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Nov. 11, 2022
God’s Choice Required a Miracle
The one thing Abraham and Sarah had to do to see God’s promise become reality was to have a baby—something the laws of nature said they could not do. But God is not bound by the laws of the very universe he created, and He can do anything He wants. His choice of Abraham to father a nation required a miracle and that is exactly how God liked it! He created the very lineage that would become His “chosen” people.
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Show Links: Torah Portions: https://icejusa.org/torah-portions/ The Torah is the name of the first five books of the Bible. In Hebrew the word Torah means "instruction." The Torah is rich in lessons that we can all benefit from so join Susan each week as her Shabbat Shalom devotionals will be based on the Torah portion read that week in synagogues all around the world.
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God’s Choice Required a Miracle (Out of Zion Episode #151) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Well, sometimes don't you just wish God or his angels would come and sit down beside
2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,600
you and just talk things out?
3
00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:11,600
Maybe you could ask some questions, maybe they'd tell you things that are about to happen
4
00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,880
and you could prepare for them.
5
00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,240
That's exactly what happened in this week's Tora Reading.
6
00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:20,800
So welcome to the Shabbat Shalom devotional.
7
00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:25,760
When I seek to share just a little inspiration, bring a little peace to the close of your
8
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,840
very busy week.
9
00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:34,280
This week's Tora Reading in synagogues all around the world is Genesis 18 verse 1 through
10
00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:42,480
22 verse 4 and it's called Vayera because it opens up with this in 181.
11
00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:45,480
The Lord appeared to Abraham.
12
00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:49,320
Vayera, the Lord to Abraham.
13
00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:54,760
So the Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of memory while he was sitting at the
14
00:00:54,760 --> 00:01:02,040
entrance to his tent in the heat of the day and Abraham looked up and saw three men standing
15
00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:09,120
by and then it tells the story how Abraham rushed around to provide that famous Middle
16
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,480
Eastern hospitality to these visitors.
17
00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,840
And when they sit down with Abraham, they asked him, where's Sarah?
18
00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,760
He said, well, she's in the tent.
19
00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,360
And they said, well, you know, we're going to come back next year and Sarah's going to
20
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:29,640
have a son and Sarah hears this from inside the tent and she laughs.
21
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,240
She says, really at my age?
22
00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:38,400
And then the Lord said to Abraham, this is in verse 13.
23
00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:45,000
Why did Sarah laugh and say, well, I really have a child now that I'm old.
24
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,120
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
25
00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:57,560
Well, the story is critical because God had promised Abraham a nation with a mission to
26
00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:59,120
bless the world.
27
00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,920
And the one thing that Abraham and Sarah had to do to see this prophecy come about or this
28
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:12,520
promise be fulfilled or this blessing to become reality was to have a baby, something that
29
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,320
nature said they could not do.
30
00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,280
But our God is the creator of the universe.
31
00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,520
Do you think he's bound by the laws of the very universe he created?
32
00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,000
Of course not.
33
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,800
He can do anything he wants.
34
00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:34,040
You know, this story is also important because God wanted it clear.
35
00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:35,600
This was his people.
36
00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:36,800
This was his doing.
37
00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:42,360
And that's why it took a miracle for Isaac to be born to Abraham and Sarah.
38
00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:48,520
Now, in today's society, it's actually a bad thing to consider one people group or one
39
00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,040
culture as better than another.
40
00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:56,440
And there's actually pushback against the idea of exceptionalism.
41
00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:01,720
And that includes being considered that the Jewish people are considered God's chosen
42
00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,840
people in a way that kind of elevates them.
43
00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,680
And today society looks down on that.
44
00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,600
But God did not line all the peoples of the earth up in a row and say, okay, I choose
45
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,400
this people group.
46
00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:15,680
They're my chosen people.
47
00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,240
I love them more than all the other people.
48
00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:20,000
No, no, no.
49
00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:28,440
This story tells us God created that people on behalf of all the other peoples of the
50
00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:29,440
world.
51
00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:35,000
He created a people that would be his own and through them, he was going to bless all
52
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,240
those other peoples and families of the earth.
53
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:46,360
Isaac was born by a miracle as proof that this was God's doing and his lineage and his
54
00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:51,560
children that were going to carry out his mission in the world.
55
00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,000
So God's arm is not too short.
56
00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:55,960
There's nothing he cannot do.
57
00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:01,040
So this weekend when you take a little Shabbat break, read through the Torah reading for this
58
00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:08,480
week and reflect on how great our God is and that he can do whatever he has promised he
59
00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:09,680
will do.
60
00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,160
He's not bound by anything.
61
00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:31,720
And with that, I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Well, sometimes don't you just wish God or his angels would come and sit down beside
2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,600
you and just talk things out?
3
00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:11,600
Maybe you could ask some questions, maybe they'd tell you things that are about to happen
4
00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,880
and you could prepare for them.
5
00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,240
That's exactly what happened in this week's Tora Reading.
6
00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:20,800
So welcome to the Shabbat Shalom devotional.
7
00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:25,760
When I seek to share just a little inspiration, bring a little peace to the close of your
8
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,840
very busy week.
9
00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:34,280
This week's Tora Reading in synagogues all around the world is Genesis 18 verse 1 through
10
00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:42,480
22 verse 4 and it's called Vayera because it opens up with this in 181.
11
00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:45,480
The Lord appeared to Abraham.
12
00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:49,320
Vayera, the Lord to Abraham.
13
00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:54,760
So the Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of memory while he was sitting at the
14
00:00:54,760 --> 00:01:02,040
entrance to his tent in the heat of the day and Abraham looked up and saw three men standing
15
00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:09,120
by and then it tells the story how Abraham rushed around to provide that famous Middle
16
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,480
Eastern hospitality to these visitors.
17
00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,840
And when they sit down with Abraham, they asked him, where's Sarah?
18
00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,760
He said, well, she's in the tent.
19
00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,360
And they said, well, you know, we're going to come back next year and Sarah's going to
20
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:29,640
have a son and Sarah hears this from inside the tent and she laughs.
21
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,240
She says, really at my age?
22
00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:38,400
And then the Lord said to Abraham, this is in verse 13.
23
00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:45,000
Why did Sarah laugh and say, well, I really have a child now that I'm old.
24
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,120
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
25
00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:57,560
Well, the story is critical because God had promised Abraham a nation with a mission to
26
00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:59,120
bless the world.
27
00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,920
And the one thing that Abraham and Sarah had to do to see this prophecy come about or this
28
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:12,520
promise be fulfilled or this blessing to become reality was to have a baby, something that
29
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,320
nature said they could not do.
30
00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,280
But our God is the creator of the universe.
31
00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,520
Do you think he's bound by the laws of the very universe he created?
32
00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,000
Of course not.
33
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,800
He can do anything he wants.
34
00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:34,040
You know, this story is also important because God wanted it clear.
35
00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:35,600
This was his people.
36
00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:36,800
This was his doing.
37
00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:42,360
And that's why it took a miracle for Isaac to be born to Abraham and Sarah.
38
00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:48,520
Now, in today's society, it's actually a bad thing to consider one people group or one
39
00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,040
culture as better than another.
40
00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:56,440
And there's actually pushback against the idea of exceptionalism.
41
00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:01,720
And that includes being considered that the Jewish people are considered God's chosen
42
00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,840
people in a way that kind of elevates them.
43
00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,680
And today society looks down on that.
44
00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,600
But God did not line all the peoples of the earth up in a row and say, okay, I choose
45
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,400
this people group.
46
00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:15,680
They're my chosen people.
47
00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,240
I love them more than all the other people.
48
00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:20,000
No, no, no.
49
00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:28,440
This story tells us God created that people on behalf of all the other peoples of the
50
00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:29,440
world.
51
00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:35,000
He created a people that would be his own and through them, he was going to bless all
52
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,240
those other peoples and families of the earth.
53
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:46,360
Isaac was born by a miracle as proof that this was God's doing and his lineage and his
54
00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:51,560
children that were going to carry out his mission in the world.
55
00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,000
So God's arm is not too short.
56
00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:55,960
There's nothing he cannot do.
57
00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:01,040
So this weekend when you take a little Shabbat break, read through the Torah reading for this
58
00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:08,480
week and reflect on how great our God is and that he can do whatever he has promised he
59
00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:09,680
will do.
60
00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,160
He's not bound by anything.
61
00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:31,720
And with that, I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
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