Joseph explained to Pharaoh that his dreams were actually warnings from God. Seven years of abundance and plenty were about to begin in Egypt, but they were to be followed by seven years of desperate famine. The solution was to lay up stores during the seven years of plenty so that there would be sufficient food in the coming years of famine.
Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph's wisdom that he made him a minister over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. Joseph oversaw the building of storehouses in which the abundant grain of Egypt's seven years of plenty was stored.
Life is uncertain, and it is only prudent to lay up savings and provisions. The Proverbs say, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Proverbs 21:20, NIV). Contrary to the advice of Joseph, modern society promotes a lifestyle of squandering all available wealth, overspending and relying on credit. Though we live in the most affluent times that the human race has ever enjoyed, few people have the wisdom to lay up savings for leaner times ahead.
Yeshua told his disciples to lay up treasures in heaven instead of on earth:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Our lives on earth can be compared to the seven years of plenty. We have an abundance of opportunities to do good to others, to repent and practice righteousness and to give charity to the needy. However, these golden years of opportunity are limited. Whether in seven days, seven years or seventy years, the opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven will vanish. After we die, our opportunities to do good deeds are gone.
In Judaism, a good deed like giving charity to the needy is called a mitzvah (מצוה). The plural form is mitzvot (מצות) The word mitzvah literally means “commandment.” Every time we keep one of God's commandments, it is a “good deed.” Therefore the word mitzvah has come to be associated with any act of goodness.
Our opportunities to do mitzvot are limited to our lifetime here on earth. Yeshua teaches that our mitzvot are like money placed into a savings account in heaven. When we pass on into the next life, we will be able to cash in on the mitzvot we have stored up in heaven.
The world says, “You can't take it with you.” The Messiah says that you can. Yeshua teaches that “you can take it with you” by giving your money to charity and investing your time and resources into the things of the kingdom of heaven. You are storing it up in heaven. When you arrive in the next life, you will be rewarded for your acts of kindness and piety.
Joseph encouraged all of Egypt to diligently lay up stores and provisions for the lean years to come. So too, we should be storing up our resources in heaven for the years to come.
Miketz – מקץ : “At the end” Torah : Genesis 41:1-44:17 Haftarah : I Kings 3:15-4:1 Gospel : Luke 4:16-31
NOVEMBER 27, 2021 Exodus 31:2-3, 6 See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship…and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, […]
NOVEMBER 25, 2021 Exodus 30:12 When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. In our day and time, a census is conducted by counting heads, but in ancient […]
NOVEMBER 24, 2021 Exodus 30:1, 6 You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood…. And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. As we discussed yesterday, the smoke that arose from […]
NOVEMBER 26, 2021 Exodus 30:15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves. When it came to supporting the upkeep of the sanctuary, everyone was considered equal in that all could do something — the poor and […]
NOVEMBER 23, 2021 Exodus 30:1, 6 You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood….And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. Considering that the altar of incense was situated before the […]
NOVEMBER 22, 2021 Exodus 29:43-44 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. In these verses we see a summation of […]
NOVEMBER 21, 2021 Exodus 29:21 And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him; and he and his garments shall be hallowed. In consideration of the fact that […]
Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar.
At first glance this instruction seems a bit odd and, for those not inclined to see beyond the surface of things, maybe even bizarre and troubling. Yet, we know that God has a purpose for everything He does and for everything He instructs us to do. First of all, understanding the role of blood in the process of redemption and its necessity for the forgiveness of sins is essential if we are to understand anything about the role of the priests and the Sanctuary itself. Blood is emblematic of life itself and it is through the shedding of blood that the guilt of sin is atoned for.
That something regarded as precious as blood was to be placed upon the priests begs us to consider why it was on placed on their right ear, their right thumb and right big toe. Rabbinical commentary offers an opinion on the matter. Rabbi Raphael Hirsch offered this interpretation: “Through the ear, one hears and understands; through the hand, one acts; through the feet, one moves about. All three are consecrated to show that the Cohen dedicates all his faculties to God's service.”
In other words, as the priests were being inaugurated into service, they were reminded that they were to “hear” what God said and to “do” what God said. Likewise, as representatives of the Messiah, we are consecrated to hear and to do according to His will. Our ears are not to be dull of hearing but are to be sensitive to heed and understand His voice. Our hands and feet must not be polluted with sinful deeds but be dedicated to go and to act according to His will. In short, this ritual was a reminder to them and to us that those who are called to serve the Almighty are to dedicate their entire being to Him without reservation or exception. So then, let us serve Him in the way that He expects and deserves — with all of our heart, soul and strength.
