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Introduction

In June of 2018 many were stunned and saddened to learn of the death of Anthony Bourdain – a world-renowned chef, author and host of the hit cable TV show, Parts Unknown. This wildly popular television ‘reality’ series chronicled Bourdain’s treks to exotic, sometimes extremely remote places few had ever seen.

But the truth of the matter is that on these reality shows, when the adventure is over, and the cameras and equipment have been packed away, the stars get to go home. But try for a moment to imagine what would happen if the star of such a show discovered that he would have to remain in the last of these far-flung places for the rest of his life!

Now rewind 4,000 years. We meet a man named Avram Abram) who lives in the major Mesopotamian city of Ur. Most of the world at this time is polytheistic, and the people of Ur are no exception. But in the midst of such theological confusion, Avram believes in the One true God, who is present everywhere, is all-powerful, and infinitely wise. This God instructs Avram to leave the land of his ancestry for parts unknown or, at least, unspecified), informing him that he is never to return.

This was something all but unheard of at that time. In the modern era, people think nothing of relocating to other parts of the country, or even to other countries, for the sake of their career. After all, you can always fly home to visit the family. But in the ancient world, the idea of picking up and moving away from one’s ancestral home was almost unthinkable.

This week’s parasha is entitled Lech L’cha which is translated, “Go forth!” and spans Genesis chapters 12 through 17. The focus is on Avram whose name God will later change to Avraham) – the father not only of the Jewish people, but spiritually-speaking, the father in the faith to all who follow Yeshua the Messiah. Like Noah, a singularly righteous man in his generation, so Avram had a real and close relationship with God.

What made this one man so different? In a word: obedience. Chapter 12 opens with God telling Avram: “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.”

The journey had actually begun a generation earlier with his father, Terah. We are not told why Terah left Ur of the Chaldees. What we do know is that he intended to bring his family to Canaan, but got only as far as Haran, where he settled. Even that journey was considerable; nearly 550 miles, most likely at a camel’s pace.

Notice there’s a three-fold aspect to God’s command to Avram to depart: Leave your country, your people and your father’s household. It moves from the general to the specific, from the public sphere to the very personal. He didn’t just leave the great city of Ur, but he was leaving his people, the Chaldeans, and the culture in which he’d grown up. And not only his people, but the household of his father.

I’m guessing that had to be difficult emotionally! It is in our nature to hold on to what is familiar. We tend to fear the unknown. Avram had remained those years in Haran with his father, Terah, as is fitting for a son. When Avram was 75, his father passed away at age 205), and now Adonai summons him to leave. But along with the command is a series of seven remarkable promises.

• “I will make you into a great nation”
• “I will bless you
• I will make your name great” honor, renown)
• “You shall be a blessing”
• “I will bless those who bless you”
• “The one who curses you I will curse”
• “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”

Do you remember that in the previous parasha, Noah prophesied over Japheth, saying, “May God enlarge Japheth, and Noah went on to say, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem”. This meant that blessing would come to many nations represented by Japheth) through the covering the tent) of Shem – the Jewish people. Now, in chapter 12, that prophecy is more narrowly focused; it will come through the ancestral line of one particular Shemite: Avraham. And verse four reveals the key to that worldwide blessing.

So Avram left, as the Lord had told him;

That’s it – right there! If you want to know what was so special about Avram, it’s summed up in this word: obedience. God said, “Leave,” and Avram got up and left. Command and comply. No questioning of orders; no protest; no pleading extenuating circumstances. He simply did what the Lord told him to do. Why? Because he completely trusted in God.

If you get just one thing out of this parasha, indeed out of the entire life of Abraham, let it be obedience. Do what God tells you to do, and don’t do what He tells you not to do. And in almost everything, He’s already told you what He wants and doesn’t want… right here in Scripture.

Lot went with him. Avram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.

Imagine that: a major shift in life at age 75! So much for the excuse that someone is ‘too old’ to change. I am inspired when older people courageously part ways with the majority for the sake of following the truth! I’m reminded of Psalm 92, where it says, The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green. Maybe there’s somebody who’s listening to this message who has been sitting on the fence; you know deep down that Yeshua – Jesus really is the Messiah, but you’re afraid of disapproval if you announce that you believe. I urge you to imitate Avraham’s example: follow the truth, not the crowd.

Avram set out for parts unknown, but firmly trusting in God, and taking with him his nephew, Lot. Lot was the son of Haran, Avram’s older brother. Haran had died many years earlier in Ur.

Verse 5 says, Avram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.

We picture Avram traveling with Sarai and Lot and a few servants, but that isn’t correct. His was an enormous company of people; at least several hundred, and probably more than that. We’ll revisit that in chapter fourteen.

Meanwhile, a famine in the land forces them to sojourn for awhile in Egypt. But a crisis occurs. In order to avoid potential conflict over his wife Sarai, who is described as ‘beautiful’ probably referring to her regal manner of dress rather than her looks), Avram lies to Pharaoh, saying she is his sister. Pharaoh takes her into his palace, gifting Avram a wealth of livestock and servants in appreciation. But God strikes Pharaoh’s household with a plague. When the truth comes out, Avram and Sarai are promptly escorted out of town! It wouldn’t be the last time Avram tried to manipulate events instead of simply trusting God. But there’s a fascinating foreshadowing here. Four centuries later, God will again strike Egypt – with ten plagues, and once again Avram’s descendants will be sent out of Egypt, and again with great wealth.

In chapter 14, the family journeys to the Negev, at which point it becomes apparent to Avram and Lot that their flocks are far too numerous to occupy the same pastureland. Rather than quarrel over it, Avram suggests that he and Lot part ways, giving Lot first choice of which direction he prefers. Lot had taken a fancy to what was then the lush Jordan valley to the east, and settles in the vicinity of Sodom – described here in Genesis as ‘an exceedingly wicked city’. Soon after, a war arises between the nine kings of that region. In the midst of the conflict, Lot is captured. When word of this comes to Avram, he sets out with 318 trained fighters, all of whom we’re told had been born in his household, in order to rescue his nephew.

Think about this: if Avram had a personal army of 318 men, how many people must have been in his household? If we include all their wives, children and others who weren’t soldiers, I’d say we’re looking at well over a thousand people. That’s a small corporation! I can just imagine that caravan being visible from miles away.

There’s something else to consider: 318 men? That’s pretty specific; like the 153 fish caught in the nets by the disciples after Yeshua’s resurrection. A specific number like 318 reflects legitimate history – an accurate and literal chronicling of an event, as opposed to the inflated numbers and hyperbolic descriptions that characterize mythology. Genesis is history.

I always wondered if the number 318 held significance in the numerical value of the Hebrew letters. I don’t usually delve into gematria, but in this case you might find it interesting to know that 318 corresponds to the Hebrew verb yashuv, which means “he returns”; perhaps a sign that Avram would return with Lot, victorious in battle. It also corresponds to the Hebrew name Eliezer ‘my God is a help’) which would also point to God being with Avram and his soldiers, to give them victory. And that’s what happened. Avram quickly and thoroughly defeated those who had taken Lot captive.

Returning from battle, Avram is met by two kings, and presented with two very different, conflicting offers. In this moment he will make a defining choice, one which will echo across all of history. Bera, the king of Sodom, offers him riches – the spoils of the war, in exchange for an alliance. Avram flatly rejects that offer. He wants nothing to do with Sodom or its king. Next, Malki-tzedek which means ‘King of Righteousness’), the king of Salem, who we are told is also a priest and a fellow worshiper of the one true God, offers him bread and wine. Avram gladly accepts, choosing to identify with Malki-tzedek rather than make an unholy alliance with Sodom. He even pays Malki-tzedek a tithe.

Many people wonder whether Malki-tzedek was actually Yeshua in a pre-incarnate appearance. It’s possible, but I think it more likely that he was simply a righteous monotheistic king. The writer of The Letter to the Messianic Jews Hebrews) points out that we don’t know anything about Malki-tzedek’s father or mother or family line, so like Messiah Yeshua, his origin is shrouded in mystery. Add to that his name, King of Righteousness, and it makes for great speculation – but only that.

In chapter 15 God promises a son to Avram, who is nearly 100 years old and still childless – even telling him in advance to name his son Yitzchak – Isaac, which means ‘laughter’. Both he and Sarai, at different times, laughed at this news. But Adonai wasn’t pulling his leg; He meant it, going so far as to seal the promise with a covenant. But Avram gets more than he bargained for, as the Lord shows him the future – that his descendants will be enslaved 400 years in a foreign land, after which they will return and take possession of Eretz Canaan.

There is much to consider about that covenant. 1) it was unilateral; God bound only Himself, not Avram or his descendants, to its terms. 2) it was unconditional; it did not depend on how well Avram or his descendants would ‘perform’. 3) It promised the entire land of Canaan to Avram’s descendants in perpetuity!

Chapter 16 is an object lesson on so many levels. Sarai, now almost 90 years old herself, and impatient at not having any children, convinces Avram to take her handmaid, Hagar, as a concubine, in order to bear children to Sarai by proxy. Avram goes along with the plan, and the result is Ishmael… and the further result would be generations of unremitting strife between Ishmael’s descendants and the descendants of their not-yet-conceived son, Isaac.

At the risk of stating the obvious, can I just say it: God doesn’t need your help to fulfill His promises. There’s a sign you’ll sometimes see in an automotive or motorcycle repair shop:

Regular hourly rate: $50

If you watch $75

If you ask questions: $125

If you offer advice: $175

If we are fixing your ‘repair’: $250

If it’s true that “those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength,” then I suggest that those who will not wait upon the Lord will renew tzuris – troubles for themselves. Usually when people try to ‘help’ God, embarrassment follows, and more often than not, the situation is made worse.

Finally, in chapter 17 God tells Avram, who is now 99 years old and still without a child by Sarai, that his name is to be changed to Avraham, meaning, ‘father of a multitude’. Likewise, Sarai’s name is to be changed to Sarah. Each acquires the addition of the letter hay ה) into their name, possibly from the first letter of the Hebrew word hamon – ‘multitude’) since God promises each of them that multitudes of peoples will descend from them. Avraham is still skeptical that he and Sarah, at their advanced ages, could bear a son, and suggests that Ishmael be the heir. God promises that Ishmael will also be blessed and become a great nation, but that His covenant will continue through Isaac – a child to be conceived by miracle.

And it is at this pivotal time that Avraham is given the physical sign of the covenant: circumcision. Adonai commands that Avraham and every one of his male descendants, for all generations to come, be circumcised on the 8^th day following birth. Covenant ceremonies always involved blood. For example, in Genesis 15:18 when God made the covenant with Abraham, the actual Hebrew verb there is karat – translated ‘cut’. God cut a covenant with him.

Once again, Avraham did what God told him to do. He had himself circumcised, and then circumcised every male in his home, according to the command. This wasn’t an easy thing. But being a true follower of the God of Israel isn’t for the half-hearted. Avraham’s courage and resolve matched his obedience.

Concerning the ‘cutting’ of covenants, and the necessity of blood, it was this very question that propelled our late, beloved brother, Stan Telchin, a wealthy Jewish insurance salesman, to come to faith in Yeshua. Having studied these things extensively, he asked himself, “If circumcision was the ‘cutting’ on man’s end, where was the ‘cutting’ on God’s end?” Then it suddenly dawned on him – he envisioned Yeshua dying, shedding His own blood, much like the innocent animals sacrificed at the mizbeach altar) of the Temple. Abraham’s sons would be cut as a sign. God’s Son would be cut in the ultimate way. This, in fact, is how all the families of the Earth would be blessed through Abraham – through the atoning death and resurrection of the greatest of his descendants: Yeshua the Messiah.

Parashat Lech L’cha is filled with genuine history and wise instruction. But the one great takeaway is this: Avraham’s obedience. He is the quintessential example of what a believer’s life should look like. Though far from perfect, Avraham genuinely believed God’s promises, and did what God told him to do.

There was a couple who had problems getting their son to clean his room. It was so frustrating; he would always agree to tidy up, but wouldn’t follow through.

After high school the young man joined the Marine Corps. When he came home for leave after basic training, his father asked him what he had learned so far in the service.

“Dad,” he said. “I learned what ‘now’ means.”

Do you have the obedience and the courage of Abraham, to journey wherever God leads you, even to parts unknown? Your destiny, and the legacy you leave behind you, depend on your willingness to go where He sends you, do what He tells you, and trust Him for the outcome.

Lord God of Israel, help us walk in Avraham’s footsteps – fully obedient to You, and trusting in You for the outcome. Please help us, Heavenly Father, to learn from, and imitate our Father Abraham.