HaKadosh Baruch Hu, (‘’The Set Apart One Blessed is He’’)
Creator of the universe, whose blessings have fallen upon all mankind through
Moshiach Ben David – The Tree of Life – who established the root and fruit of
Your Torah on earth through which all the families of the earth are blessed.
Please, YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in
our hearts and in the hearts of Your people, the family of Israel. May we and
our offspring and the offspring of Your people, the house of Jacob – and all
Jacob’s adopted family – know Your Name and study Your Torah, for the sake of
the Torah- empowering us to sincerely love one another and to love You above
all. Please uncover our eyes and open our hearts that we may carefully examine
and understand the marvels and mysteries of Your Torah- Amein.
ומשׁה – ‘’and Moses’’
The scribe
introduces this Torah portion - ומשׁה – ‘’and Moses’’- shepherding ‘’Yitro’s’’ flock
of sheep at the back (achar) of the wilderness (ha midbar) of Horeb – ‘’Heb
Charav’’ – meaning a desolate desert wasteland’’ The scribe focuses on Moses –
the central figure who must now enter into a mindset of absolute reliance on
YHVH’s Word to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt – and guide them
into the promised land.
The Burning Bush
Exo 3:1 And Mosheh was shepherding the flock of
Yithro his father-in-law, the priest (not a pagan priest) of Miḏyan. And he led the flock to
the back ‘’Achar’’ (אַחַר)of
the wilderness, and came to Ḥorěḇ, the mountain of Elohim.
Scholars point out that “Acharit" (End/Future) is
the direct plural-noun extension of "Achar"
By leading the flock Achar (to the back of) the
wilderness, the text subtly implies that Moses was leading them into the future
– ‘’the achariet ya amim’’ into the future destiny of Israel which included ‘’Yitro’s
flock’’ – the grafted in gentiles.
In rabbinic eschatology, Jethro is viewed as the
"firstfruits" or the foundational archetype of the Gentile world
recognizing the absolute sovereignty of YHVH.
Scholars link his early "Yahwism" and Moses's
relationship with his flock to the famous Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 60,
which details the global reality of the Acharit HaYamim:
"A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young
camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall
bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news of the praises of
Yahweh." (Isaiah 60:6)
·
Wikipedia - The oldest poetic fragments
preserved in the Hebrew Bible do not depict Yahweh as a deity native to
Jerusalem or Canaan. Instead, they consistently describe Him marching out of
the southern deserts where Jethro lived: Deuteronomy 33:2: "Yahweh
came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from
Mount Paran..."
·
Judges 5:4–5: "Yahweh, when you
went out from Seir, when you marched from the region of Edom..."
·
Habakkuk 3:3: "Eloah came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran."
These archaic texts capture a cultural memory that
Yahweh's original "dwelling place" was from the vast southern
wilderness surrounding mount Sinai.
When Moses leads Israel out of Egypt and returns to Mount
Horeb, Jethro goes out to meet them. In Exodus 18:10–12 - Jethro declares, "Now I know that YHVH
is greater than all gods!" Jethro then brings a burnt offering and
sacrifices to YHVH. Crucially, Jethro hosts the sacrificial meal, and Aaron and
the elders of Israel come to eat bread with Moses's father-in-law "before YHVH."
Exo 3:2 And the Messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a
flame of fire from the midst of a bush. And he looked and saw the bush burning
with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
‘’When we overlay Revelation 12:1 with Exodus
3:2, we bring together two of the most visually stunning and structurally
parallel symbols in the entire Bible: The Burning Bush and The Cosmic
Woman.’’ (very significant global event)
Both passages bring to light YHVH’s redemptive journey
for mankind. When read together, Revelation 12:1 acts as the cosmic, heavenly
equivalent of what Moses witnessed locally at the foot of Mount Horeb aka Mount
Sinai.
‘’Cosmic - From Greek kosmikos- Immensely large or vast
in extent, degree, or importance (often used figuratively). Example: a cosmic
event, cosmic significance, a mistake of cosmic proportions.’’
Rev
12:1 And a
great sign was seen in the heaven: a woman clad with the sun, with the moon
under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
The "Cosmic Woman" of Revelation 12:1 is
one of the most vivid and heavily debated figures in biblical prophecy.
The text describes her as "a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars" (Revelation 12:1). Because she is explicitly introduced as a
"great sign in heaven," biblical scholars agree her identity is
highly symbolic.
In both cases, the fire and the sun represent the
intense esteem and Set Apartness of YHVH being revealed to set free a set apart
people.
‘’Classical rabbinic commentaries on Exodus 3:2 offer a
deep psychological reason for why YHVH chose a thorny bush instead of a grand
cedar tree. Rashi and the Midrash explain that the thorny bush represents Israel
trapped in the agonizing pain of Egyptian slavery. YHVH was telling Moses: "I
am right here in the thorns of suffering with them."
Revelation 12:1 elevates this exact imagery to a cosmic
scale:
·
The Woman is "clothed with the sun"
but she is also "crying out in birth pangs and the agony of
delivery" (Rev 12:2).
·
Just as the Burning Bush represents Israel
surviving the physical furnace of Egypt, the Cosmic Woman represents Israel
surviving the hatred of the nations to bring forth the Messiah.
·
Both symbols scream the same message to the
enemy: You cannot burn out or extinguish what YHVH has set ablaze in the
hearts of a remnant set apart people.
In the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament
(the Septuagint), the words used for Moses's "Great Sign" match the
linguistic weight of John's "Great Sign" (Semeion Mega).
Scribes note that these are not casual observations; they are apocalyptic
visual disruptions.’’
An encounter with YHVH like no other.
In the Acharit HaYamim (the End of Days), the
celestial description of the Woman in Revelation 12:1 comes directly from Joseph's
prophetic dream in Genesis 37:9 (the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing to
him.
By dressing the Woman in the sun and stars, Revelation
12:1 signals that the finality of Israel's timeline has arrived’’
In biblical scholarship and theology, the
"cosmic" woman of Revelation 12 is not a single historical
individual, but rather a corporate symbol representing the Covenant
Community of YHVH.
Exo 3:3 And Mosheh said, “Let me turn aside now,
and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
Why does YHVH use a burning thorn (Heb ‘’seneh’’) bush to
get Moses attention?
Whenever one encounter thorns in the scripture, they are usually
associated with pain, suffering and curses. YHVH deliberately chose a symbol of
the curse to reveal His presence.
The Original Curse: Thorns first appear in Genesis
3:18 as a direct consequence of sin, symbolizing a broken world, hard labour,
and frustration.
Divine
Judgment: Prophets frequently use thorns and briers to describe desolation,
abandoned lands, and spiritual rebellion (e.g., Isaiah 5:6, Hosea 10:8).
Pain and
Affliction: Thorns represent physical or psychological torment, such as
Paul’s "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7) or the mocking crown
of thorns forced onto Jesus.
The burning bush
By appearing in a lowly thornbush (seneh), YHVH
assures mankind that He does not stand outside and passively watch mankind’s
suffering – YHVH is visually demonstrating and assuring us that He Himself is
with His people in the midst of the fire of that curse, that has caused untold
pain and suffering and visually demonstrates that His Word and His people will
not be consumed and destroyed by the consequences of their sin forever. YHVH
the Creator of the universe and everything in it chose to come and dwell with
man in a ‘’burning thorn bush’’ in a place called Horeb which literary means
desolation – this one the most desolate places on earth – assuring us of our eventual
eternal deliverance.
Rom
8:28 And we know that all matters work together for good to those
who love Elohim, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Rom
8:29 Because those whom He knew beforehand, He also ordained
beforehand to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, for Him to be the
first-born among many brothers.
‘’Romans 8:28 does not mean painful events are secretly
blessings in disguise. It means YHVH captures the "thorns" of
life—grief, captivity, and brokenness—and forces them to yield a good outcome.
He will eventually destroy all pain and suffering and the evil forces operating
in darkness caused by men’s epic fall into sin.’’ Because vs 29 – it is
this process that conforms us into the image of Messiah.
Joh
3:36 “He who believes in the Son possesses everlasting life, but he who
does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim remains on
him.”
Biblical scholars widely agree that the wrath of
Elohim remains on a disobedient person only as long as they persist in their
unbelief and disobedience. The text states that wrath "remains"
or "abides" because condemnation is the default human state; however,
this state is completely reversed the moment a person embraces the Messiah’s
mission – to walk in perfect obedience to His Father.
Joh
10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to slaughter, and to
destroy. I have come that they might possess life, and that they might possess
it beyond measure.
Joh
10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for
the sheep.
Joh
3:36 “He who believes in the Son possesses everlasting life, but he who
does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim remains on
him.” (until he repents)
The "Abiding" is Conditional: Renowned
Greek grammarians and commentators, note that the Greek verb for
"remains" (menei) is in the present tense. It describes a
current, ongoing reality for the believer who continually disobeys the ‘’real’’
Messiah. (addressed to believers 2 Cor 11:4)
The Descent into Sheol (1 Peter 3:18–20 & 4:6):
These verses state that Yahshua went and "proclaimed to the spirits in
prison" and that "the good news was preached even to those who are
now dead." Scholars like Matthew Emerson note that Yahshua’s entry into
Sheol was a declaration of victory; post-mortem scholars (Latin for "after
death") argue this proves that the dead are conscious, capable of hearing
the truth, and able to respond - many prominent theologians in the Early
Church believed in post-mortem evangelism and post-mortem salvation.
Sheol vs. Hell: Critical scholars like Bart Ehrman
point out that the Hebrew Bible's concept of Sheol is vastly different
from the modern concept of an unchangeable, eternal hell. Because Sheol is
temporary and awaiting a final resurrection, it represents a fluid,
intermediate state rather than a final, locked door.
To keep this in balanced perspective, the majority of
traditional, evangelical, and Catholic scholars reject this view. They point to
texts like Hebrews 9:27 ("it is appointed for man to die once, and
after that comes judgment") and the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
(Luke 16), which explicitly describes a "great chasm fixed" in
Hades preventing anyone from crossing over or changing their status after death
Exo 3:4 And יהוה saw that he turned
aside to see, and Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said,
“Mosheh! Mosheh!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Exo 3:5 And He said, “Do not come near here. Take
your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is
set-apart ground.”
Renouncing Personal Ownership: In the ancient Near
East, shoes were symbols of property rights, legal claims, and territory. By
removing their sandals, both Moses and Joshua were legally and symbolically
declaring: "This land is not mine, my life is not my own territory, and
I renounce my own rights in Your presence’’
The Tabernacle was the localized dwelling place of the Shekinah—the
literal, fiery presence of YHVH on earth. Just as Moses at the burning bush
(Exodus 3:5) and Joshua at Jericho (Joshua 5:15) had to remove their shoes
because the ground was set apart, the entire Tabernacle courtyard and sanctuary
were permanently classified as set apart ground. To step onto this consecrated
earth with shoes would defile the Set apart space
Crossing a threshold – Levitical Priests always performed
their duties inside the Tabernacle completely barefoot. ‘’You are now in my space
before My Face – remove your sandals!’’
“Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for
the place on which you are standing is set apart ground,” (3:5). But what
exactly does “set apart” mean? It does not mean what the
average man-on-the-street thinks it means. Far too many wrongly equate set
apartness with morality, so that a “set apart woman” is a morally upright
lady—even a “holier than thou”, as we say. Set apartness is not something
achieved but received. To be set apart means to be especially claimed by YHVH
as his very own, brought into contact with Himself through His covenant –
summarised in the 10 sayings. Thus, the Set apart people of YHVH are a people,
chosen by Him – a people for a possession –
1Pe
2:9 Maar
julle is ‘n uitverkore geslag, ‘n koninklike priesterdom, ‘n heilige volk, ‘n
volk as eiendom verkry, om te verkondig die deugde (Eng – virtues) van Hom wat
julle uit die duisternis geroep het tot sy wonderbare lig,
1Pe
2:10 julle wat vroeër geen volk was nie, maar nou die volk van God is;
aan wie toe geen barmhartigheid bewys is nie, maar nou bewys is.
1Pe
2:9 But you
are a chosen race,b Deu_10:15 a royal priesthood,c Isa_61:6
a set-apart nation,d Exo_19:6 a people for a possession,e Isa_43:2
that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into
His marvellous light, Footnotes: bAlso see Isa_43:20. cAlso see Isa_66:21.
dAlso see Deu_7:6. eAlso see Exo_19:5, Tit_2:14.
1Pe
2:10 who once were not a people,f but now the people of Elohim;f
who had not obtained compassion,f but now obtained compassion.f Hos_1:9-10,
Hos_2:23. Footnote: fAlso see Isa_65:1, Hos_1:9, Isa_63:16,
Isa_64:8, Rom_9:25-26.
Exo 3:6 And He said, “I am the Elohim of your
father, the Elohim of Aḇraham,
the Elohim of Yitsḥaq,
and the Elohim of Ya‛aqoḇ.”
And Mosheh hid his face, for he was afraid to look at Elohim.
Exo 3:7 And יהוה said, “I have indeed
seen the oppression of My people who are in Mitsrayim, and have heard their cry
because of their slave-drivers, for I know their sorrows.
Exo 3:8 “And I have come down to deliver them from
the hand of the Mitsrites, and to bring them up from that land to a good and
spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the
Kena‛anites and the Ḥittites
and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites
and the Yeḇusites.
Exo 3:9 “And now, see, the cry of the children of
Yisra’ěl has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the
Mitsrites oppress them.
Exo 3:10 “And now, come, I am sending you to
Pharaoh, to bring My people, the children of Yisra’ěl, out of Mitsrayim.”
Exo 3:11 And Mosheh said to Elohim, “Who am I that
I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Yisra’ěl out of
Mitsrayim?”
Exo 3:12 And He said, “Because I am with you. And
this is to you the sign that I have sent you: When you have brought the people
out of Mitsrayim, you are to serve Elohim on this mountain.”
Exo 3:13 And Mosheh said to Elohim, “See, when I
come to the children of Yisra’ěl and say to them, ‘The Elohim of your fathers
has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His Name?’ what shall I say
to them?”
Exo 3:14 And Elohim said to Mosheh, “I am that
which I am.”a And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra’ěl, ‘I
am has sent me to you.’” Footnote: aThe Heḇrew
text reads: ’eheyeh ’asher ’eheyeh, the word ’eheyeh being
derived from hayah which means to be, to exist, but the Aramaic
text here in v. 14 reads: ayah ashar ayah.
Exo 3:15 And Elohim said further to Mosheh, “Thus
you are to say to the children of Yisra’ěl, ‘יהוה Elohim of your
fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham,
the Elohim of Yitsḥaq,
and the Elohim of Ya‛aqoḇ,
has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all
generations.’
YHVH is actually saying I will become whatever I need to
become in order to set you free - While
traditional translations render the divine response in Exodus 3:14–15 as "I
AM WHO I AM," a massive consensus of linguistic scholars and Jewish
sages point out that the Hebrew phrase "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh" (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה) is actually written
in the future/imperfect tense.
Literally, it means "I will be what I will
be," or dynamically, "I will become whatever I need to become
in order to rescue you. "Whatever your situation requires Me to be,
that is what I will become to deliver you."
Joh
8:58 יהושע said to them, “Truly, truly,
I say to you, before Aḇraham came to be, I am.
When Yahshua uses the phrase "I AM" (Ego
Emi in Greek), he is directly invoking the dynamic, covenant name from Exodus 3:14–15.
By doing this, Yahshua is not claiming to be YHVH. He is
claiming to be that exact, flexible Savior who becomes whatever YHVH needs
Him to become in order to set us free. Remember Yahshua’s name means ‘’YHVH and
YHVH alone is your salvation and Yahshua will do whatever YHVH requires of him
to make this a reality for His people.’’
Mat
11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto
children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
Mat
11:17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have
mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
Mat
11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a
devil.
Mat
11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man
gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is
justified of her children.
The ultimate proof that Yahshua' "I AM" carries
the liberating power of Exodus happens in the Garden of Gethsemane (John
18:4–6). When the soldiers come to arrest him, Yahshua asks who they are
looking for. They answer, "Yahshua of Nazareth." Yahshua replies
simply: "I AM - Joh
18:6 When, therefore, He said to them, “I am,” they drew back (Gk ‘’dropped’’)
and fell to the ground.
‘’I will become whatever my Father requires me to become
in order to bring salvation to you.’’
Exo 3:16 “Go, and you shall gather the elders of
Yisra’ěl together, and say to them, ‘יהוה Elohim of your
fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham,
of Yitsḥaq, and of Ya‛aqoḇ, appeared to me, saying, “I
have indeed visited you and seen what is done to you in Mitsrayim;
Exo 3:17 and I say: I am bringing you up out of the
affliction of Mitsrayim to the land of the Kena‛anite and the Ḥittite and the Amorite and the
Perizzite and the Ḥiwwite
and the Yeḇusite, to a
land flowing with milk and honey.” ’
Moses (and Yahshua) didn’t keep the encounter of the burning
bush and its implication to themselves they immediately invite the elders who
in turn would invite all fellow Israelites -
Exo 3:18 “And they shall listen to your voice. And
you shall come, you and the elders of Yisra’ěl, to the sovereign of Mitsrayim,
and you shall say to him, ‘יהוה
Elohim of the Hebrews has met with us. And now, please, let us go three days’
journey into the wilderness to slaughter to יהוה our Elohim.’
The three-day journey in Exodus 3:18 is part of a deliberate
"Third Day" pattern that runs through the Old Testament, which the
Apostle Paul noted when he wrote that Yahshua rose "on the third day
according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:4).
Many scholars, view the "three days" as a
prophetic blueprint for human history based on the principle that "with
YHVH one day is as a thousand years" (2 Peter 3:8).
This link is most explicitly tied to Hosea 6:2, which mirrors the language of
Exodus: "After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will
raise us up, that we may live in his presence.
Exo 3:19 “But I know that the sovereign of
Mitsrayim is not going to let you go, not even by a strong hand.
Pharoah – (anti christ) rejects this mission to set the
captives free and will have to be persuaded and eventually destroyed. As long
as we are disobedient, we are in bondage – yes, satan is defeated but still has
a legal stronghold over us as long as we are walking in any form of
disobedience.
Exo 3:20 “And I shall stretch out My hand and
strike Mitsrayim with all My wonders which I shall do in its midst. And after
that he shall let you go.
Exo 3:21 “And I shall give this people favour in
the eyes of the Mitsrites. And it shall be, that when you go, you shall not go
empty-handed.
Exo 3:22 “But every woman shall ask from her
neighbour and from the stranger in her house, objects of silver, and objects of
gold, and garments. And you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters,
and shall plunder the Mitsrites.”
Zec
14:14 And Yehuḏah shall fight at Yerushalayim as well. And the wealth of all the
nations round about shall be gathered together: gold, and silver, and garments
in great quantities. b
Funding the Millennial Temple: In Exodus, the
gold, silver, and garments plundered from Egypt were eventually used by the
Israelites to build and beautify YHVH's Tabernacle in the wilderness. Scholars
apply this to the final days of the Tribulation/beginning of the Millennium,
where the reclaimed wealth of the wicked is brought in by the surviving saints
to establish and fund the Millennial Temple and Kingdom reign of Yahshua.
Moses Given Powerful Signs
Exo 4:1 And Mosheh answered and said, “And if they
do not believe me, nor listen to my voice, and say, ‘יהוה has not appeared to
you?’”
YHVH will create plagues and judgments to set His people
free – Book of Revelation.
Exo 4:2 And יהוה said to him, “What is
that in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.”
‘’a rod’’ not an army – a rod is like a word from the
Creator and Ruler of Heaven and earth.
‘’Rod’’ in Hebrew ‘’maṭṭeh’’ also means ‘’a tribe’’ -
Exo 4:3 And He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So,
he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent. And Mosheh fled from
it.
Exo 4:4 And יהוה said to Mosheh,
“Reach out your hand and seize it by the tail” – so he reached out his hand and
took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand –
Exo 4:5 so that they believe that יהוה Elohim of their
fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham,
the Elohim of Yitsḥaq,
and the Elohim of Ya‛aqoḇ,
has appeared to you.”
Exo 4:6 And יהוה said to him again,
“Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when
he took it out, and see, his hand was leprous, like snow.
Exo 4:7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom
again.” So, he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom,
and see, it was restored like his other flesh.
Exo 4:8 “And it shall be, if they do not believe
you, nor listen to the voice of the first sign, they shall believe the voice of
the latter sign.
Exo 4:9 “And it shall be, if they do not believe
even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from
the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the
river shall become blood on the dry land.”
According to biblical scholars and ancient sages, the
three signs given to Moses in Exodus 4:1–9—the rod turning into a serpent, the
hand becoming leprous, and the Nile turning into blood—were highly strategic.
They were not random magic tricks. They were targeted deconstructions
of Egyptian power, prophetic descriptions of Israel's current condition, and
proofs of YHVH's absolute authority over life, death, and nature.
Targeting Pharaoh’s Crown: Pharaoh's ultimate
symbol of divine sovereignty and power was the Uraeus—the golden rearing
cobra worn directly on his crown. It represented his ability to strike down his
enemies instantly.
By turning a common shepherd's staff into a serpent and
commanding Moses to grab it by the tail (the most dangerous way to
handle a snake), YHVH showed that the terrifying power of Egypt was completely
under divine control. When Moses grabbed it, the living terror turned right
back into a rigid piece of wood. YHVH was declaring: "The cobra on
Pharaoh's crown is nothing but a stick in My hand."
The Hand Becoming Leprous (Exodus 4:6–7) - The Mirror
of Israel's Condition: Leprosy in the ancient world was a death sentence.
It represented defilement, isolation, and rotting away while still alive. Sages
note that this mirrored Israel’s condition in Egypt: they were a degraded,
unclean nation of slaves dying under oppression.
By putting his hand back into his cloak and pulling it
out completely healed, YHVH proved His power over life, death, and human
identity. He was showing Moses: "I can take a nation that is dead
and rotting, place them in My bosom, and bring them out completely white, pure,
and restored."
The Nile Turning into Blood (Exodus 4:9) - Targeting
Egypt’s Economic and Spiritual Lifeline: The Nile River was not just water
to the Egyptians; it was worshipped as a god (Hapi) and was the literal source
of all their food, wealth, and survival. It was a declaration that Egypt's
economy was built on bloodshed and that YHVH was about to judge their ultimate
source of life.
Exo 4:10 And Mosheh said to יהוה, “O יהוה, I am not a man of
words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow
of speech and slow of tongue.”
Exo 4:11 And יהוה said to him, “Who has
made man’s mouth? Or who makes dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I,
יהוה?
Exo 4:12 “And now, go, and I shall be with your
mouth and teach you what to say.”
Exo 4:13 But he said, “O יהוה, please send by the
hand of him whom You would send.”
Exo 4:14 And the displeasure of יהוה burned against
Mosheh, and He said, “Is not Aharon the Lěwite your brother? I know that he
speaks well. And see, he is also coming out to meet you. And when he sees you,
he shall be glad in his heart.
YHVH is telling Moses: "Your slow tongue is not a
mistake or a defect that ruins My plan; it was deliberately engineered by Me
for this exact moment so that when Egypt falls, the honour goes to Me, not your
eloquence."
"Send Someone Else" (v. 13) - Scholars point
out that Moses’ previous objections weren't actually humble concerns about his
speech—they were a smokescreen for his fear and unwillingness to go. By telling
YHVH to "find someone else," Moses is attempting to resign from a
divine appointment.
The text notes that "the anger of the YHVH was
kindled against Moses." This is the first time in the Exodus narrative
that YHVH exhibits wrath toward His chosen leader.
Moses represents the brokenness of the human
instrument—even the greatest prophet of the Old Testament hit a wall of fear
and sparked YHVH's anger. Yahshua represents the perfect Prophet. He felt the
weight of a far greater Exodus (saving humanity from sin and death), sweated
drops of blood under the pressure, yet stood up from the dirt of Gethsemane and
walked toward the cross completely voluntary.
The 144,000 do not debate like Moses, nor do they
hesitate. Because they are sealed with the Name of the Father on their
foreheads (Revelation 14:1), they move in perfect sync with the Lamb. Wherever
He steps, they step—even if it is into a crucible of persecution.
The 144,000 demonstrate what happens when the dynamic
name of Exodus 3:14 ("I will become whatever you need Me to be")
is fully realized in a believer.
Scholars emphasize that while the 144,000 are explicitly
protected from physical death, they will face extreme opposition, targeted
persecution, and violent attempts on their lives
They are sealed
precisely because they are being drafted as an army to endure the fiercest
spiritual conflict in human history. (See Parashat Matot not one soldier dies)
In Revelation 14:12—immediately following a description
of the 144,000—the text notes, "Here is the patience [or endurance] of
the saints." If they were insulated from stress or attacks,
"endurance" would not be required.
Exo 4:15 “And you shall speak to him and put the
words in his mouth. And I am with your mouth and with his mouth, and I shall
teach you what to do.
Exo 4:16 “And he shall speak for you to the people.
And it shall be that he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be an elohima
for him. Footnote: aOr mighty one.
Exo 4:17 “And take this rod in your hand, with
which you shall do the signs.”
Luk
12:11 “And when they bring you to the congregations and rulers and
authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you
should say,
Luk
12:12 for the Set-apart Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what you
should say.”
Blessed
are you YHVH, 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 – Amein.