In a recent conversation with an orthodox Jewish rabbi I was challenged with a question regarding the accomplishment of Yeshua at His first coming. This rabbi asked me, “If Yeshua died on the cross to conquer sin and provide spiritual salvation for His followers, why do believers in Yeshua still sin?” This is an excellent question that deserves a reasonable answer.
This rabbi was asking a practical question regarding the outworking of Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection. In essence, the rabbi was asking, “If the New Testament claims are true regarding Yeshua as the Messiah, the final sacrifice for sin, and His victory over sin, than why do Christians and Messianic Jews still struggle with sin after believing in Yeshua?” An excellent question. I believe that the basis to the answer to the rabbi’s question is found in this week’s Torah Portion.
The Generations of Isaac
The name of this week’s Torah Portion is “תולדות” – “Toldot,” meaning “Generations” or “History of.” The first verse of this week’s study is: “Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham became the father of Isaac;” (Gen. 25:19). The text clearly tells us that this account will be about the “Generations (or History) of Isaac.”
Although it states that these are the “generations of Isaac,” it is interesting to note that rather than just going forward with Isaac’s lineage, the text states that Isaac was “Abraham’s son.” The natural question is, why start with Abraham if it is the generations of Isaac?
I believe that God is emphasizing to us that we are not dealing with a normal sequence of generations when we refer to Isaac. Isaac was the promised son of Abraham through Sarah and God had a special plan for this particular lineage. The promise started with Abraham, continued through Isaac, and would continue through Isaac’s son.
The Struggle for the Generations of Isaac
We learn in this week’s study that Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah but that they were not able to have children right away:
Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. – Gen. 25:21
Rebekah was barren so Isaac literally entreated or petitioned the LORD on behalf of his wife and the LORD allowed Himself to be entreated by Isaac (Gen. 25:20-21). The struggle for Isaac’s seed was similar to that of Abraham’s struggle. Abraham endured 25 years until God allowed Sarah to become pregnant and Isaac endued 20 years until his wife became pregnant. The text tells us that Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah finally became pregnant and gave birth (Gen. 25:26).
Why does God allow for Suffering & Delay?
The LORD had clearly appointed Rebekah for Isaac and brought her to him via Abraham’s servant after Sarah’s death (Gen. 24). The timing and appointing of Rebekah for Isaac were so perfect, almost like a fairytale. If this is true, than why would a good God allow Isaac, the “son of promise,” to suffer with his wife for twenty years until she would become pregnant?
This question raises a natural question for humankind in general. Why does God allow people to suffer? There are no easy answers to the question of suffering in life, however, I believe we learn something of the value of suffering from the lives of Abraham and Isaac and, as we will begin to see in today’s study, also in the life of Jacob.
In the Babylonian Talmud the question is asked of Isaac regarding why he and his ancestors were barren. The answer given in the Talmud is as follows: “Because the Holy One, blessed be He, longs to hear the prayer of the righteous” (The Babylonian Talmud. Seder Nashim. Yevamot 64a). The “Holy One” is speaking of God Himself. The answer provided in the Talmud to this question of why God allowed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to suffer in waiting decades for their respective sons to be born to them is that God longs to hear the prayer of the righteous. God is not a passive being that is disconnected from His creation. God is intimately involved in human affairs. God desires for us to communicate with Him and He longs to be gracious to us.
As it was in the days of Abraham and Isaac so it is in our day today. God does not always allow us to have everything we want when we want it for the purpose of depending on Him. God even allows us to suffer emotionally, physically, and spiritually so that we will call out to Him and ask Him to help us in our time of need. The suffering in our lives causes us to throw ourselves before the LORD and to petition the God of heaven and earth to come to our aid. The answers may not always come immediately or within the time that we think they should come. This is what we are reminded of afresh in today’s study of the “generations of Isaac!” Suffering causes us to seek answers and to call upon God to help us in our time of need.
The Struggle Within
Rebekah became pregnant after Isaac prayed and entreated God on her behalf, however, during Rebekah’s pregnancy she experienced an uneasiness within her:
But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.” – Gen. 25:22
The Hebrew word used for the phrase “struggled together” in this verse is “ויתרוצצו” – “Ve’yitrotzetzu,” which is literally translated as “and they struggled with one another.” It is a reflexive plural form of the word and the word could mean “to struggle, oppress, or crush one another.”
This struggle and crushing of one another in Rebekah’s womb caused her to go before the LORD and ask what was going on. The LORD replied to Rebekah:
Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger. – Gen. 25:23
Without the use of an ultrasound or modern medicine, Rebekah found out more through one prophetic inquiry than most mothers do today from nine months of going to a doctor. The LORD told Rebekah that she would be having twins, that they would be two nations and two peoples, and finally that the older would serve the younger.
The struggle within Rebekah’s womb was foretelling of the lives within her. Beyond this revelation of the two lives becoming two nations, God stated that contrary to the normal outworking of the role of the firstborn, the older would serve the younger. God had chosen the younger of these two lives to continue the line of the seed of promise.
The Ongoing Struggle
The day came for Rebekah to give birth and the LORD’s word to her was proven to be true when she gave birth to twin boys. During the birth itself we are privileged to read how the struggle continued:
Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them. – Gen. 25:25-26
We read that Esau came out first, however, Jacob was close behind as he was actually holding on to his brother’s heel.
The Hebrew word for heel is “עקב” – “Ekev.” So Jacob was literally called by a form of the word “heel” – “יעקב” – “Yakov.” Through this imagery we can see that Jacob was struggling with his brother even when he came out of the womb by grasping the heel of his brother. Jacob was destined to be the chosen one of God but it wasn’t going to come easy. The struggle would continue throughout his life.
Jacob & Esau
The story of Jacob and Esau is well-known. After the boys had grown up Jacob persuaded his brother to sell him his birthright as the firstborn and Esau agreed over a bowl of lentils because he was so hungry (Gen. 25:27-34). Then Jacob, acting as the firstborn, went before his father Isaac and stole the blessing of the firstborn while Esau was out hunting (Gen. 27:1-29).
God had declared to Rebekah that the younger of the two boys would be the blessed one, the older would serve the younger. Jacob was chosen by God in the womb, before either one had done good or bad. Even though Jacob was chosen by God he still had to struggle and fight for the promises of God in His life.
God’s Choice
The choosing of Jacob to be the son who would carry on the blessing was not something arbitrary or decided by a flip of a coin, rather, it was God’s choice. We see this more clearly through a prophecy given to Malachi:
The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau,… – Malachi 1:1-3
God chose to love Jacob and to hate Esau. It is challenging for us to understand this from a human perspective but it is a principle taught in both the Old and New Testaments.
We see these same verses from Malachi quoted in the New Testament in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul was addressing the subject of the calling and choice of God and in so doing he actually bridged the story of Jacob and Esau from Genesis 25 together with this quote from Malachi:
And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” – Romans 9:10-13
God’s choosing of Jacob was not based on his righteous acts but rather on God’s sovereign choice. This is one of the clearest things we see in and through the life of Jacob; God chose him and God used him for His glory. If Jacob was chosen by God Himself, why did he struggle and suffer so much in his life?
The Suffering of the Chosen
I believe that Jacob had to struggle and suffer in this life as part of his being chosen. Being chosen by God does not exclude individuals from suffering. Even Yeshua Himself suffered on this earth as the chosen one of God: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Suffering is a tool of God by which we learn obedience to the Father in heaven.
Suffering is part of being like our Lord and Messiah, Yeshua. In the first letter of Peter he wrote to those who were the “chosen” of God (1 Peter 1:1) and instructed these “chosen ones” to endure suffering for righteousness sake: “For you have been called for this purpose, since Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…” (1 Peter 2:21). Peter was challenging the believers of his day and beyond to seek to live a holy life and to recognize that suffering will come as a result. Later on in this same letter, Peter wrote that we should not be surprised at the suffering of believers for righteousness but rather that we should rejoice (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Paul wrote in a similar manner in his letter to the Philippians to all who are chosen and follow in the ways of the Messiah: “For to you it has been granted for Messiah’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me” (Philippians 1:29-30). Paul suffered much for his faith in the gospel. Paul did not pursue suffering in a sadistic manner, but rather he pursued a righteous life and spoke openly of the truth of Yeshua as the Messiah. He suffered as a result of his faith. Paul taught clearly that those who follow after the Messiah will suffer in some degree as he has.
The Identity of the Chosen
We learn from the life of Jacob that being chosen is not a ticket to an easy, struggle-free life. It is actually just the opposite. To be chosen is to be set apart from this world and this will include natural opposition by the enemy.
As noted above, Yeshua learned obedience through the things that He suffered in this world (Heb. 5:8). Although Yeshua was tempted in all manner of evil in this world, He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). He conquered sin and death through His perfect sacrifice for all those who believe in Him. Those who are chosen of God and believe in Yeshua as the Messiah are fully redeemed and cleansed from all their sin by the grace of God (Rom. 3:21-26).
The challenge in this truth is that we still live in sinful, human bodies. Although we have been set free from the power of sin, we still have to choose to not sin. This is the calling of the chosen in our day; to fight for the new identity in the Messiah.
The Fight of the Chosen
Those who are chosen of God are called to fight for the sake of righteousness. We are called to walk a life of faith, to turn away from sin, and to live a holy life. I believe that this is the climax of the teaching in the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews laid the foundation of the sacrifice of Yeshua as the complete sacrifice for sin in the first ten chapters. Then in chapter eleven the writer listed the examples of heroes of the faith who have set an example of those who were chosen of God and walked with God in faith and holiness. Then we arrive at chapter twelve, which is an exhortation for us to fight the fight as we run the race:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus… – Hebrews 12:1-2
Yeshua is the center of our faith and, while remembering those how have gone before us (Heb. 11), we are exhorted to fight and to go forward in a holy way in our faith in Yeshua.
The fight of the chosen ones will not be without pain and struggles. The writer of Hebrews challenges us to recall the suffering of Yeshua as we battle against sin and the temptations of the flesh in this world:
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin… – Hebrew 12:3-4
Yeshua Himself died for our sin and shed His own blood to conquer sin and death, however, the fight goes on. We are to continue to strive against sin. Our fight against sin will not be easy. The fight will be challenging and difficult, however, we must keep our focus on Yeshua who has already gone before us and conquered sin on our behalf.
The fight of the chosen will be marked by a path of discipline and struggle. We see this in the life of Jacob and we read of this in the letter to the Hebrews: “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:7) Our struggles in this world should never make us question the faithfulness of God or God’s love for us. On the contrary, our struggles should remind us that God has chosen us, that He loves, and that we are called to fight.
painful and difficult as it is, thank you for reminding us that we are still loved by GOD.
Dear Daniel,
Like the rabbi in your opening comments, I couldn’t understand why I keep sinning, since I am a believer in Yeshua HaMaschiach and His once for all finished work, his atoning sacrifice on the cross, through which He paid the penalty for our sins and made the power of sin inoperable in the believer’s life.
Praise God that at the Bible believing, preaching and teaching church that I have attended for the past ten years, the pastoral staff has instructed me through the scriptures that believing in Yeshua HaMaschiach results in positional salvation or sanctification. Once we believe in Him, the LORD adopts the believer and he is saved and remains secure in Him, regardless of what the believer may or may not do.
In spite of being born again as a new creation, however, the believer still possesses a sin nature, which battles his new nature in Yeshua HaMaschiach. While the indwelling Ruach HaKodesh empowers the believer to will and to work for the LORD’s good pleasure, one must choose to abide in Him. As God’s Word implores us, we must work out our salvation, that is a practical, daily sanctification, which does not change the believer’s new position as a child of God. But when we choose to sin instead, we may then confess our sins and Yeshua HaMaschiach continuously intercedes for us to the Father, Who forgives us our sins, which restores us to fellowship with Him.
And one day, when the LORD calls a believer home or at the rapture, then the believer will become as Yeshua HaMaschiach; that is, we will be glorified as He is, which is our ultimate sanctification. Then the believer will no longer have a sin nature and, therefore, will no longer be prone to sin.
Therefore, “… I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Sal:-)
Hi Daniel,
Just read your Torah Portion “The suffering of the Chosen”.
Rebecca and I have been discussing why bad things happen to us as Christians.
I told her that my experience in walking with the Lord seems to be the closer the walk, the more problems seem to occur. It causes me to look for verses that apply to my situation and get them into my head. That’s how our faith grows.
Shabbat Shalom
Sandy
Exactly! Thanks for sharing mom.
Daniel
This article was just what I needed to hear. Thank you!
So thankful for the encouragement from other believers in Messiah.
Blessings
Sarah
God bless you Sarah!
Thanks for your comment.
Daniel
I really enjoyed this article. As one who has been through her share of suffering I’ve come to the conclusion that much of our suffering comes from the outworking of the Spirit of God in our lives. This outworking goes against our very soulish nature and causes it to fight the very destiny that God created in all of us. As we allow the outworking of the Spirit of God in our lives bringing our souls under the submission of the Spirit our destinies become realized.
Dear Daniel,
In the following sentence, change Issac to Jacob:
We read that Esau came out first, however, Isaac was close behind as he was actually holding on to his brother’s heel.
Hopefully, tomorrow I will have the opportunity to post a comment for public consumption. I will also send you a personal email.
Your brother in Yeshua HaMaschiach,
Sal:-)
Thanks Sal, I appreciate the helpful feedback.
I corrected the text.
Daniel
The Messiah is the hope for all man kind, the promise that Hashem would speedily in our days, the building of the temple and the knowledge of Hashem will cover the world as the water covers the ocean, all Jews and non Jews need to make true teshuva, that is so need, idolatry is all through this world, to learn emuna will bring us through the era of moshiach.