- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Oct 28, 2022 8:54:10 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:Ex 6.2-7.18
Parashah- Exodus 6:2-7:18
Haftara- Ezek 28:25-29:21
D’rash: Early in our reading (vs. 3, CJB) God tells Moshe “I appeared to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by my name, Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai].” The miracle working God is revealed more to Moshe and the people of his generation than He was to even the Patriarchs. Here we see a good example of ‘Progressive Revelation’ where God reveals Himself in steps throughout scripture.
Exodus 6:6-8 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’”
This uses marriage covenant language: לקחתי laqochti- “I will take you as my people,” same as in Ex 2:1, Levi ‘took a woman.’ Also ידע yada- “you will know that I am Adonai,’ same word was used when Adam ‘knew’ Chavah; which is descriptive of the marriage union. And בּוא bo- “I will bring you into the land,” a more midrashic interpretation, still the groom bids His bride “come.” Rabbinic midrash also sees Exodus as a kethubah; a marriage agreement between the groom (Adonai) and His bride (Yisroel).
Exodus 6:23 Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
We are given many detailed lineages here: Korah’s sons are mentioned- recall he later leads a rebellion and he and his sons are swallowed by the earth; the sons’ of Aharon are mentioned, two of whom will be consumed by fire as they bring strange fire before the Lord. But the sons of Moshe are not acknowledged. Why?
We are not told. However one strong possibility is they never achieved much. Those who are called to greatness often spend so much time on their calling there is none left for their family. Their children often grow up resenting and even hating the cause that took so much of their fathers time. It is natural to love one’s father, so they place blame on whatever cause or calling took him away. My own father was one of, if not the best old-school Southern Baptist hell-fire-and-brimestone preachers I ever heard- and I’ve heard a fair few of them. But he also always worked two and sometimes even three jobs to support family, and all too often his ministry. He seldom had time for us except to “instruct” or to discipline. And he was a harsh disciplinarian. For many years I transferred all my anger, and yes, hatred onto God.
So to those who would become spiritual leaders (Christian, Messianic, or Jewish) I would say “Take care of your family first.” That’s not always easy, but it is extremely important. To others I’d say “Do not become a problem for your leadership. And do not try to monopolize their time. Seek instead to lift them up and support them.” Problems they already have. Prayer and support can often be surprisingly scarce. But remember, the time you steal from them is really often time stolen from a young child who needs his or her father.
Exodus 7:1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
That should be a small “g” as he is as a ruler or mighty one, not as God Himself. Aharon of course spoke for Moshe, and so he fulfilled the role of prophet before Pharaoh. Still, this is important. Pharaoh sees himself as a god, so now we have a “clash of Titans,” so to speak. One doing Gods’ will, the other a self styled ‘god’ set in his own will.
Exodus 7:2-5 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
God prepares His messenger, Moshe for the fact Pharaoh will not listen; he will not let the Hebrews go. As we’ve said, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened when God said “Let my people go.” However now we have an issue: God is going to stretch out His hand against Egypt. Should all Egypt be punished for the sins of their leader? This is the issue of “collective guilt.” An evil ruler can do no harm unless his subjects are willing participants. Egypt, not just Pharaoh enslaved the Hebrews; they treated their slaves harshly, and for a time killed their infants. Pharaoh may be about to get his come-uppens’, but the people of Mitzrayim will bear the brunt of the punishment.
Torah law is fair: Biblical ethicist Christopher Marshall said “there are features of covenant law that have been adopted and adapted to contemporary human rights law: due process, fairness in criminal procedures, and equity in the application of the law. Within this ethic, judges are told not to accept bribes (Deuteronomy 16:19), were required to be impartial to native and stranger alike (Leviticus 24:22; Deuteronomy 27:19), to the needy and the powerful alike (Leviticus 19:15), and to rich and poor alike (Deuteronomy 1:16,17; Exodus 23:2–6). The right to a fair trial, and fair punishment, are also required (Deuteronomy 19:15; Exodus 21:23–25). Those most vulnerable in a patriarchal society—children, women, and strangers—were singled out for special protection (Psalm 72:2,4).”: Marshall, Christopher (1999). ""A Little lower than the Angels" Human rights in the biblical tradition.”
Only the guilty are punished. But the people were guilty. Not all would have agreed with the cruelty inflicted on the Hebrew slaves, but did they speak up? There is also such a thing as ‘national sin.’ We who were raised in church tend to focus only on the individual; individual salvation and individual sins. We forget about national sin, to our disadvantage and possible destruction. Jews on the other hand give more weight to a national salvation. Both miss the mark. We must consider both our individual salvation and walk with God, as well as the sins of our nation, for which we bear responsibility.
Exodus 7:8-13 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Torah sets its’ face against magic. Magic suggests other forces have mastery over the world and men themselves. However Moshe’s rod, or snake swallowed the magicians rods/snakes. This was a demonstration that Boreh Ketzot HaAretz, Creator of the Ends of the Earth (Is 40:28) was the supreme God. He alone has mastery over al things. However it was enough in Pharaoh’s mind to justify continuing in opposition to Moshe and YHVH-Tsevaoth, Lord of Armies/Lord of Hosts (1 Sam 1:3). I’ve been in that position, and can tell you straight up- God wins, every time.
Exodus 7:14-18 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’”
This sets the stage for all the plagues. They will each attack the “gods” worshiped by the Egyptians. The first was the Nile, and all the minor gods therein. However it specifically attacked Hapi- Egyptian God of the Nile; a major Egyptian god as they depended on the Nile for trade, transportation, agriculture, and drinking water. The Nile was life and prosperity for Mitzrayim! As Aharon touched Moshe’s staff to the Nile River it turned to blood.
The plagues had 3 major purposes:
1. To force Pharaoh and the Egyptians to let the Hebrew people go
2. To punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for 400 years of bondage and cruelty
3. To demonstrate to both the Egyptians and the Hebrews that the Hebrew God IS God; far above the ‘gods’ of the Egyptians
God’s punishments both discipline and instruct. The Egyptian people and their leaders were about to learn their lessons- the hard way!
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; Dennis Prager; Dr D Stern; JPS Study TNK; Dr C Parker; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Ex 7:19-8:19
Haftara- Joel 3:9–21
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Exodus 6:2-7:18
Haftara- Ezek 28:25-29:21
D’rash: Early in our reading (vs. 3, CJB) God tells Moshe “I appeared to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by my name, Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai].” The miracle working God is revealed more to Moshe and the people of his generation than He was to even the Patriarchs. Here we see a good example of ‘Progressive Revelation’ where God reveals Himself in steps throughout scripture.
Exodus 6:6-8 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’”
This uses marriage covenant language: לקחתי laqochti- “I will take you as my people,” same as in Ex 2:1, Levi ‘took a woman.’ Also ידע yada- “you will know that I am Adonai,’ same word was used when Adam ‘knew’ Chavah; which is descriptive of the marriage union. And בּוא bo- “I will bring you into the land,” a more midrashic interpretation, still the groom bids His bride “come.” Rabbinic midrash also sees Exodus as a kethubah; a marriage agreement between the groom (Adonai) and His bride (Yisroel).
Exodus 6:23 Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
We are given many detailed lineages here: Korah’s sons are mentioned- recall he later leads a rebellion and he and his sons are swallowed by the earth; the sons’ of Aharon are mentioned, two of whom will be consumed by fire as they bring strange fire before the Lord. But the sons of Moshe are not acknowledged. Why?
We are not told. However one strong possibility is they never achieved much. Those who are called to greatness often spend so much time on their calling there is none left for their family. Their children often grow up resenting and even hating the cause that took so much of their fathers time. It is natural to love one’s father, so they place blame on whatever cause or calling took him away. My own father was one of, if not the best old-school Southern Baptist hell-fire-and-brimestone preachers I ever heard- and I’ve heard a fair few of them. But he also always worked two and sometimes even three jobs to support family, and all too often his ministry. He seldom had time for us except to “instruct” or to discipline. And he was a harsh disciplinarian. For many years I transferred all my anger, and yes, hatred onto God.
So to those who would become spiritual leaders (Christian, Messianic, or Jewish) I would say “Take care of your family first.” That’s not always easy, but it is extremely important. To others I’d say “Do not become a problem for your leadership. And do not try to monopolize their time. Seek instead to lift them up and support them.” Problems they already have. Prayer and support can often be surprisingly scarce. But remember, the time you steal from them is really often time stolen from a young child who needs his or her father.
Exodus 7:1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
That should be a small “g” as he is as a ruler or mighty one, not as God Himself. Aharon of course spoke for Moshe, and so he fulfilled the role of prophet before Pharaoh. Still, this is important. Pharaoh sees himself as a god, so now we have a “clash of Titans,” so to speak. One doing Gods’ will, the other a self styled ‘god’ set in his own will.
Exodus 7:2-5 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
God prepares His messenger, Moshe for the fact Pharaoh will not listen; he will not let the Hebrews go. As we’ve said, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened when God said “Let my people go.” However now we have an issue: God is going to stretch out His hand against Egypt. Should all Egypt be punished for the sins of their leader? This is the issue of “collective guilt.” An evil ruler can do no harm unless his subjects are willing participants. Egypt, not just Pharaoh enslaved the Hebrews; they treated their slaves harshly, and for a time killed their infants. Pharaoh may be about to get his come-uppens’, but the people of Mitzrayim will bear the brunt of the punishment.
Torah law is fair: Biblical ethicist Christopher Marshall said “there are features of covenant law that have been adopted and adapted to contemporary human rights law: due process, fairness in criminal procedures, and equity in the application of the law. Within this ethic, judges are told not to accept bribes (Deuteronomy 16:19), were required to be impartial to native and stranger alike (Leviticus 24:22; Deuteronomy 27:19), to the needy and the powerful alike (Leviticus 19:15), and to rich and poor alike (Deuteronomy 1:16,17; Exodus 23:2–6). The right to a fair trial, and fair punishment, are also required (Deuteronomy 19:15; Exodus 21:23–25). Those most vulnerable in a patriarchal society—children, women, and strangers—were singled out for special protection (Psalm 72:2,4).”: Marshall, Christopher (1999). ""A Little lower than the Angels" Human rights in the biblical tradition.”
Only the guilty are punished. But the people were guilty. Not all would have agreed with the cruelty inflicted on the Hebrew slaves, but did they speak up? There is also such a thing as ‘national sin.’ We who were raised in church tend to focus only on the individual; individual salvation and individual sins. We forget about national sin, to our disadvantage and possible destruction. Jews on the other hand give more weight to a national salvation. Both miss the mark. We must consider both our individual salvation and walk with God, as well as the sins of our nation, for which we bear responsibility.
Exodus 7:8-13 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Torah sets its’ face against magic. Magic suggests other forces have mastery over the world and men themselves. However Moshe’s rod, or snake swallowed the magicians rods/snakes. This was a demonstration that Boreh Ketzot HaAretz, Creator of the Ends of the Earth (Is 40:28) was the supreme God. He alone has mastery over al things. However it was enough in Pharaoh’s mind to justify continuing in opposition to Moshe and YHVH-Tsevaoth, Lord of Armies/Lord of Hosts (1 Sam 1:3). I’ve been in that position, and can tell you straight up- God wins, every time.
Exodus 7:14-18 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’”
This sets the stage for all the plagues. They will each attack the “gods” worshiped by the Egyptians. The first was the Nile, and all the minor gods therein. However it specifically attacked Hapi- Egyptian God of the Nile; a major Egyptian god as they depended on the Nile for trade, transportation, agriculture, and drinking water. The Nile was life and prosperity for Mitzrayim! As Aharon touched Moshe’s staff to the Nile River it turned to blood.
The plagues had 3 major purposes:
1. To force Pharaoh and the Egyptians to let the Hebrew people go
2. To punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for 400 years of bondage and cruelty
3. To demonstrate to both the Egyptians and the Hebrews that the Hebrew God IS God; far above the ‘gods’ of the Egyptians
God’s punishments both discipline and instruct. The Egyptian people and their leaders were about to learn their lessons- the hard way!
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; Dennis Prager; Dr D Stern; JPS Study TNK; Dr C Parker; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Ex 7:19-8:19
Haftara- Joel 3:9–21
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
