A Journey with the Holy Spirit

 A Journey with the Holy Spirit

This Sabbath's reading, known as Lech-L'cha, meaning "go forth," signifies a pivotal moment in Abram's life, initiating his journey of faith and reliance on GOD's promises and their established covenant.  It represents a personal dedication to a path encompassing both the physical and spiritual domains, with dependance on GOD's Spirit for guidance.  Abram's name means "Exalted Father," and has a trusted servant, named Eliezer, which is fitting as our 'Exalted Father,' GOD, is joined by the Holy Spirit.  I hope to emphasize Father Abram's relationship with his servant, Eliezer, and the role that the Holy Spirit plays in all of our lives.

During Abram's journey in Genesis 14, a conflict arises between powerful kings.  During this war, Abram's nephew, Lot, is taken captive.  When Abram hears of Lot's capture, he mobilizes 318 תא trained men born in his household and pursues the captors (Gen 14:14).  If we look into the Hebrew meaning for 'trained,' the men that Abram led were not ordinary men.  

The Hebrew term for 'trained' is חָנִיךְ (chânîyk, pronounced kaw-neek', H2593), is only used once in the Bible, and signified a "skilled, trusted, tried, or proven servant." 

The ROOT of this word is חָנַךְ (chânak, pronounced khaw-nak', H2596), which translates to "to narrow, train up, instruct, dedicate, or initiate."

In the Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon, the term is linked to the practice of a midwife who rubs oil on the palate of a newborn.  This oil not only soothes the infant, offering comfort and tranquility following the stress of birth, but also possesses antiseptic qualities, symbolizing the newborn's purification and cleansing.

Pro 22:6 "Train up (H2596) a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Abram, along with his 318 תא trained men, caught up with Lot's captors and executed a surprise attack at night.  They overcame the enemy forces, retrieved all the possessions, and liberated Lot and the other captives.  Indeed, it was a miraculous achievement for Abram and his small band of 318 תא trained men.

After his victory, Abram is welcomed by Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High GOD.  They together partake in communion with bread and wine, and Melchizedek blessed Abram, praising GOD for delivering victory.  It is GOD Who is thanked for the victory, not Abram or his companions.  In an act of gratitude, Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe of everything he had recovered from the captors (Gen 14:17-20).

Subsequently, the king of Sodom offers Abram all the recovered goods, but Abram refuses, honoring his oath to GOD and ensuring no ties between his wealth and the king of Sodom.  Abram only requests the food his men consumed and a portion for Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, who had supported him at his time of need (Gen 14:21-24).

Gen 15:1-2 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?"

Even though GOD assures Abram that HE is his Protector and Reward, Abram worries about not having an heir and considers his servant Eliezer as a potential inheritor.  GOD promises Abram that he will have his own child as an heir and that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars.  Abram trusts in the LORD, and it is accounted to him as righteousness.

Eliezer is known as the steward of Abram's house.  The Hebrew term for 'steward' is מֶשֶׁק (mesheq, pronounced meh'-shek, H4943), and it appears only once in the Bible, signifying "to hold acquisition, possession, or heir" in a household.

Eliezer's name is derived from two Hebrew words.

The first word, אֵל ʼêl (H410), signifies "GOD, the Almighty, HIS strength, and HIS might."

The second word, עֵזֶר (ʻêzer, pronounced ay'-zer, H5828), means "help, aid, help meet, or succor."  Succor is a term that refers to assistance and support during hardship or distress. 

The ROOT of this word is עָזַר (ʻâzar, pronounced aw-zar', H5826), which means "to surround, protect, girding, defending, absolving someone from blame, or declaring someone innocent of wrongdoing."

Indeed, Eliezer was bestowed with a name of great significance.  

The numerical value of his name in Hebrew gematria is 318, which, coincidentally (or perhaps not), is the same number of תא trained men with which Abram rescued Lot.  Some Jewish Rebbe Sages even debate that it was only Abram and Eliezer (318) who rescued Lot and the other captives (Equal to Three-Hundred-and-Eighteen Men).

Eliezer → אליעזר

200 + 7 + 70 + 10 + 30 + 1 = 318

Reflecting on these words and considering the 'steward' Eliezer and the 318 תא trained men, I am reminded of the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the Anointing Oil which not only comforts and soothes but also heals, purifies, cleanses, consecrates, and blesses. 

Just as the oil in a candelabra brings light and guidance in the darkness, so does the Holy Spirit grant us the flames of GOD's truth, girding our loins, and surrounding, safeguarding, and defending us from spiritual darkness.

The Holy Spirit trains us up in GOD's wisdom and instructs us to the narrow way for He dwells with and in us as our spiritual help meet.

When we pray in the spirit, seeking assistance and support in times of hardship and distress, we address our Father in the Name of Jesus. But Who conveys our words to the ears of GOD?

Who else would our Father and Jesus trust to serve as the skilled, tried, and proven Servant to the "Exalted Father" (symbolized by Abram) and His household, if not the Holy Spirit?

Isa 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed תא me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

Jhn 14:16-17 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

Jhn 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

Indeed, the Spirit of the Lord GOD was with Abram and his 318 תא trained men when he rescued the meek and brokenhearted captives and those that were bound during the war of the kings.  It was a miraculous victory that could have only occurred if the Spirit of GOD was with them.  Additionally, the Holy Spirit is part of the Armor of GOD (Eph 6:10-20) that protected them in battle.

Mar 13:11 "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost."

Genesis 17 describes GOD renaming Abram to Abraham, instituting circumcision as an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants and granting the land of Canaan to Abraham and his lineage as an eternal inheritance.  The prophetic name that GOD gave Abraham means "father of a multitude."

GOD truly fulfilled His promises to Abraham, and following Sarah's death, He dispatched his most senior servant, believed to be Eliezer, to seek a wife for his son Isaac.  Indeed, he had Eliezer take an oath by placing his hand under Abraham's thigh as a witness before him and GOD to adhere to the stipulated conditions for selecting Isaac's wife.  This type of oath is known as the "Thigh Witness."

Gen 24:2-4 "And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."

Gen 24:7 "The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this תא land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence."

Abraham sent his trusted servant Eliezer to find a bride for Isaac, emphasizing reliance on divine guidance by the 'thigh witness' and mentioning GOD's angel. Eliezer prayed earnestly for the Holy Spirit’s direction, seeking a sign to identify the chosen woman.  At the well in Nahor, he asked for a specific indication: that the woman who offered water to both him and his camels would be the one. Rebekah's arrival and her actions precisely fulfilled Eliezer's prayer, showcasing the Holy Spirit's guidance in affirming Rebekah as the chosen wife for Isaac (Gen 24:10-61).

In the story where Father Abraham dispatches his servant Eliezer, guided by GOD's Holy Spirit, to seek a wife for his son, it mirrors GOD sending His servant Jesus, also filled with GOD's Holy Spirit, to find a Bride for the Son of GOD on Earth.  Prior to sacrificing His life for His Bride, Jesus narrated the parable of "The Rich Man and Lazarus," wherein Father Abraham and Eliezer reappear, this time in the comfort of Abraham's Bosom (Luk 16:19-31).

The poor man named Lazarus, hides this secret in his name.  

In the Strong's Concordance, it is stated that 'Lazarus' came from a Hebrew origin, Eleazar (H499).  

Though this is an alternate spelling of Eliezer, the same words make up his name (אֵל ʼêl (H410) and עָזַר (ʻâzar, pronounced aw-zar', H5826)).

In the parable, the rich man begs Father Abraham to send Lazarus (Eliezer) from the dead (Abraham's Bosom) to warn his brethren, so they can avoid the place of torment, hell, that he finds himself in.

Luk 16:27-31 "Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father (Abraham), that thou wouldest send him (Lazarus/Eliezer) to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

Indeed, in an event that many would call more than mere coincidence, Jesus later miraculously raises his friend Lazarus from the dead in John 11, after Lazarus had been deceased for four days.

Jhn 11:23-26 "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

Jhn 11:41-44 "Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."

Sadly, just as Father Abraham had warned, the resurrection of Lazarus (Eliezer) did not convince everyone.  Perceiving Jesus as a threat to their authority and religious customs rather than recognizing Him as their Messiah, Savior, Redeemer, and Deliverer, the Jewish authorities had Jesus arrested and presented to Pilate for execution.  

Gal 3:13-14 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

Through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus Christ betrothed Himself a Bride, and sent down our current Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who provides us, the Bride, unity, guidance, and teaches us to live a life that honors GOD.  The Holy Spirit is actively involved in the gradual transformation of the Bride into the image of Christ.  And through the work of the Holy Spirit, the breath of life and resurrection is made possible.

Eze 37:9-14 "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open תא your graves, and cause תא you to come up out of your graves, and bring תא you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened תא your graves, O my people, and brought תא you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place תא you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD."

Despite the resurrection of Jesus Christ, some still struggle to 'go forth,' or "Lech L'cha," and live in the promise of GOD's Kingdom like Abraham did.  Through the sacrifice of HIS Son, Jesus Christ, GOD has welcomed us into HIS Kingdom, freed from the bondage of the law of sin and death, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1 (and Luk 4:18-19). Yet, one must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of GOD.

Jhn 3:5-8 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

In Romans 8, Paul explains how the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life and how Jesus has delivered us from bondage.  He explains the difference between walking in the flesh and walking after the Spirit.  Paul also expresses the danger that thinking with a carnal mind leads to death, but instead to be Spiritually minded and live a life of peace.  He also reiterates that the Spirit that raised up Jesus, is the same Spirit that dwells in us, and we are children of GOD.

Rom 8:14-17 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

This Sabbath's reading, "Lech-L'cha," calls us to reflect on Abram's journey of faith and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.  As Abram responded to GOD's call to "go forth," he embarked on a journey that required trust and reliance on GOD's promises.  This pivotal moment in Abram's life invites us to consider our own journeys of faith.  

Are we willing to step out in faith, trusting in GOD's promises, guidance, and provision?  

Just as Abram was accompanied by his faithful servant Eliezer, we are reminded that we are not alone in our journey.  The Holy Spirit, our divine helper, empowers and equips us to overcome life's challenges, just as Abram and his 318 תא trained men were victorious because they were accompanied by GOD's Spirit.

Reflecting on the story of Lazarus, whose name derives from Eliezer, we see the Holy Spirit's power in resurrection and new life.  Through Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and the sending of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed and united as the Bride of Christ.  This message encourages us to live in the promise of GOD's Kingdom, walking after the Spirit and embracing the life and peace that come from spiritual renewal.  As we go forth in our daily lives, may we be mindful of the Holy Spirit's presence, protecting us, guiding us, comforting us, and leading us into a deeper relationship with GOD.  

What steps can we take today to walk more closely with the Spirit, allowing Him to guide our actions and decisions?  

How can we embrace our roles as children of GOD, bearing HIS truth and light in the world?  

Let these reflections inspire and challenge us to live out our faith with courage and conviction.

To all who 'go forth' on a journey of faith and promise with the Holy Spirit:

The LORD bless you, and keep you:

The LORD make HIS face shine upon you, and be gracious to you:

The LORD lift up HIS countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Amen and Amen.