When looking at the Torah from our perspective, having seen the fulfilment of Gen 3:15 in our Messiah Yeshua, it is like looking at a 3D image and seeing pictures emerge from the words and letters in the Bible.

One example of this jumped out at us while we were kneading dough for challah at 3h30 last Thursday morning.

Let us consider Yeshua on the cross, hanging between two other men. The one accepted Him and joined Him in paradise. The other rejected Him and as a result inherited death.

Being sent to the wilderness, away from Eden, represented of death. With this imagery in mind, let’s glance at a few examples in Scripture.

The first time we encounter three sons is Adam’s offspring, namely Cain, Abel and Seth. Abel died in peace with our Father. Seth dwelt in the tents of Abel, and from Seth’s bloodline Messiah was born. Cain, on the other hand, was sent to the wilderness, away from the source of life.

Noah also had three sons, namely Shem, Yapheth and Cham. Our Messiah came from the lineage of Shem. Yapheth dwelled in the tents of Shem, sharing his principles.  Cham was sent away and became the one who was supposed to serve them.

During our early morning discussion, we saw the picture of not only Pesach, but also of Yom Kippur.

When looking at the offering of Isaac, we clearly see the parallels with Pesach. Abraham’s only begotten son is sent to the altar, to be a willing sacrifice, but at the last minute, Abraham looked behind him, and prophetically saw an image, the substitute for mankind: a ram that, instead of Isaac, would be the sacrifice.

Another parallel emerges from Abraham’s life.  We all know that two goats form an integral part of Yom Kippur – the one is sacrificed and the other sent out into the wilderness, never to return, symbolising death. Abraham had two sons; Isaac was the one to be offered and Ishmael was the one sent out into the wilderness, never to return.  Long before the details of Pesach and Yom Kippur were penned down in Lev 23, Abraham’s life illustrated to us the imagery of both the goats.

This led to the question: was Abraham a good father?  Imagine you were his neighbour, watching him sending his first child out into the wilderness. Not long after this you saw him packing wood and walking off with two slaves and his son Isaac. The rumour spread quickly; he was going to sacrifice his son.

Would you have frowned at him? Of course you would. This is the danger we all face: jumping to conclusions with our limited insight into and knowledge of a situation. You see, by only looking in from the outside, you can judge Abraham as a cruel, uncaring father. But by knowing him intimately, you would have known that he would never have made the decision on his own. In both cases he acted in obedience to the Word of our Creator, our loving Father.

Being in a true relationship with the Father, Abraham trusted Him 100%, never doubting the fulfilment of His promises. Father said that through Isaac, the seed of Abraham would multiply. This could not happen if Isaac had died before he even had a wife. The answer is given to us in Heb. 11:17-19. Our Father has power over all, even life and death. If Isaac was to die, He would have restored him back to life to fulfil His promise.

Abraham knew that the Father was only GOOD, and that whatever happened as part of a walk of obedience, would lead to goodness, life and blessing.