Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] If you're familiar with this channel, then you already know that I'm messianic. I'm not a messianic jew, but a messianic gentile. What does that mean? It means that I believe in the ongoing validity of the Torah and that Yeshua, or Jesus, is the long awaited messiah of Israel. Messianic Jews are simply Jews who believe these same things. But the vast majority of Jews today and throughout history, they don't believe that Yeshua is the messiah. Most of them don't even know that he was jewish. Why is that? Why do they see him as a gentile and a foreigner? Why can't they see him as one of their own? Well, the answer to this may just be in this week's five minute Torah.
[00:00:48] This week, we are studying the portion of Mikates Genesis 41 one through 40 417. And here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one, Pharaoh's dreams. God's prophetic warning. In this week's tour portion, Pharaoh wakes up one morning disturbed by a set of dreams he had. He demands that someone interpret his dreams, but no one can. When the baker remembered that Joseph had interpreted his dream, he tells Pharaoh, and Joseph is released from prison so that he can appear before the king. Pharaoh asks Joseph if he can interpret dreams, and in true humility, Joseph confesses that the interpretation of dreams is something God does and not him. However, he's willing to listen to Pharaoh's dreams and ask God for the interpretation. Pharaoh tells Joseph his dreams about the seven fat cows being eaten up by the seven emaciated cows, followed by his dream about the seven heads of plump grain being eaten up by the seven heads of sickly grain. After hearing Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph immediately knows what they mean and advises the king on how he should respond. Number two, Joseph rises to power from slave to savior. Joseph tells Pharaoh that there would be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of terrible famine, and that God had given Pharaoh the dreams to prepare for these events. After listening to Joseph's advice, Pharaoh basically says, yeah, you're right. I'm putting you in charge to make sure all this stuff happens. So Joseph goes from the lowest low to the highest high, becoming second only to Pharaoh over all of Egypt, literally overnight. God positions Joseph to not only be in a position to reunite with his family, but to also be the savior of the known world. Number three, Joseph's brothers. The secret family reunion after seven years of abundance are over, and the seven years of famine are well underway. Jacob sends all of his sons, but Benjamin to Egypt to buy food. When Joseph's brothers arrive, he immediately recognized them. However, they didn't recognize him. It had been many years and he wasn't the adolescent anymore that they had sold into slavery. It probably didn't help that he looked like an Egyptian and spoke Egyptian. I wonder if he walked like an Egyptian as well. Quickly, Joseph concocted a plan to test his brothers. At first he treated them cruelly, even accusing them of being spies. But he blesses them by secretly giving them back all of the money they had used to pay for grain. His brothers return to their father and they survive on the grain for some time. Eventually, however, they have to return to Egypt for more, but this time with Benjamin, as Joseph had required of them, and they are lured right into Joseph's trap. We are left with another cliffhanger in this week's tour portion, wondering what Joseph's true motivations are and his plans are as he tells them that he's taking Benjamin as a slave. It's been a while since I mentioned it, but I wanted to remind you that if you want to download a free copy of my ebook touching the leper, then you can use the link below this video. Just click the link, submit your information to join my mailing list and download your ebook. No spam, no double mailings. It's that simple. I hope you enjoy this free gift. This week's tour commentary is called Messiah unmasked and comes from my book five minute Torah vol. Two. At the end of last week's tour portion, we are left with a cliffhanger. Pharaoh's royal baker was executed, and his chief cupbearer was restored to office, just as Joseph had told them, based on their respective dreams. The very last verse, however, left off by telling us, yet the cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him well. Although the royal cup bearer was restored to his position, Joseph was forgotten and left in prison. However, our Torah portion picks up two years later when God orchestrated that Pharaoh have two disturbing dreams. They would trouble Pharaoh enough for him to make a ruckus among his royal court, searching for an interpreter for them. Finally, the cupbearer remembers Joseph and brought him before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. The result was that Pharaoh installed Joseph as the most important man in Egypt, second only to himself. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, see, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, bow the knee. Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without your consent, no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zafanat Panea. Genesis 41 41 through 45 well, this was an incredible windfall for Joseph. He had gone from rags to riches literally overnight. God had brought him from the dungeon to the king's palace and given him authority over the entire kingdom of Egypt. One of the first things that Pharaoh did when he installed Joseph into his new office was to give him the keys to his second best chariot and have his officers drive him around Egypt. He's cruising with the king. Right when Joseph was riding in Pharaoh's chariot, Pharaoh's officers would call out before Joseph something that is not quite clear. They would cry out this word avre. This is from Genesis 41 43. Well, what does this mean? Rabbinic commentaries debate over its meaning. Rabbi Yehuda says that it refers to Joseph, who, quote, was a father, an av in wisdom, and young the hebrew word ra in years. Hence the two words. Rabbi Yossi bin Damaskit disagrees and sees a connection between the word avre and the hebrew word for knees, which is birkayim, making it a command for all those who hear to quote, bend the knee. This comes from sifre deverem 121. Virtually all english translations take Rabbi Yossi's lead and associate this word with the bending of the knee. To fully understand this, we must understand the connection between Joseph and Yeshua. Joseph is a messianic prototype, just as King David, rabbinic commentaries discuss two messiahs that will come. The first is a messiah who will come in a similar manner as Joseph. He has the title of Mashiach ben Yosef, or Messiah son of Joseph, because he is destined to suffer like Joseph. The second will be a conquering king, appropriately known as Mashiach ben David, or Messiah, son of David. We know that in his first appearance, Yeshua of Nazareth fulfilled the role of the suffering servant mashiach ben Yosef. However, one day he will return to reveal himself as the one who will subdue all of the enemies of God and restore the kingdom to Israel. He will return as Mashiach bin David. This passage in our Torah portion is the thread that ties these two messianic roles together. As Joseph is paraded through the land of Egypt, the cry went forth, Avrech, bow the knee. However, the knee was bent for the suffering servant rather than the conquering king. Maybe this is the proleptic picture that Paul had in mind when he wrote to the congregation at Philippi. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow in heaven and on earth, and under the heaven and every tongue confess that Yeshua Hamasham is master to the glory of God the father. This is Philippians verses nine through eleven. The name Zafanat Panaya has a connection to this concept as well. Rabbi Yohanan said, the name implies quote he reveals things that are hidden and easily declares them. This is from Genesis Rabba 90, verse four. Maybe Joseph was given the name Zafanat Panaya to denote that he was hidden and then revealed. And just like Joseph, Yeshua has also been hidden from the majority of his brothers and sisters for nearly 2000 years. However, one day the cry of Avre will be uttered once again, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Yeshua is both Messiah of Israel and master over all. He will take off the mask he has been wearing and will no longer be seen as simply the messiah of the Gentiles, but the messiah of Israel as well. He who is hidden will be revealed, and his brothers will look upon him with astonishment and love as if they had seen their brother come back from the dead. It will be a glorious reunion. 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