Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch
ata YHVH, Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan
lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the
blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us
your Torah.)
Perhaps the haftarah portion contains a prophetic
word for our time.
Isa 22:1 The message concerning the Valley of Vision.
What troubles you now, that you have all gone up to the house-tops,
Isa 22:2 you who are
filled with turmoils, a noisy city, a city of revelry? Your slain are not slain
with the sword, nor the dead in battle.
This parashah details the events of the first Pesach,
and particularly the application of the blood on the doorposts (mezuzot) of the
Hebrew homes. Several issues confront us from this portion.
This Pesach event was meant to be a continual reminder
of our coming out of spiritual bondage and following the Ruach of YHVH whenever
and wherever He leads us. The example of Yahshua and his followers was to keep
this vitally important appointment ‘’Pesach Memorial Seder’’ (Passover meal)
and the Week of Unleavened Bread (Chag haMatzot) every year from the 14 day of
Aviv (Preparing on the day of the 14th Aviv and then the Pesach Memorial Seder
when the evening starts. That is also the start of the 15th day of Aviv which
is the start of the first day of Unleavened Bread which lasts for seven days.
The whole scenario combined is also called the Pesach week (Ezek 45:21 “In the
first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you have the Pesach, a
festival of seven days, unleavened bread is eaten” and in Luk 22:1 And the Festival of Unleavened Bread drew
near, which is called Pesach (Hebrew) - translated as Passover.
History reminds us that after the first Pesach, the
children of Yisrael only had a second Pesach in the second year after they came
out of Mitsrayim (Bemidbar/Numbers 9:1-5) and then they would wait almost
another 40 years before they had their next Passover at Gilgal after they had
passed through the Yarden (Yehoshua 5:10). Before this Pesach all the males had
to be circumcised because all the older males who brought an evil rapport from
the Land after they went in to spy, died in the wilderness except Yehoshua and
Kalev (Bemidbar/Numbers 14:30)- and the males born in the wilderness were never
circumcised until then (Yehoshua 5:5)
Exo 12:29 And it came to be at midnight that יהוה smote all the
first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on
his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the
first-born of livestock.
The other plagues could have been regarded as acts of
nature, however there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this final plague
was the Hand of YHVH.
The Hebrew word for son is ‘’ben’’ and is closely related
to the Hebrew word ‘’bana’’ which means to build. Therefore, the first- born
sons in the ancient eastern cultures were groomed to uphold family customs and
spiritual values.
In order to fully understand
this final plague, we must appreciate the hierarchy within Egyptian
civilization. It was a society ruled by primogeniture. The first-born was held
in great esteem – sometimes even worshiped.
It is probable that in these last days YHVH will destroy
all family customs and spiritual values that contradict His Torah and seek to keep
His people in bondage – ‘’in Egypt’’
Exo 12:30 And
Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Mitsrites.
And there was a great cry in Mitsrayim, for there was not a house where there
was not a dead one.
Exo 12:31 Then he
called for Mosheh and Aharon by night, and said, “Arise, go out from the midst
of my people, both you and the children of Yisra’ĕl. And go, serve יהוה as you have said.
Exo 12:32 “Take
both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go. Then you shall bless
me too.”
Exo 12:33 And the
Mitsrites urged the people, to hasten to send them away out of the land. For
they said, “We are all dying!”
Exo 12:34 And the
people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls
bound up in their garments on their shoulders.
The Egyptians worshiped lambs; the Hebrews offered them up to YHVH for purposes of atonement.
Today many Christians worship the Lamb instead of walking in his footsteps - Mat 16:24 Then יהושע said to His taught ones, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow Me.
We witness this blasphemy in certain gospel songs – ‘’ I will proclaim the glory of the risen King, who once was slain to reconcile man to God …. forever you will be the Lamb upon the throne. I gladly bow my knee and worship you alone’’
The scriptures do not teach that we worship Yahshua alone. - Joh 4:22 “You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because the deliverance is of the Yehuḏim.b Footnote: b Psa_147:19, Isa_2:3, Isa_14:1, Isa_56:6-8, Eze_47:22-23, Zec_2:10-11, Zec_8:23, Rom_2:20, Rom_3:2, Rom_9:4, Rev_21:12 and Rev_21:24.
Joh 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to worship Him.
2Co 11:3 But I am afraid, lest, as the serpent deceived Ḥawwah by his trickery, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Messiah.
2Co 11:4 For, indeed, if he who is coming proclaims another יהושע,a whom we have not proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different Good News which you have not accepted, you put up with it well enough! Footnote: a Mat_24:5 and Mat_24:23-24, Joh_5:43.
True believers guard the Torah of YHVH and possess the witness of the true Yahshua Messiah.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah.
A future time will come when the judgment against man - made
and controlled religion will be so devastating that the false religious rulers
of this world will do everything in their power to destroy the faithful remnant
– those who have the testimony of Yahshua – guard His Torah.
Exo 12:35 And the
children of Yisra’ĕl had done according to the word of Mosheh, and they had
asked from the Mitsrites objects of silver, and objects of gold, and garments.
Exo 12:36 And יהוה gave the people favour in the eyes of the
Mitsrites, so that they gave them what they asked, and they plundered the
Mitsrites.
There seems to be an ethical question about the intention
of the Yisraelites. They were going to “ask” for objects of wealth knowing that
they would not return them to their former captors. Then it appears that they
“plundered” the Mitsrites. The Hebrew word here is the ‘’piel’’ verb form
“natzal”- this verb has a root meaning of “saving or rescuing.” It is possible
to understand it to mean that the Mitsrites thought that maybe they could
‘’buy’’ themselves out any further harm and loss, maybe this gesture would
please the ‘’gods’’ against any further judgements or maybe this was a small
token of compensation to the Yisraelites for all their years of hard unpaid
labour.
Exo 12:37 And the
children of Yisra’ĕl set out from Raʽmeses
to Sukkoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides the little ones.
Rameses represented pagan sun worship – Sukkot
represented the Hebrew remnant that YHVH called to return to the land of Yisrael
where YHVH would establish His Kingdom.
YHVH is calling a Hebrew remnant once again in these last
days to turn their backs on all forms of Sunday worship and return to the
ancient paths of our fathers and Sabbath keeping.
Exo 12:38 And a
mixed multitude went up with them too, also flocks and herds, very much
livestock.
Exo 12:39 And they
baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Mitsrayim,
for it was not leavened, since they were driven out of Mitsrayim, and had not
been able to delay, nor had they prepared food for themselves.
Exo 12:40 And the
sojourn of the children of Yisra’ĕl who lived in Mitsrayim was four hundred and
thirty years.
Exo 12:41 And it
came to be at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that same day it
came to be that all the divisions of יהוה went out from
the land of Mitsrayim.
Exo 12:42 It is
a night to be observed unto יהוה for bringing
them out of the land of Mitsrayim. This night is unto יהוה, to be
observed by all the children of Yisra’ĕl throughout their generations.
Is this possibly the pattern that will repeated once
again at a Pesach/Passover seder in the last days – “leshanah ha ba ah bi Yerushalayim”
– Next year in Yerushalyim.
Exo 12:43 And יהוה said to Mosheh and Aharon, “This is the
law of the Pesach (translated as Passover): No son of a stranger is to eat of
it,
Exo 12:44 but any
servant a man has bought for silver, when you have circumcised him, then
let him eat of it.
Exo 12:45 “A
sojourner and a hired servant does not eat of it.
Exo 12:46 “It is
eaten in one house, you are not to take any of the flesh outside the house, nor
are you to break any bone of it.
Exo 12:47 “All the
congregation of Yisra’ĕl are to perform it.
Exo 12:48 “And when
a stranger sojourns with you and shall perform the Passover to יהוה, let all his males be circumcised, and
then let him come near and perform it, and he shall be as a native of the
land. But let no uncircumcised eat of it.
Exo 12:49 “There
is one Torah for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”
Exo 12:50 And all
the children of Yisra’ĕl did as יהוה commanded
Mosheh and Aharon, so they did.
Exo 12:51 And it
came to be on that same day that יהוה brought the
children of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of Mitsrayim according to their divisions.
Isa 30:8 And go, write
it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it on a scroll, that it is for a
latter day, a witness forever: (this is a word for the last days)
Isa 30:9 that this is a
rebellious people, lying children, children who refuse to hear the Torah of יהוה,
Isa 30:10 who say to the
seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right.
Speak to us what is smooth, prophesy deceits.
Do Not Go Down to Egypt
Isa 30:1 “Woe to the
stubborn children,” declares יהוה, “to make counsel, but not from Me, and to
devise plans, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin;
Isa 30:2 who are setting
out to go down to Mitsrayim, and have not asked My mouth, to be strengthened in
the strength of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shadow of Mitsrayim!
Isa 30:3 “And the
strength of Pharaoh shall become your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of
Mitsrayim your confusion.
1Th 4:13 Now, brothers, we do not wish you to be ignorant
concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you be sad as others who have no
expectation.
1Th 4:14 For if we
believe that יהושע died and rose again, so also Elohim shall
bring with Him those who sleep[a] in יהושע. Footnote: a A
euphemism for death.
1Th 4:15 For this we say
to you by the word of the Master, that we, the living who are left over at the
coming of the Master shall in no way go before those who are asleep.
1Th 4:16 Because the
Master Himself shall come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of a
chief messenger, and with the trumpet of Elohim, and the dead in Messiah shall
rise first.
1Th 4:17 Then we, the
living who are left over, shall be caught away together with them in the clouds
to meet the Master in the air – and so we shall always be with the
Master.
1Th 4:18 So, then, encourage
one another with these words.
Baruch atah
YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam
nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are
you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of
truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you,
YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn.)