There is a whole lot of shaking going
on in this world today. So, I won’t even try to go there and make
any kind of sense of it. Let’s just say, it is written! And so,
let’s look at Noach and Avraham. Noach and Avraham? Yes! That
should direct your attention.
I have been doing ‘investigative
reading’ on Avraham and Noach, two leaders of the Word. The more I
read, the less I understand. Until lately, I did not realize that
Noach, a man deemed righteous by our Father, did not stop to pray
for the peoples of the earth that would soon be eliminated.
Whereas, Avraham prayed for the people of Sodom and some were
spared. Avraham’s devotion was attributed to him as
righteousness. Noach is said to be righteous all the way back to
Adam. But who really knows? Avraham’s heritage indicates that he
came from “the other side of the tracks”.
So, lets stir this up a bit. Is it
necessary that we pray for everyone or anyone that we think is going
to get swallowed up? Where is the boundary for our responsibility?
Do we even have a responsibility? What do you suppose would have
happened between The Father and Noach if Noach had prostrated himself
before the door of the ark was shut and prayed for the Father to
change His mind? The way I read the story, the flood was the Father’s
will. Are we to intervene and tell Him that we know better?
You may be saying, Sodom’s
destruction was the Father’s will also. Avraham prayed and it
seemed to have made a difference in the numbers being destroyed.
Does this mean that YHVH did not really want to wipe out Sodom?
Couldn’t Noach have at least attempted to show compassion for his
neighbors? Hang on a second. The Sodom and Gomorrah event was a
direct punishment by the Father. Remember that the ‘visiting
angels” said they were going to Sodom to check things out (Gen
18:20-25). The implication is that YHVH was going to go into the
area to see for Himself up front and personal all that He had heard
from afar. When the validation of the behaviors was without doubt,
the punishment would began. At the same time, the prayers from
Avraham began.
Lets go back to Noach. We can easily
see that in Avraham’s situation, the sinful people were being
punished. In Noach’s case, there was no punishment. YHVH
had already stated that humankind is so evil that He wished He had
not created them (us). So, He would eliminate them and basically
start over with the righteous man Noach. Even though there is no
mention of Noach’s sons being righteous, YHVH did not eliminate
them. He used them to repopulate the world. Noach had no reason to
pray for the Father to change course. Noach accepted YHVH at His
Word. So, he did as he was told and no prayer was indicated. He was
that righteous! Then, to top it off, YHVH said He would never again
do to the earth what He did in the days of Noach, and still maintains
that humankind is so sinful it makes Him sick.
On the surface, Noach does not seem to
be empathic to those around him. Avraham shows great empathy from
the beginning. (It took him about forty years to do as YHVH said:
leave your kinsmen and follow me) Yet, Noach was deemed
righteous from the beginning (Gen. 6:9); Avraham was deemed righteous through
his faith (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6). In James 2:23 we read; 23
and the passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled which says, "Avraham
had faith in God, and it was credited to his account as
righteousness."He was even called God's friend".
Some say that the flood was enough to
instill the fear of YHVH into the hearts and minds of the survivors.
Some say the behavior of Avraham and the blessings bestowed on him
was enough to solidify the fear of YHVH. Then there are those who
acknowledge that Avraham was not Hebraic (Jewish) but he crossed over
from an environment not worthy, and became the Father of the Present
World. From this, the tribes developed, and Brother Judah came on
the scene.
So, we have a stern follower, Noach,
along with an empathic follower, Avraham; and we have a man of
prayer, Avraham; along with a man of devout adherence to what he is
told, Noach. Both goy who answered the call. Thus the world began to
follow the Creator.
Nothing has changed. YHVH maintained
that man was sinful, yet redeemable. Within our own community we find
the same. Empathic and prayerful plus stern and devout. I wonder
if I could be just a little bit of both. Father, I pray that I have
the strength to stay the course while at the same time have the
compassion to reach out to others. Please help me to not have a
hardened heart while still maintaining that Your Word can never be
compromised. YHVH Elohim, You spared us and provided us a means of
redemption from our sins. We love you and pray that we may be worthy
in Your sight. We love You and pray to see Your face. In Yeshua’s
most awesome and wonderful name, Amein.
Shalom and shalom,
Pinchas
a/k/a Frankly speaking all the
time
