Parashah 8: Vayislach (He sent)

Parashah 8: Vayislach (He sent) - Genesis 32:4 - 36:43.

Haftarah (Writings and Prophets): Oba 1:1-21.
B'rit Hadasha (New Testament): 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Revelation 7:1-12.

Summary & Overview

TORAH
o Genesis 32:3 | Jacob Sends Gifts to Appease Esau
o Genesis 32:22 | Jacob Wrestles at Peniel
o Genesis 33:1 | Jacob and Esau Meet
o Genesis 33:18 | Jacob Reaches Shechem
o Genesis 34:1 | The Rape of Dinah
o Genesis 34:25 | Dinah's Brothers Avenge Their Sister
o Genesis 35:1 | Jacob Returns to Bethel
o Genesis 35:16 | The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel
o Genesis 35:27 | The Death of Isaac
o Genesis 36:1 | Esau's Descendants
o Genesis 36:15 | Clans and Kings of Edom

PROPHETS

o Oba 1:5 | Pillage and Slaughter Will Repay Edom's Cruelty

o Oba 1:10 | Edom Mistreated His Brother
o Oba 1:17 | Israel's Final Triumph

Last week we studied the Prophet Hosea and his message to Ephraim, which
represented the Christians and the Body of Messiah. It was the story about the
restoration of the Bride, depicted by Gomer, as well as the bringing together of
the two sticks into the hand of the King, Yshua the Messiah.
In this weeks Parashah, Jacob was once again on the move. This time he was
returning home, to the Land of his father, Isaac. However, before he could return
to his homeland, he had to face his character,, and the consequences of his
deeds that related to his brother Esau. Returning home was part of the promise
YHVH gave Jacob, just as YHVH promised that Israel would return to their
Land, a promise that was fulfilled in 1948.
The name of this Torah Portion is vayislach, which comes from the root word
shalach hls meaning to send away, to send out, to appoint, bring (on the
way), cast (away, out), to forsake, to give (up), shoot (forth, out), sow, spread,
stretch forth (out). This word is first found in Scripture in Gen 3:22-23:
Then YHVH Elohim said, Behold, the man has become like one of
Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out (shalach) his
hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever 23,
therefore, YHVH ELOHIM sent him out (shalach) of the garden of
Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.

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Man sinned by eating from the wrong tree. YHVH then had to send out
(shalach) Adam and Chavah (Eve) from the Garden to stop them from sending
out (shalach) their hands and eating from the Tree of Life that would have
entrapped them in a fallen state for all eternity. In relation to this Torah Portion,
YHVH sent out Jacob, back to the Land of his father, to carry the promise of the
Birthright on behalf of his family. We also read about Jacob sending out
messengers to meet Esau and his men, when he heard of their approach.
The end goal for Jacob was to return to the Land of his Father and for Adam
(humanity), to return back to the Garden of Eden so he could eat from the Tree
of Life. The only problem was that Jacob had to face Esau and Adam had to
face the Cerebrums, guarding the Gate of the Garden., Both Esau and the
Cerebrums represent the time of entering the gate or Judgement, called
Jacobs Trouble or the Kiss of Esau, generally known as the Tribulation. The
name of this Torah Portion as well as the story of Jacob facing Esau, places it in
the context of the Last Generation within the timeframe of the Tribulation which
includes the time called, the Day of YHVH, when YHVH will judge all nations.

Prophets Called from the Nations

According to the Jewish tradition, Obadiah is
said to have been a convert to Judaism from
Edom, a descendant of Eliphaz, the friend of
Job. He is identified with the Obadiah who
was the servant of Ahab, and it is said that he
was chosen to prophesy against Edom
because he was himself an Edomite.
Moreover, having lived with two such godless
people as Ahab and Jezebel without learning
to act as they did, he seemed the most
suitable person to prophesy against Esau (Edom). Obadiah is supposed to have
received the gift of prophecy for having hidden the "hundred prophets" (1 Kings
18:4) from the persecution of Jezebel. He hid the prophets in two caves, so if
those in one cave were discovered those in the other might still escape (1 Kings
18:3-4). The Book of Obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of
Edom and the restoration of Israel. The text consists of a single chapter, divided
into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Obadiah Ovadyah or Ovadyahu . His name consists of
two parts, ovad and yah, meaning servant of YHVH. Ovad comes
from the root word abad , meaning to work (in any sense); by implication,
to serve, till, be bondmen, bond-service, labour (-ing man, bring to pass,
worshipper. Obadiah can also mean worshipper of YHVH. Abad is first found
in Scripture in Gen 2:5 in relation to the Garden of Eden, where man had the
task to till the ground, sustaining the Garden. The Garden of Eden is a picture of
the Kingdom of YHVH, specifically the House of YHVH that must be maintained
to be effective in its application of restoring the nations.

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If the Jewish commentaries and historical writings are correct, in claiming that
Obadiah came from Edom, and that he was a prophet speaking to his own
people, the Edomites, it indicates that Prophets will be raised up from the
nations who come into the Kingdom of YHVH. YHVH raises these Prophets from
among their own people, from amongst every nation, so they can speak words
of restoration (re-creation), thus fulfilling the process and purpose of Prophets.
It is said that the handle of the axe that cut down the forest came from one of
the trees that once grew in that forest. These Spiritual Leaders who came from
the Nations are grafted into the Family of YHVH by becoming Bondservants
under the leadership of their new Master, Yshua the Messiah. They become
part of the Kingdom and Body of Messiah to worship YHVH in Spirit and in Truth
(Torah), and to labour and sustain the House or Body of Messiah. These
Prophets like Obadiah represent the Spiritual Leaders who come from the
Nations, and have the authority to do work among their own people, to till the
ground and bring in the harvest from each of these nations. Obadiah represents
the Prophets within Ephraim, who represent the Lost Tribes, a mixed multitude
of people joining Israel from among the nations.
The analogy of tilling the ground is
symbolised by oxen, yoked together with
Yshua, pulling the plough that tills or prepares
the ground for the seed of the Word to be
sown in the hearts of the people from all
nations. At the end, YHVHs Garden will be
restored and humanity will be able to dwell
with YHVH in His Presence, in the New
Jerusalem, the Land that was promised to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). This
Covenant Promise was given to Abraham so that ALL the families of the earth
may be blessed and know YHVH, Who is their exceedingly Great Reward (Gen
15).

Edom and the Flesh

The main focus of the Haftorah Portion is Edom. Edom is the nation that
descended from Esau, and we know that Esau lost the birthright to his brother
Jacob, whose descendants are now the people of Israel. Israel, YHVHs chosen
people, are able to expand, by allowing other nations to join them. The only
condition is that the other nations must leave their foreign worship, traditions
and cultures behind, and adopt a new culture, called the Hebrew Culture, which
is YHVHs culture. This is the same concept as being adopted into a Household
where the child learns to follow the culture and rules of their new family. Israel
represents the Family of YHVH who adopted the culture of the Father, the
Hebrew Culture.
In saying this, Edom is the group name or nation that opposes the Nation or
Family of YHVH. Edom represents the people who are adopted into the Family
of the Serpent, becoming part of his culture and his nation. Within this family,
people are allowed to follow their own desires as well as the standards set by
the serpent, the god of this world. One of the main commandments in the
Satanic Bible is do thine own will , which encourages everyone to follow
the flesh and their fallen nature.

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The second commandment that is promoted is; follow your heart implying
that you should be led by your emotions. The Serpents children oppose the
children of YHVH. YHVH wants to free His creation (humanity) from the control
of the Serpent and release all of humanity from the bondage of sin that comes
from following the flesh. YHVH wants to break the bondage of bad habits, and
reveal all the lies that keep people in bondage in the Serpents house.
Q - Why does YHVH hate Edom?
At the end of the day, every human being belongs to YHVH because they are
part of His creation. Everything belongs to Him. The Serpent came to steal, kill
and destroy YHVHs people, hence the counterfeit House replacing YHVHs
House, known as Edom. This is Why YHVH hates the House of Edom but loves
the House of Israel. YHVH wants all people to leave the House of Edom, the
House of Bondage (Egypt) and Confusion (Babylon), and return to the House of
Israel, the place of freedom.
Throughout history, nine Prophets spoke against Edom and prophesied about
Edoms destruction; Balaam, Obadiah, Isiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Joel, Amos,
Malachi and David. The short Book of Obadiah is written more about Edoms
future (verse 15 referring to the Day of YHVH, also cf. Joel 2:1-2), showing it is
a prophecy about Edom in the end-time and so directly cross-references to
Jeremiah 49:7-22 and Ezekiel 35:1-15.
Edom means red and this was the name Esau received the day he sold
his birthright for the red stuff to satisfy his appetite. Feeding his flesh was more
important than carrying the responsibility of the birthright and Covenant
promises YHVH gave Abraham. The descendants of Esau became the
Edomites, but they were also related to the Amalekites because Amalek was
Esaus grandson. This, connected Edom to Amalek. Both were enemies of
Israel and both represent spiritual enemies of the people of YHVH today. This
shed some light on why YHVH had issues with Edom, as revealed in the detail
regarding Amalek. Both Edom and Amalek provided spiritual insight into the
tactics of the enemy, namely the Serpent and opposer of YHVH.
Amalek means people of licking up, similar to a serpent licking,
representing your physical side or fleshliness which relates to the nephesh as
we discovered in the previous Torah Portion. The nephesh represents Esau who
was a man of the field, a man more interested in his appetite than the role of
firstborn with the responsibility of carrying the seed that will produce the
Saviour of Israel and the world.
Amalek was the first enemy Israel encountered after they
left Egypt and was depicted with Moses arms up high, to
overcome this enemy. This is a beautiful picture of faith and
how the flesh can be overcome when you uphold the
standard of YHVHs Word in your life. Israel won that day
but it is said that Amalek was never defeated. The battle
against Amalek or your flesh will never end and you will be
confronted with fleshly desires till the day you die. The only
way to keep the flesh at bay is to overcome it with the Word
of YHVH through faith, by being faithful in the Truth you have received.

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Overcoming Amalek is a way to overcome the influence of Edom, the House of
the Serpent which contains the two systems related to Egypt (sin and bondage)
and Babylon (mixing and confusion).
Agag was the King of Amalek who was spared by King Saul and slain by
the Prophet Samuel. King Saul lost his kingship and kingdom because of this
act and he warns us that we should not spare fleshly desires but rather listen to
the warnings of the Prophet Obadiah, and destroy Edom/Amalek/flesh. King
Agag represents fleshly believers who want to be in charge of their lives, by not
completely handing their lives over to YHVH.
Esaus descendants became the Roman empire and were influenced by Greek
culture throughout the centuries. Today, the Western culture is based upon the
philosophies and customs of the Greek and Roman cultures, which forms the
basis of modern thinking, promoting humanism instead of godliness, which is
opposed to YHVH, His Word and His culture. When you become part of the
House of Israel you have to unlearn the things you were once accustomed to,
so that you can become an effective member and bondservant in the Body of
Messiah.

The House of Israel vs. the House of Edom

Last week we looked at the two Houses of Israel, represented
by Judah or the ^Southern Kingdom (Jews), and Ephraim or
the Northern Kingdom, that represented the followers of
Jesus/Yshua (Christians). Jacob became the father of the
nation of Israel through his twelves sons who became the
twelve tribes of Israel. The name Israel larsy consists of

two parts yasher rsy, which means upright or righteous,

and El la ^which is a short form of Elohim. This gives us

the meaning of Israel; the Righteous people of Elohim.
In this study we discover the House of Edom, that was formed by the
descendants of Esau, opposing the House of Israel, the people who descended
from Jacob. The spirit of Edom is the negative force that infiltrated the Body of
Messiah, causing division between Ephraim and Judah, specifically a hatred of
the people of Israel in general, saying that the Church has replaced Israel.
When you become born again, you are grafted into Israel, becoming part of the
Righteous people of Elohim, part of Israel. In other words; the Church
(Christians) do not replace Israel, but become part of Israel. The name
Christian means anointed one, and there have been many anointed ones
throughout history that were Israelites. Paul explains it beautifully where he
describes the Family Tree:
Rom 11:17-21 And if some of the branches were broken off, and
you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and
became a sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree with
them, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you boast, it is
not you that bears the root, but the root bears you. 19 You will say
then, The branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.

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 20 Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand
by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear. 21 For if God did not
spare the natural branches, fear lest He also may not spare you
either!
Some of the natural branches (Jews or ancient Israel) did not believe and were
broken off. We know that we are saved by grace through faith. We see here that
even the Jews are saved through faith and broken off through unbelief.
Within this Torah Portion, Jacob found himself in a dilemma, and he had to learn
to trust the Elohim of his fathers, the Unseen God of Abraham and Isaac. YHVH
is known as the Unseen God, the One Who hides Himself.
Isa 45:15 Truly, You are an El who hides Himself, O Elohim of Israel,
Saviour! (Yasha) 16They will be put to shame and even humiliated, all of
them; The manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
Q - Why is this so?
To know that YHVH exists and not see Him is the first step of faith; you have to
believe it to be true because there is no evidence of His physical existence
except through Yshua. In this verse, there is mention of the Elohim of Israel
Who is the Saviour ( Yasha), and if you insert a vav - man , He becomes
your personal Saviour called Yeshua . Faith in Yshua is the faith in the
Elohim of Israel, Who is not seen by many, but appears in your life if you accept
Him as your Master and Saviour.
We find the same symbolism in the narrative of this Torah Portion where Jacob
sent out his messengers after he heard of Esaus coming. Remember, the
prophetic context and timeframe of this story connected Esau to Edom, and
Edom represents the House of the Serpent, Who is led by the One who comes
in place of Messiah, namely the Anti-Messiah.
We previously discovered that the Messiah and the Serpent are connected
through the number 358, (massiach and nachash = 358), showing that the
solution is within the problem. We find the same pattern in this story. When the
messengers returned, they reported that Esau and 400 men were approaching.
The total number of men approaching was 401, (Esau + 400 men). 401 is the
number that represents the ta where the Aleph a =1 and the Tav t = 400.
The AlephTav ta is another name or indication of Yeshua , the Saviour,
the Elohim of Israel Who hides Himself. [Revelation 22: Yshua is Alpha and
Omega (Greek) = Aleph-Tav (Hebrew)].
On a Physical level Jacob encountered Esau and his 400 men. On a prophetic
level the Anti-Messiah was approaching with the House of Edom. On a spiritual
level we saw Yshua the Messiah, the Aleph-Tav, Who hid Himself within the
terrifying events of Jacobs Trouble as well as the Time of the Tribulation when
Edoms House (Babylon) will be destroyed at the end. On a personal level we
learn that YHVHs presence is within every bad or terrifying situation, He will
provide an outcome, because all things work out for the good for those who love
Him. That is why you read throughout Scripture; fear not, because I am with
you

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The number 401 has the gematria associated with the following:

taw meaning chamber, guardroom

(prison).
arar meaning to curse.
shah-an-an meaning secure in a bad
sense, haughty, to be at ease, careless.
aleph-tav points to the object or person,
in this case, represents Yshua Who is the Beginning and the End, the
Messiah.
eth meaning together with, near.
awth meaning miracle, miraculous signs and wonders.
ath meaning ploughshare.
From all the meanings associated with Esau and his 400 men, there are two
main themes here, one is from YHVH, as revealed through the Aleph-Tav ,
Who we know is the real Messiah, the Shepherd of the House of Israel. The
other is related to the counterfeit or reversed aleph-tav, or taw , which is
associated with the House of Edom under the leadership of the Serpent and the
Anti-Messiah.
The House of Edom under the leadership of Taw , imprisons his followers
through sin and bondage. Every sin they commit strengthens the binding force
he has on his people, which makes it very difficult to break free. Being
imprisoned brings curses, which are the consequences of engaging in sin and
believing lies.
The dilemma caused by Edom, is that the imprisoned cursed followers of Taw,
think they are ok because of a sense of security (sometimes possessions or
fame), their careless lifestyles and freedom to do what they want, as well as
their arrogance, making them the kings of their own lives (king Agag of Amalek).
On the other hand, we find the real Aleph-Tav , YHVH in disguise through
the working of Yshua the Messiah, Who leads the House of Israel. Even though
we do not see Him, He is always near. When you are in times of trouble, He will
always be there, and during those hard times, He is even closer than you think.
Yshua gave us His anointing through the receiving of His Spirit and this enables
His people to flow and function in the Gifts of the Spirit, which includes signs
and wonders. The Gifts are represented by a yoke, and we are yoked together
with Him, pulling the ploughshare. That is His will, His plan and His purpose,
using His disciples and bondservants united, to accomplish what He set out to
do until He returns. We are called to till the ground to maintain and prepare the
Garden (House of Israel / Body of Messiah), so that many can come to faith in
Him and become part of His House and His Family.

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Canaanite Woman Pleads with Yshua (Matt. 15:21-28)

Jacob wrestled with YHVH and did not let go until he received a blessing.
Yshua was travelling near the cities of Tyre and Sidon, about 120 km northwest
of the spot where Jacob wrestled with YHVH. That is almost 2000 years later
where the Canaanite woman pleaded with Yshua. Just like Jacob, she did not
let go until she received a blessing. The difference here is that she was not a
descendant of Israel, she was not part of the lost sheep Yshua referred to. She
was from the nations, as represented by Edom.
The Canaanite woman came out shouting, Lord, please help me! My daughter
is full of demons. Yshua did not answer her. The woman kept following Yshua
and his students and pleading with Him to help her. The disciples who were with
Yshua asked him to send this woman away. Yshua told her that He did not
come to save Canaanite people, but the lost sheep from Israel.
The woman insisted, just like Jacob, and begged Him to help her. Yshua
replied; ...I have come to help my sheep in Israel, but you want me to help you?
Dont you know that it would be wrong for a father to take food away from his
child and feed it to his pet dogs? That is true, Lord, the woman said, But even
dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall from their owners table.
She did not consider herself to deserve anything from Yshua, BUT she believed
that He could help her, and she was not going to give upso Yshua blessed
her! Yshua honoured her faith and healed her daughter, and she was freed
from demons.
Oba 1:18 Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be
stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will
be no survivors from Esau. YHVH has spoken.

If you read the Book of Obediah in isolation, it seems like there is no chance for
Edom and the nations, all will be judged. Yes, that is true, but the salvation of
the nations, even people that are from the House of Edom can be saved if they
leave their nation or house and join the House of Jacob, that is Israel, the
righteous people of Elohim. This is only possible through the work of Messiah
and faith in Yshua. You can only be grafted into the House of Israel through
being adopted by His Spirit, Whom you can only receive after accepting Yshua
as your Master, Saviour and King. YHVH is extending His Arm of Grace towards
the nations, to those who are like the Canaanite Woman, so that they can be
blessed if they press in and become part of the People of YHVH through faith in
Yshua. That is what saved this woman and set her daughter free, and that is
what will save the nations and set them free from the bondages within the
House of Edom. The Prophecy of Obediah warns that the House of Edom will
be destroyed and is confirmed in Revelation, that Babylon will be destroyed as
well. The only way to escape the wrath of YHVH is to cross over (ibree
Hebrew) and become part of the House of Israel, serving the King Yshua Who
sits at the right hand of the Father, the Ever-Existing One.