PARASHA: “Shemot” (Names)
EXODUS 1:1-6:1.......................ISAIAH 27:6-28: 13...................MATT 22:1-23:39
We enter into a new era, Jacob/Israel and Joseph are now in the past, yet their legacy continues, in “Am Yisrael” (The People of Israel).
”70 souls” entered Mitzraim (Egypt). It is interesting that the Hebrew word “Nefesh” is used for “souls” yet the word is in the singular, but why? Is there a symbolism here? If we are to read this in English, we would read; “70 soul entered Egypt”.
One could say that the word “Nefesh” (Soul) could refer to the whole “Family” of Israel as ONE (Echad) family unit, as we are ONE with Elohim, then all of Israel was ONE as well.
hundreds of years later, we have a few million Hebrews. There is a list at the beginning of Exodus of the “b'nei Israel” (the sons of Israel) and they had their children, and their children had children, etc. They remained in the area of “Goshen” along the Nile Delta, farming, raising cattle, probably a few became merchants, they adapted to the life in Egypt, got used to seeing Egyptian deities, probably understood spoken Egyptian. Who knows if many became “Egyptianized” did they bow down to the deities? Let's hope not.
How much did they retain about Adonai? El Shaddai? We don't know, but I am sure that the story of Joseph and how he brought his family to Egypt from Canaan was passed down from family to family. The story of the famine, and how Yosef preserved life in midst of the famine. So “b'nei Israel” multiplied, and the land was filled with the “b'nei Israel”, and now the Egyptians start to get nervous. In verse 8, problems start;
” And there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph” there are a few ideas of who it might have been. Some believe it might have been “Pharaoh Ahmose” the title “Pharaoh” is not the name, it is only a title which means “ruler”. It might have been “Ahmose” or even “Rameses II”. A little on Egyptian words and etymology, the Egyptian word “meses” or “mose” means “born of” so the name “Moshe” or “Moses” is similar to “meses” (born of) or (Taken from). There were many “Rameses” it means “Born of the god RA” “Ahmose” probably (born of “Ah”) “Thutmose” (born of the god Thut) and so on. So many pharaohs took on those names.
The pharaoh of verse 8 is paranoid and thinks that the Israelites will join, perhaps with the Hittites, to overthrow Egypt. It is said that “Senoset” the pharaoh that gave rise to power to Joseph was a foreign king, a “Semite” known as a “Hyksos king”, perhaps that was why he felt some kinship with Joseph. Now the slavery starts and the Hebrews (Egyptian word is “Hapiru”) are made slaves, and the good times are over.
Yet Elohim hears the cries of his people, and has selected the tribe of Levi, through a couple; Amran and Jochebed, to bring into the world, “Moshe” who would be a sort of “Mashiach” (like Yosef) to lead Israel OUT of Egypt, in God's appointed time. YHVH has time for ALL THINGS, we cannot rush God's clock, it ticks slowly for us, yet it ticks out second by second and includes us all in the plan of things
the throne of Egyptian probably changes, and the pharaohs continue to be paranoid, one develops a plan to “curb” the birth rate by killing the baby boys, according to the historian 'Ted Stewart' in his book “solving the Exodus Mystery” the pharaoh who ordered the death of the male infants was “Sesostris III” we see that Moshe is adopted by the daughter of this pharaoh. At the time when Moshe grows up and is in the palace, being raised as a “Prince of Egypt” and at the time, “retaining (inside) his Hebrew identity”. We remember that his kills an Egyptian in defending one of his own, the Pharaoh that sought his death was “Amenemhet III”. When Moshe fled and spent 40 years in Madian, upon returning, he faced the Pharaoh “Amenemhet IV” who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, who pursued the Israelites through the Red Sea, (and didn't quite make it, receiving a very fatal water baptism). (T. Stewart, Solving the Exodus Mystery, www.biblediscoveries.com)
This Parashah has so much that I wish to concentrate on the “Calling of Moshe” in chapter three of Shemot
God calls to Moshe while he is taking care of Yitro's sheep near Mt. Sinai. A note to mention is that God prepares his servants beforehand, before sending them out on the mission fields, “Midian and the flocks of sheep” were the training grounds and subjects of his training, before leading out “Human sheep” to the land of Midian that “he now knew and was familiar with”
God calls him saying; “Anochi Elohei Aviyha” (I am the God of your father) so the name “Elohei” is used, then he uses a more personal name in verse 14; “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” if you can really call it a name, it is translated as I AM that or who I AM, which is really not a name at all. So, what is God trying to convey to Moshe? In a way, he is saying, “Is a proper name so important Moe? Just understand that I EXIST! I have existed in the past, the present, and will exist in the future” from the word “Ehyeh” is a form of “Haya” or “Havayah” meaning “to exist” or “the essence of being” from this we get the most sacred name of God: YHVH
HaVaYaH (re-arrange the letters we get YHVH) modern translators put in vowels to get YeHoVaH and have changed the Y to J to become JEHOVAH, but that is not the original name, there exists no “J” in Hebrew.
The other name used in chapter 3 is “Elohim” “Elohim” said to Moshe...Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh...” “Elohim” is the “all-powerful God of Creation, the Triune God (im) who we know, as Messianic believers, as being EL (father) BEN-YESHUA, (Yeshua the Son) RUACH-HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit).
Elohim has revealed himself to us in human form through YESHUA, and as Moshe lead his people out of the slavery of physical bondage, YESHUA lead us out of the bondage of spiritual slavery of sin, leading us to a new life, in a personal relationship with HIM, as the Israelites entered into a renewed relationship with Elohei starting at Sinai, our relationship starts at Calvary. We are now joined to “His chosen people” through adoption, both native-born in Israel, and those who are from the diaspora, we are all ONE (ECHAD) in Messiah Yeshua Ben David, Ben Adam, Ben YHVH.
We continue to read and we find in chapter 4 that YHVH sends Moshe back to Egypt to lead his people out. We find that God works through people, some very special, others very ordinary. Yet before sending back Moshe, He prepares him in the desert as a shepherd. One can divide the life of Moshe into three parts, the first 40 years as prince and general in Egypt, the second 40 years as an outcast, yet an instrument in the hands of YHVH, and the last 40 years as leader of Israel.
Before sending him back, there are three signs that YHVH gives Moshe, as “authority”. When we look at these three signs of authority, we see “Yeshua” in these signs. The first was the “Mateh” (The staff). It was common for every household leader to carry a staff, a little more than just a “walking stick”. The “Mateh” was the sign of leadership and authority. But this one would be changed into a serpent when Moshe threw it down before Pharaoh. The serpent was the sign of “kingly authority” in Egypt, as it was a part of the royal headdress that the pharaohs wore.
Shepherds carried a “rod” and a “staff” when leading sheep. The “rod” being a short, heavy club that was used as a weapon, and the “staff” to lead. Yeshua is the “good shepherd” who leads us, who, “crushed the head of the serpent” at Calvary.
The second sign was the sign of “disease and healing of said disease” namely “Tza-arat” (leprosy). We see in the Prophets that Elisha healed Naaman the Syrian of leprosy, Yeshua also healed the sick, including lepers. Even in the desert, those who were bitten by “serpents” were healed by a “bronze serpent on a staff” (again, returning to the staff and serpent). Yeshua is our healer and heals us of the curse of sin and death.
The third sign was the “water turned to blood” on dry land (4:9). This reminds us of our Messiah Yeshua, who when on the cross, was pierced by a Roman spear, and out of his side came “blood and water” and this mixture of “blood and water” fell from the cross on dry land. By his shed blood, we are saved, by Yeshua who is the “Living Water”. So, we also see in these three signs, the “Torah” the “Prophets” and the “Brit HaDashah”
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