Those searching for some answers on Mesothelioma have great resources to search out the information they need. Here at MessianicMusings.net, we focus on searching out spiritual answers from the Torah and the Brit haDasha. Here’s my commentary on Mishpatim. Or listen to it!

Shabbat Shalom.

Our parashah for today is Mishpatim, or “Judgments,” and covers Exodus 21:1 through 24:18. It is with this parashah that we begin to journey into the more detailed rulings of law that are to govern the people of Israel. It is what is commonly referred to as “the law of Moses,” and not because Moses wrote them down – these laws still come from God – but because they are a result of a mediation between a holy and perfect God, and Moses.

While The L-RD is still the Lawgiver, it is Moses who negotiated with The L-RD to help determine what would be an acceptable minimum standard of human behavior that would still find that behavior acceptable to The L-RD in His holiness.

It is important to realize that, unlike the Ten Commands, these rulings ARE mediated between God and man; therefore, they do not represent the L-RD’s perfect standard for holiness. They are, instead, the least we can do to show our love and respect for, and obedience to, the living God.

After the lofty principles laid down in The 10 Commands, these new points of law – and there are 613 points of law in all, laid out over the course of the five books of the Torah – seem immediately and obviously different. While The 10 Commands are broad in their scope and universal in their truth, these rulings are far more detailed and specific, but they also require some application to make them relevant to all the experiences one might encounter in life.

Let’s take a look at one of these commands as an example. We read this in:

Exodus 21:28-32
“If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death. However, if payment is demanded of him, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded. This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned.

Well, that’s pretty clear and simple, isn’t it?

You see, the 10 Commands were absolutes, truths spoken by the L-RD Himself directly to the people. Just in the way that they are written, these Mosaic laws have the earmarks of negotiated rulings. But we can also see their connection to the original core ten.

What is this ruling about? Well, it covers “Thou shall not steal,” “Thou shall not covet,” and even “Thou shall not murder.” Those are the most obvious connections to the Ten Commands, and as we know – the 10 are so interrelated and connected that, once you break one of them, you end up being guilty of violating them all.

Let’s consider this point of law for a moment. Why is it needed? Well, one can easily imagine the situation popping up in a rural, agrarian society like that of the people of Israel, can’t you? People keep and raise bulls, but bulls are huge animals with the ability to easily slay a human being. So what does one do when that happens?

This command lays down the guidelines. If it is the animal’s first offense, the animal is to be slain, but not its owner. One could easily imagine a grieving family wanting both animal and owner slain in retribution, so this law sets up a protection for an innocent owner. However, the law goes on to say that if the animal is in the habit of goring, and the owner has made no provision to protect people from the animal, they are to slay both the animal and the owner.

This speaks of taking responsibility for one’s animals. If you know you have a violent animal, you should take some measures to protect people from it, right? But just a second… the command just said that on a bull’s first offense, it is to be slain, so how can it be that an animal would get to a second offense for this command to come into play?

That’s where God’s wisdom is displayed. He knew two things were possible. First, a bull who gores is only to be put to death if it what…? Kills someone. Can a bull show a tendency toward goring and yet have a victim live? Sometimes, sure. Also, I think God anticipated that some people might not obey the command the first time – they might value the bull with a history of goring over the lives of others. That is why, if it is a repeat offense, the life of the owner who has been warned about a bull’s tendency to gore is also forfeit. Yet in this law, God shows His mercy by allowing the owner to ransom his own life, so that the owner may live, but suffer loss.

So, that complex web of possibilities and “what ifs” certainly bears the hallmarks of a negotiated minimum standard, doesn’t it? It lacks the simple clarity of The Big 10. Yet the most obvious question that arises here is… hey, this is great if you’re a farmer or rancher and you own a bull… but how does this apply to my life, today?

That is where we get into what is known as halakha. Halakha is a Hebrew word that most literally is translated as, “the path, or the way of walking.” In practical use, it is used to refer to the collective body of Jewish law, including the Biblical laws of Moses, as well as later Talmudic and rabbinic interpretations. Often, halakha is translated simply as “the Law.”

However, in the context of our study today, what I mean by halakha is how adding in the interpretations of man – whether they be the mediations of the rabbis, the commentaries of Christians scholars or even the sermons of one’s favorite rabbi, pastor or teacher – become necessary to apply a law like this to make it relevant to modern situations.

For example, we in America today have many people who live in large cities. They will never own a bull. But we do own pets, don’t we? And how often do we hear about one pet owner or another being sued because, let’s say, their pit bull or their German shepherd attacked and either injured, or even killed, someone?

If one takes a purely literal reading away from this law, it can only apply to bulls. However, by applying halakhic principles, one can easily see how the principle of this law can be applied to all sorts of animal ownership, and therefore be applied to modern dog owners, as well as all sorts of other animals, be they pets or livestock.

So you see, halakha is not always a bad thing. At its best, it is simply the efforts of people who do fear God and respect His commands, to understand how best to apply God’s instructions to all aspects of their daily lives.

So where does halakha sometimes go wrong? We have an example of that as well in this week’s Torah portion. We read, in:

Exodus 23:19
Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Over the centuries, this simple, 10-word law has become the subject of volumes upon volumes of the mediations of man. The original command was simple: do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. What was the purpose of this command? It reflects God’s mercy, which extends even to the animals; the principle is that the very substance that gave that animal life – its mother’s milk – ought not be used to take its life at the moment of its death.

And we know that this is consistent with the character of God; that He does indeed care for the animals He created. We know this because He had Noah build an ark to preserve not only human, but animal life, in the time of the Great Flood. This compassion for animals is also reflected even in the book of Jonah, which ends with this word from The L-RD in:

Jonah 4:11
But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

Yet what has become of this simple command, meant as a show of compassion to animals? It has been expanded and expounded upon so much that the core meaning of the original command has nearly been forgotten.

Now, instead of focusing on animal cruelty, this command is the central point of reams of dietary laws that call for the complete separation of meat and dairy products. That means no cheeseburgers, no meat-and-cheese pizzas. Some even take it so far as to purchase separate sets of dishes and silverware… separate refrigerators, pots and pans… some even operate two separate kitchens out of a fear of inadvertently violating the command by having a spec of meat come into contact with a spec of dairy. In Israel today, most restaurants are either meat establishments or dairy establishments.

The expansions of meaning that have been added to this simple command about animal cruelty have gone so far beyond the original meaning that it is almost unrecognizable in practice.

Worse yet, it makes the command nearly impossible for all but the very wealthy to observe; if a poor person can barely keep a roof over their head, and is fortunate to own one set of dishes, can they observe this command in the way it has been expanded upon? It would seem unlikely, wouldn’t it? This is an example of how halakha can snowball out of control and become nearly impossible to observe.

And this is what Yeshua was referring to when he said, in:

Matthew 23:2-4
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

And again in:

Luke 11: 46
Yeshua replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

So you see, while halakha can be a good thing, it can be carried too far. The mediations of the rabbis were nowhere near as developed in the time of Yeshua, and even then he called them a burden no one can bear. Since then, the volumes that have been added to the Talmud, the Tosefta and the Mishnah could flood this stage.

And Christians are not exempt from this, as any survey of a Commentary section in the average, well-stocked Christian bookstore will demonstrate. And the teachings found there often stray just as far from the written word of the L-RD as does anything in the oral traditions of the rabbis.

So, as we continue to explore the laws of Moses, let’s keep in mind this approach. While it is good to apply the instructions of The L-RD to our life, we must avoid becoming so ambitious in doing so that we lose sight of the original commands.

Shabbat Shalom.

The idea is a simple one: get a week ahead on my Torah commentaries, and stay that way. In thought, it’s a wonderful concept. In practice, it’s not so easy to pull off, and no amount of electronics solutions will help, since it’s still all about prayer, study and writing.

Right now, it’s important I finish my Mishpatim commentary, but it’s almost equally important that I complete T’ruma before the Sabbath begins. Otherwise I’ll go yet another week before I get a week ahead.

The best acne treatments in the world are no substitute for solid teaching and sound doctrine, straight from the Torah. Here’s my commentary on Yitro. Or listen to it!

Shabbat Shalom.

Our parashah for today is Yitro, or “Jethro,” and covers Exodus 18:1 through 20:26. This week’s parashah is perhaps one of the most important of the entire Torah. The action takes place in the days following the crossing of the yam suf. During this time, Moses gets a visit from his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, then we are told of the preparations the people make to hear from God directly, and then the Ten Commands are given.

As this week’s reading begins, we are told that word of the destruction of Pharaoh’s army had spread throughout the region, and this news brought Jethro to where Moses and the people of Israel were staying. Moses’ wife, Zipporah, as well as their two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, came as well; they had been sent by Moses to Jethro prior to the exodus from Egypt, and now the family of Moses is reunited.

Jethro decides to stay for a while, rejoicing with Moses and the people over the great victory The L-RD had won over Pharaoh and his army, but as Jethro observes Moses’ daily routine, he becomes concerned and lets Moses know it.

Exodus 18:13-18
The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.” Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”

What Jethro observed here is not merely a concern over Moses being a “work-a-holic.” Keep in mind what we have learned in recent weeks about the children of Israel. There was easily over a million, and perhaps close to two million, people who had left Egypt as part of the Exodus. As a people that had grown too complacent, too blended into the Egyptian culture they had lived in for well over 400 years, they were used to relying on their leaders as one relies on God – as the source for all their answers. While in Egypt, they had come to rely on Pharaoh more than the L-RD; now, in the wake of a great victory, the people were starting to put Moses in the place of Pharaoh in their lives, rather than the L-RD Himself.

So Jethro, due to his position as a priest and familiar with the burdens of leadership, teaches Moses an important lesson about delegating authority to trustworthy people. While that is important, the underlying message is even more critical; he was helping Moses to avoid slipping into accepting the role of Israel’s false god, replacing one Pharaoh for another.

Importantly, Moses accepts this advice from Jethro. Moses is a man accustomed to hearing from God Himself, and fresh off perhaps the largest victory ever in terms of a man obeying The L-RD, and yet does Moses get defensive and tell Jethro to mind his own business? Does he tell him, “I just brought over a million people out of slavery and through the yam suf – I think I know what I’m doing?”

No. Moses is humble enough to accept the advice of others when it is offered. This is part of the reason why Moses is praised by The L-RD in the Torah and declared to be “the humblest man who ever lived.”

After Jethro returns to his home, Moses and the people of Israel finally arrive before the mountain of the L-RD and prepare to meet with the L-RD. We read, in:

Exodus 19:3-6
Then Moses went up to God, and the L-RD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’”

It is here that God first sets down the terms of the covenant he is about to make with the children of Israel. His plan for Israel is for them to become his priests, his messengers to the rest of the world. They are to teach the rest of the nations the Torah and the worship of the Father. But there is a condition, isn’t there?

Part of the condition is found above; they must obey The L-RD fully and keep His covenant with them. And the covenant includes allowing The L-RD to speak his truth to them directly. Only if these conditions are met can the promises be fulfilled that Israel will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Yet, as the Torah teaches and Rabbi Stan has often pointed out, the story doesn’t end there, does it? Israel keeps up their end of the covenant, right up until the L-RD speaks the 10 Commands in chapter 20. And then what happens? We read about it initially in:

Exodus 20:18-21
When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

So, what is the nature of an agreement like a covenant? It is an agreement between two parties – in this case, God and the children of Israel – and both sides must agree to the terms. So what did the children of Israel do here? They changed the terms, didn’t they? But the L-RD’s response doesn’t come here in Exodus; we find it later on, in:

Deuteronomy 18:15-19
The L-RD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the L-RD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the L-RD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” The L-RD said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.

So when the L-RD sees that the people find it too hard to listen to His voice directly, He accepts a change in the covenant terms, but He makes a change, too, doesn’t He? Now, He promises a “prophet like Moses” to become the eternal intermediary between the L-RD and man; not Moses, but a prophet like Moses. This is a reaffirmation of the promised Messiah, a promise the L-RD first made in the Garden of Eden, and ultimately fulfilled hundreds of years after Moses, in the Messiah Yeshua.

Now, many Christian churches today will teach that we are “set free from the Law,” and for most of them, they will claim that this includes the 10 Commands. This arises from a basic misunderstanding of what “the Law” means. Depending on how it’s used, the phrase translated as “the Law” can refer to the Oral Traditions of the rabbis, the Torah, or the laws of Moses, which are usually contained primarily in the Leviticus. Very rarely is the phrase “the Law” used to refer just to the 10 Commands. Why is that? It is because of source differences.

The Oral Traditions of the rabbis are the teachings of men; the Torah comprises the God-inspired first five books of the Tenakh. The so-called “laws of Moses” represent, as Rabbi Stan teaches, a mediation between God and Moses, a minimum standard of behavior required for someone to be found acceptable to the L-RD. But the 10 Commands are different; they were spoken by The L-RD Himself, directly to all the children of Israel. This means they are different; they do not represent a minimum standard; they are non-negotiable.

So when I hear some teachers talk about the 10 Commands no longer being relevant and how we are “set free” from them, the question that always comes to my mind is… which of the Big Ten do you want to be set free from? What is it that is so important that you want the grace offered through Messiah to cover you for, so that you can ignore it?

Now, most folks will agree there’s nothing wrong with many of the commands. Murder, adultery, stealing, false testimony and coveting form the basis of most of the world’s legal systems.

Honoring one’s parents is a bit trickier, especially here in America. Few of today’s young people understand the value to be gained by caring for your parents in their old age, just as they cared for you in your infancy and adolescence. Yet most would agree it’s a “good value.”

No, it is the first four commands, the ones directed at our relationship toward the L-RD, where many more stumble. While most believers would agree with having no other gods before The L-RD, in practice it is not as easy as it appears. It’s incredibly easy – too easy – to put just about anything and everything in front of our commitment to the L-RD. And even if we manage that, many believers will feud over the definition of who God is.

What about graven images? Well, if one means carved statues as objects of worship, it’s usually not a problem for most people. If one starts to broaden the definition to include things like collecting comic books or baseball cards, then it gets a bit trickier, doesn’t it?

Misusing the name of the L-RD? Here, I would suggest nearly all of us fall short, because it’s not just about swearing; it’s about using the name of the L-RD to add credibility to our own opinions as well. How often have you heard someone say, “The L-RD told me…” and then follow it up with a bunch of nonsense where it becomes obvious that whoever told them that, it wasn’t God?

And as for the Sabbath, well… very few who claim to follow Yeshua worship Him on the seventh day. They cling to a human tradition with no Scripture to back it up, claiming that somehow the day of worship was changed to the day of Yeshua’s resurrection.

Before I became Messianic, I went to many sermons, seminars and retreats held by various Christian denominations, and one of the most popular themes was, “Finding the will of God in your life.” None of them had good, solid ideas what it was, ideas based on Scripture. It became an exercise in personal convictions and subjectivity and relativism.

That’s because, too often, people set aside the 10 Commands as irrelevant. But if you want to get a starting point for understanding God’s will for your life, here it is. The 10 Commands are God speaking to all who wish to obey Him, unfiltered by anyone else.

Although the so-called Golden Rule summarizes them, it does not wipe them out. Yes, none of us can ever live up to the L-RD’s perfect standard; that is why the grace found through the blood of Yeshua is necessary. We should live, as Rabbi Stan teaches, far above the minimum standard set in the Torah; but one can never live above a minimum standard by changing it.

The 10 Commands were set by Yeshua Himself, as the Word of the L-RD. He spoke them to Moses and the children of Israel, only He had the authority to revoke them, and he never did. Let us seek the strength to walk in His ways, rather than our own.

Shabbat Shalom.

You know, even believers need to shop for things every now and again, and we like saving money as much as anyone. One of the things I can’t stand is buying something and then finding out some other place had the same item on sale for less than what I spent. It’s frustrating, and it’s not being a good steward of one’s resources.

That’s why I like checking out places like Buy.com. They’ve got everything from soup to nuts and most stuff in between as well. And there are always specials; boy, are there specials! There are weekly sales, daily deals and more. It’s become a habit for me to just visit Buy.com any time I’m about to make a purchase, just to measure what kind of deal I’m getting.

Take the Apple iPod Touch for instance. That’s the next MP3 player I want to own. I like it better than what I’m currently using because of the touchscreen interface, which is way less annoying that those spin-wheel controls on my current generic MP3 player.

Of course, I’ll want the 32GB version unless a larger-capacity unit becomes available between now and the time I buy. Because it’s all about storage for me; I have a lot of CDs, and what’s the point if I can’t get as many of them onto one player as possible? If I can’t I may as well stick with my current 6GB unit, right?

Buy.com is a great place to get one, too! First, they usually offer free shipping and handling, which is a terrific perk; you can’t find that on eBay very often (just as an example.) There’s not a lot of difference in pricing on an item like this, but with Buy.com you at least know you’re getting a new unit, not someone’s used one like on eBay.

Plus, the customer service and quality guarantee is solid. When looking for a place to buy online… it’s hard to beat Buy.com.

Ever wonder what the Hebrew word for Holocaust is?

Shoah.

I discovered that bit of trivia reading a news account recently of how the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, met with the Pope to set him straight on recent Jewish-unfriendly decisions. Imagine that! The chancellor of Germany confronting the Pontiff on HIS anti-Semitic tendencies!

Will wonders never cease? Of course not. It just goes to prove that sometimes what one needs to really drive such hatred out is to expose it enough to cast away all denial and confront sin at its ugliest, head on, so it can be finally discarded like a set of disposable gloves.

Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is no small task. While some people seem to be under the delusion that the anti-Judaic, anti-Semitic slants of the past remain in the past, one need look no further than modern day Iran to see the falseness of that assertion.

Like finding a life insurance no medical exam deal, finding a solution for peace in the Middle East is not easy, and the biggest problem is that the underdog – Israel – is always expected to be the one to make sacrifices for peace.

I mean really; when’s the last time Palestinians conceded anything for the sake of reaching a peace agreement with Israel? Hint: it rhymes with Snever.

I’ve come to the conclusion that some people just don’t want to listen. I’d be better off trying to sell them promotional products than trying to reason with them from Scripture.

Of course, this is not the case in most places, except on message boards. I frequent a couple and although everyone claims to be there to “learn different perspectives,” all they really spend time doing is picking apart everything that is written, and then questioning your salvation.

That’s to say nothing of the name-calling and other obnoxious behavior I’ve observed. I’m getting to the point, definitely, where I see no point in continuing to engage in reasoning with unreasonable folks, especially on a faceless chat board.

Folks tend to relate a bit more civilly when face-to-face, even during disagreements.

Some sites are great for finding hot deals on wedding invitations, but at MessianicMusings.com, we’re all about the Torah, the Brit haDasha, the Messiah Yeshua and worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth. Here’s my commentary on B’shalach. Or listen to it!

Shabbat Shalom.

Our parashah for today is B’shalach, or “When he let go,” and covers Exodus 13:17 through 17:16. The main focus of this week’s parashah is the escape of the Jewish people from their bondage in the land of Egypt. And the parashah opens with a verse that is very telling, but easy to overlook.

Exodus 13:17
When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them on the road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

Notice those first few words. “When Pharaoh finally let the people go.” What does that tell us, straight off the bat? Well, for one thing, it tells us that Pharoah is still alive, doesn’t it? And if Pharaoh is still alive, what else does that tell us about him? That he was not a first-born son. Because if he had been a first-born son, he wouldn’t be left alive by the angel of death that passed through Egypt on the night of the first Passover, would he?

This is one of the final insights we can gain from the plagues. One of the most nagging questions of the Exodus experience is, why the plague of the first-born? Well, it is actually a continuation of the same judgments against Egypt and their false gods as the previous nine plagues were, but with a different target.

You see, the previous nine plagues were all aimed at dissolving the trust of the Egyptians in their false gods. Now, with their gods discredited, The L-RD is also destroying their priesthood. How is the priesthood of Egypt related to the slaying of the first-born? We get this insight from the:

Jewish Encyclopedia
The passage referred to, however, did not introduce this right, for the preference of the first-born, as the issue of the “first strength” of the father, existed in patriarchal times. It is generally assumed that the prerogatives of the first-born consisted in a kind of potestas over the family; in a double share of inheritance; and in the right to the priesthood.

You see, those things were established by the L-RD in the earliest of times, especially those prior to the flood, and after it, and were considered commands for the whole world, not just the Jewish people alone. That included the idea that the responsibility of priesthood for each family would fall to the first-born of each family.

This tradition was passed down and observed even in pagan societies like Egypt, through a right called the right of “primogeniture of inheritance.”

That’s just a fancy word that means the first-born of any family gets some added benefits, but also some added responsibilities, and one of those is the priesthood of the family.

So this is what Adonai accomplished with the slaying of the first-born! Not only did he take away their trust in all their false gods, but everyone who, by tradition, ought to be a priest of those gods was slain on that night.

It is an act by The L-RD that completes an attempt to wipe out the false gods of Egypt; first destroy the trust of the people in the power of their gods, then destroy the priesthood that teaches about those false gods.

With so many people dead, Pharaoh is finally reduced enough in humility that he allows the people to go. And in studying the path of the Exodus, we come to an area of some mystery in the Exodus account. We are told this in:

Exodus 13:18, 20
So God led them along a route through the wilderness toward the Red Sea, and the Israelites left Egypt like a marching army. Leaving Succoth, they camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.

This is where the disagreement first begins. Some Bibles translate the location as we see here, Red Sea. Others translate it as “the Sea of Reeds.” While this may seem like a small matter, it’s actually critical for understanding the nature of the Exodus.

Now, the actual words used here are yam soof:

3220 yam {yawm}
• from an unused root meaning to roar; TWOT – 871a; n m
• AV – sea 321, west 47, westward 21, west side 4, seafaring men 1, south 1, western 1; 396
• 1) sea 1a) Mediterranean Sea 1b) Red Sea 1c) Dead Sea 1d) Sea of Galilee 1e) sea (general) 1f) mighty river (Nile) 1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court) 1h) seaward, west, westward

5488 cuwph {soof}
• probably of Egyptian origin; TWOT – 1479; n m
• AV – Red 24, flags 3, weeds 1; 28
• 1) reed, rush, water plant 1a) rushes 1b) sea of rushes 1b1) of Red Sea 1b2) of arms of Red Sea 1b3) of Gulf of Suez 1b4) of sea from straits to Gulf of Akaba

Yam, as you can see, is not controversial; it simply means “sea.” But soof has several meanings. It could mean reeds, weeks, the color red, or even flag. Now, for thousands of years, many Bibles have traditionally translated this phrase as “the Red Sea.” This is due to the sensible observation that the Red Sea is located near Egypt, surrounding the Sinai Peninsula. However, in recent years, more and more the same words have begun to be translated as “the sea of reeds.”

This is not due to a new insight in translating Hebrew to English, or a new understanding of the term theologically. Instead, the change has come about primarily because, through the early and mid-20th century, archaeology and science have failed to turn up any evidence of the Exodus.

So, it has been proposed that the Exodus was smaller than the Bible claims, took place in a shallow lake bed without much water to be moved… a “sea of reeds,” rather than a sea of water. By changing the wording in various new translations, the translation is now reflecting a new theological viewpoint that comes not from Bible scholars, but from skeptics – many of whom doubt the Exodus ever took place.

Well, what I want to share with you today is that none of these new views or new translations line up with what the Torah says. Let’s take a closer look at what we are actually told about the route taken and the crossing site.

Exodus 14:1-3
Then the L-RD gave these instructions to Moses: “Tell the people to march toward Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, opposite Baal-zephon. Then Pharaoh will think, ‘Those Israelites are confused. They are trapped between the wilderness and the sea!’

The traditional route of the Exodus, according to those who believe yam soof is the sea of reeds, takes the Israelites north and east out of Succoth, but there are troubles with this. First, there’s not much further north to travel, and such a route would not take the Israelites out of the way of the Philistines. Furthermore, most of the theories that propose this route place the mountain of Moses in an area still controlled by Egypt.

Naturally, it is highly unlikely that the Israelites would flee Egypt, cross the yam soof, and encamp before a mountain that was still in Egyptian territory, all without ever being attacked again by Egypt during their 40 years in this wilderness, before the mountain.

For these and many other reasons, I prefer the theory that places the route of the Exodus in more of a south and easterly direction, following a wilderness path surrounded by mountains, known as Wadi Watir, leading to a peninsula into the Gulf of Acquba – part of the Red Sea – known as Nuweiba.

I have prepared a handout for those of you who are interested, which shows both drawings and a satellite image of this area, and I think you may agree that it’s a better fit to the description of the area given in Exodus. There’s also some extra information on the handout, including some pictures of possible underwater Roman chariot wreckage, now turned to coral, that may provide archaeological proof of the Exodus and this possible route for it. Unfortunately, the pictures turned out a bit darker than I’d hoped, but they should give you an idea.

But ultimately, the point here isn’t about which route for the Exodus is most convincing. The point is that, as with so many things in the walk of faith, you will often encounter things that challenge what you believe. We are told in:

Exodus 14:21-22
Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the L-RD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!

Does this sound like the description of a shallow lakebed filled with reeds? The text describes deep waters, walls of water all around, enough water to drown the entire army of Pharaoh when they rush back in.

How big was the contingent of the children of Israel? Well, the Torah describes it as consisting of 600,000 men of military age. When one accounts for women, children, and those either too old or too young to be of military service, as well as a “mixed multitude” adding perhaps an additional ten percent to their number, it is not unreasonable to estimate that the number of people who left Egypt in the Exodus was anywhere between one to two million strong.

How large was Pharoah’s army? We are told in:

Exodus 14:6-7, 9a
So Pharaoh called out his troops and led the chase in his chariot. He took with him six hundred of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with a commander. All the forces in Pharaoh’s army–all his horses, chariots, and charioteers–were used in the chase.

No matter how much we think we know about the Exodus from movies and archaeology and science, it remains important that we base our belief on the words of the Torah. As impressive as Cecil B. DeMille’s film of the Exodus was, the reality was greater than anything that could ever be caught on film, and on a far grander scale.

It comes to this; most believers will say that the L-RD split history once: with the birth of Messiah Yeshua. What I believe we see revealed in the Torah, however, is that the L-RD has never been afraid to split history.

Whether it was the move from the Garden to the world; the move from the world before the flood to the world after the flood; the move from captivity in Egypt to a world of freedom, the Torah and a Promised Land, we serve a God who can move not only the waters of the Red Sea, not only mountains, but history itself. He’s done it before, and as we wait for the return of our Messiah Yeshua, we know that the L-RD will indeed do it again. We serve a God of power, unintimidated by any situation that, in our limited human view, seems inescapable. Through Him, all things are possible.

Shabbat Shalom.

Sometimes when I’m working on my commentaries, I wish I could isolate for a while by going to extended stay hotels or something; but since that’s not practical or wise, I just go into my prayer closet and things usually work out just fine in the end. Here’s my commentary on Bo. Or listen to it!

Shabbat Shalom.

Before we begin, I’d like to share a story I hadn’t really planned out ahead of time.

A man decided to show some kindness to his wife and so he met her as she got home from work one day. He whisked her off in a rented stretch limo, took her to the fanciest restaurant in town, and spared no expense in treating her to anything she wanted off the menu. Toward the end of the meal, all the wait staff gathered round and everyone began singing Happy Birthday to her.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? But then the wife leaned over and whispered in her husband’s ear, “Honey, my birthday isn’t until next month.”

Our parashah today is Bo, or Enter!, and covers Exodus 10:1 through 13:16. This week’s reading covers the final thee plagues that Adonai sent against Pharaoh and the land of Egypt, including the plague of locusts, the plague of darkness, and finally ending with the slaying of the first-born.

It is also the portion of the Torah where The L-RD establishes the festival of Pesach, or Passover. And by the end of this teaching, I think you’ll begin to understand how that little story I shared ties in.

Now, for those new to the Messianic movement, the celebration of the festivals might be an unfamiliar idea. Certainly, within traditional Christian churches, the festivals are not often taught, nor are they celebrated. Depending on your background, perhaps you’ve even been told that things like Passover are Jewish festivals, meant and intended for the Jewish people alone.

Well, let’s see what this week’s reading tells us about that before drawing any conclusions. In the opening verses of chapter twelve, we see the establishment of a lamb as the Passover sacrifice discussed, with details about when it is to be selected, and how it is to be distributed among the family. Once the lamb is slaughtered, its blood was to put on the top and sides of the doorframe so that, during this first-ever Passover celebration, the Angel of Death would not enter the homes of the faithful to slay their first-born, but only the first-born of the Egyptians.

The yearly celebration, repeated every year since the Exodus, was intended by The L-RD to be a remembrance of what God had done to deliver them children of Israel from their time of slavery in Egypt. But is it, as some contend, a Jewish festival only? No. As we read in:

Exodus 12:11
“Wear your traveling clothes as you eat this meal, as though prepared for a long journey. Wear your sandals, and carry your walking sticks in your hands. Eat the food quickly, for this is the L-RD’s Passover.

In this verse, and repeatedly throughout the passage, Passover is identified as The L-RD’s celebration; it is his day. Is this festival temporary or permanent? This week’s reading clarifies that, as well:

Exodus 12:14
“You must remember this day forever. Each year you will celebrate it as a special festival to the L-RD.

This point in elaborated on a few lines down as The L-RD clarifies the purpose and intent for the Passover celebration He is instituting, in:

Exodus 12:17
“Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent regulation for you, to be kept from generation to generation.

So, the nature of Passover is as a reminder of what the L-RD has done, and that it will be a permanent regulation, passed on from one generation to the next. Its practice is not to be forgotten, abandoned to replaced. But is it for the Hebrew people only? That is a key question, but we find an answer in:

Exodus 12:19
During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These same regulations apply to the foreigners living with you, as if they had been born among you.

That’s pretty direct, clear language, don’t you think? And while it runs contrary to the teachings of many Christian churches, these are the words of The L-RD as spoken directly to Moses, so the question becomes, who will we listen to? The teachings and traditions of man? Or the instructions of The L-RD Himself?

If there is any doubt about the L-RD’s intent on this teaching of the festival of Passover, they are wiped away as He reiterates Himself in:

Exodus 12:24
“Remember, these instructions are permanent and must be observed by you and your descendants forever.
Permanent and forever. That is the kind of language that should cast out all doubt. So we learn here many things. Passover is the L-RD’s festival, it is for “the stranger among you,” and not merely for the Hebrew people alone, and it is a permanent celebration that is to last forever, not a temporary tradition of man to be cast aside with the passage of time and the changing of culture.

Now, some of you may be wondering why I’m spending so much time on something so basic and so clearly laid out in the Torah. I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it? What could be clearer, right? Well, let me tell you something before you encounter it… and maybe some of you already have… but not everyone you know, who may be believers but attend other houses of worship, are going to look at these verses and see what you see, understand it as you are coming to understand it. It won’t be clear to them because it’s not how they’ve been taught.

And it goes beyond what pastor or rabbi, church or temple, denomination or sect these folks may have been a part of, because the misunderstanding is so deeply rooted in human tradition, some of them tens of centuries old.

You know, I recently began a dialog with an old college friend of mine and some of his acquaintances. We began a discussion about some of these things; the difference in the holidays, avoiding unclean foods or not, but primarily the discussion focused around the Sabbath. The things that kind of mark a difference in practice between Messianics and Christians.

I attempted to make a simple point; that God Himself established the Sabbath, and placed it on the seventh day. That it was humans who changed the day of worship to Sunday, not God. Much like what we’re seeing here with God establishing his Passover.

The reactions I received were surprising. I’m not sure I’ve ever been told I was wrong in so many ways in such a short amount of time as I was in the debate that unfolded. I had used Scripture to underline my line of reasoning; I had not taken a condemning tone toward those who practice differently. I merely wanted to make the point that God had set an appointed time to be specially reserved as a time for us to focus our attention on Him. And yet, few of the people involved in this discussion could accept such a simple assertion, so clearly backed up by Scripture itself – and not even vague, confusing verses, but clear ones, like the ones we’ve reviewed here today regarding the Passover.

God’s appointed time, His Passover. An eternal command. For the Jew first, and then for the “stranger among you” as well. Clear, direct commands. Clear teaching straight from the mouth of Adonai our God, and yet so hard for some people to accept.

We serve a God who cares enough about us to make appointments to spend time with us, specific times set aside especially for that. And you want to keep those appointments at the time God Himself as set them. After all, like the husband in my story earlier, you can have the best of intentions and throw a great party… but if it’s not at the right time, you’ll be like that husband, celebrating a birthday that isn’t for another month.

I mention all this because, at some point, as God opens your eyes and helps you to understand and embrace his clear instruction, you will eventually encounter opposition as well. People who will argue that the Passover is only for the Jewish people, perhaps. Or that it was an OK celebration for its time, but it has been replaced by Easter. Or that, simply by celebrating a holiday God Himself ordained, you are putting yourself “back under the law.”

When that time comes, I have found it is best to return to clear teaching, teaching that comes not from a pulpit, not from a talented public speaker, but that comes from the Bible itself.

You see, some people feel they need to immerse themselves in apologetics; they need to have a ready answer for every question; they desire to anticipate anything that might be tossed their way by someone who believes differently. So they spend all this time studying what other people believe.

Well, here’s the truth: you can never be fully prepared because you never know who you will encounter and what they will understand differently that you do.

At times like that, the best approach is to focus in on what you believe. Because often, if what you believe comes straight from Scripture, the only areas that remain for a counter-argument to come from is either from human tradition and experience, or through personal attack.

Soon, we will be approaching the Passover season. Before long, you will begin to hear announcements about the Passover Seder plans Stan is making for this congregation and, if you choose to attend, some of you may get to sit in on your first-ever Passover Seder, and you will see how wonderfully God designed and interwove the message about His promised Messiah into the practices surrounding this appointed time of Passover. I know that for me, when I went to my first Passover Seder, about 10 years ago now, it was a life-changing experience.

Things like this can add depth to your walk with the L-RD. As you learn them, they will become treasured parts of what you believe, and you may be tempted to forget that not everyone understands what you understand. And at some point, someone will challenge you and suggest you’ve got it all wrong about Passover.

At a time like that, remember this Parashah of Bo. Remember the assurances of The L-RD that are found here. Know that all of these things are deeply rooted in Scripture and are teachings that come directly from God Himself. The Passover is, as this week’s parashah teaches, an eternal celebration, a celebration of the L-RD for all who fear and wish to obey Him. A celebration first for the Jew, but also for the rest of us, the strangers among them. The Passover isn’t a law in the sense that many Christians suggest it is; it’s a celebration… a party thrown by God Himself, and you’re invited to attend! A time of remembering all God has done for us and those who came before us. A time of closeness and intimacy with our creator.

Who would want to say, “No thanks,” to that?

Shabbat Shalom.