Much of the Written Torah and even the Tanakh is about two witnesses, but are you aware that We are given Three witnesses forever?
“Exodus 3:6 Moreover He said: ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”
So there is the First time we have “ this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations” Three Witnesses.
“Exodus 3:13 And Moses said unto God: ‘Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them: The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is His name? what shall I say unto them?’
14 And God said unto Moses: ‘I AM THAT I AM’; and He said: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.’
15 And God said moreover unto Moses: ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.”
So I did not really need to include three versus here, but in 13, how will the Hebrews know who Moses is talking about? In verse 14, they will not understand who ‘I AM” is, and so GOD said “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” and “this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations”.
The rest of this I did not understand for many decades, until a couple weeks ago while trying to get rested the evening of Shabbat to go to Torah Study. For me, when I focus on the LORD to Pray or talk with HIM, I start with “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. Every time that I lose focus, I go back to that “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”.
Lying there attempting to sleep, and it does not come, I talk with HIM. After a while, I am wondering why Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Admittedly I see that Written Torah differently than most people I have ever met, though I keep looking for others. The point is this, there is no wasted words or space in the Written Torah. The LORD and the Hand Of Moses are not given to flowery speech and great phrases of wasted wording, as it the writings of some many loved writers like Shakespeare, Douglas Adams, Alexandre Dumas, Mark Twain, to name a few of my writers. However, The ALMIGHTY does not waste WORDS and keeps them . . .The WORD OF THE LORD always says it better:
“Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’”
Second Witness: “Isaiah 45:23 By Myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, and shall not come back, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
There are many such statements with regards to the WORD OF GOD and its power. So No Words are wasted.
On ”The Witness Of Two Or More” and no words wasted. There must be something important here in “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. Yes, there is; they are the Witnesses of the LORD, to there own decedents. Look at their lives and what they went through, and how they did stay upon the LORD and prospered. I have heard some say, we don’t really need Genesis, for the Jews are really there starting in Exodus.
If there were the truth, there are no witnesses, no examples of GOD’s devotion to HIS Children, the need to have Witnesses both for the Children Of Jacob and for the WORLD and ALL People. The WORDS are not wasted except on those that refuse to Hear. That is the LORD’S to deal with.
A summary of the Three Witnesses.
Abram 75 years of age, is married to his sister(different Mothers – Genesis 20:12) Sarai who is 60 years of age, when Abram is told to leave his home and people in Haran. To his credit, Abram just leaves. Protected in palaces and in battle, and in the field, Abram is renamed Abraham, and given many promises by the LORD about his children to come. Abram is even promised a land mass, which for this Abram ask for a sign to know it is true. The signs given will not happen for about 675 years. (Promise made about year 2028 and the Exodus-fulfilling of the sign in 2704, found in “My World Date Book”)
Isaac on the other hand is Abraham only son in the Covenant. Yet as a test, The LORD tells Abraham to take Issac up to a mountain in the land of Moriah which the LORD will show him. Abraham decides it means to offer him as a sacrifice, which the LORD stops. That is the limit of most teachings, however I believe what comes next is more important, Isaac hears the conversation between the Angel(the LORD) and Abraham. To whit:
“Genesis 22:16 and said: ‘By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.’”
All of this must have been heard by Isaac. When Isaac is on his married, “Genesis 25:5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac,” moves away and get married again. The Lord tells Isaac:
“Genesis 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said: ‘Go not down unto Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.
3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father;
4 and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these lands; and by thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves;
5 because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.’ 6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.”
So Isaac never leaves the land. He is also never tested the way Abraham and Jacob are tested.
Most of the rest of Genesis is about Jacob and His sons. Jacob has a life more closely related to our view of the world. Jacob does not act like his brother; tries to do what Mom and Dad say; messes it up and runs away ; Is Blessed by the Almighty:
(“Genesis 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood beside him, and said: ‘I am the LORD, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’”), but seems not to believe the dream and makes an oath more to his liking. The last being:
“Genesis 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then shall the LORD be my God,
22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.’”
{Time to take notice. How does the LORD identify HIMSELF to Jacob? (‘I am the LORD, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.) This is the first time it is done. With Isaac, the LORD speaks as though Isaac already knows HIM. And there were not two witnesses for Isaac. Yet, for Jacob two witnesses are used.}
From here on the story of Jacob continues, I would even say that today it still continues because of the WORD OF GOD in that “I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” In verse 15 above. This has not yet been completed. Jacob does get Two wives he paid for and two hand maidens that are not paid for wives, giving Jacob 12 sons and One daughter that we know of. There is lots of bless, controversy, trails and salvations to follow. And unlike Isaac, Jacob dies in Egypt and the story continues.
So three witnesses are the only three given the blessing by THE ALMIGHTY directly, instructed directly, and knows the LORD themselves. Until Moses and the Burning Bush, and the first time the Three Witnesses are used to Identify the ALMIGHT GOD, the I AM, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
All that the LORD has declare or said or promised or vowed HE WILL PERFORM Perfectly, For as these three witnesses can attest, HE IS GOD AND HE IS TRUTH, HE IS MERCIFUL to those that love HIM.
More on this? Check out “The Witness of Two Or More” .
Don’t have a Tanakh, try this Tanakh.
Last thought: The ONE who said “Let There Be Light” and it was so, could at anytime, with none the wiser or being able to speak against say “Lights Out” and the Universe will cease to be. There must be some reason HE keeps the lights on and continues to give us a chance to live, to choose and to find our Father.
Are you looking?
My prayer is that The LORD grant you eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, then you return unto HIM soon!(Isaiah 6: 9 And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.’)
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Yaakov