified before they enter the camp! If the item can withstand fire, then purify it with fire. If the item cannot withstand fire, then purify it with water.”

At its face, this directive seems irrelevant to you and I today. But then, wait: you begin to realize that what applies to a vessel taken from the battlefield could also apply to the planet. After all, the planet is a vessel taken from the battlefield.  

Let’s consider these verses in light of our passage from Numbers:

• Matthew 3:11: “I baptize [your body] with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

• Hebrews 10:22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

• 1 Corinthians 3:12-15: [Your foundation] will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

• 2 Peter 3:7: But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

• 1 Peter 1:7: These trials have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Hmm, so basically, if the vessel can endure fire (i.e., it’s something spiritual), then it is to be cleansed with fire. If the vessel cannot endure fire (i.e., it’s something physical), then it is to be cleansed with water. 

We apply this principle to God’s first and second judgment, a judgement that comes by water first and fire second. The flood was meant to cleanse the world of sinful people. The final judgment is meant to cleanse God’s people of a sinful world.

So why a flood? 

Because the first was a physical purification, so the cleansing came by water. 
The second will be a spiritual purification, so the cleansing will come by fire.

It aligns with the directive from Numbers 31. 

Sarah Lived 127 Years

Genesis 23 probably starts this way in your English translation: “Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.” But note, this is not how every Torah scroll in the world reads. What the translators have changed is how the Hebrew conveys Sarah’s age. The Hebrew in verse 1 more accurately reads, “And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.”

It’s as though the life of Sarah is being divided up into distinct periods of time. The rabbis offer a beautiful reason for this. They say it is because Sarah had the wisdom of a 100 year old woman, the heart of a seven year old girl, and the beauty of a 20 year old young lady. At least, in Abraham’s eyes. Having withdrawn from the public Abraham mourns her passing, and I can imagine sitting next to him and asking something like, “How old was Sarah? Wasn’t she 127?” And thinking of her, he’d say after a moment, “She was a hundred. She was seven. She was twenty.” 

The poets could stop here and walk away, content. 

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how others (not the poets but the math nerds) have extracted from Sarah’s lifespan an intriguing mathematical connection.

As they point out, Sarah is the great matriarch of the Jewish nation. She ties together the three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now watch how her lifespan of 127 years shows up when you play with the lives of the patriarchs. 

Abraham lived to 175.     (175 = 5² x 7)
Isaac lived to 180.            (180 = 6² x 5)
Jacob lived to 147.           (147 = 7² x 3)

We have a perfect square in sequential order multiplied by odd numbers in a descending pattern. In each case, the sum of the factors is 17, as shown here:

Abraham:    175 = 5 x 5 x 7.    (5 + 5 + 7 = 17)
Isaac:           180 = 6 x 6 x 5.    (6 + 6 + 5 = 17)
Jacob:          147 = 7 x 7 x 3.    (7 + 7 + 3 = 17)

Sarah lived to 127 years. 127 is the sum of these square numbers plus 17.

In other words, 5² + 6² + 7² + 17 = 127!

Math nerds everywhere are freaking out at this point, especially if they just finished their coffee. Meanwhile the poets are offended and wish they had quit earlier. 

Benjamin: A Picture of Jewish Believers

In the book of Genesis, more is written about Joseph than any other character. The book builds up to his life; it ends with his story. Joseph, we know, is a picture of Jesus. But let’s not stop there. Let’s build onto that connection. Let’s take the next step. 

We have already discussed how Ephraim and Manasseh represent Gentile believers (click here to see that connection made). Today I want to talk about Benjamin. A smile comes over my face every time I think about him. Because what we find is that Benjamin is a picture of the Jewish Messianic believer. For throughout the last 2000 years, there has been a steady line of Jews who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. In the beginning there were many, then it narrowed in number, and today again there are more and more coming to faith and accepting Jesus as their Messiah. Writing today, I hope to show how these Jewish believers are represented by Joseph’s beloved brother Benjamin. 

1. For starters, the Apostle Paul epitomizes a Messianic Jew. Of course, Paul is of the tribe of Benjamin! As he writes in Philippians: “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews . . . But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”

2. We’ll note that Benjamin was the only son born to Israel. All the other sons were born to Jacob. It was during Jacob’s wrestling match with God that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, and it was after that name-change when Benjamin was born. Benjamin himself had a name change, the only son of the 12 to have one. At his birth, his mother Rachel named him Benoni, meaning son of my sorrows. Interestingly, Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus have been a source of sorrow to the Jews who have not. Indeed, when a Jewish person gives his life to Jesus, it is not uncommon that his Jewish parents sit shiva and mourn him as though he had died. He becomes a Benoni, son of my sorrows. But you see, the Father disagrees. God, like Israel, changes it from Benoni to Benjamin, son of the right hand. So what appears as a source of sorrow to the Jewish people God says No, this one is a son of the right hand. The right side represents strength and spirit. In strength the Jewish believer stands with what he knows to be true, having the spiritual eyesight to recognize Jesus for who He is––just as Jacob recognized God in the wrestling match, and so became Israel. 

3. Benjamin’s birth is connected directly to Joseph. This is easy to miss, but remember what Rachel said when she gave birth to Joseph. Why did she name him Joseph? Joseph (יוסף) means to add or do again. Her words are found in Genesis 30:24: “And Rachel called his name Joseph, saying, ‘May the LORD add to me another son!’” God later added to her another son––Benjamin! So Joseph’s very name is attached to Benjamin. Joseph’s name is a prayer that God would add another son. And God answered that prayer. The connection here is that the re-birth of a Jewish believer is connected back to Jesus, just as Benjamin’s birth is connected back to Joseph.

4. Benjamin is born just on the edge of Bethlehem, the town Jesus would be born in. The other 11 sons were born north of this area, while Jacob was serving Laban and so on and so forth. Rachel was pregnant with Benjamin as the family journeyed southward, giving birth to him on the road between Bethel and Ephrath. Genesis 48:7 tells us that Ephrath is Bethlehem. It is interesting to note that Benjamin was born on the road, not at home. This makes me think of the diaspora, Jews living outside Israel, away from home so to speak, coming to faith in Messiah around the world. They are born again “on the road.” 

5. Benjamin did not participate in the sell of Joseph. Jacob sent Joseph to go out and check on his brothers, but Benjamin stayed at home. Benjamin had no part in the betrayal of Joseph. In a similar sense, Jewish believers are those who do not disown Jesus as their brothers do. 

6. Benjamin is not imprisoned with his brothers. When Benjamin’s brothers went to Egypt, they were imprisoned for about three days (imprisoned for two days, then set free on the third day). Benjamin was never in prison whereas all the rest were. Another way to say this is, Benjamin enjoyed a freedom that the other brothers did not––freedom from guilt, freedom from prison. He had a level of freedom that the other brothers didn’t experience. But those brothers (the Jews, the sons of Jacob) will know such freedom after 2000 years, themselves being set free in the third millennium.  

7. Joseph’s cup is hidden in Benjamin’s sack, the cup being a picture of Messiah’s cup. It’s a symbol. It’s a picture. And what was the cup made of? Silver. Silver is always a picture of redemption. Wherever we see silver, we see redemption. And unbeknownst to his brothers, Benjamin had such a treasure hidden in his sack, placed there by Joseph. What the Orthodox Jewish community doesn’t realize is that their Messianic counterparts have a treasure hidden in their sack, put there by Jesus.

8. Benjamin receives a greater portion than the other brothers. When they sit down to feast, Joseph gives all of his Jewish brothers a large portion, but to Benjamin he gives five times as much! (See Genesis 43:34.) In Hebraic thought, 5 is the number that represents grace. Because of Joseph’s actions, Benjamin experiences a blessing of grace that is more rich than what the brothers experience. 

9. Benjamin’s life is closely bound to his father Israel. This is what Judah says as he pleads with Joseph in Genesis 44. He says in verse 30, “...my father’s life is closely bound up with the boy’s life...” In other words, the life of Benjamin––representing a Jewish believer in Messiah––is still bound to Israel, still bound to the fathers, still bound to the covenants and the promises. He never ceases being Jewish. 

10. Benjamin is the youngest brother. In parallel, Messianic Judaism is just 2000 years old, whereas Judaism as a whole has been around since Abraham 4000 years ago. Messianic Judaism is like the youngest brother in Judaism, and like Benjamin, it is the smallest among them. Psalm 68:27 begins, “Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way...” Although the tribe of Benjamin is the smallest of the tribes (1 Samuel 9:21), Benjamin leads the way! Think about it: Benjamin was already with Joseph when Jacob and the family arrived! When all the other brothers departed from Joseph and journeyed back to Jacob, Benjamin alone remained with Joseph. So get the picture: here’s Jacob––here’s Israel––at a later time, arriving and coming to Joseph. But Benjamin’s already there! So too, in the future, Israel will return to Jesus, but look! Benjamin is already there with Him. 

11. Benjamin is absent for most of the Genesis narrative. Why is this? It is because this narrative at the end of Genesis is about Joseph drawing in the other ten brothers. Bringing them back. Testing them. Seeing if their hearts have changed. Personally I think one of the things that God is going to require of the Jewish people in the days to come is that they will be given an opportunity to embrace their Messianic brethren, and this will be the way that God tests them. As it happens right now, when a Jew becomes a believer in Jesus, he’s cast aside. You see, you can be an atheist yet still a Jew. You can be a Buddhist yet still a Jew. You can be anything you want to be and still be a Jew, but the moment you become a believer in Jesus Christ, they say you’re not Jewish anymore. Why is that? What’s that all about? I think there’s a day coming when the Jewish people as a whole will have to reassess Messianic Jewish believers, asking should we continue to reject them? Or should we finally embrace them as our own? Because here’s the thing: Joseph will reveal himself to the brothers only after he sees their hearts have changed, and they don’t do to Benjamin as they once did to him.

Christ is King! says the moon

It takes the moon 28 days to orbit the earth. In that time, it moves through various phases of light.

Jews pay close attention to the moon because the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles. At the beginning of the moon’s cycle, the moon appears as a thin crescent. Its first light signals a new month on the Jewish calendar. Over the course of the ensuing month, its light increases until the moon is full, then it wanes until the light cannot be seen and the month concludes. Shortly thereafter, the moon’s thin crescent reappears and, at that re-emergence of light, the cycle begins again.

Here’s what the phases of the moon look like on a Western calendar. The Western cycle isn’t tied to the moon so the moon’s evolution doesn’t determine the beginning or end of a month. Nevertheless, I want to share the image below just so we can visualize how the moon works through its phases. I have chosen a month at random. 

With this in mind, let’s open the first page of the New Testament. Matthew begins his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Starting with Abraham, Matthew moves through the genealogy name by name until he arrives at Jesus 42 generations later. To conclude, he summarizes by saying, “So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon 14 generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ 14 generations” (Matthew 1:17). 

Did you catch it?

When Matthew, a Jew, ties it all together with a repetition of 14 generations, the number 14 jumps out at him because his calendar is punctuated by 14s. He sees the moon here. Since each month on his calendar is 28 days long, each half-month comes at 14-day intervals, and each full moon lands 14 days after each no moon. 

But it’s more than that. A theme in the Gospel of Matthew is that Jesus is King. Calling Jesus the son of David is not just a historical fact but also a reference to Jesus’ right to the throne. In Hebrew (an alphanumeric language), the name David equals 14. 

Let’s take another look at the lunar phases, this time seeing the 14-day cycle as a progression in David (i.e., kingship).

Using January 2016 as our example, January 10 captures the first sliver of light as the moon comes into view. You might say this captures the life of Abraham, when the slightest sliver of God’s redemption story comes into view. 

We jump 14 days forward to January 24, when the moon is full. This is the time of King David (14 generations after Abraham). We have reached the height of what seems to be God’s redemption story. 

Advancing from the full moon, we travel half the moon’s orbit and reach no moon, something equivalent to January 9. At this time, the light is withdrawn; the moon is completely dark. This is the time of the deportation to Babylon (14 generations after David). 

Another 14 days pass and again the light is full. We’re reminded of King David, except this time it’s the Son of David who has come into view. It is the time of Jesus Christ (14 generations after the deportation to Babylon). 

Praying to God in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of Passover, Jesus our King is clothed in the light of the full moon. Passover always occurs during a full moon. 

To recap:

14 days (or generations) later...

14 days (or generations) later...

14 days (or generations) later...

The moon is all the time rehearsing Jesus’ genealogy as it recounts the history of God’s people and the ministry of His promises.

Another Look at Slavery in the Bible

God, giving His Torah to Moses atop Mount Sinai, declares His Will for the Redeemed Community. Included in His Law are rules that regulate a form of slavery among His people. (“Servant” and “slave” are the same word in Hebrew: ebed.) How can this be? How can God permit such an institution to exist in His holy land? 

I want to explore this question. To begin, we must understand the focus of God’s Law. God prioritizes obligations over rights, so the focus of the Law is on what you owe to others, not on what is owed to you. This simple adjustment in focus is essential to understanding the Torah’s version of slavery. It is so crucial in fact that I would have you click here for the full length explanation before continuing forward.

Secondly, we must understand that the Torah permitted slavery only under certain guidelines, guidelines of wisdom and compassion. We can’t isolate any one law from the rest. Rather we must bring the laws together so we can see the entire landscape that God is painting.   

Rule #1: Don’t be like Egypt. 
Exodus 22:21 commands: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” God is pointing at the Egyptians and saying, “That is exactly what NOT to do.” Don’t be prejudice against the stranger (like Egypt was); don’t subjugate the stranger (like Egypt had); don’t mistreat or oppress other people (like Egypt did). If you follow after Egypt’s example, then you have violated the boundaries of Torah. 

Rule #2: Protect runaway slaves.
This law is like a safeguard which ensures a slave will receive rightful treatment. How so? Well, if a slave is mistreated at the hands of a Jewish master, the slave is to respond by running away! By high-tailing it out of there! And God commands, “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. [The slave] shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he chooses within one of your towns, wherever it suits him” (Deuteronomy 23:15-16). “Do not wrong him” God reiterates (Deuteronomy 23:16). This runs counter to America’s Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 and Compromise of 1850, which enforced the capture and return of fugitive slaves. The Torah says that a runaway slave should be welcomed and protected wherever the slave chooses to go. Thus, masters are kept in check. If a master is too harsh, the slave is incentivized to run away, and in such cases, God stands on the side of the slave––not the master.

Rule #3: No forcible slave trade! 

Forcible slave trade is outlawed by the Torah. There is no place in the covenant community for people to use force against someone to make him or her a slave. Servanthood in and of itself is not evil, but forcible slave trade is evil. Exodus 21:16 is clear: “If a man steals and sells another, and [the victim] is seen in his hand, then [the kidnapper/slaver] shall be put to death.” Bill Bullock, writing as The Rabbi’s Son, comments: “The instruction to refrain from a slave trade was particularly appropriate concerning the descendants of Jacob. Never again, God is saying, will Judah or any of his brethren sell or lay hands on a Joseph to sell him, either for vengeance or for profit. If any member of the Redeemed Community has not learned this critical lesson from the era of Egyptian bondage (all resulting from the sale of a person into slavery), he is a danger to the community and is to be put to death according to legal process in order to purge the community of the spiritual sickness he represents. 

Rule #4: Reasonable discipline is allowed; unreasonable discipline is forbidden.
“Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their keceph (silver)” (Exodus 21:20-21). The Rabbi’s Son comments on this law, saying, “God wanted them to know that He saw all of their wounds, but that it is not His way to automatically intervene just because someone is getting beaten. Of course, acts of cruelty are inconsistent with the Holy One’s ways. But servants, like all human beings, are fallible. They may try to come in, take over, and take advantage of the master. To counter this, reasonable discipline of servants is permitted.” 

Rule #5: Unreasonable discipline results in the early termination of the trust agreement.

“If cruelty were to go unpunished in the Holy One’s community, how would the Holy One’s community be any better than Egypt or Babylon or pagan Canaan? Therefore the Holy One decrees that cruelty by the master brings about an early termination of the trust agreement. Indeed the Torah makes it clear that if a master does anything which disfigures a servant (such as putting out an eye, or even knocking out a tooth), the master has forfeited the right to the servant’s labor for the rest of the contracted six year term, and must send him out with full provisions to enable him to become a self-sufficient member of society.” This comes from Exodus 21:26-27 which says: An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth. Then Deuteronomy 15:13-14: And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.

Rule #6: Time off and fellowship is a must!
According to the Torah, all slaves are to be freed from their burdens once a week on the Sabbath Day (Exodus 20:10, Deuteronomy 5:14). Since all holidays are considered Sabbaths as well, slaves get every holiday off: Passover and Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, several days for Sukkot. Moreover, all slaves get to “rejoice before the Lord and fellowship with their masters, and take part in eating the freewill offerings and the finest vow offerings” (Deuteronomy 12:10-18). At the same table, masters and slaves fellowship and eat the finest food side by side. The Torah commands, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing” (Deuteronomy 25:4). If the law reaches down to a servant animal, then certainly it applies to servant human beings. The principle here is that whatever helps you collect blessing should enjoy a share in that blessing. If someone is serving you, don’t hold out on them. Allow the laborer to benefit from the blessing as you are benefitting from the laborer. Contrast this to accounts that tell of African-American slaves forced to prepare food in their master’s kitchen while they themselves were starving. Such cruelty is prohibited by the Torah! According to the principle laid down by Deuteronomy 25:4, slaves partake in the fruit of their toil. 

Rule #7: Female slaves must receive proper treatment.
Abraham and Hagar come to mind. If you recall, Hagar was Sarah’s slave given to Abraham to be his wife (Genesis 16:3). When Hagar was mistreated by her master Sarah, Hagar fled (16:6), and had a right to do so. Hagar returned, though, and as long as she remained in Abraham’s household, she––being a female slave betrothed to Abraham––had a right to food, clothing, and martial rights (intimacy). This is what the law says: “If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. If she [does not please] the master who has selected* her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects* her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money” (Exodus 21:7-11 NIV). I have asterisked the word “selected.” In the King James Version, the word is “betrothed.” In the Hebrew, it is the word ya’ad. To get a sense of this word, ya’ad is used when referring to the way God communes with man in the Tabernacle, which connotes a level of closeness and intimacy. Ya’ad is also used to describe the way people banded together in the rebellion of Korah. In that context, it connotes a common interest, a like-mindedness. And this is what the buyer is seeking, be it for himself or for his son. This explains why she is “not to go free as male servants do,” because the idea is to have a forever-relationship in which there is like-mindedness, common interest, connection and intimacy. Now also note that I have bracketed the phrase “does not please.” This is actually the Hebrew idiom “evil eye,” meaning selfishness (Reference). In other words, if she is uninterested in her master and thus displeasing to him, her father can redeem her––buy her back, undo the transaction. If, however, she pleases her master (or her master’s son), the Torah commands that she must never be neglected. For if she is, the arrangement is voided and she is a free woman. She will not be stuck in a bad relationship.

Stepping back, the point I’m trying to make is this: the Torah permitted slavery only under certain guidelines. We can’t isolate any one law from the rest. Rather we must bring the laws together before we begin to appreciate the picture that God is painting. His definition of slavery and servanthood is much different than the world’s version of slavery.