“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is these that bear witness of Me, and you are unwilling to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:39-40
These are the words of Yeshua as he confronted the “learned” scholars of the Torah. Imagine being one of the informed ones. How would you have received this message? Would you have listened or turned away with skepticism?
Today, many refuse to dig profoundly into the Word, due to generational religious beliefs or personal opinions. Like the Pharisees, some may know Torah and the Prophets, but do they consider the purpose of the Scriptures? Do they seek to know or find Messiah? Or, do they seek to prove personal belief structures?
In today’s world, many believe the Torah or the Law and the Prophets have no more meaning. But notice what Yeshua draws attention to in John 5. The Scriptures (Torah, Writings, and Prophets) “bear witness” of Him so that life may be given.
This week, while hosting the Wise Guy Show on Hebrew Nation Radio, we met with Torah teacher, Jonah Freeman. During the interview, we happened to start talking about how YHWH “sent out” Jacob to Bethel directly after the incident with Dinah. Naturally, we had to ask“why.” We were also perplexed about YHWH telling Jacob to not just go, but to get rid of all foreign gods, purify his family, and change garments. It seemed like this action should have been done long ago. Why did this instruction come so late in the story of Jacob? The answer was found by following Yeshua’s advice as written by John and taking a deeper look at the following text:
“And he (Jacob) built an altar there, and called the place El Bethel because their God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his bother. Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the Oak, it was named Allonbacuth.” Genesis 35:7,8
This text just brought up more questions: Why El Bethel and not just Bethel? Didn’t YHWH reveal Himself at other times? Why draw attention to a hand servant? And why is there such an obvious break in the storyline? Genesis 35 talks about Jacob going to Bethel, cleaning up, and then being called Israel. Why is Deborah’s death “dropped in” between the concept of worship and YHWH giving Jacob a new name?
It was at this time, we chose to look at the word pictures in the text. I’ll break it down.
The name Deborah comes from the root Debah (h1696). Since she was a woman, the feminine root of Debah is referred to and it means to speak, declare, or the word. The Hebrew letters in her name are dalet (door) bet (house) vav (clinched nail) resh (head), and hey (behold).
Deborah was their nurse for Rebekah. She would have been viewed as a nanny or a teacher. Was Rebekah’s strength of character, most likely derived from Deborah’s life instructions? I think this has a profound possibility. It was Rebekah who made sure that Isaac gave the birthright (the line of Messiah) to Jacob.
Deborah was buried below Bethel, described as the House of God, an ancient place and/or a seat of worship, associated with Jacob’s ladder coming down from Heaven.
The tree for which Deborah was laid to rest was called Allonbacuth or “oak of weeping.”
Bethel is the combination of two words: Bet meaning house and El meaning God. But in this case, we have El being repeated twice—God, house, God. This seems to imply both Yah and a reflection of Yah in His house. Who is it that reveals the Father? Of course, it is His Son—Yeshua the Messiah for they are One in His House.
So, if we look carefully at this text, we can see a “teaching” given by Deborah who tells us “The Word” is being buried below the “Seat of Authority” under an “oak of weeping.” And in the picture of her name we see a “door” revealing the “house” by a “clinched nail” for us to see the “head” from which we “behold.”
Directly after the death and burial of Deborah, YHWH repeats for a second time to Jacob’s true identity—Israel or those who wrestle and overcome. The picture of the Messiah given in the death of Deborah shines a light on this promise. That promise is the “covering” given to Israel by Yah in the works of the Messiah. In doing so, Jacob becomes a co-heir of the Kingdom. His troubles, his distress, and his mistakes are covered by the Oak of weeping (the crucifixion of Yeshua) and he is given a new life.
We too have been given this promise. Through the workings of the Messiah– his life, death, and resurrection (Hebrews 3:1) we have been called to be a royal priesthood and co-heir of the kingdom (I Peter 2:9). Yeshua covers our sins and remembers them no more. Let us not go to sleep in this knowledge and repent if we keep bringing those sins or foreign gods back up. We need to keep watch.
Yeshua asked his disciples to keep watch. After his last meal, just before being taken captive by the guards, we read, “Yeshua came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, ‘sit here while I go over there and pray.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and distressed.
And He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death, remain here and keep watch with Me.” Matthew 26:36-38
Can we stay awake and watchful during times of distress? Try not to answer this too quickly. Remember the disciples walked side by side with the Messiah on an intimate level for a long time. And, even they fell asleep.
“And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter, ‘So, you could not keep watch with Me for one hour?”
We are told, “Let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”
I Thessalonians 5:6.
But what if we do fall asleep? Like the disciples, we are not perfect. We have a strong possibility of failing. Did Jacob ever “fall asleep” or make some poor choices at times? It’s important to note that Yeshua stayed awake in the garden to stand beside the covenant He made. He did the work of “waking up” the disciples. He also did the work of saving Jacob from his enemies.
Let us put away our foreign gods, purify ourselves, and change our garments, because like Jacob we are about to enter His throne room called Bethel. Let us be willing to build an altar of praise. Let us be alert to the scriptures and be willing to give witness to the pictures of Yeshua embedded in the Torah. Let us tell the world that there is hope for our life, our families, and for our future. YHWH keeps His promises and protects His Covenant of providing His One and Only Son. Hallelujah!
Be blessed this Sabbath,
Rollyn