Thoughts on Parashah Noach
Genesis 6:9 – 11:32
This week’s Torah reading is one of great change. In today’s world “change” is something we can all understand and relate to. We have one man and his family saved from the worldwide flood along with pairs of the earth’s animal population. And yes, let those childhood images of the ark sweep from your mind! There were indeed more than just two cows and two chickens on the floating ship! (Genesis 7:2 & 3)
But that is not what I want to talk about. After the flood, Noach and his family emerge from the ark along with the animals. There’s nothing left. Any structures and reminders of the previous world had been erased. It was a fresh start. Our parashah quickly fasts forwards down the years to a time when the population of the earth had grown and were spreading out. After looking around someone had the thought, “Hey, there’s nothing to remind us of the people that came before us. Their memory has been washed from the face of the earth.” That must have resonated with others because we read this:
“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the entire earth.” – Genesis 11:4
They wanted to build a legacy for themselves. In doing so, why build a tower? A tower without a purpose? Why didn’t they build something that would help people? Instead they built a pointless tower that did nothing but feed their pride and ego. This is what some people who set out to build a legacy for themselves do. They feed their pride and ego the entire time. These types of legacies won’t last; not really. Sure they may be remembered for a few lifetimes, but in the end, is it really as pointless as the tower was? What will last? Only the work we do for HaShem; for the Most High. Even then, we have to be careful that we’re really doing the work for Him and not for our own egos or our own agendas.
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’
Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” – Matthew 25:31-26
The point being, that the ones who entered in didn’t even know they had done anything to which they were being given merit for. They didn’t clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick for a reward. They didn’t do those things to better themselves. They were truly doing those things to better the other person. Their lasting legacy was built by not trying to build a legacy at all. They simply wanted to help people for the right reasons.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” – Matthew 7:21-23
We are not told exactly, but it seems that the ones sent away were doing works in Yeshua’s name to obtain a reward. There are those who will have “served the Lord” for their own name and to build a legacy here on earth and never really had a relationship with Yeshua.
In building a legacy for ourselves, we must not build it for ourselves at all. We must be busy building up His legacy. Making His name known to the world and making sure that people don’t see us at all when they look at us. They should see Yeshua in us and working through us for His Glory and His Glory alone.
I once heard a story about a well known Christian musician who sung a song in a church service. Afterwards, an older lady came up to him and told him he did a good job and she was really impressed with is musicianship. The musician looked at her and said, “Then I failed in what I was doing.” He wanted those who were hearing the song to be focused on God and not his ability. He wanted people to see Yeshua and draw closer to the Messiah during the song.
True and lasting legacy is for the betterment of our fellow man. It’s for God’s glory and not our own. A year or so ago someone said something to me that moved my heart. I’d never heard this before and it made a huge impact on me. They said, “In all of our dealings we should strive to be fair. And what is fair is what is better for the other person.” So when its all said and done, when its time to look back on your life, will people see Yeshua or you? Will the legacy you leave with the ones you touched in your life point to Yeshua and His kingdom or to you and what you did to be remembered?
Do You Know Yeshua? 