Women in the Line of Messiah – Chayei Sarah – Nov. 7

In God’s plan for the redemption of mankind he started with one man and one woman to be the carriers of the promised seed.  It would be through this “seed” that all the families and nations of the earth would be blessed through the coming of the Messiah (Gen. 12:3).  This “seed” was prophesied about in the beginning (Gen. 3:15), it was promised through the life of Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and it was fulfilled in the life of the Messiah (Gal. 3:16-18).  Abraham and Sarah were the chosen couple whom God used to begin the line of the Messiah, which was fulfilled in Yeshua.

The Question of the “Virgin Birth”

Orthodox Judaism rejects Yeshua as the Messiah for many reasons, one of the reasons being the complexity of the virgin birth of Yeshua through his mother Mary (Matt. 1:18-21).  According to Judaism, the King and Messiah of the Jewish people was to be of noble birth through the line of King David and not a “bastard child” who was born by means of a questionable pregnancy.  The prophecy of the virgin birth from Isaiah 7:14 is also rejected on the claim that the text does not explicitly read “virgin” but rather “girl.”

Are there reasonable answers to these objections raised by Orthodox Judaism regarding the Messiah?  I believe that there are reasonable answers to these objections which are readily found in the Old Testament, The Jewish Scriptures.  In this article I will seek to provide a reasonable defense of Yeshua as the Messiah according to the promised seed of Abraham as revealed in the Bible, beginning with this week’s Torah Portion.

The Life and Death of Sarah

This week’s Torah Portion is called “חיי שרה” – “Chayei Sarah,” which means “The Life of Sarah.”  In the very first verse of this week’s Torah Portion we read of the fulfillment of the years of Sarah’s life (Gen. 23:1).  Sarah died at the age of 127 years old.  After Sarah’s death, Abraham bought a piece of property in the city of Hebron and buried Sarah there in the cave of Machpelah (Gen. 23).

Abraham was 137 years old at the time of Sarah’s death.  The Bible gives us a picture of the state of Abraham’s life two to three years after Sarah’s death: “Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way” (Gen. 24:1).  Abraham was old and the LORD had blessed the life of Abraham in every way, including giving to Abraham the promised son (“seed”) through his wife Sarah.  Isaac was the promised seed of Abraham and Sarah and he was to carry on the blessing of God, however, in order for this blessing to continue the line and seed of Isaac had to continue.  Abraham knew this reality well and was concerned for Isaac’s future.

Finding a Wife for Isaac

In Abraham’s desire to find a wife for his son Isaac, he made a request of the most trusted servant of his estate:

Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” – Gen. 24:2-4

Abraham knew that just as Isaac was a special son, the seed of promise, so the woman whom Isaac would marry and bear children with needed to be a special woman, a particular woman.  Just as the promise of the blessing of the seed of Abraham was interdependent on Sarah, so the woman whom Isaac would marry would play a significant role in carrying on this promise of God.

Abraham gave his servant very specific instructions regarding the woman whom he was to find for his son Isaac. She was not to be from the daughters of the Canaanites.  She was, however, to be from the daughters of Abraham’s relatives from the country from which he came.  To illustrate the magnitude of this request, Abraham made his servant place his hand under his thigh and swear by the LORD God of heaven and earth (Gen. 24:2-3).

The Vow & The Loins

In the making of this vow between Abraham and the head steward of his estate, Abraham had his servant place his hand under his thigh: “שם נא ידך תחת ירכי” – “sim nah yadecha tachat yerechi.”  I’ve taught on this phraseology in the past, so forgive me if you’ve heard this before, however, it is valuable to understand the intent of the Hebrew here.

When Abraham asked his servant to place his hand under his thigh he used the word “ירך” – “yerach,” which is generally translated as “thigh” in English.  “Yerach” can mean thigh or hip, however, it also has the meaning of the “loins” of a person.  We see this clearly illustrated in the life of Jacob when the Bible speaks of all of those who came out of the  “ירך” – “yerach” – “loins” of Jacob and went to Egypt (Gen. 46:26).

It appears from the context that when Abraham asked his servant to place his hand under his “yerach” – “loins” and to swear before the God of heaven and earth, he was reminding his servant that the promise of God to bless all the families of the earth through his seed (which came from his loins) was dependent on this unique mission of finding a wife for his son Isaac.  The search for a wife for Isaac was intimately connected to the loins of Abraham and extended to all the nations of the world.

Before agreeing to the request of his master, the servant asked Abraham what he should do if the woman was not willing to return with him to marry Isaac.  Abraham told him that by no means is he to take Isaac back to that land and that if she is unwilling to return with him then he would be free of the oath.  However, Abraham also spoke in faith and told his servant:

The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. – Gen. 24:7

Abraham knew the faithfulness of God to do the miraculous over and over again in his life and Abraham believed that God would once again prove Himself faithful on behalf of his son Isaac.  Abraham also reassured his servant that the LORD would send His angel ahead of him to guide him on the way.  The servant placed his hand under Abraham’s “ירך” – “yerach” – “loins” and swore an oath to fulfill this request.

The Search for a Wife

Abraham’s servant set out on the journey and arrived at the city of Nahor in Aram Naharaim (Gen. 24:10).  The unfolding story of how the servant found the young lady who was to be the wife of Isaac is nothing short of a miracle of God.  For the sake of time and space I will only focus on a few highlights in connection to the subject at hand.

The Request for a Sign

When the servant arrived at the well outside the city of Nahor he prayed to the LORD, to the God of Abraham, he asked for success, and he requested a sign from the LORD regarding how to choose a wife for Isaac:

now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; – Gen. 24:14

In his search for a particular “girl” for Isaac, the servant used the word “נערה” – “na’ah’ra,” which means young girl or female youth.  Abraham’s servant wanted to be sure that he chose the right girl for Isaac.  The servant knew that the LORD had worked miracles in Abraham’s life and he was expecting the LORD to show up at that time and reveal the wife of Isaac with a sign.

The Sign Fulfilled

The story unfolds beyond even the expectations of the servant.  God had already been preparing the details and answering the request of Abraham and his servant long before the servant uttered one word:

Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. – Gen. 24:15-16

It was as if in the very instant that he finished making his petition to God, the sign which he asked for was fulfilled.  Rebekah, who was Abraham’s relative, came out and fulfilled every request of Abraham’s servant.  We know from the verses that follow that she fulfilled every detail (Gen. 24:17-20).

The Young Woman Rebekah

Rebekah is described in no uncertain terms as a pure maiden.  There are two specific words in Hebrew that are used in the above verses to classify Rebekah as a young woman:  “נערה” – “na’ah’ra” and “בתולה” – “be’tu’lah.”  The word “na’ah’ra” means female youth or young woman.  The word “be’tu’lah” means virgin.  Rebekah was a young woman and she was a virgin.  The text emphasizes her virginity by stating, “…no man had had relations with her.”

The servant quickly realized that the signs were lining up and he asked Rebekah regarding her family and if there was room to stay with them for the night.  Rebekah told him that she was the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Nahor.  The servant responded in worship to God (Gen. 24:26).  Rebekah ran to tell her family and they invited the servant and his entourage into their home (Gen. 24:28-32).

God is in the Details

It was at Rebekah’s home that Abraham’s servant went into greater detail regarding why he was there.  He explained who he was, the blessing of God on Abraham’s life, the son that God had given to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, and how he came to their land to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac (Gen. 24:34-41).  The servant then retold the story of how he asked God to make his journey successful in finding a bride for Isaac and to provide a clear sign of who the young woman would be.

In the retelling of the story, Abraham’s servant used the word “עלמה” – “almah” to speak of the young woman for whom he was searching (Gen. 24:43).  The use of “almah” here is very significant and is connected to the earlier description of Rebekah as a young woman who was a virgin.  When Rebekah is first described in the story (Gen. 24:15-16) she is called a “נערה” – “na’ah’ra” – a girl or young woman and she is also called a “בתולה” – “be’tu’lah,” which means a virgin.  However, at the retelling of the story the servant stated that he was searching for a specific young woman, an “עלמה” – “almah,” and this “almah” was Rebekah (Gen. 24:45).

The Significance of “Almah”

The word “almah” is used seven times in the Old Testament (Gen. 24:43. Ex. 2:8. Is. 7:14. Ps. 68:26. Prov. 30:19. Song of Solomon 1:3. 6:8).  Each time the word “almah” is used in the Bible it connotes the meaning of a girl or a young woman who is not yet married.  The first time the word “almah” is used in the Bible is found here in Gen. 24:43.

Abraham’s servant was searching for a bride for his master’s son Isaac.  By using the word “almah” to describe the young lady for whom he was searching, we can assume that he was not searching for a married woman, a divorced woman, or a widow.  The natural understanding of a search of this nature would be for a younger woman who would be known as a virgin.  Why is the use of this word “almah” so extremely important?

Connection to Isaiah 7:14 – “Almah”

As noted in the beginning of this study, the word used in Isaiah 7:14 which speaks of the “virgin” who would “be with child and bear a son,” is in question in orthodox Judaism:

Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14

Most English Bibles translate the Hebrew word “almah” as “virgin” based on the context, however, the most literal translation of this word would be a “girl” or a “young woman” with the implication that she is a virgin, as we just read in Genesis 24.

“Almah” as “Virgin”

There are two clear indicators from this week’s Torah Portion study that give credence to the use of “virgin” for the Hebrew word “almah.”

1. The use of a “sign.”  Just as the servant in Genesis 24 asked for a sign from God and the sign was fulfilled in Rebekah’s life and actions so a sign was given for the child that was prophesied about in Isaiah 7:14.  The expectation of a sign anticipates the miraculous hand of God to accomplish something.  That a virgin would become pregnant and bear a son as a sign to the house of David (Isaiah 7:13-14) demands the miraculous hand of God.
2. The use of “almah.”  The explicit classification spoken of Rebekah as a young woman who was a virgin in Genesis 24:16 and then paralleled in Gen. 24:43-45 with the use of the word “almah” in the retelling of the story indicates that an “almah” can and does refer to a virgin.  The seven uses of the word “almah” in the Old Testament also support this understanding.

In light of this textual evidence, accepting the New Testament account of the “virgin birth” of Yeshua as the Messiah should be the most natural reality.

Mary, the mother of Yeshua, resembles Rebekah in many ways:

• Mary was the young woman (“almah”) who was chosen by God to be in the line of the Messiah (Luke 2:26-38) just as Rebekah was the “almah” chosen by God to be in the line of the promised seed (Gen. 24:43-45).
• Mary was the fulfillment of the sign to the house of David as the appointed one spoken of in Isaiah 7:14 just as Rebekah fulfilled the sign to the house of Abraham that she was the appointed one in Genesis 24:44.
• An angel went before Mary to announce and prepare the way (Luke 1:26-27) just as the angel went before the servant of Abraham to prepare the way for Rebekah (Gen. 24:7).

The Women in the Line of the Messiah

It is interesting to note that in the line of the Messiah, starting from Abraham and arriving to the birth of Yeshua, God has chosen particular women to bring forth His desired outcome.  Orthodox Judaism often mocks the lineage and birth of Yeshua as being incongruent to Judaism, however, I believe we see just the opposite as each prophecy is investigated, including the women whom God has chosen to be part of the line of the Messiah.

In contrast to the almost picture perfect image that we get from the life and character of Rebekah, there have been a number of out of the ordinary women that God has hand-picked to be part of the genealogy of the Messiah.  Without going into much detail, I’d like to list a few of these women here.

The Women of the Messiah: 

• Leah:  Isaac’s son Jacob married Rachel, whom he loved, however, it would be through his wife Leah, the rejected wife, that the line of the Messiah would continue.  Leah bore a son to Jacob whom she called Judah.
• Tamar: Judah’s oldest son, Er, married Tamar but he was killed by the LORD because he was evil.  Judah then gave his second son, Onan, to Tamar but he was also killed by the LORD for being evil.  Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, then played the role of a prostitute with Judah when she saw that Judah did not gave her his next son. Tamar became pregnant and bore a son to Judah, Perez, who was in the line of the Messiah (Gen. 38).
• Ruth: No Moabite was permitted to enter into the assembly of the LORD and the Israelites were not permitted to seek the peace or welfare of the Moabites ever! (Deut. 23:4-7)  The Moabites were descendants of Lot through his oldest daughter who made her father drunk and slept with him.  She bore her father a son, Moab, which means “from the father.”  Boaz married Ruth the Moabitess and she bore him Obed, the grandfather of King David.
• Bathsheba: David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then killed her husband so that he could marry her.  Their first child died, however, God comforted them and gave them another son, Solomon, who would be the one to carry on the line of Messiah.

Choosing Mary

This short list of women would not be the humanly desired list for bringing God’s “Anointed One” into the world but these are the women whom God chose to use.  God chose specific women to carry on the seed of the Messiah.  Just as none of these women in the above list would seem like a natural choice according to human standards, so too using Mary as a virgin to bring the Messiah into the world was not the people’s choice but rather God’s choice (Isaiah 7:14).

As we have seen by studying this week’s Torah Portion, Mary was not some random choice to create some new scenario for the Messiah.  Mary followed a line of women starting from Sarah and Rebekah that would include women from all walks of life whom God would choose.  From a Biblical and prophetic perspective, Mary was the perfect choice according the sign that God gave through the prophet Isaiah.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Gen. 23:1 – Gen. 25:18

Hafatara: 1 Kings 1:1-31

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