December 6, 2020 summary: Isaac, Jacob and Moses found their wives at wells. They are shadows and pictures of the bride of Yeshua.
Shalom, shalom; peace, peace in the name of Yeshua. This is Crystal Sharpe and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program.
I do have a website called Ancientscrollsonline.com. I do post prophetic dream, visions, and words; ancientscrollsonline.com.
It looks like we have just 25 days until the New Year. Hanukkah begins Thursday night at sundown. It is the Feast of Dedication or the Jewish Feast of Lights. The gospel of John 10:22-23 records for us that Yeshua had attended the feast of Dedication in Jerusalem in the winter.
Today we are going to explore wells in Word and how the bride of Yeshua is found at the wells. Our patriarchal fathers met their future wives at wells; they were water drawers. They serve as a type or picture of the bride Yeshua, they go to the well to draw water. Water is necessary for our survival along with bread, and these have spiritual connections to the kingdom teachings of God. The abiding quality of the bride of Yeshua is that she will continue to go to the well.
Moses became acquainted with his wife, Zipporah, at a well. Abraham’s servant Eliezer located Isaac’s wife at a well and Jacob met Rachel at a well. Yeshua spoke to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. All these women must go to the well every day, sometimes several times a day, it is just a chore that must be completed, but it was the one day of going to the well that their lives were changed forever.
Shema Deuteronomy 6
Shema, O Israel, the LORD God, the LORD is One.
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Psalm 24
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.
Numbers 10:35, Psalm 68:1
Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let those who hate You flee before you.
Father YHVH,
You are the King of the universe, king over heaven and earth. You are great! You are extravagant in Your love for Your creation. We continue to ask that Your righteousness and justice will reign in the earth so that all nations will praise You. We thank You for Your Word. In Yeshua’s name. Amen.
History
Our fathers, the patriarchs, did three things, they built altars, lived in tents and dug wells. Tents symbolized their lives, the flesh as our temporary covering, indicating our lives are temporary. The wells represented the word, the teachings of God and the altars were erected to teach people how to worship God.
Beer Lahai-Roi
The Jewish Talmud teaches that water is an allusion to the Torah itself. The digging of wells is a search to reveal and spread its wellsprings.
Hagar, the handmade of Sarai, had an experience, a theophany, at Beer Lahai-Roi. She was pregnant with Abram’s baby, and she was proud and sought to usurp Sarai. Sarai dealt harshly with her and she fled. Genesis 16:7, The “Angel of the Lord found her by a spring on the way to Shur. And He said: “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” Hagar responds that she is fleeing from Sarai. The Angel of the Lord instructs her to return to Sarai and submit to her. He then continues to tell her she would have a son and to name him Ishmael which means God pays attention/God heeds (to her suffering), and He expands on the word given that Ishmael would be wild ass of a man. His hand would be against every man and every man against him. She called the LORD who spoke to her: “You are El-Roi by which she meant, Have I not gone on seeing after He saw me! The basis for this exclamation is the idea that one who sees a divine being must die (Exodus 33:20 when Moses is told that he would not be able to see the face of God and live). Therefore, the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; it is located between Kadesh and Bered. The Jewish Study Bible
Beer-Lahai-Roi is sometimes understood to be the place of vision, the well of Him who sees us and we see Him.
The possible second name for this well mi’bo and I will go over it when we get to Isaac.
Bered means “hail.” Kadesh means “set apart or separated.”
It became a favorite dwelling-place of Isaac: After the death of Abraham, God blessed his son Isaac, and he dwelled near Beer-Lahai-Roi Genesis 25:11.
Isaac’s wife Rivkah, or Rebecca
The information given in the text in Genesis 24 is that a senior servant in Abraham’s house (some assume it is Eliezer, but the manuscripts do not mention him by name, only that he is a senior servant) is pressed to give an oath that he will find a wife for Isaac. The bride is to come from Abraham’s family in southern Iraq.
Verse 10. The servant loads up ten of Abraham’s camels and sets out, and taking with him all the bounty of his master. Out of all his master’s bounty he takes 10 camels that represents the whole of his goods.
So far, Abraham is a type of Father, Isaac is picture of Yeshua and the servant of Abraham is the Holy Spirit. The ten camels represent the word of Elohim, his commandments that were given at Mt Sinai in Exodus 20. Greeks, or Gentiles, would call the ten commandments The Decalogue. Ok, so I said that ten was a portion of the whole. The Talmud states there are 613 commandments (Tractate Makkot 23b) that sprang from the ten issued at Mt. Sinai. There are in Torah 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments.
The 248 Positive Commandments (jewishcontent.org)
The 365 Negative Commandments (jewishcontent.org)
The Ten Commandments were terms of an agreement, that if Israel would follow in obedience, would practice the character of God, they would be blessed. Deuteronomy 28 has 13 verses of blessings. The first verse says: Now if you obey the LORD your God, to observe faithfully all His commandments which I enjoin upon you this day, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. The next 12 verses express how they would prosper exceedingly above the nations.
John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.”
Let us continue on down the text.
Verse 11, still in Genesis chapter 24, He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city, at evening time, the time when women come out to draw water. And he said: “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, grant me good fortune this day, and deal graciously with my master Abraham: Here I stand by the spring as the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water; let the maiden to whom I say: ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies: “Drink, and I will also water your camels’—let her be the one whom You have decreed for Your servant Isaac. Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my master.”
His request was that she would give him drink and the camels also. What happens?
He had scarcely finished speaking (talk about a quick answer to prayer), when Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up (sometimes there are steps to the well). The servant ran towards her and said: “Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and let him drink. When she had let him drink his fill, she said: “I will also draw for you camels, until they finish drinking.” Quickly emptying her jar into the trough, she ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.
Verse 21. The man, meanwhile, stood gazing at her, silently wondering whether the LORD had made his errand successful or not.
Rebekah is a good example of the bride of Yeshua. She not only draws water from the well (salvation) but she also takes care of the ten camels; they receive her attention as well. These elements that we see in this story are so pure. We have Abraham, a type of Father; Isaac who represents Yeshua; the servant, who has the role of the Holy Spirit; water from the well is salvation; ten camels are the ten teachings/commandments of the Father. The water, the Word and the Holy Spirit are one. Rebekah is a virgin, she is chaste like church, and is to be betrothed to Isaac who is a type of Yeshua.
Rivkah’s name means “To bind” or “To tie firmly.” In ancient Hebrew thought it is the woman who binds the family together. The wife is the house and everything else, like lands, homes herds, servants, monies; and if another man wanted the wife it meant he didn’t want just the wife—he wants everything else that is associated with the woman.
Example, in 1 Kings 1-2: King Solomon had a half-brother, Adonijah. Adonijah was the fourth son of King David. When his father became quite incapacitated, Adonijah declared himself King without his father promoting him. He held a great feast and invited all his brothers except Solomon. At this point everyone in the palace understands that Solomon is his rival, and this indicates that the lives of Solomon and his mother are at risk.
This may not go well either for those who are thought to be allied with Solomon like the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, or the fighting men, because none of these people were invited to Adonijah’s feast.
As the story continues, however, Solomon is publicly promoted to take the duties of the throne. Upon hearing this Adonijah becomes concerned for his life and flees to the Tent of Meeting and grabs the horns of the altar. He would not leave until King Solomon would give his word that he would not cause him to be put to death. Solomon gives his word that he would be allowed to live if he would cause no other offense. The text speaks to us the heart of Adonijah; he wants to be king and he desires the kingdom.
After this, within a short amount of time, after the death of King David, Adonijah makes a request of Bathsheba to petition the king concerning Abishag, his father’s attendant, he now wants her to be his wife. Bathsheba takes his petition to the king and he responds: “Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite to be given for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also… .”
This is how the ancient people viewed the wife, and in this case the attendant of King David. She would give him political access to the palace, and to form alliances within the ranks and positions of the palace and the leaders in the nation. It isn’t just coveting someone else’s wife; it is coveting everything else that is connected to her. King Solomon understood that Adonjiah is going to usurp his throne, and he and his mother will be slain. So, he sends Benaiah to slay Adonijah. Adonijah is destroyed and along with him his evil machinations.
Let’s return to Genesis 24.
Rebecca, a type of the church, is going to be “tied firmly” or joined to the foundational principles of the LORD.
Now the servant of Abraham, those things he prayed concerning a wife for Isaac are answered. He was looking for a woman who would not only give him drink from the well, but would also water the ten camels.
After she completes the task of watering the camels, the servant gives her three items: a nose ring and two bracelets for her wrists. She runs to her family’s household and witnesses to them that she meets a man at the well who came with camels. After she gives testimony to them concerning this event, they make accommodations for the camels and the servants of Abraham; they provide shelter and food for them.
Laban, brother of Rebecca, then meets the servant of Abraham at the well and together they all return to the home of Bethuel, the father of Rebecca and Laban.
Bethuel Meaning
Virgin Of God, House Of God
Etymology
From (1) the noun בתולה (betula), virgin, and (2) the word אל (‘el), God.
From (1) the noun בית (beth), house, and (2) the word אל (‘el), God.
I combined them to give meaning as the Virgin House of God.
Bethuel | The amazing name Bethuel: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)
As the evening progresses the servant of Abraham relates to the family of Rebecca the desire of his master to fetch a wife from his family and all the events that followed, how his specific prayer was answered and that now he is certain Rebecca is the one chosen for Isaac.
When they all were able to agree that Rebecca would return to Abraham’s house, the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold and clothing for Rebecca, and other precious items were given to her brother and mother, as well.
I am going to end the program and we will continue to next time to speak on the love stories that began at wells.
If it is God’s will I will be here next program. Remember to walk by faith and not by sight. Do two things this week: love and forgive. Ask God to cleanse you from all unrighteousness every day. Keep your spiritual garments clean from spots, wrinkles and blemishes. Love God and love your neighbor.
Rico Cortes will sing the Aaronic priestly blessing
Isaac returns from the well Beer-lahai-roi and some rabbis seem to think it had a second name ba mi’bo for the text reads literally reads: “And Isaac he did come (ba) from come (mi’bo) Beer-lahai-roi and he settling in land the south (this would be the Negev).” The Torah: Mechanical Translation, pg. 124.
The rabbis suggest the second name for this well could be mi’bo.
By re-digging Abraham’s wells, Isaac uncovered what had been obscured, ensuring that the knowledge of God’s Oneness would keep flowing into the world.
Isaac re-opened these original wells, but he also forged ahead excavating new ones.
- Eisek, meaning strife
- Sitnah, meaning hatred
- Rechovot, meaning expansiveness, ever-expanding space, where water can spread and flow freely, unrestricted.
The quarreling with the Philistines over ownership of the wells is hinted at by the large daunting figures that rise up on either side of the well. The wells are also a metaphor for the depths that are inside each one of us.
Isaac Re-Digs His Father’s Wells – Toldot Art – Parshah (chabad.org)
In our Torah portion, Isaac even has a similar dispute over wells with the Philistines as did his father. Indeed, the Torah reports that initially Isaac dug anew the wells Abraham had unearthed that the Philistines then stopped up, giving the wells the same names as did his father (Genesis 26:18). But Isaac finally manages to dig new wells to which he gives his own names, Esek (contention) and Sitnah (harassment) The Philistines quarrel with him over the first two of these Isaac wells, but finally desist when he digs the third, named Rehovot.
Rabbi Simchah Bunem of Psciche, one of the early Chasidic masters, sees great significance in this seemingly mundane story. Isaac first re-digs Abraham’s wells, that is to say, attempts to follow his father’s spiritual path. However, just imitating someone else will not work. Isaac then discovers that he needs to find his own way to God, and thus digs his own wells.
In other words, he must overcome his own inner demons and conflicts. Finally, through persistence, he arrives at his rightful destination, Rehovot, literally spaciousness or wide open, the place where his conflicts are resolved and he achieves wholeness.
It is noteworthy that immediately after the completion of the well named Rehovot, Isaac merits an appearance from God, who reaffirms the Abrahamic promises of blessing and offspring. Only when Isaac has achieved his own spiritual identity in the course of his life’s journey does God speak directly to him.
Digging Your Own Well – Jewish Exponent
From there, he went up to Beer-sheba. G-d appeared to him that night and said, “I am the G-d of your father Abraham. Fear not, for I am with you. I will bless you and make your descendants numerous, for the sake of My servant Abraham.” [Isaac] built an altar there and invoked G-d by name. He pitched his tent there, and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. Abimelech came to him from Gerar, together with a group of his friends and Phicol, chief of his troops. Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hated me and sent me away from you?” They replied, “We have indeed seen that G-d has been with you, so we said: Let the solemn oath between us now [continue] between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no evil, just as we did not harm you, and just as we treated you only with kindness and let you leave in peace. From now on, be you blessed by G-d!
Three Torah sections—Lech Lecha, Vayeira and Chayei Sarah—chronicle the life and deeds of Abraham. An even greater number are devoted to the life of Jacob. Isaac is the central figure in only one—the Parshah of Toldot. We read of the “Binding of Isaac” in Vayeira, but there the story is told wholly from Abraham’s perspective. Similarly, the greater part of Chayei Sarah is about how a wife is found for Isaac, but Isaac himself is not at all involved in the process. Eliezer doesn’t even mention him by name when he proposes the match—he’s simply “the son of my master.” This scarcity of information about Isaac is even more striking in light of the fact that he was the most long-lived of the three Patriarchs (Isaac lived 180 years, as opposed to Abraham’s 175 and Jacob’s 147).
Isaac’s Wells – Chassidic Masters – Parshah (chabad.org)
The bride will stay at the well, she will tell her family about the man at the well. Patriarchs were figures of Yeshua.
Samaritan woman at the well told her whole village about the man at the well. She was at Jacob’s well. The bride will draw from the well.
I am going to end the program here.
If it is God’s will I will be here next program. Remember to walk by faith and not by sight. Do two things this week: love and forgive. Ask God to cleanse you from all unrighteousness every day. Keep your spiritual garments clean from spots, wrinkles and blemishes. Love God and love your neighbor.
Rico Cortes will sing the Aaronic priestly blessing
Revelation 22:17
