Vayeira 5782 and the letter Gimmel part 1
The letter gimmel is the third letter of the alephbet and has the value of 3.
The picture representation of this letter is a camel. The shape of this letter looks like man made out of a vav (the 6th letter) and a yod (the 10th letter).
The Talmud tells a story of how the gimmel is a rich man running after the poor man in the next letter, the dalet, to perform acts of tzedakah (charity). So, the gimmel can represent our choice to run after the teaching of the Torah by practicing acts of lovingkindness. The most amazing this is that the fourth letter, which we will cover soon, represents the door/gate and this door/gate also represents Yeshua.
John 10: 9 “I am the gate; if someone enters through me, he will be safe and will go in and out and find pasture.”
As we begin to explore each of the letters you will begin to see how each letter tells a story that builds into the next and each of these letters speak of the salvation of Yeshua!
This letter gimmel is seen to be chasing after the dalet – the Torah. The letter gimmel represents the Ruach HaKodesh. Jochanan (John) the Immerser was a voice that prepared the way for Yeshua’s ministry – he was a picture of the Holy Spirit/Ruach Kakodesh. When we look at the role of the Ruach we see that it was to convict people of sin and to speak of righteousness and judgement.
John 1: 23 “He said, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of YAHWEH," as Isaiah the prophet said. (Isa. 40:3)
The Ruach HaKodesh convicts us of our sin and shows us the areas of our lives we need to bring under the blood of Yeshua. It is with this repentant heart that we can enter into door – Yeshua!
The Hebrew word for camel is gamal. Gamal (camel) and gimmel are from the same root word. When we think of Jochanan we remember that he is described as a man wearing camel skins. Matthew 3:4 It is not often that Scripture will describe what people wear so when it does we should pay close attention to the messaging in these descriptions. Yochanan was also the son of Zechariah a priest in the temple and in the lineage of Aaron so it was very probable that Jochanan should have been High Priest at the time! Consider then too that it was the high priest who would identify the Passover Lamb!
The gimmel represents a man walking and when we look at Yochanan we can see he was man walking from the house of HaShem (the letters aleph and bet) to the dalet the door, to bring the message of the Father to the house - us!
These letter of the alephbet tell us of the creation and gospel story!
Within the first 5 letters of the alephbet we also find the word beged - meaning clothed - spelled bet + gimmel + dalet.
Jochanan was clothed (beged) with camel (gamel) skin (links to the letter gimmel) and he was declaring the way of salvation – i.e. the door who was and is Yeshua!
The door, the fourth letter, the dalet, can also represent our hearts. The sages say that the role of the gimmel is to bring food and nourishment to the door (the poor man). It is the choice of the dalet – to open up or not! The word gammal can also mean recompense. So, this little letter gimmel's story is all about us making teshuva and returning to Abba – we can do this because of Yeshua’s death on the cross for us! The three is also all about resurrection! Our salvation and the gift of teshuva is because of this resurrection!
This also ties in with the third manifestation of the Ruach HaKodesh which is the Spirit of Counsel.
“The Spirit of counsel is the application of both wisdom and understanding in real circumstances, perhaps in one’s own situation or advising a friend. The real test of the Spirit of Counsel is the ability to receive it.” Alwine, H (2017). The Creation Gospel Workbook 1, pg.61
Picture the gimmel/the Ruach HaKodesh knocking on the door of your heart. Will you in, the wisdom and understanding He has given to you, recognise your sin and repent, allowing the presence of the Ruach to come in and bring you into right standing with HaShem? Who will you open the door of your heart to HaShem?
Revelation 3:19 – 21 "I, as many as I love, I rebuke and I chasten." Be zealous, then, and repent.1 (Prov. 3:12, Rev 2:5) Behold, I stand at the door "and knock:" If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will enter to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me. (Song 5:2)”
The 1st four letters of the alephbet tell this story!
Consequence comes if the knock is refused.
When we look at the Torah portion of Vayeira we are given a glimpse into Avraham’s heart. He too was being visited and at a time when he was in pain and complete discomfort. Avraham lifted His eyes to the heavens and he chose to open his heart to HaShem. Life and promise came from this moment.
Psalm 121: 1 – 2 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from where shall my help come? My help comes from YAHWEH, the Maker of the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 18:1-3 "And YAHWEH visually appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he was sitting at the door of the tent in the heat of the day. And he lifted up his eyes and looked; and, behold, three men were standing by him. And he saw, and he ran to meet them from the entrance of the tent. And he bowed to the ground. And he said, YAHWEH, if now I have found favour in Your sight, I beg You, do not leave from near Your servant."
How incredible was this moment in Avraham’s life! When you see that it was three men that came to visit with him, we are reminded of the gimmel – we are reminded of the Ruach HaKodesh coming to knock at the door of our hearts – will we respond as Avraham did despite our circumstances?
Sarah’s moment was quite different. Her response to HaShem’s knock at her heart was to laugh. Why did she laugh when she heard the promise for her? Perhaps it was about doubt, perhaps she had waited so long for this promise that it felt like a distant, impossible dream or was it her appointed time to laugh? What we do know is that she received the blessing – she opened her heart to it even though it must have taken such faith to do so and she bore the fruit thereof. Like the first fruits of her laughter, which established within her a joy of great abundance!
Lot’s response was also very different. The word lot in Hebrew means, covering or veil. It literally took the angels physical force to move him out of darkness and destructionof Sodom. By HaShem’s grace he is saved from death. Lot could not see the true goodness of HaShem because it was veiled – he saw the goodness of the earth of man, the lust of the eyes but he could not connect with HaShem or His truths because of this veil and this veil was his choice! By Abba’s grace, Lot had not completely ignored the knocking at the door of his heart and because of this he escaped complete destruction.
We have three responses represented here - we have all responded in one of these ways at some stage or another. May our response to our Father in the here and now and future be yes and amein without hesitation!
Song of Songs 5: 2 "I sleep, but my heart is awake. It is the sound of my Beloved that knocks, saying, Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My undefiled. For My head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night."
Will we open the door before our Beloved leaves or will we be too warm in our beds to jump to the open the door?
The Hebrew word here for sleep is death
Sound = voice (Jochanan - representing the Ruach HaKodesh)
Knock = beating on the door
Rain = the blessings of God
He wants her to leave the house to receive the blessings of Father!
This is the work of the Ruach – this is the gimmel and the story of how HaShem called to Avraham, Sarah and Lot and how He calls to us. How will we respond to the knocking at our hearts, beloved?
Abba Father, Ruach HaKodesh, help each one of us to responds as Avraham did when he saw you walking towards his tent – may we not linger, may we not doubt or hesitate but may we run to meet our Beloved and prepare a feast for Him!
Be blessed as you study. Baruch HaShem!
Michelle
[reference: Mark Biltz El Shaddai Ministries - Hidden Treasures in The Hebrew Letter Gimmel; Hebrew4Christians]