Shabbat Midrash (Teaching) Outlines

• The children of Israel had been in captivity 400 years and now we see Yah’s hand of deliverance working in His people. Moshe had been prepared to be Yah’s prophet to the people to bring about their deliverance and redemption. In Yahweh’s assurance to Moshe, He confirms His name (Yahweh) and that He alone is the G-d of Israel. In Sh’mot (Exodus) 6:2-8, Yahweh exhorts Moshe to speak assurances to His people in the form of seven (7) “I wills”:

• These seven “I wills” are a gift for us today. It is our inheritance wrapped in His Covenant. May we be a people who remember it is not by our faith that this was done but by HIS FAITHFULNESS to us that will redeem us and fulfill what He has promised. Just as our forefathers had broken faith with Yahweh, we who are redeemed today, must also learn to walk out our redemption just as the Israelites did in Sh’mot (Exodus).

• In last week’s Torah portion, Yah tells Moshe to go and free His people from slavery from the Egyptians, for whom they are forming bricks. In many places in the Torah (the Tower of Bavel, for example), bricks represent man worshipping himself, or gods of his own creation, and the children of Israel are caught up in this. Pharaoh doesn’t want to let the people go and instead makes things harder on the Hebrews, forcing them to gather their own straw.

• In a similar way HaSatan and the earthly powers representing him do not want Yah’s people to be free. The Accuser knows that time is short on this earth and is doing everything he can to deceive G-d’s people in order to make them lose heart. In the beginning of this portion, we find that the Children of Israel did not heed Moshe for they were laboring under the burdens of the world. They were laboring in the brick pits, producing building blocks for the wrong kingdom.

• The bricks here stand in sharp contrast to the uncut stones Yah requires for worship and just so the man-made forms of worship we see in today’s world stand in sharp contrast to what G-d requires of us in Torah. The Children of Israel faced the same question we now face, and it is a question of letting Yahweh lead us to freedom or continuing as a slave to the world.

• Perhaps the worst form of oppression that the Accuser brings upon Yah’s children is the reaction the world has for one who begins to incorporate the Torah into their life. The world despises and oppresses on account of true obedience to Yahweh, just as Yeshua said in the Renewed Covenant. And just as some of the Children of Israel cried out to Moshe in Sh’mot (Exodus) 5:20 that their lives were even more oppressive now that Yah had sent him, and that they wished he had never come, many people today say, “I don’t want to hear what Moshe had to say; it is making my life miserable.”

• Sh’mot is not just a story of ancient times but is a prophetic vision for us today. The book of Revelation is the mirror of the book of Exodus. When the Apostle John was on the island of Patmos he saw the book of Exodus in a prophetic imagery and wrote down what he saw. That book was called The Revelation of Yeshua the Messiah. The plagues John saw and recorded were identical with the plagues that occurred in Exodus.

• The book of Exodus is for today, as it holds the revelations for tomorrow. How we prepare for Yeshua’s return is modeled in the book of Exodus. Exodus is a type of the “world system.” “Yahweh said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their divisions.” It was Moses who will lead the children of Israel out of captivity and it will be the people who understand Moses today who will be returning back to the Garden in the future. Moses is our future for Yeshua gave the words of the Living Torah to Moses in the desert. If we follow those words, we too will return to the land. We must turn back in order to go forward. In John 5:46-47 Yeshua wrote, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

• May we be a people who have Rabbi Shaul’s (Paul’s) hope and desire to stand on the promises Yah made so long ago for all 12 tribes to come home! This is the time. Yahweh is going to bring us out of our Egypt through the teachings of Moses in full divisions; all 12 tribes of Israel! He spoke it and he will do it!

“I Am Hashem”

• Exodus 6:2-3 is where Yahweh is speaking to Moshe regarding his name. “I am Adonai. I appeared to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov as El Shaddai, but I did not make myself known to them by my name, YHVH.” Avraham knew the name of G-d, but the specific knowledge of the Name is not what this verse is pointing at. “El Shaddai” is translated as “G-d Almighty” in many texts, but this is not the correct translation. The root “shad” literally translates as “breast”. A literal translation would be “the breasted one” in the context of “one who is all sufficient”, and the image here is of G-d who nurtures and cares for his children.

• G-d’s literal name, Yahweh, often translated as “Hashem” speaks more of righteous judgment, which is what we see in Exodus. The Children of Israel saw Yah’s outstretched arm and ‘great judgments’. This is important because it points out that the Patriarchs’ relationship with Yah was different than the relationship the Children of Israel had with Him. In Corinthians, Paul remarks that the last generation will go through a similar experience to the first Exodus. Part of this refers to the fact that so many people today are waiting for a Messiah who will be a nurturer, but scripture points to a Messiah who will come in judgment. This is why we are studying Torah; preparing our lives so that we can stand before His righteous judgment.

The Plagues

• Yahweh, in bringing to light how detestable the ways of the Egyptians were, sent plagues upon the people as a warning and a revelation of the corruption in their hearts. Yah wanted to expose the false gods of Egypt and at the same time display His Name and glory among the nations.

• 1) The First Plague “Blood”
  The first plague attacked Hapi, the father of the Egyptian gods. He was god of the Nile, the one who brings water to all Egypt. He brought fertility to the soil through the rising of the Nile. As a fertility god, he is associated with Osiris, Egypt’s god-king. The Nile was considered the link from this life to the next and was considered the blood of Osiris. The Egyptians worshipped the river, but when its waters turned to blood they loathed and detested it bringing confusion and shame for their great god Hapi who was defamed. The Nile held the very life of Egypt and controlled their economy. What happens when a people and a country put their hope in their economy? Can you just imagine what would happen if our country experienced an economic disaster? The loss would not only affect you and me personally but nationally and on a world level as many nations depend on our economy for their support. Where is our faith as a nation today?

• 2) The Second Plague “Frogs”
  The second plague attacked Heka, the toad goddess, wife of Khunum who was goddess of the land. Heka was also the goddess of the resurrection and procreative power. Frogs were consecrated to Osiris and were the symbol of inspiration. Frogs and toads were very sacred to the Egyptians. If someone killed a frog, even unintentionally, the act was punishable by death.

• 3) The Third Plague “Gnats”
  The third plague attacked Geb, the great cackler, who was god of the earth or vegetation. He was the father of Osiris and husband of Nut.

• 4) The Fourth Plague “Flies”
  The fourth plague attacked Khepfi, the god of insects. The beetle or scarab was an emblem of Ra, the sun god. Their sun god had now become detestable to them. While this plague was going on, Pharaoh told Moshe that the Israelites could offer a sacrifice to their G-d but they must remain in Egypt while doing it. Moshe explained that their sacrifice would be detestable to the Egyptians. Yah required a bull, one of the most sacred gods in Egypt. If the Israelites did this in their land the Egyptians would stone them.

• 5) The Fifth Plague “Livestock”
  The fifth plague struck Apis, the bull god. His counterpart was Hathor, the cow goddess. The Egyptians held many beasts as idols in their land. The lion, wolf, dog, cat, ape, and goat were very sacred to them; but especially the ox, heifer, and ram. The soul of their god Osiris was believed to reside in the body of the bull, Apis. The bull god, Mnevis, was the other symbol of fertility.

• 6) The Sixth Plague “Boils”
  With no warning to Pharaoh, Yahweh had Moses and Aaron “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land.” The sixth plague was an attack on Imhotep, who was the god of medicine and intelligence/wisdom. The Egyptians had several medical deities to whom, on special occasions, they sacrificed humans. They were burnt alive on a high altar, and their ashes were cast into the air, that with every scattered ash a blessing might descend upon the people. The act performed by Moshe and Aaron shamed Imhotep. Not even the magicians could stand before Moshe.

• 7) The Seventh Plague “Hail”
  The seventh plague was an attack on Nut, the sky goddess, for it was harvest time in Egypt, the time of plenty. Like her husband Geb, Yah attacked and destroyed the crops. She was the mother of Osiris. Also, this was an attack on Isis, goddess of life and Seth, protector of crops. As Moshe stretched out his staff, a huge hailstorm fell and struck everything in the fields. Only in the land of Goshen did the hail not fall.

  Plagues, Past and Future

• The Exodus speaks not only about the Children of Israel being led to freedom, but also about Egypt coming to know Yahweh. Apply that sense to Revelation and you will find a similar theme: the Great Tribulation of End Time is about G-d introducing Himself to the world as YHVH as much as it is about Him calling His children home. In the Exodus past, the Children of Israel are present as all the plagues unfold before their eyes, and a close scrutiny will reveal that the same is true in End Times: the saints will be present through the plagues, though the plagues will not enter their tents. Interestingly enough, all of the Hebrews are given the instruction of Yahweh before they enter the Land, and the entire rebellious element in them dies in the wilderness before they enter the Land. They are required by Yah to be immersed in His Teachings before they come into their inheritance. The same will be true of End Times.

Amen!

posted by Chris Phillips, Congregational Leader  # 1/27/2006