More on Torah Portion 3

Did you notice, while reading this week's Torah portion, that the first thing we see in Genesis 12:1, after Avram, the pagan Chaldean, accepted YHWH, is YHWH separating Avram from his pagan ties? Take a look.

Genesis 12: 1 Now ADONAI said to Avram, "Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (CJB)

YHWH needed Avram to completely sever his ties with his family and friends so that he could be molded into whom YHWH needed him to be. (As you know, we cannot belong to YHWH/Y'shua UNLESS we stop all past behavior and ways!)

NOTE: The moment Avram accepted YHWH and began to obey him, he became a "Hebrew" (which in Hebrew means "to cross over" - remember Avram crossed over both spiritually and physically when he left his own country; see Genesis 14:13).

Was Avram perfect? Heck, no - he got caught LYING! You would think that, after hearing from YHWH Himself, he would do his best to be a good, God-fearing "chosen" man who "toed the line" and trusted God with all his heart - but, nooooo.....:

Genesis 12: 11 When he came close to Egypt and was about to enter, he said to Sarai his wife, "Here now, I know that you are a good-looking woman; 12 so that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife,' and kill me but keep you alive. 13 Please say that you are my sister, so that it will go well with me for your sake, and so that I will stay alive because of you." (CJB)

While this was not exactly a lie (because in Genesis 20:12-20, we learn that Sarah was actually Avram's half-sister), Avram DID hide the truth in hopes of protecting himself - which revealed he didn't trust YHWH 100 percent.

Let's take a quick look at that passage which reveals that Avram, several chapters from now, still had not learned to trust YHWH completely:

Genesis 20:11 Avraham replied, "It was because I thought, 'There could not possibly be any fear of God in this place, so they will kill me in order to get my wife.' 12 But she actually is also my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother, and so she became my wife. 13 When God had me leave my father's house, I told her, 'Do me this favor: wherever we go, say about me, "He is my brother."'"

14 Avimelekh took sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Avraham; and he returned to him Sarah his wife. 15 Then Avimelekh said, "Look, my country lies before you; live where you like." 16 To Sarah he said, "Here, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. That will allay the suspicions of everyone who is with you. Before everyone you are cleared."

17 Avraham prayed to God, and God healed Avimelekh and his wife and slave-girls, so that they could have children. 18 For ADONAI had made every woman in Avimelekh's household infertile on account of Sarah Avraham's wife. (CJB)