Chayei Sarah: Sarah's life — חיי שרה

Thoughts on Torah for Last Week:

Genesis 18-22
Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac changed his covenant with God from conditional to unconditional and was a pivotal event in human history.  Through Abraham came God’s Law and the Eternal Savior for all humanity – Yeshua/Jesus.  In his obedience to God, Abraham demonstrated a “savior/deliverer” role himself. Further, we see this savior role played out throughout the Tanakh/Old Testament by righteous mortal men.
 
                                             

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                                               Joseph saved Jacob and his family from famine.
 
                             Moses saved Israel from Egyptian slavery. Also see Exodus 32:10-14
 
                           King Hezekiah suffered and saved his people from destruction. Isa 38:6
 
                                             Israel’s righteous kings prospered their people.
 
We see Abraham functioning in a savior role with Lot being spared the destruction of Sodom in another incident in this portion. Gen. 19:29
 
In theological terms, this savior role is known as “Proxy Salvation”.   In mortality, these are righteous mortal men who find favor with God in their obedience to His law, are qualified to answer for the sins of others and in so doing obtain God’s protection for them.  These righteous mortal men can be called “proxy saviors”.
 
Fathers can function as saviors in a limited way to their families in mortality by taking and executing the Oath of the Priesthood - fathers covenant with God to keep themselves pure, to teach their family the laws of God, are accountable/answerable to God for the transgression of his family and administers the ordinances of salvation.
 
In a broader context as with Moses and King Hezekiah, these righteous mortal men enter into a covenant like the one God made with King David, which is known as the Davidic Covenant. They are married, have reached a level of personal perfection,  have established the laws of God and answer for the transgression of their people.
 
In an Endtime context, we see again this covenant operative.  God’s Endtime Servant saves the righteous from Endtime destruction – Isa 19:20, Isa 37.  Further, the 144,000 righteous married men and other married men who gather God’s people operate under the terms of the Davidic Covenant.  Obediah calls these Endtime servants, Saviors on Mount Zion - Obediah 1:21. ​

Isaiah Chapter 4
Those who remain loyal to God during the Endtime trials and pass into the Millennium are know as Zion/Jerusalem, which is both a place and a people.  The shortage of men and the desire of righteous women to raise children to God facilitates the practice of polygyny. 

​These righteous people are called Holy and are covered by God’s cloud of glory also referred to here as a canopy.  This cloud/canopy signifies the presence of God, the renewal of God’s covenant and His protection.  Isaiah refers to these people as being physically beautiful.

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Resource Links for this Week's Portion

TORAH: GENESIS 23:1-25:18
GOSPELS: John 4:3-14

Listen and Read the Portion
First Fruits of Zion

​​Commentary with Nehemia Gordon


HAFTARAH: ISAIAH Chapter 5

Commentary with Avraham Gileadi, PhD