G-d’s Counterpoise

Rabbi Ken Alpren Sermon Notes by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D. 11/24/12 Ya’akov (Jacob) had an experience that would forever alter his relationship to G-d and with G-d. Ya’akov was on a mission. He was blessed by his father and he was sent. Genesis 28:10-12, ‘Ya'akov went out from Be'er-Sheva and traveled toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep. 12 He dreamt that there before him was a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of ADONAI were going up and down on it.’ When ADONAI spoke to him in the dream, he referred to himself as the G-d of his grandfather Abraham and father Yitz’chak (Isaac). He was not yet truly Ya’akov’s G-d. As recorded later in the chapter, indeed, Ya’akov’s relationship with G-d did become personal and he referred to him as his own. Genesis 28:13-15, ‘Then suddenly ADONAI was standing there next to him; and he said, "I am ADONAI, the God of Avraham your [grand]father and the God of Yitz'chak. The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ G-d told him three things. The land would be his and his decedents, that his seed would number the grains of dust of the earth and all the families of the earth would be blessed through him! What a promise! 1 Thessalonians 5:24, ‘The one calling you is faithful, and he will do it.’ G-d blessing us is not an end to itself, but G-d blesses us to be a blessing to the world and to others. Isaiah 49:6, ‘he has said, "It is not enough that you are merely my servant to raise up the tribes of Ya'akov and restore the offspring of Isra'el. I will also make you a light to the nations, so my salvation can spread to the ends of the earth."’ Further is verse 15, G-d assures Ya’akov of three things. He would be with him, that he would keep him wherever he goes and that he would bring him back never abandoning him until what he had promised was accomplished. Genesis 28:15, ‘“Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you."’ Philippians 1:6, ‘And I am sure of this: that the One who began a good work among you will keep it growing until it is completed on the Day of the Messiah Yeshua.’ Isaiah 14:24, ‘ADONAI-Tzva'ot has sworn, "Just as I thought it, it will occur; just as I planned it, so it will be.’ G-d doesn’t quit on us! He completes what he starts! We can take that as a promise from him. When Ya’akov awoke, he was astounded at what he had experienced in his dream and made a proclamation. This was none other than the House of G-d and the Gate of Heaven! Genesis 28:16-17, ‘Ya'akov awoke from his sleep and said, "Truly, ADONAI is in this place - and I didn't know it!" 17 Then he became afraid and said, "This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!"’ G-d had revealed himself to Ya’akov! G-d was there all along and he didn’t realize it. Where does G-d reveal himself? The House of G-d should be a place of prophetic revelation. A place where G-d reveals himself; where we meet G-d and he unveils himself and affirms to us his promises. Heaven is a place of constant revelation. Heaven is a revelation of who he is and the veracity of his word! We will constantly be amazed; growing and learning, not static. G-d is outside time and space and interacts with us within time and space; in what may be described as a fifth dimension. We experience this fifth dimension when we meet with him. Once meeting with him, our perception should be forever altered. He dwells in Heaven, but interacts with us in our four dimensional world. Isaiah 57:15, ‘For thus says the High, Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy: "I live in the high and holy place but also with the broken and humble, in order to revive the spirit of the humble and revive the hearts of the broken ones.”’ Ya’akov travels further and goes to be with his uncle, falls in love with Rachel but gets tricked to marry Leah. He had deceived his father and then he was deceived by his uncle. Galatians 6:7, ‘Don't delude yourselves: no one makes a fool of God! A person reaps what he sows.’ Genesis 29:30-31, ‘So not only did Ya'akov go in and sleep with Rachel, but he also loved Rachel more than Le'ah. Then he served Lavan another seven years. 31 ADONAI saw that Le'ah was unloved, so he made her fertile, while Rachel remained childless.’ Leah was loved less and left out because Ya’akov loved Rachel more. So what did the L-rd do? He opened her womb. G-d compensates for things. G-d’s counterpoise! Does he do that with us? Does he see how we are passed over or left out? Look at how he marries Isra’el in Ezekiel 16 after he sees her abandoned and he says, “Live!” We are beautiful to him as his people. He counterpoises. He makes up for what we may not receive in the world. Notice how Yeshua reveals himself to Miryam as recorded in John 20. The disciples leave, but Miryam stayed and the L-rd visits her. He signaled her out. Maybe she was overlooked by the disciples. He counterpoises with her! John 20:11-16, ‘but Miryam stood outside crying. As she cried, she bent down, peered into the tomb, 12 and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Yeshua had been, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 "Why are you crying?" they asked her. "They took my Lord," she said to them, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 As she said this, she turned around and saw Yeshua standing there, but she didn't know it was he. 15 Yeshua said to her, "Lady, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you're the one who carried him away, just tell me where you put him; and I'll go and get him myself." 16 Yeshua said to her, "Miryam!" Turning, she cried out to him in Hebrew, "Rabbani!" (that is, "Teacher!")’ There were three there. This reminds us of the visit to Abraham in Genesis! Two angels and the L-rd Yeshua. She didn’t know Yeshua at first, but she realized it was him when he called her name! Hearing his voice; we want to recognize him! 1 Corinthians 12:24, ‘while our attractive parts have no need for such treatment. Indeed, God has put the body together in such a way that he gives greater dignity to the parts that lack it,’ The plan and grace of G-d counterpoises through his purpose and grace. He reveals himself in ways we can’t imagine.