Lech Lecha 5782 and the letter Bet part 2
Torah portion Lech Lecha – (Go for yourself) 5782 and the letter Bet part 2
Dageshim: the sole difference between the letter bet and the letter vet is the presence or the absence of the dot in the middle of the letter (called a dagesh mark.)
This dot means the letter is pronounced as a “b”, otherwise pronounce it as a “v”.
The sages say that 1 hour in the world to come is more than all the lives of this world but there is not one hour in the world to come that can match one hour of walking in Torah in this lifetime. The reason they say this is because only in this world can you earn rewards in the world to come. Once you enter the new world you can’t perform one more mitzvah to increase your treasure in the world to come. God created this world to give us the opportunity to build up treasures where moth and rust do not destroy.
1 Corinthians 3: 12 – 16 “And if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, the work of each will be revealed; for the Day will make it known because it is revealed in fire; and the fire will prove the work of each, what sort it is. If the work of anyone which he built survives, he will receive his reward. And the one whose work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he will be delivered, but so as through fire. Do you not know that you are a sanctuary of Elohim, and the Spirit of YAHWEH dwells in you?”
The test is now!
Satan wants to steal from us – from our treasures in the world to come. We are the house – the letter bet. We are His mini tabernacles on earth and it is up to each of us whether we make a home for our Father in Heaven to dwell in or to be an empty shell, revealing nothing of His light from within our walls.
What s the difference between a house and a home?
The word house/bet in Hebrew adds up to 412.
The word for Temple/mikdosh – our home for Abba Father adds up to 444.
The difference between these two numbers is 32 which is the value of the word lev – heart! The choice is ours. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
The word heart is made up of the letters lamed and bet.
Bet is the house and lamed represents the shepherd’s staff of authority. It is the heart that controls the house - we need to reflect on the state our hearts daily and desire a heart after Adonai’s heart. The letter bet also relates to being inside/in.
[Source Mark Biltz: El Shaddai Ministries]
When we look at Avraham or Avram, when he was first called he showed the truth of what was in his heart – his heart yearned after the ways of Adonai, enough to leave everything he knew behind and to step forward with HaShem. He was a man lead by the shepherd’s authority and the way he chose to walk brought him incredible blessings – a blessing that has poured out over each of us and the generations to come.
Avraham was by no means a saint and he made quite a few mistakes along the way but one of the wisest things he did was hear the shepherds voice and respond – a true example of sh’ma-ing.
So, in the midst of Avram’s humanness HaShem continued to speak to him – but it was not just a voice from Heaven, it was a Divine encounter. That means that at times Adonai purposefully stepped out of Eternity into time and out of infinity into space in order to encounter and interact with Avram. Can we even wrap our thinking the absolute gift this was for Avram!
The pattern HaShem appears to be establishing with Avram is ‘God encounter’, then ‘life experience’, then ‘deeper God encounter’ then ‘more dramatic life experience’ in order to ensure that Avram could indeed walk the steps Father was ordering for him.
While we may not all have Avram type encounters, we still find ourselves learning from HaShem in different ways and this often followed by a life encounter, some more challenging than others but all designed to mould and grow us into a covenant carrying people. This is the pattern for all those who choose to walk in HaShem’s ways and so it will continue as He grows and teaches us – our role is to respond. To lech lecha – to go for yourself, to let go of the things that we cling to for security and comfort on this earth and to be certain that our hearts are after HaShem’s – that we are prepared to listen and obey in faith.
Each of us were created to chose Abba Father. Our very DNA seeks after His heart, His life and Light – the Knowledge of the Tree of Good and Evil is what has clouded this walk but we have been given every good gift to step out of the fog and into the glorious light of our Saviour. Abba is calling each one of us as He called Noach and Avraham – are we listening for His voice? How will we respond?
Be blessed as you study further – Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Michelle