I don’t believe in coincidences. I’ve learned that even the small or trivial of events can have meaning if we are paying attention. The Father has played that tune for me in life. Sure we have choices, but when they all fit together as it should, the music is heavenly.
When we attune our eyes and ears, we can marvel at the beauty of the music written by the composer of life. Some messages are obvious and loud (Hello! Are you listening, child?), while others are soft, subtle and so sweet if we are paying attention to perceive them (Do you notice me, daughter?).
The Father placed one of those subtle beautiful moments into my life in the form of something soft and sweet: bread. Haha! You will not be surprised If you read my last post. Bread is on the brain, but I may understand why.
With our outdoor cob oven complete, my family and I have been devouring loaf after delicious loaf of chewy, steamy homemade bread for weeks now and made daily (extra loaves on preparation day so we have enough to last through Shabbat) for my insistent husband and children.
While preparing the dough for yet another loaf, my thoughts wandered to the importance bread has been for societies from ancient times to today with our modern not-so-wonder-bread.
OLD, BUT NOT STALECalled “The Staff of Life” for good reason, bread has kept many hungry folks fed. Throughout the generations, women of the household have been preparing the ground seeds (wheat, barley, flax, rye, corn etc.) bought from local farmers. The Bible shows evidence of these traditions:
In Leviticus 26:26 YHVH says, “When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back to you your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.”
In Genesis 3, verse 19 The Father says to Adam, “By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
The first-century gospel account of Matthew 13:24 shows Yeshua saying, “The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man who sowed good seed in his field.” In verse 33 of the same chapter, he said, “The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until all was leavened.”
MYSTICAL VISIONS… OF BREAD?Ok, so we can connect women preparing and baking the provided seed for the men who sowed and grew the wheat. Is there a message here? Can we read mystical sayings in our bread and tea leaves? I would venture to say, yes (with bread, at least). Hold Yeshua in your hand as the key to unlocking that door to deeper insight in the Word. He is the key to all encryption in Torah, the prophets, and the whole Bible if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.
I bet you are asking, “So, um what are you reading into all those loaves you’ve been baking? Maybe you need a break, honey. Get out of the house, eat something healthy and gluten-free, like spinach.” Don’t give up on me yet. I promise the analogy is important. And you can judge me after you have had crusty sourdough challah bread from a clay oven :).
Is it a coincidence that women bake bread and feed their households by the seed that men sow? I don’t believe so, as mentioned before.
“Now He who supplies seed to the farmer and bread to eat will also supply you with seed and multiply it and enlarge the harvest that results from your righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 9:10). YHVH supplies all seed for sowing and causes plants to grow. Men sow the seed baked in an oven by the wife to perpetuate life… ever notice that little analogy?
ONE MISTAKE CAN DESTROY & ONE CAN SAVEWhere else in the Bible do we find women feeding their spouses and children? We need not search far, Eve was our first chef. No, really! Let’s read Genesis 3, verses 6-7:
“And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves.”
Overriding the Creator of all life, Eve made the executive decision the fruit was good food for herself and her family to eat, so she served it up for dinner.
Here is another example from Genesis:
“1 In the course of time, after Yitz’chak (Isaac) had grown old and his eyes dim, so that he couldn’t see, he called ‘Esav his older son and said to him, “My son?” and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 “Look, I’m old now, I don’t know when I will die. 3 Therefore, please take your hunting gear – your quiver of arrows and your bow; go out in the country, and get me some game. 4 Make it tasty, the way I like it; and bring it to me to eat. Then I will bless you [as firstborn], before I die.” 5 Rivkah was listening when Yitz’chak spoke to his son ‘Esav. So when ‘Esav went out to the country to hunt for game and bring it back, 6 she said to her son Ya’akov, “Listen! I heard your father telling ‘Esav your brother, 7 ‘Bring me game, and make it tasty, so I can eat it. Then I will give you my blessing in the presence of ADONAI, before my death.’ 8 Now pay attention to me, my son; and do what I tell you.9 Go to the flock and bring me back two choice kids. I will make it tasty for your father, the way he likes it; 10 and you will bring it to your father to eat; so he will give his blessing to you before his death.” – Genesis 27:1-10, The Complete Jewish Bible
Rebecca overhears her husband, Isaac tell Esau to prepare a meal so he can give Esau the birthright blessing before Isaac dies. What comes next seems like a conniving plan involving Rebecca and Jacob to deceive their husband and father, Isaac. Yet another story where the wife deceives her husband through his stomach, right? Hmm, as my grandpa used to say, hold your horses. Maybe we shouldn’t judge this family soap opera from the outside. A closer examination of the history of Rebecca and Isaac may give us a clue to the real story going on here.
21Yitz’chak prayed to ADONAI on behalf of his wife because she was childless. ADONAI heeded his prayer, and Rivkah became pregnant. 22 The children fought with each other inside her so much that she said, “If it’s going to be like this, why go on living?” So she went to inquire of ADONAI, 23 who answered her, “There are two nations in your womb. From birth they will be two rival peoples. One of these peoples will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” Genesis 25:21-23With two wriggling babies in the oven, Rebecca found out a promise from YHVH, “The older will serve the younger.” This information, coupled with Esau being quick to promise his birthright to Jacob, gives us a good idea how the story should end. Is Rebecca still attempting to get her way in seeing her favorite son blessed or is she seeing through the promise YHVH gave her (and Abraham as well)? This story has battles waging in the kitchen like one of those Iron Chef reality shows with:
- Jacob cooking for Esau who gave up his birthright because he thought he was starving.
- Esau cooking for his father Isaac, who had a taste for wild game and thus was the favored son of his father (and in Isaac’s mind the rightful recipient of the blessing).
- Rebecca cooking in place of Esau (and Jacob), encouraging him so Jacob would stand up in Esau’s place and claim the promise given to him by the Word of YHVH and Esau’s own word.
It took two dinners to soften the King’s heart, but who’s counting? The wine portion of the feast had begun when Esther revealed that Haman plotted to murder Mordechai and Esther’s people. So many things I LOVE about the story of Esther, one being how well the account mirrors the Garden of Eden. A whole series could be written on this comparison, and Alephbeta.org did a fantastic job on just that subject if you want to see at a rabbinical Jewish perspective. Aside from the dinner party with her husband and the Serpent, another similarity to the Eden story is the opportunity for Esther to redeem the forbidden fruit scene by exposing Haman. Crush the serpent’s head, right? “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” – Genesis 3:15, Douay-Reims Bible. The Hebrew context isn’t pointing to a male pronoun of “He”, as most translations assume. Several Biblical accounts involve women driving a stake into the heads of the enemy, crushing his head, leading me to believe the feminine might be more accurate. (link) Haman’s wife is on the sidelines of team Satan to encourage him to go after the fruit he desired in getting rid of Mordechai. She also ends up delivering the bad news to her husband- because he ate the fruit and made the move to go after Mordechai and his people – he would die. Contrast that with Esther, who listened to the wise words of Mordechai: (Est 4:14) “For if you keep entirely silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Yehuḏim from another place, while you and your father’s house perish. And who knows whether you have come to the reign for such a time as this?” The promise will happen with or without you. The Father would rather be with you, so you may both rejoice together. Not only does Esther bring us back to Adam and Eve, but Rebecca and Isaac. Who knows but YHVH Elohim how the promise will endure? What if she hadn’t extended her hand with a meal and encouragement for her gentle son Jacob to be brave? Her actions made sure YHVH’s word and Esau’s word were kept. Rebecca’s swift actions were righteous. She was so confident, she vowed a curse on her own head if things went bad. Rebecca put her own life on the line for the people involved and the promise of Abraham to continue. The same thing happens with Esther! Mordechai implores her to be brave lest a curse of death come to her. This is your moment, daughter. Do what’s right, lest death come to us all. Redeem the curse of Eve who extended her hand and fed rotten food and death to the world. Esther does this at a dinner party by extending her hand with courageous words under fear of her own death, for the life of her people and the promise of Abraham to continue. OUR WORDS & COURAGE CAN SAVE A NATION AND A PROMISE As mothers and wives, our husbands and children rely on us to provide nourishing meals to live productive and healthy lives. Is food the only thing they need to live? These words should echo in our hearts right now: Man shall not live by bread alone… but on every word that comes from the mouth of YHVH. What is true food? What is true wisdom? Messiah says He is truly food – the living, breathing Word of Elohim. Our families need the nourishing Word of YHVH displayed in our lives now more than ever. We can redeem the curse of Eden. I want to try, don’t you? It will be difficult. Here is your mission if you accept:(Est 5:4, ISR) And Ester answered, “If it pleases the sovereign, let the sovereign and Haman come today to the feast which I have prepared for him.”
- We will sacrifice our daily lives to learn Torah over the world’s knowledge.
- Our reward: we will be wise and blessed in the eyes of YHVH and our hearers.
- We will discipline ourselves to arise early. Our goal is to bring as much love and kindness to the day as humanly possible.
- The reward: salvation for ourselves and our hearers, bearing life-giving fruit which never rots.
- We will engage in battles over sin, defending innocence like a mother bird over her nest.
- Reward: become women of valor in the process. (Read Proverbs 31, beginning at verse 10, “A woman of valor who can find?”)
The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands. – Proverbs 14:1, NASV
“All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel.” – Ruth 4:11Feed them from the Tree of Life. Redeem Eve. Rebuild the house of Israel. Open the gates and welcome home the King (Psalm 24:7). – Shalom to you, sisters. Advertisements Share this:
