Gen. 14 – The Seven Laws
Dear family and friends, we are preparing to enter Genesis 14 where we will observe one of The Seven Laws, establishing a government. One Law instructed Adam and Eve to establish a government with Officers, Judges, etc. Adam did as Commanded. Midrash Rabbi 23.4 informs us that Lamech and his wives came before Adam The Ruler of the world.
First, God is the Creator of everything. As the Creator of everything, God is Superior to what He Created. God is Superior to man, all creatures, the universe… everything. God is The Judge of the universe He Created. He Sits in judgment over the man and his wife. The man as we shall demonstrate now sits in judgment over all mankind and over all the creatures of the earth. We understand that.
Man is introduced to God in Bereisheit 1.28 with The Words Elokim Said… to them. Then a second time in Bereisheit 1.29 again with The Words Elokim Said… Then in Bereisheit 2.16, we read, ‘HaShem God Commanded the man…’So far it is clear to us that up until this point The Torah only records ‘God Said’ to the man… Genesis 2.16 is the first time The Lord God Commanded the man. There is a very big difference between ‘God Said’ and ‘The Lord God Commanded!’ The Word Commanded in Bereisheit 2.16 is from the same root as Commandments, as in The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. The meaning for The Word ‘Commanded’ is ‘Law’ / ‘Torah’. The meaning of ‘Commandments’ is ‘LAWS’.
Genesis 2.16 occurred on Day Six of creation. That is the beginning of the required Observances… Social Laws, i.e., Commandments. However Genesis 1.28 Informs us that God Said to Adam and his wife, ‘have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’
English translations easily pass by The Word COMMANDED not noticing that this is the place in The Torah where Social Laws for all mankind are written.They were given when the entire world spoke only One Language, Hebrew. Adam taught The Seven Laws to his descendants. Now, Chronologically we move from Day Six of Creation to around 1996 of From Creation.
Nimrod organized his region into a dictatorial government where he was king. Genesis 14 is where secular government begins ruling the world.
Genesis 10.8 – 10
And Kush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty one. He was a mighty hunter before The Lord; therefore it is said, Like Nimrod, the mighty hunter before The Lord. AND THE BEGINNING OF HIS KINGDOM was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, IN THE LAND OF SHINAR.
Nimrod’s government was perverse! Here in Genesis 14 Holy Scripture informs us of kings ruling kingdoms and kingdoms warring against each other. We are introduced to dictators in The Torah.
Genesis 14 Informs us that Nimrod was also known as Amraphel king of Shinar.He was a long-standing rival of Abram. Remember the story of the idols when Abram’s father, Terach took Abram before Nimrod for destroying his idols? Remember the conversation Abram and Nimrod had. Remember Abram was thrown into a fiery furnace and then was delivered by The Lord from the fiery flames in ‘Bihur Kasdim,’ i.e., in Chaldees, Genesis 11.31. Remember Abraham’s brother Haran died in the flames. Nimrod did not forget Abram. He kept close track of him. The story behind the story is that Nimrod sought revenge against Abram by kidnapping Lot and his household. The essence of the battle in Genesis 14 is where Nimrod took Lot and his family captive as part of a larger scheme concocted by Nimrod to kill Abram. However, The Lord was with Abram and his army of 318. Abram pursued Nimrod and slew him. Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says (Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p. 140.
Army, what army? Scripture says,
And when Abram heard that his brother [nephew, Lot] was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them to Dan.
After the great victory of defeating 16 Kings, Abram journeyed to The Holy City of Jerusalem on Passover day. He was met by Shem, the son of Noah. Shem was known as Malki Tzedek. He was the Priest of The Almighty.Abram came seeking forgiveness for the lives that he had taken. Years Earlier Abram studied The Torah with Noah and with Shem in The Academy of Shem and The Academy of Eber. After the flood, Noah was The Priest of The Most High God until Ham emasculated him. Remember Noah offered the first Animal and Bird sacrifices unto The Lord.
Genesis 8.20 – 22
And Noah built an altar to The Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And The Lord smelled the pleasing odor; and The Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake. For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
After Ham emasculated Noah, he could no longer serve as Priest to The Most High God. He could no longer have children. It was as if he died. This is one reason why The Torah speaks of the end of Noah’s life years before he died.
Genesis 9.24 – 29
And Noah awoke from his wine and KNEW WHAT HIS YOUNGER SON HAD DONE TO HIM. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers. And he said, Blessed be The Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his slave. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall live in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his slave. Moreover, Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
Shem was immediately appointed Malki Tzedek, i.e., King of Righteousness. He was the one who was given the charge for The Tents of Learning The Torah. So on the day that would be the date of the future Passover for The People of Israel, Abram freed all those that were taken captive and who were slaves. Abram took nothing for himself. Instead, he honored The Lord by Tithing 10% of all that he had to Malki Tzedek, the King of Righteousness.
Malki Tzedek brought forth bread and wine…; and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of The Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God The Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’[See Genesis 14.18 – 24] Even though Malki Tzedek’s intentions were good he should have Blessed the Lord God first and then Abram second. As a result, the priesthood was taken from Malki Tzedek descendants And given to Abram’s descendants years later.
That is why the day of deliverance and freedom was Abram’s day of birth and hid the day of his death.
Different countries have different laws. Different states have different laws. Different counties and cities have different laws. What should we be concerned about correctly following The laws of our government? Because the principle of all law is based on The Seven Laws. Lying regardless of who is lying violates The Laws that The Lord God Commanded. Being unloving and hateful also violates The Laws that The Lord God Commanded.
The impeachment trial that is unfolding before our eyes whether we are for or against the impeachment is our government’s rules. Some corrupt politicians appear not to be just in their application of the law and as a result, are perverting Justice. I do not see the process or the trial as fair. A basic principle of our law is we are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Dear Ones, we want to avoid settling into and living in the wrong kingdom. That is what Lot did. We want to learn from Lot’s mistake. We want to teach our children and those we love to interact with Spiritual people. We want to help those we love to guard their entrances. Corruption is very accessible to each of us. We must be diligent to guard those we love. It is necessary to protect our access to ourselves and those we love. That requires us to take active roles in the lives of those we love.
May we stay within Torah’s Guidelines of righteous living and repentance. May we help others, May we bring peace and healing to our world. May this coming Sabbath and every Sabbath be a blessed Day.
Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk