This week’s portion from the Torah, Bo, is a telling
narrative laden with hidden gems waiting for us to unearth.
“And Yehovah said unto Moshe, Go in to
Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I
might show these my signs before him: And that you may tell in the ears of your
son, and of your grandson, what things I have done in Egypt, and my signs which
I have done among them; that you may know that I am Yehovah.” (Exodus 10:1-2)
Our portion name comes from the word ‘go’ in the first line
of Exodus 10:1. Pharaoh has already experienced seven devastating plagues on
Egypt. As I think about this Pharaoh, a couple of things come to mind.
A Hardened Heart
His heart is hardened. Our first verse says, “For I
(Yehovah) have hardened his heart.” We discussed briefly last week in portion
va’eira that Elohim in essence strengthened the Pharaoh’s heart because he was
wicked and wanted to be wicked. If we really want to be wicked, there are times
when Elohim will strengthen us to remain wicked so that we can become filled
with wickedness, as in this case. That is perhaps one reason that Pharaoh
didn’t cave in and let Israel go.
To Pharaoh’s credit, it is possible that he thought
Moshe was just another magician, albeit, one with superior skills to the court
magicians. It would be an unwise king who submitted to blackmail by a magician.
But when the hail came, it probably would have become obvious that something
more was going on than sorcery.
Another explanation is that he didn’t care what happened to
his people or the land. There is some speculation that this Pharaoh who arose,
“Who did not know Joseph,” was a foreign king, not an Egyptian. If that were
the case, it is possible he didn’t care what happened to the land or the
people, they weren’t his people. Perhaps he was only there for the power that
being the ruler of the greatest nation on earth gave him. And with a combined
Egyptian and foreign army, he could reign over his world. We have no mention of
the Pharaoh showing any concern for the people or the land, only for his house
and his court, and little for his court.
I see an echo in the current predicament of the United
States. The administration doesn’t appear to care that the nation is experiencing
death throes, financially and in the protection and defense of the nation’s
constitution. The sworn duty of those in office who are actively seeking to
change and currently ignore that foundational document.
Suffering from Judgment
The nation of Egypt is a little over halfway through the
signs that Elohim has in store for them, and the worst is yet to come. As we
talked about last week, some of the Egyptians figured out the El that Moshe
represented was in fact the El of all the earth. They brought their servants
and livestock in from the hail. Even though there were believers in the nation,
the nation still suffered the plagues.
Even Israel was not exempt from some of the plagues. The
text specifically mentions that the frogs were in all the land as were the
locusts, the boils were on man and beast in all the land of Egypt, as opposed
to those plagues that were on only the Egyptians. Even though Israel had light
in their dwellings, the land of Goshen was also covered with darkness. The
death of the firstborn also reached into Goshen, only those with the blood of
the Pesach (Passover) lamb on their mezuzot (doorposts) were spared from loss.
The first reason we are given that Elohim strengthens
Pharaoh’s heart is, “That I might show these my signs
before him.” The second reason concerns each of us who seek to follow the Creator,
“And that you may tell in the ears of your son, and of your grandson, what
things I have done in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that
you may know how that I am Yehovah.”
This is why I commemorate Pesach with a Seder each year. To sit down and fulfill this instruction. Are we
commanded to conduct a Seder? No, but
I can explain the things Elohim did in Egypt with those who sit at the table so
they will know Yehovah is Elohim, and He is real. The Seder is a choreographed method to share the Exodus story in a
multi-sensory experience that every participant can appreciate at the level of
his age and understanding. At my Seders,
I use a Haggadah that I wrote because
there are some things in traditional Haggadahs
that are not Scriptural and are of questionable origins. I have found that using
a written program that includes telling the story, songs, food, and activities
valuable to relate to everyone at the table.
The next plague on
Elohim’s time schedule is locusts.
” And they will cover the eye of the land, and no one will be
able to see the land. And they will eat the rest of that which escaped, that
which is left to you from the hail. And they will eat every tree that sprouts
to you from the field.” (Exodus 10:5)
Still no Concern
Egypt faced total loss. Pharaoh’s court
recognized it. “And Pharaoh's servants said to him,
How long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go, that they may serve
Yehovah their Elohim: Don’t you know yet that Egypt is destroyed?” (Exodus
10:7) Yet Pharaoh still does not relent. This reflects back on what I mentioned
earlier, his lack of concern for what happens to the land or the people.
I suspect the palace in Egypt was similar to the situation
in much of America. Many of us are far removed from the source of our food. The
market shelves are always stocked with ample variety and quantity. But for the
common Egyptians, who were close to the land and knew that if there were no
crops ripening in the fields, there would be no food on the table in few
months, these were extremely frightening events
.
Today we hear about a frost in Florida or California, and
may or may not think about the loss of crops. The only effect it may have on
our consumption is an increase in the price of orange juice, fruit and
vegetables, or more fresh produce from places like Chile or Mexico. But there
is a greater effect that we don’t see, and may not even be aware of. The
Egyptians of Moshe’s time literally saw their food disappear before their eyes.
They knew hard times were ahead.
Three days
Darkness covered the land for three days, including the land
of Goshen. Although the Children of Israel had light in their dwellings,
outside it was dark, palpably dark. There are three parallels I would like to
mention. The request Moshe made to Pharaoh for Israel to go into the wilderness
for three days to offer sacrifices.
“And they said, The El of the Hebrews has met with us: let us
go, we pray you, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto Yehovah
our Elohim; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.” (Exodus
5:3)
In light of what happens later, the last part of this initial request is
interesting, “Lest He fall on us with pestilence...” because that is exactly
what happens to all of Egypt.
The second three day shadow occurs with Jonah. He was told
to go and preach repentance to Nineveh, but tried to shirk his duties and ended
up three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish. It
is important to remember that the text is explicit about the time period he
spent inside the fish. Then he went to Nineveh, a large city, the distance of
three days. During Jonah’s three day walk across the city, the people repented
and were spared the destruction scheduled for forty days later.
Then we have Yeshua, who
told the Scribes and Pharisees;
“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and
there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as
Jonah was three days and three nights in the fish's belly; so
shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
(Matthew 12:39-40)
Again, note the specific time periods. Three days and three
nights after Yeshua was executed and buried, Elohim resurrected him. He
remained with the disciples on and off for the next forty days, then departed.
Torah is the Foundation
One of the basic understandings I have gained is that the
Torah is the foundation of all of Elohim’s teachings. The teachings in all the
other books of the Bible have to line up with the Torah. If we find anything in
the other books that contradicts what the Torah teaches, then one of three
things has occurred.
·
We don’t understand either what the Torah says,
or what the writer outside the Torah meant.
·
The information has been translated incorrectly.
·
The information in the other books is incorrect.
I have been asked how I could say that information in the
Bible could be incorrect. A good deal of our New Testament is, by the admission
of the writers, letters from a church leader to a congregation. There are times
within those letters that the author admits that what he is writing is his own
opinion, but he thinks he is correct. It is possible that even with the best of
intent, the writer may have been mistaken, or was addressing a specific problem
for a specific group, neither of which we are privy to, and the counsel is not
meant to be taken as “gospel” for everyone everywhere.
Obedience Brings Blessing
The last plague, the most horrific, the death of the
firstborn should give us all pause to consider. What would have happened to an
Israelite firstborn if the dwelling in which he spent the night of Pesach did
not have the blood of the lamb on the muzuzot? By all indications, he or she
would have died. If Elohim’s instructions were not followed to the letter,
position, genealogy, location, or belief would not have mattered. The vital
element was obedience to the instructions; to circumcise the males, eat the
Pesach (Passover lamb), matzoth (unleavened bread), and bitter herbs, apply the
blood to the doorposts and lintel of the door, and stay inside during the
night. Obedience brings blessings, but the wages of sin is death.
Next week Yehovah willing, we will get back together to
discuss our next Torah portion, parasha Beshelach. May the Messiah come quickly
and in our day, and may we be found living the Torah when he arrives. Shalom
