Pharaoh, blind, deaf, and dumber than
dumb
Shabbat Shalom Kol Yisrael. It is our pleasure to present this week's
Torah Parsha commentary by Nazarene Yisraelite Rabbi T. (Mordecai) Mitchell,
Rabbi and Rosh Zaken of B'nai Yeshurun Nazarene Yisraelite Synagogue,
Kittanning, Pa., and board member of the Union of Nazarene Yisraelite
Congregations. It is our sincere hope and prayer that these commentaries
encourage, inspire, and strengthen the body of Messiah in Kol Yisrael. Our
Parsha this week is Va'era (and I appeared) Shemoth (Exodus)
6:2 9:35. Our
Haftarah is Yehezkel (Ezekiel) 28:25 29:21. Our suggested Brit
Chadasha readings are: Romans 9:1417; and 2 Corinthians 6:14 7:1. Also,
please read Tehillim (Psalms) 140.
Shemoth 6:2 And Elohim spoke to
Mosheh and said to him, I am YHWH,
3 And I appeared to Avraham, to Yitshaq, and to Ya'aqob as El
Shaddai. And by My Name, YHWH, was I not known to them?
We should start out by commenting on this opening verse
before going to what I feel is the heart of the matter. Certainly verse 3 is
among the most misunderstood or misinterpreted verses found in Scripture.
Many who oppose the use of the Sacred Name or many who do not understand the
necessity of using Yahweh's Name may point to this verse as proof that the
patriarchs did not know or did not use the Name Yahweh. However, there are
numerous verses in the preceding book of Torah, Bereshith (Genesis) that put
such a fallacious idea to rest.
While time does not permit an exhaustive examination of all
the verses, let it suffice to quote at least a few.
Berershith 28:13 And see, YHWH
stood above it and said, I Am YHWH Elohim of Avraham our father and the Elohim
of Yitshaq...
Bereshith 28: 16 And Ya'aqob awoke
from his sleep and said, Truly, YHWH is in this place and I did not know
it.
And in Bereshith
29:35, we have the words of Ya'aqob's wife Leah: ...Now I praise YHWH...(regarding the
birth of Yehudah).
In the ISR version, this verse, Shemoth 6:3, is (I believe
correctly so) translated as a question: ...And by My
Name YHWH, was I not know to them?
No doubt. One reason for this controversial monologue is
that while many of the people who preceded the trek from Canaan to Egypt
certainly knew Yahweh as El
Shaddi which means My
Almighty Provider, that is, the provider of
physical or material blessings, However, few knew Him as Yahweh, the author and finisher of
salvation, the giver and sustainer of life eternal life. Therefore, we must
not allow anyone to mislead us by misquoting or misinterpreting Scripture, as
some are prone to do.
In 6:8, after promising to take them as His own special
people, Yahweh reiterates His promise to cause Yisrael to return to The Land
that He has intended them to have as a home and heritage: And I shall bring you into the land which I swore to give to
Avraham, to Yitshaq and to Ya'aqob, to give it to you as an inheritance, I am
YHWH.
Last week we compared Yisrael's time of sojourning in Egypt
and their ever-increasing dependency on Egyptian economy and subsequent
enslavement, to the overall economic situation we face in today as modern
Yisrael.
Certainly we should read through the ten plagues that Yahweh
allowed to be visited on Egypt (Mitsrayim). Each plague represents a deeper
descent into greater physical and spiritual negativity. However, as we read
through the remainder of this Parsha there are several things of which we must
be cognizant.
When Mosheh and Aharon appear before Pharaoh, Pharaoh
summons his magicians. The magicians are able to duplicate (up to a point) the
miracle of the rod turning into a serpent demonstrated by Mosheh and Aharon --
except that the serpents they created we no match for the serpent that was
unleashed by Mosheh and Aharon.
The magicians also duplicate first three plagues, the plague
of turning the water into blood, the plague of frogs, and the plague of gnats
(lice). No doubt, Pharaoh and his entourage are impressed by the power of the
Egyptian magicians. Whatever you can do we can do
too, they seem to say.
However, what they fail to see is that the magicians (wise
men or spiritual leaders) can only duplicate the first three plagues but
unlike Mosheh and Aharon, they cannot undo them. In other words, they can only
make things worse.
Whenever I read this I cannot help but think of our
spiritual (religious) leaders today. While they may attempt to address many of
today's problems, they offer no real solutions. Why is this so? The answer is
simply that despite acting with the best of intentions, do not apply or consider
Yahweh's Torah. They are in virtually every case, anti-Torah. Like the magicians
of Egypt, they ultimately, only make things worse. They lack the wisdom and
insight to provide positive spiritual solutions to the questions and problems we
face today.
We may note in Shemoth 9:11 And
the magicians were unable to stand before Mosheh because of the boils, for the
boils were on the magicians and on all the Mitsraites.
We must also note that the first three plagues affected the
Yisraelites as well as the Mitsrayites. However, with the warning of the fourth
plague, flies, Yahweh causes a separation between the Yisraelites and Egyptians.
8:22--23 And in that day I shall separate the land of
Goshen in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, so that
you know that I am YHWH in the midst of the land,
23 And
I shall put a distinction between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign
shall be.
We have a similar promise of protection during the time to
come called the Great Tribulation. In Revelation 12:16, Yisrael is described
as a woman. While she remains on the earth during the tribulation period, she
is supernaturally protected from the terrible things going on around her. 12:16
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened
its mouth and swollowed up the river which the dragon had spewed out of his
mouth.
While our exodus from end-time Egypt, better known to us as
Babylon, an even more powerful kingdom than Egypt, will be preceded by a time of
great physical sufferings of all kinds. However, the greatest danger to
Spiritual Yisrael is that of Spiritual apostasy -- being deceived by the
magicians of Egypt.
In Debarim (Deuteronomy) 32:1--2 water represents doctrine
or teaching. (Note also in verse 3 that Mosheh announces
that he proclaims '...The Name
of YHWH...' in conjunction with
Yahweh's doctrine and teaching).
From this we can conclude that the river spewed forth from the mouth of
the dragon in Revelation 12 is false teaching, false doctrine. We may notice in
Shemoth how the first two plagues are closely associated with water. We must
also remember that Mosheh was drawn out of the water Egyptian water. The ark
of course, kept him afloat and separated from the water.
From the reading in Shemoth 8:2223 we must realize that in
the time to come, as in ancient Egypt, we, faithful Yisrael, will be afforded
supernatural protection, a protection of separation.
In recent weeks there has been much ado about presidential
candidates. A number of people are vying to be the leader of our nation, each
making various claims and promises, each having their own special
agenda.
Many are wondering who will ultimately win out -- who among
them will be the next President of the United States. I know the answer, and
really, so do we all. The one who will sit in the White House is the one
Almighty Yahweh wants to be there for His intents and purposes. It's that
simple. Of course, exactly who that may be remains to be seen, but rest assured,
Yahweh knows.
The real point is, however, that no matter who is elected,
all candidates, no matter how well intentioned, have a common denominator. All
share the same stubbornness and blindness of Pharaoh.
Like a spoiled child, as every plague is brought to pass,
Pharaoh begs Mosheh and Aharon (not his magicians, who he knows are powerless)
to call off the plague. He promises to release the Yisrelites into the
wilderness to worship Yahweh. However, as soon as a plague is halted, Pharaoh
goes back on his word.
The very depth of Pharaoh's stubbornness and
shortsightedness is finally seen by his own people (as we will read in next
week's Parsha) in Shemoth 10:7 And Pharaoh's servants
said to him, Till when
would this one (Mosheh) be a snare
to us, Let the men go, so that they serve YHWH their Elohim, Do you not yet
know that Mitsrayim is destroyed?
Pharaoh is rightly accused by his own people of not knowing,
and no doubt not caring, that his nation was already destroyed. At this point,
the Egyptians had lost everything. They were beyond the point of no return,
facing total anihilation. How often do political leaders turn a blind eye and
deaf ear to the suffrerings of their people. Remember the infamous retort to a
report that people were starving, and had little to eat: Let them eat cake.
At least one Presidential candidate today has a religious
background. However, even he cannot see that it is our overall rejection of
Yahweh's Torah, and His true Messiah, that is the root cause of our downhill
slide to destruction. Yahweh's economic system is outlined in Scripture, in such
places as Vayyiqra 25 and 26. The Bible has the key to establishing perfect
military (yes, military), economic and judicial systems. Today, however, these
systems are replaced by various types of man-devised isms. The world today
insists on rejecting Yahweh's plan in favor of a plan of its own. And the
pharaohs we elect to positions of leadership continue to be blind and ignorant
of the down-hill slide to perdition that we are on.
As we said last week, it is my belief that we will and must
be here to witness the destruction of Egypt. We cannot and will not make our
exodus until the final plagues have fallen.
Therfore, the key to survival is preparation, spiritual
preparation, and yes, we must include physical and material preparation as well.
Some far-sighted (but not necessarily spiritual men) are cautioning to limit the
use of plastic money. and warning to lessen our dependency on credit. They
also caution us to begin living within our means. That is solid advice that we
cannot afford to ignore, no matter who is offering it.
While we do not condone some of the (more radical) ideas of
the so-celled survivalist groups, we must advise all who will heed to be
prepared for any sudden and unexpected economic crisis, natural disaster, civil
disorder or terrorist attack, by having a supply of food, medicine and other
necessary supplies. To what degree this should be carried out is up to each
individual and family and we will say no more. However, I must be absolutely
emphatic that we, as Yahweh's people, must not in any way, shape, or form become
involved in violence or insurrection against the government or government
authorities. This can be a fine line for some, however, for this we have a
Scriptural command as found in Romans 13:1 7 (Please read include this passage
in this week's readings).
Certainly our greatest preparation is spiritual. I was
impressed with this while reading of the third plague, the plague of gnats or
lice.
As small and seemingly insignificant was these little
creatures are they can cause great suffering and misery. It is believed that it
was the fleas residing on rats that were the carriers of the dreaded Bubonic
plague of the Middle Ages. Fleas gnats, or lice, however the Hebrew word ken
(Strong's 3654) is translated, carries the connotation of big problems from
seemingly little things.
The things we tend to take for granted, or whatever small
stuff we are prone to over look, are the very things that will serve to bring
much misery into our lives. On the other hand, we cannot afford to trivialize
matters, especially aspects Bible prophecy. More so, we cannot afford to
trivialize any aspect of Yahweh's Torah. We must pay attention to seemingly
small details. If we study diligently we will come to see that it is often the
small, seemingly insignificant or inconsequential details of Torah that contains
some of the greatest blessings.
Monday evening at sundown is Rosh Chodesh She'vat, 5768. On this Shabbat, and
again on Monday evening, let us be sure to sanctify Yahweh's New Month. Keeping
ourselves in sync with the Hebrew calendar will keep us in tune with Yahweh's
Torah. We should celebrate the New Moon on Monday evening with special prayers,
reading Tehillim (Psalms) 81, sounding the shofar, and perhaps a special meal
and at a short time of joyful celebration.
Some have inquired regarding (Yahweh willing) Rebbitzen
JoAnne's forthcoming teaching on the implications of proper Shabbat observance.
Again, Yahweh willing, rest assured that anyone who cannot attend Sukkot with us
this coming fall will be able to obtain this and other teachings by cassette
tape.
Speaking of cassette tape teachings, we do have a limited
number of tapes from the recent Sukkot. Several tapes are being prepared free of
charge to be sent to our faithful supporters (we are a bit behind schedule).
After that, additional copies (a limited number) will be ready for distribution
at a most reasonable cost to those who request them.
As we delve into the Book of Shemoth and as we prepare to
welcome the Rosh Chodesh this week, may Almighty Yahweh bless us as we seek to
learn more of His ways and live to serve and please Him.
Comments or questions regarding this week's commentary may
be addressed to Rabbi Mitchell by e-mail at: yoel@arm-tek.net
Again, we must ask those of you who may have our home or
congregation phone numbers to please make inquiries by e-mail only. If follow up
phone calls are necessary we will call you or ask you to call us at a specific
time. Thank you for respecting our wishes.
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