42 Growth
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בייה Genesis 42 – Growth Friends, Joseph’s ten half-brothers, were having difficulty confronting their mistakes. Their guilt was overwhelming. They were haunted and tormented daily for two-plus decades for their sins against their father and Joseph. Their conscience had a junkyard dog’s grip on them. It was like a reoccurring shadow. They felt the depths of guilt like an ocean wave crashing against rocks along the shoreline. (Genesis 42.1) וַיַּרְא יַעֲקֹב כִּי יֶשׁ־שֶׁבֶר בְּמִצְרָיִם וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב לְבָנָיו לָמָּה תִּתְרָאוּ: ס We begin our discovery with an Analysis of the Words וַיַּרְא יַעֲקֹב Vah Yah Rih – Yah Ah Kov – Jacob [prophetically] saw. The Gematria is 399. A prophet interprets and judges what he sees in his dream or Vision. We know Jacob’s perception was strong because he acted on it. The Spirit of prophecy flowed from Abraham and Sarah to Isaac and Rebekah to Jacob and Rachel to Joseph. When a child is conceived and raised in a prophetic atmosphere, he/she is gifted with a unique spiritual sensitivity. Prophecy was not foreign to Jacob! He had been mourning for Joseph for over two decades. He did not receive or interpret prophecy until his Vision in Genesis 42.1 realized something was amiss. All of a sudden, he had יֶשׁ־שֶׁבֶר Yehsh Sheh Vehr the expectation of hope. The channel by which he received prophecy was now open and flowing clear. Rabbi Yisrael Isser Zvi Herzog, The Sapirstein Edition Rashi Bereisheit / Genesis (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. First Edition 10th impression 2007), p 463 Perhaps Joseph was not dead. Maybe his ten sons had been deceptive with him. Jacob summons his sons. The Gematria for יִשְׁפֹּט Yee Sheh Poht, meaning he [Jacob] Judged, is 399. Now that prophecy had returned to him; he perceived there was hope in Egypt. Jacob sends for his ten sons to inform them. When they gathered, they perceived something was different about their father. The Spiritual Presence of Prophecy flowed through Jacob before Joseph’s assumed death had returned. Jacob’s mourning of twenty-plus years for Joseph had ended. It was an eerie feeling for them because they knew it would soon be revealed to him what they had done. Then Jacob proclaims to them, ‘There is hope in Egypt.’ The Vision of that hope was not entirely clear. He was still Judging and analyzing his Vision. He questioned them, Why are you looking one upon the other? It was obvious to Jacob that something was amiss. Even though the Spirit of Prophesy was about to reveal their sins, they were not ready to confess their misdeeds just yet. Folks, how about us? What are we like when it comes to admitting our past failings? Do we dodge and hide or step up to the plate? Substantial growth is not instant soup. When one confronts their evil adversarial inclination, it may be internal war and discomfort on many levels for a long while. Why should we expect Joseph’s half-brothers to be different from how we may be? Sometimes we lie to ourselves. (Isaiah 5.21 – 24) cautions us, ‘Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and Light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their sight! Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mix strong drink; Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him/her! Therefore as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have cast away the Torah of the Lord of Hosts and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.’ Joseph is equipped to deal with his brothers as we study (Genesis 41- 50). Joseph wants to ensure his half-brothers get the message about his Prophetic dreams. On the one hand, he wants to drive that message home; on the other, he wants to measure and judge their individual growth. Let’s be honest! Joseph’s half-brothers hung him out to dry for twenty-two years. Did they intend to carry their anger, bitterness, and hatred of Joseph to the grave with them? How long will they continue to carry that sinful grudge? Where was their heart of compassion towards their flesh and blood? How long were these ten righteous men willing to let that root of evil dominate their lives? They were each head of one tribe of Israel. What would it take for each of them to face this adversarial inclination? It’s time for some personal growth. In a previous study (Genesis 41.1), we discussed God’s Timing. Ha Torah revealed that Pharaoh dreamed at the end of two full years. It was then Joseph rose to become Viceroy of Egypt. In this discussion, The Spirit of Prophesy returns to Jacob. It was time to hold his ten sons accountable. They continually perpetrated a falsehood for 22 years. What did that feel like for Joseph. Now it was Joseph’s turn to teach them what it felt like when someone perpetrates a falsehood. Joseph accused them of being spies in (Genesis 42.9). [He said] אֲלֵהֶם מְרַגְּלִים Ah Lay Hehm – Mih Rah Gih Leem – unto them [you are] spies.’ The Gematria of אֲלֵהֶם מְרַגְּלִים is 399. (Genesis 42.21) says, ‘And [Joseph’s half-brothers] said one to another, We are truly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he be sought us, and we would not listen/hear; [that is why] this distress has come upon us. And Reuben [responded to] them, saying, [Didn’t I say to you], Do not sin against the child; and you would not listen/hear. Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.’ [They did not know Joseph understood them]. Later they asked themselves, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’ Friends confronting our evil adversarial inclination may result in internal war and discomfort on many levels for a long while. How does that impact us? We are Jacob’s descendants. We struggle with the same issues that our forefathers did. Each of us struggles with past mistakes. We struggle with acknowledging our sins. Some of us resist holding ourselves accountable just like our forefathers did. We do not want to face the music. In our hearts of hearts, we know that we need to improve. When we observe The Mitzvot written in Ha Torah, they help us return to God. The Observances of Ha Torah help us improve, feel confident, and grow. They are for our benefit. (Psalms 78.1) says, ‘Give ear, O My people, to My Torah; incline your ears to the Words of my Mouth.‘ David wrote, ‘The Torah of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver,‘ (Psalms 119.72). After what they did to Joseph, They became soiled and continually perpetrated a falsehood for 22 years. They were the source of much pain and suffering for their father and Joseph. Conservatives, that sounds like our world. Our governments are soiled by deception, lies, and multiple coverups. It is time to combat dishonesty and harmful, illegal acts. We smell the immoral stench. There is only One Light and one path out of this wickedness. (Michah 4.2) says, ‘And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for Torah shall go forth from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.‘ May The Lord Bless us in our daily walk, and may we stay within Torah’s Guidelines. May we help others and bring peace and healing to our world. May this coming Sabbath and every Sabbath be a blessed Day. Good Sabbath! Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk Director of JewishPath.Org |
