CHAIYEY SARAH חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה (Life of Sarah) GENESIS 23:1-25:18

PROPHETS: 1 KINGS 1:1-31 | GOSPEL: JOHN 4:3-14

TORAH:

Sarah lived to be 127 years old. She was 99 years old when she conceived Isaac, and Abraham was 100, therefore she died when Isaac was only 27. Chapter 23 tells about Sarah’s death, and Avraham buys a burial site from Ephron and the children of Heth to bury her. A payment of merely 400 silver shekels. Chapter 24 is primarily concerned with finding a wife for Avraham’s son Isaac (Yitz’chak in Hebrew). The selected wife is Rebekkah, Isaac’s second cousin.

Abraham lived to be 175 years old, and in Chapter 25, following Sarah’s death, he married Keturah, who produced him six children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Remember that Hagar, Sarah’s servant, bore him a son, Ishmael. May we all live to Abraham’s age and be as fruitful.

Regarding those who say men and women cannot bare children after the age of 60, Abraham, Sarah, and Keturah are proof that they can conceive past that age . If YaHVaH wants the couple to have a kid (or six), it will happen.

Attention: in this Torah portion, the name of YaHVaH is mentioned 14 times. In the English script, it may say the Lord or Hashem. However, in the actual Hebrew words it says YaHVaH יהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י starting at 24:3. Blessings, Contracts, and Oaths were made using the Name of YaHVaH.

Hagar and Avaraham’s son Yishma’el (Ishmael) and his descendants concludes this portion. Av’raham went into (had sex with) Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden, when Sarah was barren. Yishma’el had 12 sons, much like Isaac. All total, Avraham had eight children, 31 grandchildren, and a multitude of great-grandchildren. Wow!

PROPHETS:

1 King opens by informing us that King David is very old and ready to hand over the throne to Solomon, as he promised Bathsheba. Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan notify King David that another of his sons (Adonijah) has usurped the throne and proclaimed himself King. King David summons Bathsheba to reaffirm his oath that Solomon will reigning after him. He invokes the Name of YaHVaH and promises to appoint Solomon as King officially that very day. The last verse is from Bathsheba: “³¹ Bath-sheba bowed down to the ground and prostrated herself to the king and she said, ‘May my lord King David live forever!'” (Tanach). This will be prophetic as King David will live on in his descendants to the inclusion of our Messiah, Yeshua.

GOSPEL:

This reading of John speaks of the encounter between Yeshua and the Samarian woman. Yeshua did not condemn her for all of her promiscuity. Rather, He simply told her He knew of her entire relationships. He simply asked her to repent and believe in Him for salvation.

(c) Copyright 2023, 2024 Odon Obadyah Ministries, Inc. and Min. Donald H. Garrett

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