Chaya
Sarah
Genesis 23:1 - 25:18
(Today, we say a special mazel tov to the Smith family as Amy Smith is
getting married today to Mark Palmer. May the God of heaven and the God of
earth bless Amy and Mark today and forevermore.)
Throughout the Scriptures, God reveals Himself in many ways. He reveals
Himself in his actions and He reveals Himself in His laws. He also reveals
Himself in names and descriptions. This
week, our Torah portion describes God as the “God of Heaven and the God of
Earth”. In the context of the passage, the servant of Abraham makes an oath
to choose the right wife for Isaac. Abraham says to him, I
will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that
you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites,
among whom I live… (Gen. 24:3).
Our ancient Sages were preoccupied with why God is described as “God
of Heaven” and “God of Earth”. While
each gives his particular “take” on the statement, they all agree that the
point is that God is involved in human affairs in this world as well as the
overseer of the universe. Perhaps Abraham is communicating that God, through
His Providence will make sure that the right wife is chosen.
Another view is that Abraham was encouraging the servant to be assured
that God was involved in the process. Still another view offered is that the
God of the Earth” refers to the
Throughout the Bible we see over and over again that God is indeed
interested in the affairs of men. In fact, God seems to be interested in how
man lives, how man treats others and how man conducts himself in his family,
at work and in all of his relationships. There
are some who may perceive God as the God of Heaven - meaning that He is the
creator and He is the judge. However, in the Bible there is the balance of God
being the great and all powerful one and God being involved and caring about
our lives. It is this
understanding of God that I believe is so deficient in the world today. The
general population may “believe in God” but do not necessarily understand
that He is truly involved in the world today. As a result, there is little
accountability and little comfort. God
is indeed concerned about the details of our lives. In the first chapter of
Abraham Heschel’s book The Prophets, he says the following in comparing the God of Israel
with foreign deities, “
‘the gods attend to great matters; they neglect small ones’
God is in the details! He cares about the issues of our lives - even if
to others these issues seem mundane. He is concerned about the decision that
we make; He is concerned about our well being. Not only is He concerned, but
He is involved in the decision making process and nothing
is out of the reach of His outstretched hand. Isaiah says, I
am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird
you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the
rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the
LORD, and there is no other, 7 The One forming light and creating
darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all
these. (Is. 45:5-7).
Perhaps the greatest illustration of God’s involvement in the affairs
of man is in the coming of Yeshua the Messiah. In Yeshua, God dwelt with man
in this world and experienced the joys and sorrows of humanity. His
care for us is so intense, that He sent the Messiah to suffer the pain of
God’s wrath over sin. And in His resurrection, we see that sin was defeated.
There can be no greater involvement than suffering for the sins of man.
Today, whatever your situation in life may be, God is nearby and He
desires to help you. He desires to free you from the bondage of sin and to live
a full and satisfying life. He
desires to give you peace in your heart. He desires to help you make good
decisions and to live a successful life. He is not far away and uninterested.
Call on Him today. Shabbat Shalom.