Parashat Lech Lecha – “Go Forth” – Audio

Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.  Abram obeyed YHVH.  He left not knowing where he was going.  He only had the Word of YHVH as his promise and guide.

Name meanings:

• Abram – “exalted father”
• Haran – ” mountaineer”
• Sarai – “princess”
• Lot – “covering”
• Canaan – “lowland”
• Shechem – “shoulder”
• Moreh – “teacher”
• Bethel – “Mighty House/House of God”
• Ai – “Heap of ruins

• West – “Grace”
• East – “Judgment”
• South – “Light”
• North – “Darkness”

vs. 10 – Famine in the land – 1st one since the earth destroyed by the flood.  Represents spiritual hunger, manifesting physically.  This spiritual hunger is not being fed.

Egypt – represents the world, world systems, world government, world rules/boundaries etc.

Descend – represents spiritual/physical falling

Sojourn – “to stay for a time in a place; live temporarily”

vs. 11 – 13 –>  “See (a mystery revealed) now I have known that you are a woman of beautiful appearance…–> Please say that you are my sister.  (She is his sister, the daughter of his father, but not the daughter of his mother, See Gen 20:12).  Abram shows his fear, after YHVH promised that those who curse him (Abram) HE (YHVH) would curse.

Lauded – “to praise, extol”;  Extol – “to praise highly”.  The Egyptians highly praise Sarai.

afflicted — The house of Pharaoh was afflicted due to manner of Sarai and Abram.  Afflict – Obsolete meaning – “to overthrow, defeat, to humble; to distress with mental or bodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously.”

Chapter 13: “Went Up” – Spiritual restoration.

Abram – “went up” — represents spiritual/physical restoration.  He was restore to the state prior to degradation.  He went towards the South – “light”.

Name meanings:

• Canaanite – “lowland or Merchant or traders”
• Perizzite – “belonging to a village, villagers”
• Sodom – “burning” from an unused root meaning to scorch; burnt

Strife — vigorous or bitter conflict, discord or antagonism. a quarrel struggle or clash; competition or rivalry;   Archaic – strenuous effort.

The quarreling between Abram’s herdsman and Lot’s herdman.  Brothers were supposed to dwell together but the abundance of the herds caused friction.  To eliminate friction between themselves they decided to part ways and go in opposite directions.

Lot departs and heads toward Sodom (burning).  He perceived the Jordan (descend) as well watered.  This appears to be spiritually filled and good.  But in reality his was descending to a lower spiritual full fillment.  Sodom was wicked – “bad, evil, wicked ethically” and exceedingly sinful – “implies degree/magnitude of sin”.

vs 14 — After Lot leaves, YHVH tells Abram to look (revealing the boundary of the promised land)

• Northward
• Southward – this is 180 degrees facing in the opposite direction
• Eastward – this is 90 degrees to the left of the last position
• Westward — this is 180 degrees facing in the opposite direction

YHVH is showing to Abram again (as his spiritual status is restored):

1. Land

2. Descendants to rule the land after he dies.

YHVH established his legacy, physically with the land.  He establishes Abram’s legacy with his progeny (whom hasn’t been born yet physically).

YHVH compares his progeny to the dust of the earth (an unmeasurable number).  YHVH tells Abram to walk about the land (the length and the breadth).  This gives Abram a sense of YHVH promise and also the dimensions of His promise.

Abram moved his tent – he was know dwelling in a spiritually different place.

Tent in Hebrew – “AHAL”- pitch a tent

Name Meanings:

• Mamre – “strength or fatness”
• Hebron – “association”; formerly called Kiriath Arbah – “City of 4 or City of Arbah”; Conjunction/joining

Name Meanings:

• Amraphel – “Sayer of darkness/fall of the sayer
• Shinar – “Babylonia, later known as or Chaldea/Country of two rivers
• Arioch – “Lion like”
• Ellasar – “God is chastener”
• Chedorlaomer – “Handful of sheaves”
• Elam – “Eternity”
• Tidal – “great son” plain of the double/two city
• Goiim – “nations”
• Bera – “son of evil”
• Sodom – “Burning”
• Birsha – “with inquity”
• Gomorrah – “submersion/people of fear, bondage”
• Shinab – “splendour of the father”
• Admah – “red earth”
• Shemeber – “lofty flight”
• Zeboiim – “gazelles”
• Bela – “destruction”
• Zoar – “insignificance”
• Valley of Siddim – “Valley of ‘field’ or ‘plain'”
• Salt Sea – “Dead Sea”
• Rephaim – “giants”
• Ashteroth-Karnaim – “Ashtoreth (deity) of the 2 horns or peaks”
• Zuzims – “roving creatures”
• Ham – “hot or sunburnt”
• Emim – “terrors”
• Shaveh – kiriathaim – “plain of the double or two city”
• Horite – “cave dweller”
• Seir – (Edom will dwell here) – “hairy/shaggy”
• Paran – “palm of Paran”
• En-mishpat – “spring of judgment”
• Kadesh – “holy”
• Amaklekites – “people of lapping”
• Amorites – “a sayer”
• Hazazon-tamar – “dividng the date palm”

Bera, King of Sodom

Birsha, King of Gomorrah

Shinab, King of Admah

Shemember, King of Zeboiim

Unnamed, King of Bela, Zoar

Chedorlaomer, King of Elam

Tidal, King of Goiim

Amraphel, King of Shinar

Arioch, King of Ellasar

Bitumen wells – slimepits (KJV), tar/asphalt;

The Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into the bitumen wells, while the remaining kinds fled to the mountain.  The wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the food was captured, this included Lot and his possession.

vs 13 – Abram the ‘Ivri’ – (the Hebrew, KJV) “one from beyond” also taught as “one who crossed over”.

Fugitive – “a person who flees”;  Amorite “a sayer”, brother of Eshcol – “cluster”, brother of Aner “boy”, Abram’s allies.

The fugitive comes to Abram to tell him that Lot was taken in captivity.

Abram armed with 318 (Divine Covenant) disciples in his house, leave to go and redeem his kinsman.

Kinsman redeemer – spiritually this is very important.  This is the ability of a relative to redeem/restore the possessions etc. of a relative who has lost these items.  This is also represented in the levirate marriage (See Deut.25:5-10).

Abram went all the way to Dan – “judge” (Dan hasn’t been born yet, as he’s a son of Judah),

Abram and his (trained, skilled, practiced) servants:

1. Deployed against them at night
2. Struck them
3. Pursued them as far as (didn’t stop pursuing them)

Name Meanings:

• Hobah – “hiding place”
• north – “darkness”
• Damascus – “silent is the sackcloth weaver”
• Valley of Shaveh – “plain”
• Malchizedek – “My King is Zedek”
• Salem – “peace”

Malchizedek:

He was the priest of “El” (God) the Most High.  He blessed Abram – “Who has delivered your foes into your hand: and he gave him 1/10 of everything.

King of Sodom asks Abram – “give me the people and take the possessions for yourself”.  Abram counters with “I lift up my hand to YHVH, El, the Most High, Maker of Heaven and earth.  If so much as a thread to a shoestrap or if I shall take from anything of yours”

The King of Sodom would take credit for Abram wealth, position and status.  YHVH elevated Abram NOT the King of Sodom.  YHVH allowed Abram to redeem Lot, his kinsman.

Abram tells the King of Sodom “Only what the young men have eaten and the share of the men who accompanied me, Aner ‘boy’, Eschol ‘cluster’ and Mamre ‘strength/fatness’ they will take their portion (as allies of Abram).

Chapter 15: Obedience/Faithfulness Tested

YHVH tells Abram of the slavery of the Children of Israel in Egypt (Exodus) for 400 years.  Aliens in Egypt.

The 4th generation shall return to Canaan (Fulfilled in Joshua).

Boundaries:  River of Egypt to Great river, Euphrates river.

Name Meanings:

• Kennite – “smiths”
• Kenizzite – “descendants of Kenaz, hunter”
• Kadmonite “easterners”
• Hittite – “terror”
• Perizzite – “belonging to a village”
• Rephaim – “giant”
• Amorite – “a sayer”
• Canaanite – “merchant/trader, lowlanders”
• Girgashite – “dwelling on a clayey soil”
• Jebusite – “threshing place”

Chapter 16: – Hagar/”Flight” – Departing from obedience

Chapter 17 – Foreshadowing Isaac/Fruit of the Covenant