Parashat Vayera 2024 Vice, Violence, and Violation

Torah: Gen 18:22-24

Haftarah: 2 Kings 4:1-37

Brit Chadashah: Luke 1:26-38, Luke 24:36-53, 2 Pet 2:4-11

Main Points:

The Lord appears to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre. It was foretold that Sarah would have a child.

The destruction of Sodom is discussed. Abraham intercedes.

The Lord delivers Lot and his home.

Lot’s daughters conspire against their father.

Abraham and Abimelech’s dispute over Sarah.

The birth of Isaac.

Hagar and Ishmael cast out of Abraham’s home.

The treaty of Abraham and Abimelech.

The sacrificing of Isaac.

Parashat Vayera begins with the appearance of three men, one of which was a theophany or a manifestation of the LORD. After the prophecy about Abraham’s wife Sarah bearing a child, the narrative turns immediately to the city of Sodom, nested in the fertile plains. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah became a term used to describe the judgment of God in many places in the biblical text. It is important to note that the sins of Sodom were not focused on a singular issue. There were a multitude of sins that brought this place to biblical prominence. They can be categorized as vices, violence, and ultimately violation (see Leviticus 18:22, Ezekiel 16:48-50). The end of these brings a society to a godless state where there is no fear of God and no regard for his word, publicly or privately.

A vice is simply a moral deprivation or corruption of character. It is normally associated with taking pleasure in immoral behavior or engaging in sinful things. Scripture gives several lists of sins like Ex 20 (Ten Commandments), Proverbs 6:16-19 (seven abominations), Lev 18 (sexual sins), and Gal 5:19-21 (works of the flesh), among others. We are in a constant warfare between vice and virtue. God empowers us and calls us to virtue. The enemy always plays on our vices and evil inclinations to usurp God’s workings in our lives.

Napoleon Bonaparte stated that “men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues.” Strong virtue lends itself to peace and justice. Vice at some point breaks out of its personal dwelling and begins to prey on others. We never truly sin alone. When personal vices run unchecked, they eventually overrun our lives and those around us. We are living in a progressive culture that is ok with admitting more and more ungodliness. It will not be long before ungodliness proceeds from personal permissiveness, where almost anything can be justified, to cultural corruption on a large scale as the unrestrained passions of people, politics, and movements constantly eat away at godly restraints.

Violence is the next stage in the destruction of a society. It is not just about hurting people physically, it is also about forcing and coercing ungodly ideas, norms, and ungodly ways of living. Right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right. True respect and dignity are eliminated and replaced by shaming, guilt tripping, or socially pressuring people into silence or acceptance. In many places, violence grows out of self-moralizing movements that seek to draw people away from a God-defined culture where biblical right and wrongs were one time promoted. Violence was listed as a factor in God’s judgment before the flood. In the judgment of Nineveh, a capital city of the Assyrian Empire, history tells us that this city and culture was known for sin, evil, and violence. In all three cases (Sodom, pre-flood Mesopotamia, and Nineveh) sin and violence were an outgrowth of paganism and godlessness.

Ultimately violation becomes prevalent, and the judgment of God is not far away. In a decaying society violation of people, families, children, and God’s word becomes the norm and fewer expressions of compassion, kindness, and justice are seen. In cultural upheavals, violation of society leads to its restructuring. The restructuring of a society cannot happen without persecution of people of faith. It is the only way to supplant the morality of God’s word with the norms of a cultural movement. When we drive God out of the culture, we reap a godless culture with no restraint on corruption. Progressivism is not only prevalent in the culture, but it can also be prevalent in the church. A progressive culture legitimizes the violation of every godly thing. When violations are legitimized, targeting becomes normal and even sport. Such was the case with Sodom and if we are not careful, America can end up the same way.

The Messianic movement has a prophetic place in the culture to call and strengthen people of faith, to help them be a part of the biblical narrative and live out a biblical culture of holiness. When the social culture is stagnated or decaying we will constantly be a voice in society that points to Yeshua and declares, “Behold the Lamb.” As we dawn our tallits this Shabbat let us pray and intercede for God to move the hearts of others until heaven breaks and a revival of righteousness is poured out. Our God is faithful and his light in our lives will never be extinguished. Our hope is not in politics, it is in the moving of God in our political and cultural spheres.

God restore righteousness in America, restore our judges, and restore our souls in compassion.

Rav Calev

Apostolic Messianic International-Gulf Coast

Next Feasts:

Chanukah begins sundown on Dec 25th and ends at sundown Jan 2nd

Purim begins sundown on March 13th and ends at sundown March 14th.

Hebrew Words to Know:

Blessed is the Name- B’ezrat HaShem, literally, “with the help of the name (God).” Often denoted as B”H as in Baruch HaShem. See Ps 16:8, Prov 3:6

Bottom Line- Tachlis; A Yiddish word meaning getting to the bottom line, the nuts and bolts of an issue, or those things that practically matter. When we focus on tachlis we are trying to get to the point where we focus on concrete action to move a subject forward. Breaking things down is a good related English term close to Tachlis.

Boy's First Haircut- Upsherin