Week Nine
What is the Gospel of Peace: Genesis
Week Nine: My Three Sons
Contents of this week’s study:
Bereshit [Genesis] 9
Day One: Again, “Rule in God’s Image”
Day Two: Blood and Meat
Day Three: God of Covenants
Day Four: The Three Peoples
Bereshit [Genesis] 10
Day Five: Gen, 10 Genealogies
Day Six: The Importance of Davening
Genesis 9
Day One: Again, Rule in God’s Image
Bereshit [Genesis] 9:1-2 (CJB)
1 God blessed Noach and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will be upon every wild animal, every bird in the air, every creature populating the ground, and all the fish in the sea; they have been handed over to you.
Again, these passages contain the same language which God used when He created and commissioned Adam and Havah, and just as He did with Adam and Havah, God tells Noach and his family that they are to “rule in His image”; in other words, to be His image [idol - representative] in the world.
Let’s take a few minutes and review the meanings of the words used in God’s instruction to Noach. Write your conclusions and thoughts in your journal.
In the Strong’s:
Fruitful 6509H pârâh, paw-raw´; (PR); to bear fruit (used literally or figuratively): --- bear, bring forth (fruit), (be, cause to be, make) fruitful, grow, increase.
X _______________________________________.
It’s interesting that Strong’s says the above is a (PR), yet, the next word listed in the Strong’s, 6510H means “heifer”, but it is the same exact word. 6510H is said to be the feminine of 6499H pawr “bullock” (apparently, as breaking forth in wild strength…)…; which is from 6565H paw-rar´; (PR); to break up (usually figurative) i.e. to violate, frustrate: --- … clean… defeat… annul… bring (come) to naught, x utterly, make void.
Multiply 7235H râbâh, raw-baw´;(PR); to increase (in whatever respect): --- [bring in] abundance (x antly)… be in authority, bring up, x continue…
X _______________________________________.
Fill (replenish in the KJV) 4390H mâlê’, maw-lay´ (in Esther 7:5 maw-law´); (PR); to fill or (intransitively) - be full of, *[used] in a wide application (literal or figurative): --- accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, x draw, give in, go) full (-ly, -ly set, tale), [over-] flow, fulness, furnish, gather [selves, together], presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a [hand-] full, + have wholly.
X ______________________________________.
Think about it: When Yeshua says in Matthew 5:17 (TLV) 17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”
Q) Could Yeshua be saying He came to do the same thing God told Adam and Havah and then later told Noach to do?
Take a look at the definition of “fill” again.
Now, think about what Yeshua said to His talmidim in
Matthew 28:18-19a (CJB)
18 Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim...
Again, in Mark 16:15-16 (TLV)
15 He told them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature. 16 He who believes and is immersed shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.
Q) In these verses, is Yeshua, perhaps, telling His talmidim [students] to “be fruitful and multiply”?
Of course, we know that Adam, Havah and Noach were given this command in a world void of the masses of other people, so, in their case, this command would mean they should carefully, diligently train their progeny to keep covenant with the King of the universe and to rule in justice and mercy as God's representatives. We are also commanded to raise our children in the covenant, but I believe our commission goes beyond that rudimentary understanding. As it was with Avraham, we are also to teach those already on the earth to walk in covenant with God. These students are our spiritual children.
Journaling:
Journal your thoughts on the possible connection between what God told Adam, Havah and Noach and what Yeshua told His talmidim. We'll try to clarify the ideas presented here in our video discussion.
Day Two: Issues of Blood and Meat
Bereshit 9:3 (CJB)
3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you; just as I gave you green plants before, so now I give you everything —
As you may know, there is an ongoing debate about whether God gave the instructions about eating kosher (i.e. which animals are OK to eat and which are not) before He brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt to Mount Sinai.
Q) In our scripture, was God actually --- giving mankind permission to eat everything after the flood?
X ______________________________________.
Of course, we know we cannot eat “everything”. Many things, whether plants or animals, are actually-toxic for human-beings, and remember, from the beginning, God specifically gave permission to eat plants which bare seed and fruit that carries it's seed within it.
So,why the change in policy from permission to eat only plants to now include animals after the flood?
Compare this question to what we determined about the two covenential trees in Gan Ayden and the probable conclusion that there was no “evil” tree in God’s garden, and the Tree of Knowledge did not impart any magical powers of knowing the difference between good and evil, but the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Tov and Rah” merely represented a choice Adam and Havah had to make; i.e. whether they would obey God or not.
Remember, the idea of being in covenant with God means that He is our king, therefore, we obey His just decrees, and He protects and provides for us. Thus, as His subjects (people) we live under His protection and care not having to endure the hardship, pain and suffering inherent in this world -- without the knowledge that He is always working things out to the ultimate good for those who keep covenant with Him.
Take a few minutes to journal your thoughts about what would have been changed after the flood. What would the face of the earth look like after it was scrubbed by thousands of feet of tumultuous water, and how tenuous would survival be? Journal your thoughts on the idea that Noach and his family have renewed their covenant with God, and God has provided the flesh of His animals as added nourishment.
Another important thing to remember is that in His law God also gave very strict instructions as to how animals are to be raised, slaughtered and butchered. God’s instructions provide a quick and painless death for His beloved creatures (no unnecessary hardship, pain or suffering).
We can also speculate that before the flood, mankind might have already fallen to (illegally) killing God’s animals to consume (and possibly made a ritual of drinking their blood?).
Although, after the flood God gave mankind permission to kill animals for food; life is linked with the blood; blood is sacred.
Bereshit 9:4-6 (CJB)
4 only flesh with its life, which is its blood, you are not to eat. 5 I will certainly demand an accounting for the blood of your lives: I will demand it from every animal and from every human being. I will demand from every human being an accounting for the life of his fellow human being. 6 Whoever sheds human blood, by a human being will his own blood be shed; for God made human beings in his image.
Also consider the following:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 17:10-11 (Chabad.org)
And any man of the House of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My attention upon the soul who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people. For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have therefore given it to you [to be placed] upon the altar, to atone for your souls. For it is the blood that atones for the soul.
Understanding is everything:
Link – Youtube video – New2Torah – “Blood and Fat - Learn by Doing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN_s0xS9Jcw
Short video. This video is not gruesome, however, I suggest that if you are really squeamish about raw meat, etc. listen w/o watching.
Bereshit 9:7 (CJB)
7 And you people, be fruitful, multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply on it.”
In the Strong's:
Consider the meaning of these words as they are, again, used in this scripture. I am including the definitions 'below" each word.
Fruitful: ___________________________________.
Fruitful 6509H pârâh, paw-raw´; (PR); to bear fruit (used literally or figuratively): --- bear, bring forth (fruit), (be, cause to be, make) fruitful, grow, increase.
As I've noted before, I think it is important to consider the application of the fruit of the Ruach Hakodesh [Holy Spirit] from Galatians 5:22,23 when questioning the meaning of the command to "be fruitful", i.e. to produce fruit.
Did you note that our text uses the word “multiply” twice in vs. 7. Both occurrences of the word “multiply” in vs. 7 are the same Strong’s word, “rabah”. Of course, the meaning is not necessarily the same for each use of this word.
Multiply: __________________________________.
Multiply: __________________________________.
Multiply 7235H râbâh, raw-baw´;(PR); to increase (in whatever respect): --- [bring in] abundance (x antly)… be in authority, bring up, x continue…
Swarm: _______________________________________.
Swarm: (“bring forth abundantly” in the KJV) 2317H shârats, shaw-rats´; (PR); to wiggle, i.e. (by implication)- swarm or abound: --- breed (bring forth, increase) abundantly (in abundance), creep, move.
Journaling:
The following link is to an Aish.com article which lists several opinions on the allowance of eating meat after the flood -- from the sages; a little “food for thought” (pun [sadly] intended). Journal your thoughts, whether you’re inclined to consider one or more of the theories posed or if you have another opinion[s].
Link – Article – Aish.com – “Meat After the Flood”: https://www.aish.com/atr/Meat-After-the-Flood.html
Day Three: God of Covenants
Bereshit 9:8-10 (CJB)
8 God spoke to Noach and his sons with him; he said, 9 “As for me — I am herewith establishing my covenant with you, with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — the birds, the livestock and every wild animal with you, all going out of the ark, every animal on earth.
Q) Did God make the “Rainbow Covenant” 1) only with Noach, 2) only Noach and his family, 3) only with mankind or 4) with every creature on earth?
X _______________________________________.
Another covenant with Noach; why?
Noach was born into God's [renewed-]covenant with Adam and Havah. Remember, as we discussed before, Noach was from a line of “covenant keepers”. Although mankind had gone astray, there was a chain of men, a remnant, from Seth [Shayth] to Noach who kept God's statutes and decrees.
Then, before the flood, God made the Ark covenant with Noach, the family and the remnant of the creatures; vowing that if they obeyed His decree, He would keep them safe inside the ark while He brought judgement upon the earth.
Genesis 6:18 (CJB)
18 But I will establish my covenant with you; you will come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
Q) Now, God establishes his second direct covenant with Noach and his descendants.
Bereshit 9:11 (CJB)
11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
In your own words, write a brief description of the purpose of this covenant according to vs. 11 and answer the following two questions.
Q-1) Among the people on the earth today, who descended from Noach?
_____________________________.
Q-2) Since God will never break His covenant (this remains true even if/when mankind breaks it); is it safe to assume that you, me and every person on earth are still in this "Rainbow Covenant" with God?
___________.
Bereshit 9:12-16 (CJB)
12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”
Q) Does the rainbow still belong to God, and do you think it still reminds God of this promise?
_________.
In the Strong’s:
Rainbow (Bow in the KJV) 7198H qesheth, keh´-sheth: … to bend a bow, for shooting (hence, figuratively- strength) or the iris: --- x arch (-er), + arrow, bow ([man, shot]), from 7185H kaw-shaw´; (PR); properly- to be dense, i.e. tough or severe (used in various applications): --- be cruel, be fiercer, make grievous, be ([ask a], be in, have, seem, would) hard (-en, [labour]), -ly, thing), be sore, (be, make) stiff (-en, [necked]), See also 6983H koshe; (PR); to bend, used only as denominative for 3369H yaw-koshe´; (PR); to ensnare (used literally or figuratively): --- fowler, (lay a) snare.
From the Strong's description, would you say God's rainbow is in the type of 1) a bow tie 2) a bow for a girl's hair, 3) a bow for playing a musical instrument, or 4) a bow (weapon) which shoots arrows?
________________________________________.
Q) Why do you think God placed a “bow” in the sky as a reminder of His covenant, and who does it seem to be pointed at?
________________________________________.
________________________________________.
God said the bow in the sky would remind Him of His promise that He would never again destroy all flesh "with a world-wide flood", but does the rainbow covenant mean He cannot condemn evil in another way?
X _____________.
Journaling:
Carefully consider the following and write your thoughts:
We are not able to condemn anyone, but
Q) When a group of people take God’s reminder of His covenant and use it as a symbol of a rebellious lifestyle which is forbidden in both the Torah and the Brit Hadashah, could there be an unspoken, unrealized message to God, such as; “God, You promised to never punish disobedience with a flood again, so we believe we can live however we like and You will not do anything about it”?
Q) Did God say He will not do anything about rebellion and disobedience?
_________.
2 Peter 3:7b
[The heavens and the earth] are being kept for fire until the Day of Judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
2Peter 3:10b
On that Day the heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will melt and disintegrate, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up.
Q) Now, could there be a hidden promise in the rainbow covenant, and what would you say that promise may be? look again at the definition of the last portion of the description of "bow" (above) and write your thoughts.
Day Four: The Three Peoples
Genesis 9:18-19 (CJB)
18 The sons of Noach who went out from the ark were Shem, Ham and Yefet. Ham is the father of Kena‘an. 19 These three were the sons of Noach, and the whole earth was populated by them.
Today’s study is meant to cement our understanding that the descent of man originated with the three sons of Noah and to, hopefully, further expound on the prophetic insight revealed in the significance of these three brothers and their descendants.
Take a few minutes using the map linked below (or other map showing settlements of Noah's descendants); compare the movement of the descendants of the sons of Noach and consider how all the peoples alive today have sprung from Noach’s three sons.
Link - Map at Website - Bible History - Map of the Descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth:
https://bible-history.com/old-testament/desc-shem-ham-japheth
Despite the fact that he had a long lifespan; Noach seems to have fathered only the three offspring (at least these are the only ones who survived the flood and are documented in scripture).
It is also interesting to note that the sons of Noah were not young men at the time of the flood. In Genesis 11:10 we find that Shem (perhaps the oldest) had a son, Arphaxad two years after the flood when he, Shem, was one hundred years old.
Exposing the Father:
Genesis 9:20-27 (Chabad.org)
20 And Noah began to be a master of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness, and he told his two brothers outside. 23 And Shem and Japheth took the garment, and they placed [it] on both of their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and they covered their father's nakedness, and their faces were turned backwards, so that they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his small *[youngest] son had done to him. 25 And he said, "Cursed be Canaan; he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren." 26 And he said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them. 27 May God expand Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them."
In the Strong's:
Nakedness 6172H ervah, er-vaw': nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively, (disgrace, blemish):___ nakedness, shame, unclean (-ness), From 6168H aw-raw': (PR) to be (cause, make) bare: hence, to empty out, demolish:--- leave destitute, discover, empty, make naked, pour (out), rase, spread self, uncover.
6172H is related to 6173H which means "impoverishment, dishonour".
________________________________________.
I hope, by now, we all have fully embraced the understanding that everything that has been written in scripture is there for a reason and has some kind of important insight to reveal to people who are truly seeking God and His will whether the information is prophetic, corrective or directive. Hopefully we can also acknowledge, by this point, that the three sons of Noach must have their own secrets to reveal to us.
Allow me to come right to the point. As we noted previously, the flood, Noach, and the ark are all believed to bear hints regarding end-of-days elements and events. Noach’s sons may also be types or "prophetic pictures" of peoples who will live at the end of man's rule; as the millenial reign of Messiah arrives.
One thing Noach’s sons may reveal is that Messiah (represented by Noach) will deliver three groups of people from the terror of God’s judgement on unrepentant man. So, who could the three end of days people groups which Noach’s sons represent be? Let’s begin our search for insight, as we often do, by considering the meaning of the names of Noach's three sons.
In the Strong’s:
1) Shem 8035H Shem, shame; name; Shem, a son of Noah, same as 8034H shêm, shame; (PR); [perhaps- rather from 7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position…] an appellation, as a mark of memorial or individuality; by implication- honor, authority, character: --- + base, [in-] fame [-ous], name (-d), renown, report.
_____________________________________.
Do you notice that the meaning of the name “Shem” denotes a position of honor?
Remember, that one son would inherit the blessing of serving as priest before God. Some scholars have suggested that Shem was the eldest of the three, and if so, it seems the priesthood fell to the natural heir, Shem.
Shem was the ancestor of Avraham, and Messiah and God's nation [Israel] would come through the line of Avraham.
2) Ham 2526H Châm, khawm; hot (from the tropical habitat), from the same root as 2525H khawm: --- hot, warm, from 2552H khaw-mam´; (PR); to be hot (literally or figuratively): --- enflame self, get (have) heat, be (wax) hot, (be, wax) warm (self, at).
______________________________________.
At one point in their article on the name “Ham” (linked below), Abarim Publications notes that the meaning of Ham’s name more closely relates the idea of “passion, intensity”.
*I think this definition may give us clearer insight into the character of the ancestor of Nimrod, Canaan and the pagan peoples who usurped God’s covenant land.
Whatever the true significance of his presence in scripture, we are left to speculate about what this man of passions who “exposed his father’s nakedness” has to communicate about end-time events and/or people.
Some say it was Ham, some say it was actually Ham’s son, Canaan who acted shamefully. At any rate, for the undefined act of exposure, Canaan, Ham’s son, was cursed.
Link – Definition – Abarim Publications – “Meaning of the name Ham”: http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Ham.html#.W4NcWcInapo
3) Yapheth (Japheth in the KJV) 3315H Yepheth, yeh´-feth; expansion, from 6601H paw-thaw; (PR); to open, i.e. be (cause, make) roomy; usually- figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causatively- make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude: --- allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly (one).
______________________________________.
Now again, let’s try to get to the point.
In vs. 27, when Noach is passing out Japheth’s blessing he says, “May God enlarge Japheth, may he dwell in the tents of Shem”.
Q) What significance could the prophecy of Yephet living in the tents of Shem hold for the end-times people he represented?
Putting it Together:
We are speculating about the insights which could be revealed for us in the identities of Noach’s three sons who, for this exercise, we postulated may represent three peoples who will be delivered by Messiah in the last days.
Review:
In our hypothesis, Shem represents a people who have been destined to faithfully carry the traditions and standards forward in the spirit of the fathers:
Who would you say Shem represents today?
_____________________________________.
Ham represents a group who will (or has) violated a standard (or set of rules) and somehow exposed the Father to ridicule.
Who would you say Ham represents today?
_____________________________________.
Shem and Ham, seemingly the opposite ends of the spectrum of true devotion to their Father, might be fairly easy to identify in today’s religious culture, but Yephet is the real mystery in this narrative.
Yephet pictured a people who, though they have not attained the titled position of those whom Shem represents -- have, through their piety and the Father's grace, merited to return to dwell among Shem in the coming age. Could it be that today, we, who have returned to uphold our covenant with our King, according to His Torah -- are Yaphet --- the “expansion”?
My Suggestion clarified a bit more:
1st Shem) I contend that the observant Jewish people, still in covenant with God today, hold the “place of honor” revealed in the name and blessing given to Shem. Remember also, Yeshua's parable of the prodigal son. In the parable, the older brother represented the religious Jews who eventually must accept the return of the younger brother to keep covenant with their father. The younger, previously disobedient brother represented the Northern Kingdom of Israel, who God had "divorced".
2nd Ham) I strongly suggest that it is Catholicism which fulfilled the --- shaming of God. Remember, it was the Emperor, Constantine and several popes through the ages, who distorted the teachings of Messiah, saying that He “did away with God’s statutes and decrees” and changed God's holy Sabbath to Sunday (the holy day in sun-god worship). I believe it is the Church at large who are pictured in the actions of Ham, however, we must remember that Ham and his descendants survived the flood aboard the ark and were also part of re-populating the earth, so perhaps it is safe to speculate that devoted Christians will also survive the final judgement.
3rd Yephet) Could it be those who are returning to our Hebrew roots who are pictured by: 1) Yephet, 2) the Northern (divorced) Kingdom of ancient Israel, and 3) the younger "prodigal" son in Yeshua's parable. In other words, are the movements who are returning to uphold the standards of God’s covenant alongside the Jews actually fulfilling the insight revealed in the name and prophecy given over Noach’s son, Yephet?
Journaling:
Of course, there is much debate and confusion about how the fulfillment of end-times prophecy will come about; therefore, it is imperative that we consider and evaluate the “picture prophecies” hidden in scripture which may contain valuable insight for us.
Supposing that Shem represented the end-time religious Jews who still have the titled position of covenant bearers, could we, Hebrews, be Yephet, i.e. the ones who come back to live in the dwelling place [covenant] alongside our older brother; to the spiritual tent of the Jews?
Let me make this clear, I am not suggesting that we have to take on the extra-biblical regulations and requirements which most of modern Judaism adheres to, nor should anyone denounce Yeshua as the Messiah [King].
I do, however, believe we are quickly approaching a day when Jews will welcome all who are trying to follow God's statutes and decrees and who will live together with them in true Shalom, whether this change will be instigated by today's Jewish people, the nation of Israel or if Messiah Himself [our ultimate Jewish connection] will return and attest that we are, indeed, His.
I firmly believe the time of our ultimate geulah (redemption/restoration) is near.
Please write a brief outline of what I have proposed here today, journal your thoughts and any differing opinion you may hold.
Genesis 10
Day Five: Genesis 10 Genealogies
Q) Do you know which of Noah's sons (descendants) it was that was supposed to inherit God’s land, today’s Israel?
Q) Likewise, do you know which of Noah's sons (descendants) actually-usurped God’s land?
In case you have never heard and have not had the ability to look it up, it was the descendants of Shem that God chose to reestablish God's kingdom in His land [Gan Ayden], and the peoples who had usurped ownership of God’s land when God later brought Avraham and Sarah to dwell there were all descendants of Ham and many were from Ham's youngest, cursed, son, Canaan. That is why the land was known in the ancient world as Caanan (after Noah's "cursed" grandson).
As we have discussed before, even if we've been devoted to studying the scriptures, most of us tend to bypass the genealogies, but we need to be weary about dismissing the lines of descent because they show the legitimacy of the kingly and priestly lines; they also reveal what is, as we will soon discover, the twelve pillars of God's kingdom, and ultimately they reveal the historical genealogy of Messiah.
From time to time we need to remind ourselves that everything in scripture is there for a reason; we just have to seek out the purpose[s] for what has been included.
Using the Strength and Courage page at the link below, or your own Bible, write the missing information and figures.
Link - page - Strength and Courage - Genesis 10
https://strengthandcourage.godaddysites.com/genesis-10%3A-1-32
Yephet
Sons of Yephet: __________, ___________, ___________, ___________,
___________, ___________, ___________.
E1. Total number of Noah's grandsons who came through Yephet: _______
Ham
Sons of Ham: ___________, ___________, ___________, ___________.
E2. Total number of Noah's grandsons who came through Ham: _______
Shem
Sons of Shem : ___________, ___________, ___________, ___________,
___________.
E3. Total number of Noah's grandsons who came through Shem: _______
Journaling:
This genealogical record in Genesis chapter ten is evidence of how quickly the earth was repopulated after the flood. We’re about to watch Noah's descendants (next week) disobey God in an attempt to form a society of their own --- within God’s creation --- following a human ruler.
E4. For now, add up the numbers from E1, E2 and E3 above. Total number of Noah's grandsons according to the record in scripture: ________
According to an article printed in the UK's Guardian newspaper in November 2022 (linked below), the population of the earth tripled between the years 1950 - 2021. So, the earth's population tripled within a 71 year period.
Let's cut the percentage of increase in half for our exercise. Let's say earth's population has increased, on average, by just 1.5 times every 70 (we're rounding down for easier calculations) years.
Link - Article - Guardian Newspaper -
According to Chabad.com, Noah's flood is estimated to have ended toward the end of the year 2104 BCE. This means the flood occurred some 4,127 years ago. For ease in our calculations, let's round this number down to just 4000 years ago.
If we divide 4000 years by seventy (70, the number of years we are using as our increase point), we come up with the number 57.142; let's round this down to 55. This is the number of times the earth's population has increased by 1.5 percent in our conservative estimation.
If possible, take a calculator or the calculator on you cell phone or other device and enter the number of total grandsons Noah had according to our exercise above (should be 16), which is the number of grandsons of Noah as listed in scripture.
Now, multiply (x) by 1.5 times. The answer for this calculation should be 24. This is the (conservative) guesstimate of how many great-grandsons Noach would have had statistically.
Now, continue to multiply your answer by 1.5 - 54 more times.
My calculator on my phone only goes to 28 times, and the number is 1,363,563. This would be the estimated, conservative number of people on the earth after just twentynine generations from Noach's grandsons, and if my calculator would keep going, the number would continue to explode exponentially.
Though this is not a scientific exercise by anyone's definition, it is not a stretch of the imagination to think today's population of the world began with Noach's sixteen grandsons; particularly when we remember we have reduced our numbers several times during this calculation - which more than accounts for, birthrate fluctuation, early deaths and infertility.
Day Six: The Importance of Davening [prayer]
"Prayer, as a 'service of the heart', is in principle a Torah-based commandment."
Quote from, of all places, the Wikipedia article on davening.
Daven is the word for prayer in Hebrew. Unlike praying in Christianity, however, in Judaism, though people also commune with God through personal prayer, for religious Jews, praying typically includes the recitation of prescribed prayers in order to proclaim the supremacy of God and the holiness of His nature and character - while together as one holy people.
I remember when I first started realizing how badly God's standards had been negated and distorted by the church and I came across the "Shemah" prayer. I thought, what good does it do to recite a programmed prayer? Then I began to read it. As I sat there with tears running down my face, I thought, where have you been all my life Shemah prayer?
Hebrew davening is as different from Christian prayer as attending Shul is from going to church. In Christianity going to church and praying, though God's glory and goodness are always in our hearts, are most often focused on our need and feelings; this is just not the case in Judaism.
John 12:26
If someone is serving me, let him follow me; wherever I am, my servant will be there too. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.
Revelation 2:20
But I have this against you: you continue to tolerate that Izevel woman, the one who claims to be a prophet, but is teaching and deceiving my servants to commit sexual sin and eat food that has been sacrificed to idols.
The idea of prayer and attending synagogue services in Judaism is as an act of servitude, of drawing close -- to the place of closeness which He instituted, in order to lift God's name in our hearts and above the earth.
As I stated above, it is also permissible to pray a prayer from a place of need and inspired worship of the king, however, the "personal" prayer should never be thought to replace or supersede the recitory prayers of servitude which come directly from the priestly service in God's holy temple.
Exodus 28:1
“You are to summon your brother Aharon and his sons to come from among the people of Isra’el to you, so that they can serve me as cohanim — Aharon and his sons Nadav, Avihu, El‘azar and Itamar.
Though our recitation of the ascribed prayers does not, and could not, negate the importance of God's physical temple in the earth, we are all called to be a nation of vassal kings and priests who serve God by proclaiming His honor and glory (both spiritually - in our prayers, and physically - in our ministry to others) until the time of fullness when He will return to dwell in our midst --- in His temple in Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy 10:12 (CJB)
“So now, Isra’el, all that Adonai your God asks from you is to fear Adonai your God, follow all his ways, love him and serve Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being..."
The Babalonian Talmud defines the command to "serve Adonai with all our hearts and all our being" as:
"What service is performed with the heart? This is prayer."
Shuckling:
Why do Jews rock when they pray?
Moshe Isserlis (16th century) mentioned a custom to sway during Torah study to recall the giving of the Torah in which the people trembled, and to sway during prayer to recall Psalm 35:10 which speaks of "all of one's bones" praising God. Shuckeling is also believed to increase concentration and emotional intensity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuckling
Journaling:
Though we will soon be studying the Shemah prayer, for our journal exercise today, I want to begin our davening life by parsing one of the shortest yet, in my mind, most poignant prayers.
This prayer is recited (or sung) as we wake in the morning.
As you begin to awaken you sit up in bed, take your top sheet or blanket and pull it over your head and recite the Moda Ani prayer.
Modeh anee lefanecha melech chai vekayam, she-he-chezarta bee nishmatee b’chemla, raba emunatecha.
Modeh (grateful)
Anee (am I)
Le-fanecha (in Your presence)
Melech (King)
Chai (living)
Ve-khy-eem (and eternal)
Shay-he-chezarta (you restored)
Bee - nishmatee (my spirit within me)
Be-chemla (in your goodness)
Raba (great)
Emoona-techa (is your faithfulness)
Grateful am I in Your presence, King living and eternal, for in Your Goodness You restored my neshama within me. Great is Your faithfulness.
People often ask me why you need to pull the sheet or blanket over your head when praying the Moda Ani, or why, in general, Jews cover their head when praying.
This is meant to be symbolic of the humbleness of your heart.
I guarantee, no matter who you are or how holy you have tried to be, you, just like me, are not worthy of standing before the King of all creation who made the heavens and the earth.
We are lethargic, apathetic, self obsessed, typically distracted and yes, even lustful of a plethora of temporary stimulatory "drugs" [pleasures], and that is just in our day to day lives.
You may be asking:
Q 1) "Well didn't Yeshua come to pay the price for all our sins, and doesn't that mean that He is our covering so we don't have to try to cover our selves?"
A) Remember, Yeshua came for the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" AKA the Northern kingdom and all who will join them in returning to covenant , but even beyond that, our covering during prayer is not about atonement for or concealing sin, it is symbolic of deference and humility; the lesser acknowledging the superiority of the greater.
Q 2) Didn't the Apostle Paul say we can now come "boldly" before the throne of grace, so in that, why would we need to be humble?
A) First, in applying Paul's [Shaul's] teachings we must always first try to comprehend his own actions. Paul repeatedly called himself the "bondslave" of Messiah. A bondslave is an indentured servant. The indentured servant owed a debt he could not pay, so he agreed to pay for his/her debt with his/her labor -- for up to seven years; depending on how much time until the Shemita [every seventh] year when all debts must be forgiven.
This idea of the bondslave is tied to the law of bondslaves in Deuteronomy 15.
Deut. 15: 16-17 (CJB)
16 But if he says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household, and because his life with you is a good one; 17 then take an awl, and pierce his ear through, right into the door; and he will be your slave forever. Do the same with your female slave.
My friends, you and I owe the same debt that Paul and all the others owed. Our debts have been bought at a very high price.
Second, The word "boldly" in Hebrews 4:16 is better translated as "with assurance or confidence"; and in this instance means, assurance of God's mercy and love; knowing He "wants" to help us because that is who He is; He is good.
Gaining understanding of all this should bring us to our knees in humility and awe. Therefore, covering while standing praying (or sitting in your bed) before the God of all creation is simply an acknowledgement of His greatness and your thankfulness at being allowed to remain a servant in His peace filled and joyous house.
Week Nine of our Gospel of Peace [GOP] study is now Complete. Be Strong and Courageous!
