Par'shah Sh'mot

[alon]

Next weeks par'shah has a lot to consider, so I thought I'd put it up a few days early:

Next week’s reading schedule:

Date of reading- 13 Jan 2017/26 Tevet 5778/26-10-5778

Name of Par’shah- Va’era, I Appeared

Par’shah- Ex 6.2-9.35

Haftara- Ezek 28.25-29.21

Brit Chadashah- Rom 9.14-17; 2 Cor 6.14-7.1

This week’s readings:

Date of reading- 6 Jan 2017/19 Tevet 5778/19-10-5778

Name of Par’shah- Sh’mot, Exodus

Par’shah- Ex 1.1-6.1

Haftara- Is 27.6-28.13, 29.22-23; Jer 1.1-2.3

Brit Chadashah- Mt 22.23-33, 41-46; Mk 12.18-27, 35-37 Lk 20.27-44; Act 3.12-15, 5.27-32, 7.17-36, 22.12-16, 24.14-16; Heb 11.23-26

[alon]

D’rash: In our par’shah Exodus chs. 1 & 2 tell how the Hebrews grew into a nation enslaved by the Egyptians. This of course fulfilled the prophecy of Genesis 15:13 “God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.””

But this passage is tied to prophecy also by the 2nd rule of Hillelical exegesis; “Gezerah Shawah: Argument from analogy. Biblical passages containing synonyms or homonyms are subject, however much they differ in other respects, to identical definitions and applications.” In Exodus 1:7, 12, & 20 many of the terms used are the same ones YHVH M’quaddash, The LORD Who Sets (us) Apart (Leviticus 22:32) used when He made the promises to Avraham:

Exodus 1:7,12,20 (NASB) But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them. … But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. … So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.

There may also be a tie to part of our B’rith Chadashah readings.

Acts 24:14 (ESV) But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

However many translations, including the KJV and my Hebrew New Testament translate the term hairesis, here called a sect as “heresy.” This can be difficult to get ahold of and possibly even inaccurate because we are working from a Greek translation of a Hebrew text. Nonetheless there is an interesting word study here:

Thayers Greek Lexicon/ STRONGS NT 139: αἵρεσις hairesis
1. (from αἱρέω), act of taking, capture: the storming of a city; in secular authors.
2. (from ἁιρέομαι), choosing, choice, very often in secular writings: the Sept. Leviticus 22:18; 1 Macc. 8:30.
…
4. a body of men separating themselves from others and following their own tenets (a sect or party): as the Sadducees, Acts 5:17; the Pharisees, Acts 15:5; Acts 26:5; the Christians, Acts 24:5, 14 (in both instances with a suggestion of reproach); … .
5. dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims: Galatians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 11:19.

So how does this tie into our par’shah? The regime under which the Hebrews toiled in Mitzrayim was a militaristic one: 

Exodus 1:11 (NASB) So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Some translations here say treasure cities, however these were actually military garrison cities. They were strategically located at natural entry points from the north and northeast of Egypt. So in Acts 24:14 we have Rav Sh’ul, a “ringleader” of the Sect of the Nots’rim which was tearing down strongholds in Yisro’el as well as among the Gentiles speaking possibly in terms which mean to do just that, and relating this term to his own sect! Just as we are about to see done to the mighty Egyptians by their own slaves. The real interesting thing though is that the Egyptians were afraid the Hebrews would make alliances with her enemies allowing them to attack from outside. But just as the Nots’rim would later take much of Yisro’el from inside, so the same Elohe Yisro’el would destroy Egyptian might from within and thus set His people on the path to claiming their land as promised.

G-d set His witness to both Pharaoh and His people in Moshe and A’aron. Later He set his witnesses in Rav Sh’ul and the shaliachim:

Acts 5:29-32 (ESV) But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

And we will see that in both cases many Hebrews as well as Gentiles were saved and brought into their inheritance by their repentance and trust in El Chai the Living God (Deuteronomy 5:26). We also see this in our haftara:

Isaiah 27:11b (ESV) For this is a people without discernment; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them; he who formed them will show them no favor.

Those who, like the Egyptians even among the people of HaShem do not discern the truth of His word will be shown no mercy. However overall this passage is one of hope, even the hope of the resurrection:

Isaiah 26:19 (ESV) Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

There is an interesting quote from my JPS TNK. In Exodus 3:15 we are for the first time given the Name of G-d, YHVH. However just a few verses before this:

Exodus 3:6a (ESV) And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

“”The repetition of “God” before each patriarch is explained in “Etz Yoseph,” a commentary on the Jewish prayerbook, as meaning that, like the patriarchs, each person should believe in God on the basis of personal investigation, not merely tradition.”

Every slave of another nation and every Egyptian who left with the Hebrews would have had to make their own investigation into their own soul to define their trust in the Hebrew G-d. Rachav would later do the same, as would the Hebrews left after the rebellion of Korach. And so would those Jews who returned to rebuild Yerushalayim after the first diaspora. And again those Jews and Gentiles coming into the faith of the Nots’rim in the time of Yeshua and the shaliachim. And so must we today search ourselves to discern what it is we believe, and in whom we must place our trust.

Exodus 5:2 (ESV) But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”

Pharaoh asked the right question, “Who is the Lord,” but he answered poorly from a contemptuous heart. He chose to rely on his own might, believing himself to be a god greater than the G-d of a slave nation he controlled. He believed Egypt to be mightier than slaves acting on instructions of their own G-d. And even the trust of that generation of slaves would, after being shown mightier works than any people in history, past or future (to now); the trust of that generation would fail when the time came to claim their inheritance.

What will you do when faced with a seemingly invincible enemy? Where will you place your trust? Will you take the Mark of the Beast- a choice many in every generation have had to face? It is happening now around the world as Islam is spreading like never before. Even here we may soon face this choice, declare Allah your god or die. In who then will be your trust?

 Or where will we place our trust when required to live in abject pain and suffering, as the Hebrews did under 400 yrs. of slavery? And living like that, how will we answer that question “Who is the Lord” when, just before our deliverance the assaults of the enemy reaches a fever pitch and things get really bad for us?

Exodus 5:20-21 (ESV) They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

All too often we, like the Hebrews attack the messengers of the Most High or blame El-him Himself for our troubles. We lose hope just shortly before our deliverance. Our trust fails in the face of the apparent might and hostility of our enemies. We fail to see that YHVH Elohe Yeshuathi, the Lord God of My Salvation (Psalm 88:1) has a plan:

Exodus 6:1 (CJB) Adonai said to Moshe, “Now you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand he will send them off; with force he will drive them from the land!”

And His plans work.

[alon]

Deutero d’rash: I was asked by Rav S to expand on this, so I picked a topic I thought would preach from the whole thing and focused there. In the prelude to his Erev Shabbat teaching he'd just told us of some of the terrible trials that some of our brethren in Muslim countries were undergoing. This d'rash is particularly poignant to me because my synagogue, the umbrella organization and many of us as individuals (myself included) are right now undergoing serious attacks of the enemy which just keep coming, one after the other. I hope this does not apply to you right now. But I am certain of this; if you are doing as God wills then it will at some point apply to you. As Rav S says, "We accept what God gives us to do, then the enemy always gets his turn."

Exodus 6:1-9 (ESV) 1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will i do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am l the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty [El Shaddai], but by my name the Lord [YHVH] I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am ll the Lord, and I will ii bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will iii deliver you from slavery to them, and I will iv redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will v take you to be my people, and I will vi be your God, and you shall know that I am lll the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will vii bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will viii give it to you for a possession. I am lV the Lord.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

Before this G-d was known as some derivative of El, Mighty G-d. Now it is true that in Genesis the term YHVH was used many times. However we have to remember that Genesis was written after the exodus and the giving of the commission to Moshe to oversee the writing of . It would be expected that those writers might use a Name they were now familiar with. But here the Hebrews were given the true name of their Elohim for the first time, YHVH, Eternal, the Self Existent One.

He had shown the Patriarchs His Might as El, and the people knew the stories. However all they had experienced was cruel slavery and abuses at the hands of the Egyptians. Remember that Mitzrayim (Egypt) represents sin. Their spirit was broken, and their trust almost non-existent because of the effect of 400 yrs under the yoke of this sinful people. So when Elohei Ha’Ivriyim,  Lord God of the Hebrews (Exodus 3:18) reveals Himself and His plans to them, His people would not listen.

Had they paid heed, they might have seen that there were 8 “I will’s” and 4 “I Am’s” in this statement. 8+4=12, the number of Hebrew tribes. 4 is the number biblically associated with creation, since on the 4th day of creation the material world was completed. And 8, the biblical number of renewal; an indication that YHVH M’quaddash The LORD Who Sets (us) Apart (Leviticus 22:32) was about to complete His work and make them a free nation in their own land.

All too often we are so oppressed by sin and the attacks of ha’satan that we cannot see the great works and revelations HaShem is placing right before us. Right now many of us as individuals and Beit Aveinu as a whole are experiencing the attacks of the enemy. And they just keep coming, one after another; and our prayers seemingly go unanswered. Furthermore I can’t get professed Messianics, let alone Christians to come see what we are and do here at home. Yet we are growing, establishing synagogues even in in Muslim countries! But it is easy to lose sight of that when our own troubles seem to overwhelm us.

I’ve been guilty of this lately. It’s depressing to face these rolling attacks, see already fragile health deteriorate and bills pile up. To have friends and family attack us for our beliefs. However HaEl HaGadol, HaGibbor v’HaNorah- The Great, Mighty, Awesome God (Deuteronomy 10:17) Is doing great things right in front of us. Peleh, Yoetz, El Gibbor, Avi Ad, Sar Shalom- Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father Of Eternity, Prince Of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) is calling us to stand firm in our commitment. He is there to counsel and help us. But we must take our eyes off Mitzrayim and look to HaEretz, the inheritance we have in HaMoshiach Yeshua.

His promises endure:

Psalm 93:5 (ESV)  Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.

We need to continue in trust with El-him:

1 Timothy 6:12 (ESV) Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Psalm 112:6 (ESV) For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.

We must remain steadfast in our faith, as His love for us is steadfast, faithful:

James 1:12 (ESV) Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Psalm 89:1 (ESV) I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

And know we are not alone:

1 Peter 5:9 (ESV) Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

This is especially poignant, as Rav S has told of men in Muslim nations who are coming into the Messianic faith and have lost congregations and family, and suffered terrible accidents leaving them helpless while friends become enemies. These men could be imprisoned, tortured and killed on false testimony of anyone. Yet they are being faithful. How can we who have so much and are in no danger let go the promise?

Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV) And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

So let us be silent; quit complaining and look at what is being done. Look at why the enemy is attacking us so hard right now. And stand firm. For my part I may not be able to be as generous as before, since bills do have to be paid. But that doesn’t mean I must just pay the minimum tithe and allow those who have less or this ministry to suffer. We must trust in Ruach shel Etzah v’Gevurah, The Spirit of Counsel and of Valor (Isaiah 11:2) to guide us through these times of trial. And keep the faith. Stay the course. Don’t give up on the work set before us:

Joshua 1:9 (ESV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Dan C

[jimmie]

Acts 24:14 (ESV) But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

However many translations, including the KJV and my Hebrew New Testament translate the term hairesis, here called a sect as “heresy.” This can be difficult to get ahold of and possibly even inaccurate because we are working from a Greek translation of a Hebrew text. Nonetheless there is an interesting word study here:

Thayers Greek Lexicon/ STRONGS NT 139: αἵρεσις hairesis
1. (from αἱρέω), act of taking, capture: the storming of a city; in secular authors.
2. (from ἁιρέομαι), choosing, choice, very often in secular writings: the Sept. Leviticus 22:18; 1 Macc. 8:30.
…
4. a body of men separating themselves from others and following their own tenets (a sect or party): as the Sadducees, Acts 5:17; the Pharisees, Acts 15:5; Acts 26:5; the Christians, Acts 24:5, 14 (in both instances with a suggestion of reproach); … .
5. dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims: Galatians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 11:19.


Another way to get to the same end point.


G139, in the KJV, is translated as “sect” 5 times : Acts 5:17, 15:5, 24:5, 26:5, and 28:22. It is transliterated as heresy(ies) 4 times: Acts 24:14, I Cor 11:19, Gal 5:20, and 2 Pet 2:1.
In scripture and primitive use, “Heresy” meant merely sect, party, or the doctrines of a sect, as we now use denomination or persuasion, implying no reproach.