Par’shah- B’shallah

[alon]

Next week’s reading schedule:

Date of reading- Feb 3, 2018/18 Shevat 5778

Name of Par’shah- Yitro

Par’shah- Ex 18:1 – 20:23

Haftara- Isaiah 6.1-7.6; 9.6-7

Brit Chadashah-

This week’s readings:

Date of reading- Jan 27, 2018/11 Shevat5778

Name of Par’shah- B’shallah

Par’shah- Ex 13:17 – 17:16

Haftara- Judges 4.4-5.31

Brit Chadashah-

D’rash: Just a few things that stand out in our par’shah:

Shemot 13:17 (OJB)  And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that Elohim led them not through the derech of the eretz of the Pelishtim (Philistines), although that was near; for Elohim said, Lest perhaps the people change their mind when they see milchamah, and they return to Mitzrayim;

H4421 מלחמה milchâmâh, mil-khaw-maw'; from From (in the sense of fighting); a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. war-fare):—battle, fight(-ing), war(-rior).

Instead of the short route HaShem took the new Hebrew nation the long way around. He knew if they went up against a strong army they would flee back to Egypt. This was a nation of formern slaves. They needed to be hardened into a fighting force in their own right before being put into battle against the Philistines. Furthermore, had they faced the Philistines rather than the sea they’d have had no place to go. Traped between two armies that wanted to kill or enslave them, they would have opted for the devil they knew over the one they knew not. El-Roiy The God of Sight/God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16:13) also sees their plight, and He has a plan. When things look hopeless He will step in and save them. Ro’eh Yisroel Shepherd Of Israel (Psalm 80:1) will take them where they need to be. Keshet Milchamah Bow Of Battle (Zechariah 10:4) will fight for them in a way that future generations can lood back on and say He is a mighty God, mightier than any other.


Shemot 14:4 (OJB) And I will chazaq (harden) lev (the heart of) Pharaoh, that he shall pursue after them; and I will be kavad (glorified, honoured, made weighty; see below) over Pharaoh, and upon all his army; so that the Egyptians may have da’as (knowledge) that I am Hashem (YHVH). And they did accordingly.

kâvad, kaw-bad'; or כָּבֵד kâbêd; a primitive root; to be heavy, i.e. in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable); causatively, to make weighty (in the same two senses):—abounding with, more grievously afflict, boast, be chargeable, × be dim, glorify, be (make) glorious (things), glory, (very) great, be grievous, harden, be (make) heavy, be heavier, lay heavily, (bring to, come to, do, get, be had in) honour (self), (be) honorable (man), lade, × more be laid, make self many, nobles, prevail, promote (to honour), be rich, be (go) sore, stop.

The Hebrew here gives a better picture of what HaShem wanted out of this drama. He doesn’t seek glory as men do. He seeks for all men to see Him as greater, weightier and more honorable than the petty gods men tend to serve. And this not for His sake, but for ours. If we see Him as the greater God then we may be drawn to serve Him and thus be saved. This will later bear fruit when Rachev (Rahab) helps the spies because she sees HaShem as the more powerful God over all the gods her people serve.

Shemot 14:8 (OJB) And Hashem chazaq (hardened) the lev Pharaoh Melech Mitzrayim, so that he pursued after the Bnei Yisroel; and the Bnei Yisroel went out with a high hand [deliberately with assurance].

Shemot 14:17 (OJB) And I, hineni, I will chazaq (harden) the lev Mitzrayim, and they shall go after them; and I will get Me kavad (honour, glory) over Pharaoh, and over all his army, over his chariots, and upon his parash (horsemen).

In the above three verses we see the theme of God’s hardening men’s hearts. Is this fair? Does it mean He hardened the hearts of the Egyptians before? According to Pastor Ravi Zacharias all HaShem was doing here was saying “All right, you want to harden your hearts, here’s a little extra for you.” Was it a natural result of the knowledge of what they had lost in their fear when they let the Hebrews go and despoil them on the way? Or because God held them back while the Hebrews crossed? Or maybe seeing the Hebrews, who the Egyptians probably thought were trapped agains the sea escaping yet again? Probably all of the above. The point is still that a God who is called Raui l’Chavod, Worthy of Honor/Glory would not just make men hard of heart so He could punish them and gain a little glory for Himself. No, they chose to harden their hearts to the truth and follow the same gods who had already failed them miserably in the face of this new God, Elohei Yisroel (God of Israel, 2 Samuel 23:3).

How many times do we talk to others and show them the truth, only to see them harden their hearts and keep following the lies they have always known? Many of them, perhaps even all following the wide road to Hell.


Shemot 14:25 (OJB) And turned awry their chariot wheels, that they drove them with difficulty; so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the presence of Yisroel; because Hashem fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

H5493 turned awry çûwr, soor; or שׂוּר sûwr; (Hosea 9:12), a primitive root; to turn off (literally or figuratively):—be(-head), bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), × grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, × be sour, take (away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.

We are always told they were stuck in the mud. Even the notes in my JPS Study TNK says this. However the Hebrews who they were chasing passed through on dry land. So while I don’t deny it is possibl HaShem allowed the land to become muddy, I don’t think this is the case. So I looked it up. According to Strongs (above) and the other references I checked, what befell the Egyptians was anywhere from their wheels turning hard to their breaking or falling off. But whatever it was, the Egyptians were in trouble and they knew it. Too late they decide to flee from the Hebrews and leave them alone. Too late they learned the lesson that Elohei Ha’Ivriyim, the Lord God of the Hebrews (Exodus 3:18) is  HaEl HaGadol, HaGibbor v’HaNorah, The Great Mighty Awesome God (Deuteronomy 10:17). And they were destroyed, wiped out and all but Pharoah killed for their hardness of heart and disbelief in Abishter.

Dan C

[alon]

From Mark:

D’rash: After crippling Egypt with the ten plagues, Adonai will now perform one more great wonder, the parting of the Sea of Suf, which will completely break their dominance over Israel and completely deliver Israel, setting her apart to be a holy people to G-d Himself. In Exodus 14:4 we learn that Adonai manifests these wonders so that His enemies will realize that he alone is L-rd and has power over all other gods. For those that love and follow Him, they also serve the purpose of instilling trust and confidence in Him as their refuge and strength.

Some may have personally experienced Adonai’s signs and wonders when He delivered us from difficult bondage and brought us into a living relationship with Him, and continued to show His faithfulness over the years, whether it involved relationship issues, finding a job, provision, finances, etc. Whether we call them signs, wonders, miracles, or blessings it is important to remember that they are to encourage us to continue in love and obedience to Him. Problems arise when “not-so-holy” attitudes creep in and affect our responses to them. In Exodus 15:22-24, the people are quick to forget Adonai’s great deliverance, and began complaining about water quality. Verses 25b-26 reveals what G-d’s will is after delivering them (and us): There Adonai made laws and rules of life for them, and there He tested them. He said, “If you listen intently to the voice of Adonai you G-d, do what He considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe His laws, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am Adonai your Healer.” The grumblings show up again in chapter 16, verses 2-3 when they complain about not having the same abundance of meat to eat in the desert like they had back in Egypt, and in chapter 17, verses 1-3 when there was no water to drink. Again, in each instance, He provides for them—bread from heaven (and meat) and water from the rock (Exodus 16:4-18, 17:4-7). The purpose and will of G-d for them, and consequently for us, is again mentioned in Exodus 16:4b; “The people are to go out and gather a day’s ration [of manna] every day. By this I will test whether they will observe My or not.” G-d allows trials and hardships in our lives to bring about sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 states that the will of G-d for us is to be holy—that is, to be set apart for Him. True obedience is revealed under pressure, not in the absence of it; and our words will reveal our heart: whether we say, “Your will be done” or “Is Adonai with us or not?” (Luke 6:45, Matthew 6:10b, Exodus 17:7).

At times, new believers in the faith may feel that, after being delivered from the bondage of sin and into a new life in G-d, that the so-called “high” in G-d will never, or should never, leave. They may not realize that Adonai will eventually discipline them for their benefit, to share in His holiness, and develop within them the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:10b-11). Their relationship with G-d often consists of surviving on the weekly preaching or teaching of the gathering of believers with the recharge of the occasional revival meeting. These certainly are good things but should be considered as a healthful side dish or dessert. Our main course should always be the DAILY manna, or bread from heaven, which correlates to our personal communication with G-d and study and obedience of His Word. This is the true nourishment that keeps our spiritual life consistently strong and healthy in the long run, and helps us prevent or fight off the diseases of false doctrine and worldliness. Will it always be easy to come to the table and eat daily? No, it won’t. Just as each Israelite was responsible to gather his or her own manna, so we are responsible to come to G-d ourselves and eat what He personally gives us, sometimes sharing it with others so that no one suffers any shortage (Exodus 16:16-18). Quite often, the toughest part of the battle is just getting to the table. Common complaints include, “I’m really tired,” or “I got too much to do,” or “I just don’t feel like it.” Welcome to the imperfect and fallen world. Push through! Consider this a test to see whether you will make the time for G-d or not. If you succeed, look forward to receiving the true Bread that gives life (John 6:35).
Scripture references taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern, copyright 1998

MRD

edit: Mark just emailed me and he's going to rwork this. I'll repost with the new one when he does.