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Three Flocks Lying in the Field by Fran Regan
11/20/2010
Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. And this week, I am commenting on a variety of subjects – none exhaustively – but enough hopefully to start the thought processes. Each Torah portion is so rich in information it is sometimes hard to know which way to go, what to pursue. The well will never run dry.
The first is actually from last week, as I feel there is something very significant there we are still missing -- still. I. Three (3) flocks lying in the field – Genesis 29 “And Jacob moved on and came to the land of the people of the East. And he looked and saw a well in the field, and saw three flocks of sheep lying by it, for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a large stone was on the well’s mouth. And all the flocks would be gathered there, then they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth. So Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?’ And they said, ‘We are from Haran.” v.7 “And he (Jacob) said, ‘See, it is still high day, not the time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them. But they said, ‘We are not allowed until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, then we shall water the sheep.’ v.10 And it came to be, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.” [the 4th flock?] Can the key to the four (4) flocks be found in Matthew 13, in the parable of the seed? “See, the sower went out to sow. “And as he sowed, some indeed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them.” “When anyone hears the word of the reign, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is that sown by the wayside.” FLOCK ONE And others fell on rocky places, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered.” [Haran: 27771 – parched, burn, dry up, to glow, be angry, show or incite passion] It is the root that reaches and finds the water. They had no root. “And that sown on rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived, and when pressure or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.” (Could this describe Laban? He initially received Jacob (rep. of Messiah) with great joy but it was relatively short-lived.) Parched and dry, obviously very little water - Water representing Torah, indicates there was very little knowledge of or obedience to Torah. No root indicates very little interest or searching. Do you know people (sheep) like this? FLOCK TWO “And others fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them,” “And that sown among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the worry of this age and the deceit of riches choke the word, and it becomes fruitless.” FLOCK THREE “And others fell on good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” “And that sown on the good soil is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields - some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” FLOCK FOUR – (the flock of Laban his mother’s brother, shepherded by Rachel) One will find all four flocks in every gathering. Yet there is only one flock that belongs to the Good Shepherd. All the flocks are watered out of the same well. They drink the same water. But it does not benefit them all the same. The attitude of the heart decides which flock you belong to and what benefit you obtain from the water. The shepherds are keeping strict control of the water and therefore the sheep. They decide when the stone will be rolled away and when it will be replaced. No one can just come to the well and partake – except Rachel’s flock, who was willing to accept water from Jacob, (as representative of the Messiah), rather than giving excuses on why she could not, based on the traditions of man. It was tradition to wait until all had gathered; only under certain conditions and with certain people could the stone be removed and the flocks given water. Messiah’s flock is not controlled by man or his rules - nor his timing. Neither can we be. Rather, we must be controlled by the pure water of the Word. When Jacob (as representative of Messiah) told the shepherds to water their flocks, and then feed them; they refused saying they couldn’t until they came and rolled the stone away. The shepherds made excuses why they could not take care of their own flocks until the one they allowed to be in charge over them gave permission – not until a time they established by their tradition. Does this sound like religion as we know it? According to the Greek 4168, ‘flock’ is figuratively a group of believers; according to the Hebrew 5739, ‘flock’ is an arrangement; to arrange as a battle, a vineyard to hoe, to muster A flock must have a shepherd. In Zechariah, we hear of three shepherds. If they’re called shepherds, they must have a flock. Three (3) shepherds – Zechariah 11: 3-17 The Fourth (4th) Shepherd is The Good Shepherd. “Listen! The howling of shepherds, for their splendor is ravaged. Listen! The roaring of lions, for the pride of the Jordan is ravaged. Thus said Yah my Elohim, ‘Feed the flock for slaughter, Whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt, and their sellers say, ‘Blessed be Yah, for I have become rich.’ And their own shepherds do not spare them. For I shall no longer spare the inhabitants of the land, declared Yah. But see, I am delivering up mankind, each one into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his sovereign. And they shall crush the earth, but I do not deliver from their hand. So I shepherded the flock meant for slaughter, the truly poor of the flock. And I took for myself two staffs, the one I called Pleasantness, [Beauty, Kindness] and the other I called Unity, [A piece of measured out land’, Union] (together, The Beautiful Land) and I shepherded the flock. Then I sent off the three shepherds in one month, for my being despised them, and their being also loathed me. So I said, ‘I am not shepherding you, Let the dying die, and the straying stray, and let those who are left eat each other’s flesh. [Revelation 22:10-12 – And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. He who does wrong, let him do more wrong; he who is filthy, let him be more filthy; he who is righteous, let him be more righteous; he who is set-apart, let him be more set-apart. And see, I am coming speedily, and My reward is with Me to give to each according to his work.”] “And I took my staff, Pleasantness, and cut it in two, to break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. And the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of Yah. And I said to them, ‘If it is good in your eyes, give me my wages. And if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And Yah said to me, “Throw it to the potter,” the splendid price at which I was valued by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the House of Yah for the potter. And Yah said to me, “Take again the implements of a foolish shepherd. For look, I am raising up a shepherd in the land who does not visit those straying, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he does eat the flesh of the fat and tear off their hooves. Then I cut in two my other staff, Unity, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. (*See Ezekiel 37 to see the two becoming one again.) Woe to the worthless shepherd forsaking the flock! Let a sword be upon his arm and upon his right eye! His arm shall wither and his right eye shall be dimmed.” Could the three worthless shepherds that will be destroyed have any relation to the three horns that will be plucked up by the roots? (as an alternative meaning) Daniel 7:8 “I was thinking about the horns, then saw another horn, a little one, coming up among them, and three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots before it. (“…and I sent off the three shepherds in one month…”) V20 “…and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and of the other horn that came up, [“For look, I am raising up a shepherd who does not…visit, seek, heal, feed.]” before which three fell - …its horn was fighting against the set-apart ones, and was prevailing against them,….” Could the ‘shepherd’ Yah is raising up that does not care for his flock, (and prevails against the set-apart ones) be the antichrist – the little horn? Is this the one the shepherds of the three flocks are waiting for to remove the stone, even though it will unknowingly (to them), mean their own destruction? Who are the shepherds waiting for today? Who will they give control to? Whoever controls the water, controls the sheep. Be careful who you give control to. II. “And Esau ran (4370) to meet him. And taking hold (4033) of him, he kissed him. And he fell (4363) upon (1909) his neck (5137). And he kissed (2705) him and they both wept.” Genesis 33:4 G4370 – to run toward, hasten to meet or join H7320 – Rowmamtiy Ezer – resh tsade, ayin yud, tav, mem, mem, vav, resh – from 7311 – ruwm – mem, vav, resh – to be high, to rise or raise, bring up, exalt self, haughty, set up too high, presumptuously, proud G4033 – from 4012 and 2944 – to encircle all around, i.e., blockade completely – about, above, against, to surround H2263 – chabaq – kof, beit, chet - to clasp, embrace, enfold G4363 – to fall toward, i.e. gently prostrate oneself in supplication or homage or violently to rush upon, beat upon, fall down at, before (Which do you believe Esau did?) H5307 – naphal – lamed, pey, nun – to fall, in a great variety of applications, be accepted, cast out G1909 – superimposition (of time, place, order) H5921 – ‘al – lamed, ayin – above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) G5137 – the throat (neck) or fig. the life H6677 – tsavva’r – resh, alef, vav, tsade – in the sense of binding; the back of the neck as that on which burdens are bound – from 6696 – to cramp, confine, hostile, adversary, assault, beset, besiege, inclose, G2705 –kiss, from 2596 – down, frequently denotes opposition, distribution, or intensity H5401 – nashaq – kof, shin, nun – fastening up, comp 2388, 2836 –to fasten upon, to seize, be strong, courageous, strengthen, help, repair, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer, to cling, love, delight in, to deliver Taking these definitions, let’s look at the verse again: “And Esau ran towards Jacob with haste, presumptuously. And encircled him all around, completely surrounding him, and kissed him. And he rushed forward violently, taking Jacob by the throat, superposing himself over his life, putting himself over, above Jacob in a barely restrained hostile assault. And he kissed him, not knowing whether to love and cling to him or conquer and restrain him.” It doesn’t say so, but I wonder if Yah used the ‘messengers’ sent out by Jacob to restrain Esau and his intent just as he did with Laban. Genesis 32:3-4 Did Jacob command angels? Messengers of Elohim met him – 32:1 Jacob sent messengers to Esau – 32:3 And he commanded them (messengers), saying… - 32:4 The messengers returned to Jacob (were obedient to him) – 32:6 Jacob was told by the messengers: Esau and 400 men with him were coming…. Esau represents rebellion and presumptuousness 400 (tav), number of a covenant Jacob (Israel) was greatly afraid and distressed over the rapidly approaching covenant (400) of rebellion (Esau). (Led by the ‘worthless shepherd’?) Jacob had been told by Yah to leave Haran and go back home. Jacob had wrestled with Yah (and man) and overcome. Jacob had prepared his household as best he could for the possible impending disaster (by dividing them into two camps and sending gifts to appease). In spite of all that, it appeared all was lost. After giving him a promise, Yah tested Jacob’s faith (as He did his grandfather, Abraham). It wasn’t ‘smooth sailing’ going home even though that was where Yah had told him to go. The spirit of Esau and his 400 men is approaching us today – rapidly and violently – the covenant of rebellion and presumption. Will we lie by the water without drinking until someone tells us we can (only to find it’s too late) or will we take of the water and overcome in His Name? Will we trust Yah and His promises and prepare? Will we go and feed the sheep while it is still day? III. “And I say to you that for every idle word men speak, they shall give an account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37 “And the tongue is a fire, the world of unrighteousness….” James 3:6 Words have power we don’t even begin to understand – but should. There are two examples of how our words can negatively affect ourselves and others in today’s Torah portion. “With whomever you find your mighty ones, do not let him live. …..For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.” 31:32 “Now Rachel had taken the house idols and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.” And she said to her father, ‘Let it not displease my master that I am unable to rise before you, for the way of women is with me.’ And he searched but did not find the house idols. 31:34-35 Jacob pronounced a death sentence on Rachel when he stated to Laban, “With whomever you find your mighty ones, do not let him live.” Genesis 31:32 Rachel determined exactly how it would be carried out by her own words. “Let it not displease my master that I am unable to rise before you, for the way of women is with me.” This obviously has to do with child-bearing. Rachel died in child-bearing. “And it came to be, as she was having great difficulty giving birth…..as her life was going out – for she died…..So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is Beyth Lehem..” Genesis 35:16-20 Rachel used her womanhood to protect her idols. So it was in relation to her womanhood, she died. Whatever one puts before Yah, will in the end destroy them. The other example goes back to Jacob’s mother, Rebecca, which is brought out by the verse, seemingly out of nowhere, about her nurse. Where did she come from when? We don’t hear about her joining Jacob – just her dying, almost out of context, certainly as an aside – which could also speak to its importance. Yah inserted this information in such a way we ask, ‘Why is this here?’ 35:8 “And Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse, died and she was buried below Beyth El….” At some time, probably after Rebecca’s death, Deborah, her nurse, joined Jacob – maybe at Rebecca’s dying request. After Jacob left his home, we don’t hear of Rebecca again. We don’t hear of her dying or of Deborah joining Jacob, but we do hear of Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse dying and being buried below Beyth El under the terebinth tree.” Genesis 35:8 This brings to mind the whole situation necessitating Jacob’s fleeing in the first place – initiated unwittingly by Rebecca and referenced by Yah in 35:1. Why would Yah suddenly insert this? Why does He want us to take note of this? He does nothing without purpose. Rebecca had told Jacob when he protested against deceiving his father, thereby bringing a curse instead of a blessing upon himself: “…Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go, …” Rebecca condemned herself with her own words when she stated, “Let your curse be upon me…” And it was. She thought the separation would be a short one, however, she never saw her son again. She did not see the results of the older serving the younger, whether her actions were successful or not. She never saw Jacob come home. She died earlier than maybe she would have due to her own words cursing her life. These are two examples of a curse spoken over one’s own life by one’s own words or by someone close - ….in the same chapter. If something is repeated twice, Yah is very serious and means for us to take notice – to shema (listen with the intent to obey). Neither of these women probably thought much about their words at the time they spoke them. We do not appreciate or recognize how very powerful our words can be. We are held accountable for every one! Every word we speak has impact on our lives and the lives of others – for the good or for the evil. How very careful we should be in what we say. How much clearer can Yah be when He says: “Death and life is in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21) May Yah add His blessings to the study of His Word and give us understanding.
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