Parsha Yitro – Ex.18:1 – 20:23; Is.6:1-7:6; 9:5-6; Matt.5:8-20
This week’s scripture portion focuses upon the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, the most important event in the history of Israel. But, today I would like to focus on something else that is generally overshadowed by the event on Mount Sinai that centres around Moses’ two sons, Gershon and Eliezar. The Torah reading opens with the following words:
“Now Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and her two sons back to Jethro from Egypt, and Jethro had cared for them in his long absence. Moses had named one son Gershom, because as he said, “I have lived as an outsider in an unfamiliar land.” 4 Moses had named the other son Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper, and He rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.” 5 Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) brought Zipporah and her two sons into the desert to meet Moses when he and the people of Israel were camped near God’s mountain. (VOICE)
Moses had sent for his wife Tziporah and his two sons Gershom (foreigner) and Eliezer (my God helps), with Jethro as they celebrated their reunion with great pomp and ceremony in accordance with Middle Eastern tradition.
Jethro was a Midianite, and would therefore have held alliances with the Amalekites (the grandson of Esau) who were sworn enemies of Israel. Although puzzling, it reminds us against making generalisations about people and nations from which is found every evil root of discrimination. Jethro was clearly a lover of the Israelites. Just a few days ago has seen the 60th anniversary of the Wannsee conference where the Nazis conceived and implemented the Final Solution – racism at its most violent expression ever devised – the plan to exterminate 11m. Jews from the face of the map of Europe. Despite the horror that such a thing could ever have been implemented by a nation considered to be the most civilised in the the world we must not fall into the trap of labelling all Germans as Nazis.
Moses’ two children are mentioned only in passing (ch.2:21-22;4:20) yet their names hold great significance. Gershon means ‘foreigner’ or ‘sojourner’ and Eliezar means, ‘my God helps.’ Prophetically, it points to the ‘foreigner’ (Gershon) who would enter into covenant relationship at some future time through Messiah Yeshua. Why? Because God is my ‘Eliezar’ (i.e., He is my help). The children of Moses and Zipporah whose parents were Jew and Gentile would be joined together as ‘One New Man’: “Once you were “not a people,” but now you are “God’s people.” You were shown “no mercy,” but now you have been shown “mercy.” (Hosea1:10)
But now, I want now to share about another Eliezar mentioned in the Bible who was the servant of Abraham. We read about him in the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. The name Lazarus is the Latin from the Hebrew Eliezar.
Here, as in the case with Moses and Abraham, both were half-sons. Eliezer was Abraham’s son by his concubine Masek. He was the eldest one of nine sons who were born to Abraham and was heir to Abraham’s inheritance over the son of his other concubine Hagar (Ishmael). Let me explain.
Most believers think that Abraham had only two sons, but the Book of Genesis names nine; Isaac, son of Sarah, (Gen 20:12) Ishmael, son of Hagar, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Jishbak and Shuah, sons of Keturah (Gen 25:1-2) and, Abraham’s literal first born son who was Eliezar, son of Masek (Gen. 15:2).
So, unless Abraham’s son Isaac (the son of ‘promise’ through his wife Sarah) married before Abraham died, all of his inheritance would go to Eliezar son of Mesek. We see further on in Gen 24 how Abraham in his old age commissioned his servant and heir Eliezar (who voluntarily forfeits his inheritance) to find for Isaac a wife among Abraham’s relatives. (Rebecca)
There is a link here between the parasha for this week that connects with the Parable of the Rich Man and Eliezar. Luke 16-19:31
“19 There was this rich man who had everything—purple clothing of fine quality and high fashion, gourmet meals every day, and a large house.
20 Just outside his front gate lay this poor homeless fellow named Lazarus. Lazarus was covered in ugly skin lesions.
21 He was so hungry he wished he could scavenge scraps from the rich man’s trash. Dogs would come and lick the sores on his skin.
22 The poor fellow died and was carried on the arms of the heavenly messengers to the embrace of Abraham. Then the rich fellow died and was buried
23 and found himself in the place of the dead. In his torment, he looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his embrace.
24 He shouted out, “Father Abraham! Please show me mercy! Would you send that beggar Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool my tongue? These flames are hot, and I’m in agony!”
25 But Abraham said, “Son, you seem to be forgetting something: your life was full to overflowing with comforts and pleasures, and the life of Lazarus was just as full with suffering and pain. So now is his time of comfort, and now is your time of agony.
26 Besides, a great canyon separates you and us. Nobody can cross over from our side to yours, or from your side to ours.”
27 “Please, Father Abraham, I beg you,” the formerly rich man continued, “send Lazarus to my father’s house.
28 I have five brothers there, and they’re on the same path I was on. If Lazarus warns them, they’ll choose another path and won’t end up here in torment.”
29 But Abraham said, “Why send Lazarus? They already have the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to instruct them. Let your brothers hear them.”
30 “No, Father Abraham,” he said, “they’re already ignoring the law and the prophets. But if someone came back from the dead, then they’d listen for sure; then they’d change their way of life.”
31 Abraham answered, “If they’re not listening to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone comes back from the dead.”
Some people view this story as an actual event rather than a parable as established in medieval times by the Roman Catholic Church who insisted that the story must be interpreted literally. One reason was because of the unusual amount of detail in the story. For example, in no other parable does Yeshua give a character’s personal name, but refers to the characters as ‘a certain man,’ ‘a sower,’ etc. However, there are many problems with this interpretation. For example, how can Heaven and Hell be so close to each other that a conversation can be held between the inhabitants? And can people who are in Heaven really look down and see and hear those who are burning in Hell?
The story uses concepts and images such as the purple, the linen, the torment, Abraham’s bosom, the great gulf, and even the persons of Lazarus and the Rich Man themselves that link with all other biblical parables in their construction. Take for example, the purple linen in which the rich man was dressed in – It reminds us of the promise God made with the Israelites that if they would listen to His voice and keep covenant with Him, He would embrace them as His special treasure. In Hebrew, the word used for the phrase “special treasure” is “segulah,” which comes from the word “sagol,” meaning purple which is of course the colour of royalty.
Due to time constraints, we will examine just one of various interpretations of the parable which specifically aligns with this week’s Torah portion.
In context, Yeshua had just given His teaching about the Parable of the Unjust Steward who had mishandled his master’s money (Luke 16:11-16) to illustrate good and bad stewardship. He told the Pharisees:
“So if you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who is going to trust you with the real thing? And if you haven’t been trustworthy with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what ought to belong to you? No servant can be slave to two masters, for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.”
Who were the ‘untrustworthy’ or unfaithful custodians of the spiritual riches bestowed upon them? Of course, He was referring to the religious hierarchy who He criticised for neglecting the very people they were responsible to serve.
And who are the righteous? Again, in context it represented all others who the religious hierarchy despised as unworthy and cursed of God. Yet, Yeshua as always turned everything upon its head.
How does one become a good custodian? A misuse of God’s gifts that we have been entrusted will place us below the poorest and most afflicted person who loves God and places his full trust in Him. It takes little imagination, especially in these days to see comparisons as there is no lack of false shepherds who seek to manipulate people to line their own pockets for personal gain.
So, let’s now examine in what ways this parable connects with our Torah Portion and here there are several illuminating things which come to light.
1. The Lazarus of the parable was Eleazar, who was Abraham’s steward (Gen. 15:2)
2. He was a Gentile (“a proselyte of the gate”) who ate the crumbs under the table
3. He was disinherited (became a beggar) but remained faithful to Abraham
4. When his earthly life was over, he received Abraham’s inheritance after all (he was in Abraham’s bosom – a metaphor derived from the custom in Yeshua’s time of
reclining on cushions around a low table when gathered for a feast) The sages taught that the eternal reward of the righteous in the afterlife was to share in a banquet given by Abraham, “the father of the faithful:” Therefore, the Jewish people considered it a mark of special honour to be allowed to lie in the ‘bosom’ of the master of the feast (cf. John 13:23), and this is how they pictured the next world.
5. The Rich Man of the Parable was Judah. This son of Jacob had five literal brothers as also the Rich Man
6. Judah was also a literal son of Abraham, while Eleazar (Lazarus) was not!
7. The Rich Man (Judah) also had the kingship (purple) and the priesthood (linen) yet Judah (representing God on this earth) was not the true steward of the Abrahamic blessings
8. Though he and his literal brothers had the Torah they would not respond to the Yeshua who was the Author of it even when He was resurrected from the dead
9. The Greek meaning of the phrase ‘great gulf’ referred to the Jordan Valley which was the dividing line between the Gentile lands and Israel (Abraham’s inheritance) It was ‘a great gulf fixed,’ so that those who would like to pass from one side to the other could not, and vice versa. (verse 26)
The sadness is that the religious hierarchy were not convicted of their hypocrisy but responded with hatred against the One who was their Messiah.
In light of all these things we understand how pivotal the statement in Deut 30:19 was when God presented the Israelites with a choice to who they would serve:
“I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants.”
And in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, each one of us must do likewise. Life is all about choices and God has revealed to us His way that we might make good choices and understand who the truly rich person in the parable was?
Throughout the entire scriptures God presents us with choices that are critical in determining outcomes in our lives. Scripture make it clear that IF we choose to continuously follow and obey Him until our death, we will be saved:
IF we hear His voice AND follow Him, He will give us eternal life (John 10:27)
IF we love Yeshua, we will do whatever He commands us (John 15:14)
IF we want to abide in Yeshua’s Love, we will keep His commandments (John 15:10)
IF we walk in the will of the Father, the same is Yeshua’s brother, sister, and mother (Matt 12:50)
We are living in critical times and God is calling out a remnant who will serve Him faithfully unto the end. Will you be a part of that remnant?
