Yitro

This week's sabbath Torah reading from Exodus chapters 16-20 is titled Yitro/Yeter/Yatar, or "Jethro", and means "his abundance, rope, tent cord used to fasten tent curtains to stakes, exceeds measure or limit,remainder, excellence/remnant, more, other part, cord/to preserve alive, left over, excess". When we envision a tent as a dwelling, although the tent cord is outside the structure of the tent, it is essential in securing the tent walls to the stakes in the ground. The tent cords "exceed the structural limit" of the physical tent. Sometimes we limit whom we think are the designated people of God, however, God may have different ideas. When Moses fled Egypt after killing a cruel slave overseer, he found refuge in the tent of Jethro, as well as marriage to one of Jethro's daughters. They became part of one another's families through the covenant of marriage. Jethro was Moses' father-in-law, or hatan in Hebrew, which has an interesting meaning: "law, mariages, join in affinity, to contract affinity by marriage, bride's father, joined together by a common bond, to provide a nuptial feast, circumcision, place of circumcision, a word used for the festival of circumcision that was applied to that of a marriage also". We see this same mysterious connection between marriage and spiritual circumcision as Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "...For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." (1 Cor. 7:12=14). With this kind of sanctification within marriage-circumcision, Paul urged spouses who were believers not to divorce unbelieving spouses. In these current times, we have lost a great deal of Godly knowledge concerning marriage, haven't we? In a previous sabbath reading portion, we read: "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God." (Ex. 3:1). Jethro's flock was not an ordinary flock. It was an "aleph-tav" flock in the written Hebrew. Jesus identified Himself as the Aleph-Tav, or the Alpha and Omega in Greek, four times in the Book of Revelation. Moses brought this aleph-tav flock of Jethro's to the mountain of God. Not only was this the aleph-tav flock, but they were brought to "the back of the desert" or ahar, meaning the "afterwards of time, to be after". This flock was brought to the mountain of God at a later time. As believers in Christ, we also became connected to the household of God "afterwards in time" through Jesus Christ. The Gospel of salvation is to the Jew first (proton - first in time, place, order or importance in any succession of things or persons), and also (kai - then, and, too, cumulative) the Greek (see Rom. 1:16). I believe that the aleph-tav flock of Jethro, who was not a Hebrew, prophesied of the Gentile flock who would come to a later knowledge of God through Christ. Jesus spoke of being the Shepherd of sheep in other folds of which his disciples were unaware: "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one Shepherd." (Jn. 10:16). Yitro, or Jethro, was from Midian, and not a Hebrew. However, as a "tent cord", he was connected to "the tent" of Israel as a necessary part. Later, in the Book of Judges, Ja-el, the wife in a family from the same tribe as Jethro, would kill with a tent peg or tent stake the general of an oppressive enemy army which had taken control over Israel. (Judges 4:17-21). This tribe of Jethro's, and later Ja-el's, the Kenites, were descendants of Cain, the son of Adam who killed his own brother Abel, yet Jethro and Ja=el were chosen by God to play a role in two different types of exodus from oppression of the Israelites. From this sabbath's reading in Ex. 18, Jethro had heard the reports of what the LORD had done for the Israelites, even bringing them out of Egypt, and went to seek out Moses where the Israelites hd camped in the wilderness at the base of the mountain of God to ask him about it (Ex. 18:1, 5). Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to deliver His people, and Jethro rejoiced, blessed the LORD, worshipped the LORD with a burnt offering and sacrifices (before the Law was given), and declared: "Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them." Then Aaron and the elders of Israel came to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law (see hatan above) before God (Ex. 18:9-12). They had communion together, a covenant meal. Jethro would also give Moses wise advice concerning the judging, or the settling of disputes, among the population of hundreds of thousands of Israelites (Ex. 18:13-23). Jethro's advice to Moses forms the basis for how governments are able to administrate even today. From a previous sabbath reading, we discovered that Jethro's other name in scripture was Reuel (Ex. 2:18), meaning "friend of God". There is a scripture describing a friend who sticks closer than a (blood) brother (Prov. 18:24). This was Jethro also. God called Abraham His friend too (2 Chron. 20:7, Isa. 41:8, James 2:23). This kind of friendship has a special place in the heart of God. Believe it or not, Jethro had a third name! This name was Hobab/habab/haba, meaning "cherish, love fervently, to hide as in the bosom/breathe upon as being close to/to hide, secretly held) mentioned in Judges 4:11 and Num. 10:29-32. With his three names, Jethro brings to my mind the Trinity of Father (Abundance, Exceeds measure or limit, Excellence) , Son (Beloved, cherished and hidden), and Holy Spirit (Friend and Comforter). In Num. 10:29-32, Moses begs his father-in-law to travel with the Israelites through the wilderness "...that thou mayest be to us instead of eyes...And it shall be, if you go with us - indeed it shall be - that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you." Jethro became an essential part of the exodus, a Greek-Latin word meaning "the way or road out of". We can't always assume that we know all of the friends of God that are deeply loved, and kept hidden in His bosom. Jesus said, "...he who is not against us is on our side" (Mk. 9:38-41). I am convinced that God still has these seemingly unlikely cherished friends whom He keeps close to Him, hidden in His bosom, and unrecognized by us. We see this again in other portions of this sabbath's readings. Isaiah had a vision of the Lord in His heavenly temple. He saw and heard the seraphim (sarap - fiery, burning, poisonous serpents, to burn up, kindled, utterly, to cause to burn, to absorb with fire) angels crying to each other: "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isa. 6:1-3). The glory of the LORD is not confined to His tent/tabernacle/temple in Isaiah's vision, but it has exceeded those limits (see the meaning of Yitro/Jethro above) to include the whole earth. Considering the meaning and description of these angels, above, I'm not going to argue with them! In another sabbath portion, the LORD calls to Jacob, or Israel, and his descendants to be brought back from all directions, and adds: "Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." He calls out "the blind people who have eyes", and "the deaf who have ears", and let all nations be gathered together...let them hear and say, 'It is truth.'". (Isa. 43:5-9). The word "everyone" is used in these verses. It is the Hebrew word kol/kalal, and means "everything, all, whole, whosoever, whatsoever, totality, any number, as many as, all the earth, the whole flock/made perfect, to complete, to crown, nuptials, crowning of a bride". Believers in Christ should be able to see themselves clearly in the meaning of "everyone" used here. In the last portion of this sabbath's reading that we will look at here, there is a revival of the Word of God among the Israelites who returned from Babylonian captivity. The people, gathered together as one man, asked Ezra the priest and scribe to read the Book of the Law of Moses to them. The assembly was described as the men and women, "and all who could hear with understanding...who could understand" (Neh. 8:1-3). The people were assembled in front of the Water Gate. The Water Gate and its nearby tower, located on the eastern side of Jerusalem, were believed to have been added later to the original footprint of the walls of the city. The Gate's purpose was to not only bring more water into Jerusalem, but to provide water from the Gihon (Gihon/giah - bursting forth/come forth, bring forth, like a child brought forth from the womb) River to the outlying population - to those beyond the limit of the original walls of the city. As we have seen in this sabbath reading, Jethro and others, named and unnamed, have a special place in the heart and plan of God for His people, and play an important role in their exodus, meaning "the way or road out of" Egypt and other oppressive situations. There are "friends of God" still, I am convinced, who play a role in the plans of God, until "the whole earth is filled with His glory". They may appear to dwell outside the tent of God's people, but as "tent cords", they are also part of the dwelling that continues to stand against the winds and the rains. The LORD gave a wonderful prophecy to Isaiah for the barren woman who has no children: "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand/break forth to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited." (Isa. 54:2-3). If you would like to understand more about these "other sheep", as Jesus called them, which also includes ourselves, you can pray with me: "Father, You have cherished friends hidden in Your bosom whom You have called to serve Your will, and to be a benefit to Your people. They may appear to me to be beyond the limit of Your dwelling, but Your dwelling exceeds all limits. You have told me to lengthen my tent cords, and to enlarge the place of my tent. Teach me Your Word, not by my own understanding and perception, nor by tradition, but by the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, who guides me in all of Your truth. Let me join in Your call to "everyone" to be brought back to Your dwelling place. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN." **There is a free ebook now available that was written by a well-respected author on the subject of the fascinating Shroud of Turin titled: "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary". You can get this free ebook by going to www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook.**

BATTLE!

These last few weeks, we have been learning from Sabbath readings in the Book of Exodus. As mentioned previously, exodus is a Greek-Latin word meaning "the way or road out of". Therefore, as we read through this Book, we will be looking at how an exodus of God's people through the work and name of the LORD was and is accomplished. This week's sabbath reading is titled Bo in Hebrew, meaning "enter". The individual Hebrew letters in the word Bo have the meaning "House or family of Adonai (Lord), the First". Within these chapters of Exodus 10 through 13, there will be a showdown between the LORD and Pharaoh, king of Egypt. As a result, during the events of one night the enslaved Israelites will be freed and removed from Egypt. Not only will they be delivered from oppressive slavery and Pharaoh's repeated attemps at genocide, but they will also leave with flocks, herds, and Egyptian wealth (see Ex. 11:2). One Jewish teaching refers to this night as "The Battle of the Firstborn". We read previously that the LORD had said to Moses: "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me.. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed, I will kill your son, your firstborn." (Ex. 4:22-23). The LORD used the word "son", in the singular, and used the pronoun "he", in the singular even though the Israelites numbered at least in the hundred thousands at the time, if not in the millions including the women and children - yet the LORD spoke in the singular of His son, His firstborn. Jesus, the Messiah not yet born but within the future generations of the Israelites, is also the Son, the firstborn of God, "...the firstborn of many brethren" (Rom. 8:29, see also Col. 1:15, 18, Heb. 1:5-6, Rev. 1:5-6). The Book of Proverbs asked this question for all of us to consider: "Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know it?" (Prov. 30:4, see also Jn. 3:11-13, Jn. 6:62, Eph. 4:8-10). In this week's sabbath reading, the LORD has been releasing plagues upon Egypt, although those plagues never affected the enslaved Israelites dwelling in Goshen, meaning "Drawing near". Pharaoh would promise Moses to do as God commanded and let His people go if Moses would entreat the LORD to stop the plague. When the plague would be stopped as a result of the intercession of Moses, Pharaoh would then go back on his promise (see Ex. 9:33-35, 10:16-20). The word "Pharaoh" is from the Hebrew word paro meaning "Great House", therefore under this Pharaoh, the "Great House" has become a house of lies. The LORD also refers to it as "a house of bondage" (Ex. 13:3). The LORD told Moses that He was about to release the tenth and last plague upon Egypt: "...Afterward he (Pharaoh) will let you (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive/thrust (garas - drive away, expel, thrust out, cast out) you out of here altogether'...Thus says the LORD: 'About midnight (see also Mt. 25:6) I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again." (Ex. 11:1, 4-6). Pharaoh would not just let them go, but, the LORD promised, Pharaoh would drive them out. This is exodus, "the way or road out of", in the extreme! A stiff-necked, stubborn enemy of God is ordained as the one who will give the order to send God's people out. Before this final plague was set in motion however, the LORD had to provide a special protective covering over His own people against this coming plague of death. The LORD had promised Moses that not one of the children of Israel would be harmed, so that it would be seen that "...the LORD does make a difference (pala - sever, separated, make wonderfully, set apart, show marvelous, put a difference, to be distinct or distinguished, marked out) between the Egyptians and Israel" (v. 7). The LORD commanded Moses that the Israelites must apply the blood of an unblemished young lamb upon the doorposts (mezuza/ziz - door post upon which the hinges turn/conspicuous, fulness, abundance) and lintels (masqap/saqap - overhanging, lintel/lean over, look down, appear, overlook from on high, God looking forth from heaven) of their houses (Ex. 12:5-7). This horizontal-vertical pattern of blood also reminds us of the cross of Christ, and Jesus is also referred to as "the Lamb of God...slain before the foundation of the world......Who takes away the sin of the world" (Rev. 13:4, 8; Jn. 1:29-30). He is also called by Paul "our Passover", as he also tells us to "keep the feast" (1 Cor. 5:7-8). Moses was told by God that the Israelites were to eat the Passover in haste, being ready and dressed to leave immediately because: "It is the LORD's Passover" (Ex. 12:11). This is what the battle would look like, as the LORD described it to Moses: "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn...both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign (ot אוֹת- sign, ensign, mark, miracles, banners, proof, evidence, monument, beacon) for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting (olam/alam - ever, perpetual, old, ancient, always, hidden time, long past antiquity, eternity) ordinance." (Ex. 12:12-14). The blood applied is to be a "sign", or a token, to the Israelites of a powerful meaning. The Hebrew letters that make up the word ot, or "sign", are aleph, vaw, and tav. These letters carry a meaning "Adonai (Lord), the First, the nail and the cross". This blood was to speak to Israel throughout all future generations forever. The enslaved Israelites who dwelled in Goshen, were miraculously spared all of the other plagues brought against Egypt, but this time, only the line of separation formed by the lambs' blood would spare their firstborn sons from the plague of death. The lamb's blood caused them to be distinguished from the Egyptians, whose gods could not save them. It is the verses concerning Passover, and the following Feast of Unleavened Bread, as well as verses from Deuteronomy, that the Jewish people were to keep on their foreheads and on their hands. They began to wear them in phylacteries or tefillin (meaning "prayers"), and eventually, when they entered the promised land, the verses were to be placed on the doorposts and gates of their houses (Ex.13:9, 16, Deut. 6:8-9). When during their history, Israel neglected to observe and remember the Passover, or when circumstances prevented them from observing the Passover, the LORD would raise up a leader to restore the observance of this first of the LORD's feasts as we see in other portions of this sabbath's reading (Ezra 6:15-22 and 2 Chron. 35:16-19). The Passover was not just a one-time event, but it has an eternal and on-going message regarding the moment of deliverance or exodus for every generation. Only those who were circumcised (see Rom. 2:28-29) and part of the people of God's covenant could participate in Passover observances (Ex. 12:43-45). As current events in the world become more dire, the revelation and deeper consideration of the Passover, and our Passover Lamb, becomes even more important for God's people, both Jews and Gentiles. "The Battle of the Firstborn" was not just executed against Pharaoh, and the Egyptians, but also as judgment against their gods (Ex. 12:12). We read about some of the gods of Egypt in the previous blog post titled "LORD". In another portion from this sabbath's reading, the LORD again speaks judgment against Egypt, Pharaoh, and their gods. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would strike Egypt: "Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol (a fortified city on the Egyptian border); proclaim in Noph (also known as Memphis, the capital of Egypt) and in Tahpanhes (a fortified city in Egypt); Say, 'Stand fast and prepare yourselves, for the sword devours all around you...They cried there, 'Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time!' O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant." (Jer. 46:13-14, 17, 19). The LORD also prophesied again against Egyptian cities in Jer. 43:10-13, promising to "kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt...He (Nebachudnezzar of Babylon) shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shamesh (later called Heliopolis, House of the Sun, a city in Egypt) that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire." There are additional Egyptian cities prophesied for destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in Ezek. 30:13-19. All of the cities mentioned to be burned with fire are not just mentioned arbitrarily, but they are associated with the worship of specific gods and goddesses of Egypt. All of these gods and goddesses are a pagan religion's attempt to overcome death without acknowledging the LORD. These Egyptian gods include a false creator figure, an underworld god of the dead, "the head of the age", "the beginning of the world", "the lord of the resurrection", and many others. In ancient Egypt, even Pharaoh was considered a god-like figure himself, with a divine connection by birth to the sun god. These gods both represent and, at the same time, conceal evil spiritual powers and principalities. However, the LORD God, with His mighty hand and the blood of the Passover Lamb, showed these false gods and half-gods and those who worshipped and relied upon them that He alone is The LORD. He alone has overcome the power of death, and has given that as a sign for us to wear for all generations. If you would like to know more about the LORD of Passover and exodus, "the way or road out of", you can pray with me: "LORD and Father, I will remember the blood of the Passover Lamb, Your Firstborn Son, Jesus, which broke the power of death for those who dwelled under it. Nothing could hold back Your hand of deliverance that brought Your people out of the House of Bondage in one night. I rely on You only, and the provision of salvation that You have made for me by Your own power. You lead me out of the bondages of sin and death. I pray that Your Spirit teaches me how to walk the way of exodus, not by pagan counterfeits that cannot save anyone, nor by customs that have lost their true meaning and power, but by a living faith found as I search Your Word. I ask this in the Name of Jesus. AMEN."

LORD

This week's sabbath reading is titled Va-eira, meaning "and He appeared". Please bear with me, and I think that we will see that the readings for this week are very important, and reveal the power of the Name of the LORD behind the exodus, meaning "the way or the road out of". In this case, that exodus will involve the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from their hard bondage in Egypt, which was under the rulership of the most powerful king on earth at the time, Pharaoh. To me, the truth revealed here, however, applies as a precedent to all bondages and deliverances by God. In last week's readings, God told Moses His Name, which Moses was to tell to the Israelites. That name was "I AM THAT I AM", or, as written in Hebrew, yod, hey, vaw, hey- YHWH using English equivalents. Each of these Hebrew letters have an individual pictographic meaning, and in this case, the four letters mean "Behold the hand, behold the nail". This name is pronounced as Yahway or JEHOVAH, and in English is translated in our Bibles as "LORD". This week's readings will begin with a greater revealing of that Name: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong (hazak - strong, impudent, stiff hearted, hard, obstinate) hand he will let them (the Israelites) go, and with a strong (hazak again) hand he will drive them out of his land'. And the LORD spoke to Moses and said to him: 'I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty (El Shaddai/saday), but by My name LORD I was not known (yada - known, revealed, understood, declared, taught, experienced, confessed) to them...And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be Your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD." (Ex. 6:1-8). As we can see, it was very important for Moses and the Israelites to understand the new revelation of this Name, "LORD". The "strong hand" of obstinance of Pharaoh will be made to serve the power of "the hand, the nail" of the LORD. The Name LORD would not only become "the way or road out of" (exodus) Egypt, but also the way or road to the LORD as their God and as His people, and the way or road into the land of inheritance promised by covenant to the forefathers of the Israelites. There is something important to note about the use of the word "swore" in the above verses. In the Hebrew writing, the phrase that is translated into the English word "swore" is: "a lifted up (nasa - lift up, raise up, endure, forgive, pardon, suffer to, swear) aleph-tav hand". Aleph-tav refers to the first and the last Hebrew letters of their alphabet, and by these same two letters, Jesus identified Himself in Revelation, translated from the Greek language, as "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last". Here, the LORD swore by His "lifted up aleph-tav hand". The LORD had also said to Pharaoh regarding the Israelites, "Let My (aleph-tav) son go...My son, My firstborn" (Ex. 4:23). We can also note that the "groaning" referred to above that the LORD heard from among His people, had moved Him to answer because it caused Him to remember His covenant with the fathers (Ex. 6:5, see also Ex. 2:24). The "groaning" as written was aleph-tav groaning , and the "covenant" as written in the Hebrew of the Torah was an aleph-tav covenant. Since the aleph-tav is physically connected to the words, could the LORD have been hearing the groaning of His prophesied, but yet-unborn Son, the Messiah, from within the Israelites? I know this is very detailed, but the aleph-tav is present in the written Hebrew, and it was specifically mentioned four times by Jesus as His identity (Rev. 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13). It must be something important for us to know, and it is a rich treasure waiting for our consideration. Imagine then how this is an example of the power of the groaning of intercession of the Son (and of the Holy Spirit: Rom. 8:26) before the Father (see Rom. 8:33-38), and what this means to our lives as, in His priestly intercession, Jesus the Son, is able to save us to the uttermost (see Heb. 7:24-27)! We saw above that this newly revealed Name, LORD, is composed of the Hebrew letters yod, hey, vaw, hey that identify the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whose hand was nailed to the cross, and in another portion from this week's sabbath reading, this connection of identity appears again as the LORD told His prophet: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him (see Lk. 3:21-22); He will bring forth judgment to the Gentiles (goyim - nations, heathen, Gentiles, people)...I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness...I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the LORD, that is My name...Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them...I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them." (Isa. 42:1-9, 16). To me, the verses above from Isaiah, as well as the earlier verses, directly connect the identity of the Messiah that we know, Jesus, to this revealed Name of God: the LORD. Jesus also confirmed this as He told us: "I have come in My Father's name...For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me." (Jn. 5:36-37, 43, 46). So we are seeing more in this week's sabbath readings about the importance that the Name of God, LORD (YHWH), and what it has to do with the exodus, "the way or road out of" slavery for His people. Let's look at some more clues to the principle of exodus. Pharaoh, like all mighty kings, believed that the reason he was born, and his purpose in life, was to rule. However, this was not his only purpose to God as we read in another part of this sabbath's reading. The LORD said to Pharaoh: "...for at this time, I will send all My plagues to your very heart...that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." (Ex. 9:14-16). Pharaoh, and all of his people, could have been dealt with very quickly by death, but the LORD raised Pharaoh up for a different reason - so that he and God's people, and the whole world, would know that the LORD caused the release of the Israelites by forcing this stubborn, powerful king to bend his will to God's will. In fact, Pharaoh is just a small cog in a very large wheel, as we will see. The LORD was really dealing with evil spiritual powers, or monsters, that rule over geographical areas. We can see this very thing regarding Egypt in another portion from this week's sabbath reading in which the LORD pronounces His judgments to His prophet: "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and all of Egypt...'Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster (gadol/tannin/tan - great, mighty/dragon, serpent, land, sea or river monster/monster as supernaturally formed) who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, 'My River (referring to the Nile) is my own; I have made it for myself.' But I will put hooks in your jaws...I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers...I will leave you in the wilderness...Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD...therefore I am against you and your rivers..." (Ezek. 29:2-6, 10). We learned last week that the Nile River played a large role in the ancient pagan religion of Egypt. Here in these verses, the LORD identified and prophetically judged the supernatural monster that inhabited that river, and all of the rivers that were in Egypt. He judged it as "the LORD", or YHWH (see also Ezek 28:22). Again, we see that the LORD didn't wish to destroy Egypt or its people, but to reduce its power and influence so that His people, Israel, would not keep turning to Egypt, to their harm, for help, instead of turning to the LORD (Ezek. 29:6-7, 12-16). Going to Egypt for help was not "the way or road out of", or (exodus), from trouble for God's people, yet His people preferred Egypt. Even after they were miraculously released from their slavery by the plagues that God had poured out upon Egypt, God's people wanted to return to Egypt several times! (see Ex. 16:2-3, Num. 11:4-5, Num. 14:3-4). There is only One who makes the way out, and that is the LORD, YHWH. He is the Waymaker (Isa. 43:16-19). These evil spiritual kingdoms and monsters that inhabit geographical locations over nations are defeated, judged, and will have their sentences executed upon them. We shouldn't look to the monsters for help - they have no desire to help God's people, but to destroy them. We saw earlier in Isaiah that it is the LORD who was sending His righteous Servant to bring judgment, saying of His Servant: "...He will bring forth judgment (mispat/sapat - judgment, ordinance, lawful, order, sentence of judgment/judge, condemn, defend, avenge, deliver) for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged (rasas - crushed, grievously oppressed, broken in pieces, treated violently), till He has established judgment in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law." (Isa. 42:3-4). This righteous Servant connected with justice, judgment, and truth, and identified directly with the LORD in these verses from Isaiah, is revealed to us in scripture to be Jesus, as He said: "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son....Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (Jn. 5:22-24). Judgment has been given by the LORD into the hands of His Son, and an exodus has been created from death into life. Moses is the revered and honored deliverer of God's people in the account of the Exodus known world-wide, as he should be, but it is the name of the undefeatable LORD, YHWH, Who has sworn, and still swears, by His lifted up aleph-tav hand to appear and deliver His people. It is the name "LORD" that, as He told Pharaoh, would be declared in all the earth. If you would like to learn more about our awesome Deliverer and the Way of our exodus, you can join me in my prayer: "LORD of all, You have sent Your Son, Your Firstborn, Jesus, in Your own Name, to make the way for us. You have given Him all authority to judge, and those who believe in You by the Words of Your Son, have been passed from death to life. You have sworn by Your lifted up (aleph-tav) hand to bring Israel, and all others who believe in You through Your Son, into the inheritance You have promised, including the resurrection and eternal life of salvation. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that we can grow in the knowledge of the power, majesty and exodus found in Your Name, LORD. I ask and receive this with thanks in Jesus' Name. AMEN."

Exodus

The sabbath reading for this week begins the Book of Exodus for us. We have finished the Book of Genesis, which is B'reshiet in Hebrew, and "The Beginning" in English, and we discovered several important "beginnings" in it. The word Exodus traces its roots back to Greek and Latin, and means "the road or way out of". As we go through the readings in this second book of the Torah, we will be looking for how the LORD is revealing to us "the road or way out of". This sabbath reading is titled Sh'mot, or "names", and is what the Jewish people call this second Book of the Bible in Hebrew. This week's reading is from Exodus Chapters 1-4, as well as portions from the prophets. As the Book of Exodus opens, the Hebrew people's presence in Egypt had numbered under one hundred, including Jacob/Israel, his sons, and their children. "But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty (like a firebrand that stirs the burning coals to increase a fire); and the land was filled with them." (Ex. 1:7). The new king, or Pharaoh, and his court were "in dread" of the children of Israel, even after imposing hard bondage and bitterness upon them to try and stop their increasing numbers, which did not succeed (v. 8-14). The king feared that if an enemy tried to come against Egypt, the Hebrews would join with the enemy from their location inside Egypt. Pharaoh, the most powerful king on earth at this time, feared man, and the plans of men, and especially feared these foreigners who had never done Egypt harm, but good. Then Pharaoh had another idea since the hard labor imposed upon the Israelites had not reduced their numbers as hoped. He brought the Hebrew midwives before him and commanded them to kill all the male children that were born in their service to the Hebrew women (v. 15). In the Hebrew writing, the boy children of these verses is related to an untranslated "aleph-tav", or "Alpha and Omega" in the Greek, the name of Christ, the Messiah, in Rev. 1:8, 11, 21:6, and 22:13. The Lord had/has placed His Messianic name upon these children of Israel. This is another key to exodus, "the way or rod out of": "...for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-12). It is no coincidence that we now see a determined effort to kill children in our era as well. "But the midwives (yalad - beget, born, delivered, to cause or help to bring forth, declare pedigrees, to be created, to declare one's self to be born/pedigree) feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive...Therefore God dealt well with the midwives (that He provided households for them, or gave them families), and the people multiplied and grew very mighty..." (v. 17-21, excerpt). Pharaoh feared what man might do, but these women, who had been called into the presence of the most powerful king in the world, and had been given a direct command from him, feared God rather than man. The names of the midwives were Shiph'rah (supra/sipra/sapar - fair, brightness, beauty, adorn, most splendid, like the heavens that are made to be brightness by the Spirit of God, cleanness, to glisten) and Pu'ah (pua - splendid, to glitter, brilliancy). The names of the midwives are associated with the beauty, brightness and brilliance of the heavens as made by the Spirit of God (see Dan. 12:3). There is an interesting reference in Job: "By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent." (Job 26:13). The meanings of the names of these midwives are very significant, and have particularly special meaning to believers in Christ. Back to our story in Exodus: Pharaoh, not being satisfied with the non-efforts of the midwives on his behalf "...commanded all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born (yillod/yalad-see above) you shall cast into the river (ye'or - almost exclusively used to mean The Nile River in Egypt), and every daughter you shall save alive." (v. 22). The Nile River, referred to only as the River in the Old Testament, is the longest river in the world at over 4,000 miles long. It also played a major role in the ancient Egyptian pagan religion. It was considered to be the river way to be taken from life to death and to the afterlife beyond. God has a different and true "way out of", however. The Nile was also called "the Father of Life" and the "Mother of all men" by the Egyptians. The ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead" was used to supposedly guide a soul through death. This is not the exodus or "way or road out of" bondage and death provided by our God, however. Our LORD God is the author of The Book of Life, or Sefer HaChaim, for He is the God of the living, and not the dead (Rev. 3:5, 20:12, Phil. 4:3, Lk. 20:37-38). Our God IS life, and He is living (Deut. 5:26) according to His Name, as we will read later. It is His desire to show us exodus- the true way out of bondage and death, and into life in Him. Roads not only lead out of somewhere, but into somewhere as well. The LORD would later prophesy against the nation of Egypt using their all-important river, the Nile (see Isa. 19:3, 5-15). It is amazing to know that the same river that Pharaoh meant for mass genocide, became, instead, the source from which a "deliverer" of God's people would be drawn, Moses. So far we have learned that "the way or road out of" (exodus) slavery in Egypt begins with the fear of the LORD, rather than the plans of men, even the most powerful of men, even of Godly men (see also Job 40:6-14). In order to save her son, when the mother of baby Moses could no longer hide him, she placed him in an ark of bullrushes sealed with asphalt and pitch and laid the child in the reeds of the Nile River (Ex. 2:1-3). Eventually, the ark was seen in the reeds by the Pharaoh's daughter, who had gone to the river to bathe. When she opened the ark, the baby cried, and she had compassion upon him, and claimed him as her own, and raised him: "So she called his name Moses (mose/masa - draw, to pull out, to save, to preserve) saying, 'Because I drew him out of the water'." (v. 10). Because of Pharaoh's daughter, we can also say that Moses was pulled out of death and into life. This is also a prophetic picture of what God would do for the Israelites, and what He still does for us. It is interesting to learn more about Pharaoh's daughter at this point. Although she is unnamed in this section of Exodus, the historian Josephus recorded that her Egyptian name was Thermouthis, meaning "first mother". She would probably have been named after the half-snake, half-woman goddess, Isis-Thermouthis. The Hebrews credit her with inadvertently being responsible for the redemption of Israel because she saved the baby Moses from the river. She was embraced and "adopted" by the Hebrews and given a new name, Bithia or Bityah, which means "daughter of God (YAH)". She is recorded again as Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, in 1 Chron. 4:17-18, listed as part of the tribe of Judah. Outside of scripture, rabbis in the Midrash include Bithia, the daughter of Pharaoh, in the list of special converts to faith in God who entered Paradise while still alive. Along "the way or road out of", as we saw with the Hebrew midwives who shine like the heavens, God places those who divinely facilitate the way out for others by their obedience to Him. This is the meaning at the root of "Zion" (siyun - waymark, sign, monument, signpost, conspicuous guiding pillar), to be a waymarker or guiding pillar along the route of exodus, and to the City of David. This also should ring awareness "bells" for those who follow Christ. As a man, Moses was forced out of Egypt by death-threats from Pharoah, because Moses had delivered a Hebrew out of the hands of an Egyptian oppressor. While Moses was in exile, he met a man named Jethro, or Reu'el ("friend of God", pasture, shepherd, friend, brother, companion, special friend of God), a priest of the Midians, after having delivered Jethro's seven daughters out of the hands of abusive shepherds (Ex. 2:15-19). Moses was content to dwell with Jethro, and married one of Jethro's daughters, Zipporah (v. 20-21). While Moses was tending to Jethro's (aleph-tav) flocks, he led the (aleph-tav) flocks to the back of the desert, to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God (Ex. 3:1). Again, a name will have special meaning regarding exodus, "the way or road out of". Jethro (yeter/yatar) means "a cord, rope, string, remnant, other part, reserved, preserved, save over, preserve alive, excellence". As we saw previously, Reu'el/Jethro is a special friend or companion of God according to his name. We know that Abraham previously had this same kind of relationship with God (2 Chron. 20:7, Isa. 41:8, James 2:23). There is another group in scripture who were/are called the friends of the Lord. These are the followers of Jesus: "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (Jn. 15:14-15, see also Gen. 18:17-19). Moses took the (aleph-tav) flocks of Jethro to the backside of the desert. "Backside" is the word ahar, meaning "afterwards, besides, following after, defer, delay". The believers in Christ came after the Israelites in natural time, but Paul taught us that we were foreknown by God and completed (Rom. 8:28-30). As it is written in scripture about David and the prophet Jeremiah, God knows us before we are physically formed and born (Ps. 139:15-16, Jer. 1:5). It is amazing to know this about our "beginnings". We are here now, but we were also there, in spirit, then! Let's finish our story of Moses for this week. Moses took the (aleph-tav) flock of Jethro to Mt. Horeb (a lower summit of Mt. Sinai, meaning desolate, destroyed, destroyer, decayed, slay, smite down, kill). According to the meaning of the word, this place is associated with death, destruction, decay, and hopeless desolation. However, it is about to become a place of a miraculous sign of deliverance and life, and where God will reveal His saving name: "And the Angel of the LORD appeared to (Moses) in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So (Moses) looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed." (Ex. 3:2). When Moses turned to see this great sight, the LORD called to him, "Moses, Moses!" The LORD said: "I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God (v. 4-6). God said that He had seen the oppression of His people in Egypt, and heard their cries because of their taskmasters (nagas - oppressor, ruler, king, tyrant, exert pressure, harass, driver, tyrannize). The flames and fire that appeared from the middle of the bush were likened in Hebrew to the gleam on the tip of a spear, or a sharply polished blade of a sword. The Hebrew also includes the idea of the fiery wrath of God in this burning flame. This burning was a sign of war from God against the oppressive tyranny over His people. The bush that appeared to be burning was sene in Hebrew - a thorn bush. For Abraham in Genesis, the thorn bush held a ram for sacrifice. Here in Exodus, regarding the oppression of His people, the thorn bush contained the fire of the wrath and sword of God (see also Isa. 27:1). Then God said to Moses: "I have come down (yarad - descended, sink down, to be prostrated, brought down) to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey..." (v. 7-8, see also Eph. 4:8-10)). Not only would the exodus way bring God's people out of Egypt, but it would also bring His people into a good and large land flowing with milk and honey. The fire that burned (ba'ar) was kindled by the "dull-hearted, stupid, brutish, and barbarous", according to the Hebrew meaning of the word. At this time, Moses was commanded by God to return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh, and bring about the delivery of God's people, with the help of, and by the judgments of God. Moses was very reluctant, but God said to him: "I will certainly be with you..". (Ex. 3:12). A sign to Moses that God would do this was the promise from God that after the people have been brought out of Egypt, they will serve God on the very mountain where Moses was now standing, Horeb/Sinai. The message Moses was to give to Pharaoh from God was: "...'Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My firstborn...Let My son go..." (Ex. 4:22-23). Moses asked what God's name was in order to tell the Israelites if they asked. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM' (haya/hava - was, has been, become, to be, exist, abide, continue, to be finished/to be, to breathe, breath). And God said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent (salah - let loose, send, stretch out, shoot forth, be impelled) me to you.' Moreover God said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' (Ex. 3:13-15). That name of God given here is written with the four Hebrew letters Yod, Hey, Vaw, Hey. These individual pictographic letters carry the meaning, "Behold the hand, Behold the nail". This is the name of the Deliverer of Israel Who "comes down". There is only one exodus, and one Name, that is the "way or road out of' bondage to spiritual tyrants, rulers and death. Jesus said: "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (Jn. 14:6). It is also written: "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His own flesh..." (Heb. 10:19-20). The exodus is not by the power of an earthly ruler, nor by the power of any man, nor pagan religion, but by the Way that the LORD has made for us. As we continue our sabbath readings in the Book of Exodus, we will see more of that Way out of death, and into life. If you would like to know more and walk in the Way of exodus, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, and Great I AM, You have provided Your people with a Way out of bondage and death, and into Your promise of life. I can see the identity of Your Son throughout the Way, and I want to remain faithful to follow and remain on this road that You have made for me through the body of Your Son, Your firstborn Son. You are our Deliverer Who sees our bondage, and hears our cries, and comes down. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I can learn more about the Way that You have made for me. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."