Parashat 18 Portion 60 Mishpatim – Shemot/Ex 21:1-22:24 Yerm 34:1-14 1Cor 6:9-11

Perhaps the greatest challenge that continues to face human beings on earth is that YHVH’s ways are higher than our ways.

    Isa 55:8  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares יהוה.

     Isa 55:9  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Isa 55:10  “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from the heavens, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

Isa 55:11  so is My Word that goes forth from My mouth – it does not return to Me empty, but shall do what I please, and shall certainly accomplish what I sent it for.

This Torah portion is about YHVH’s “ways” His “Halacha” – when human beings ignore or confuse YHVH’s Ways – His Right Rulings – His Torah – His Messiah, they do so with extremely serious consequences. The present condition of humanity is the inescapable evidence of this reality.

The most perilous (dangerous) decision we can make as human beings is to honour the ways of religious men above the ways of YHVH.

Our Torah Portion –

Right-rulings or “Mishpatim.” This Hebrew word comes from the root “shaphat” which means to judge and by implication to vindicate or punish and by extension to govern.

We could also say this is the way the Kingdom of Elohim operates. We seek first His Kingdom and everything else will fall into place (Mat 6:33).

Exo 21:1  “These are the right-rulings which you are to set before them:  

See Mt 5:17-19

Exo 21:2  “When you buy a Hebrew servant, he serves six years, and in the seventh he goes out free, for naught.

Exo 21:3  “If he comes in by himself, he goes out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.

Exo 21:4  “If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children are her master’s, and he goes out by himself.

Exo 21:5  “And if the servant truly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children, let me not go out free,’

Exo 21:6  then his master shall bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl. And he shall serve him forever.

Only a freeman (one whose debt has been paid in full) could become a bondservant, the Hebrew slave (ivri eved) could only become a bondservant after 6 years. Yahshua was free because he had no sin, no debt to pay off, yet Yahshua very kindly paid our debt and chose to remain in a position of servitude to His Master forever and ever so that we could remain part of His household forever and ever.

Isa 50:5  The Master יהוה has opened My ear, and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.

Isa 50:6  I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard, I did not hide My face from humiliation and spitting.

The Hebrew verb for “opened” has a more intense form which means to carve or engrave. This reminds us of the ritual of “opening” the ear of a bondservant with an awl against the door post.

Yahshua will bear in his body the scars of the covenant he entered into, on our behalf forever.

The gematria (numerical worth) of Mashiach and Hebrew slave is 358.

(mem,shin,yud,chet = Messiah and ayin,veit,reish,yud – ayin,veit,daleth = Ivri eved or Hebrew slave)

Quote on Hebrew Slavery - Prof. Dov Landau.

“How can it be that the Torah, YHVH's perfect book of Law – of perfect freedom - did not take into account that in our day slavery would be considered morally reprehensible?

Indeed, the gemara in Tractate Kiddushin 15a says:

A hired laborer only works during the day; a Hebrew bondsman works day or night. [On this the gemara asks:] But is it conceivable that a Hebrew bondsman should work day or night? After all, it is said (Deut. 15:16): "he...is happy with you" - eating with you, drinking with you, and enjoying shelter with you.

For the next four pages the gemara sets forth all the protections due to a Hebrew bondsman, such as: he should not be made to work as a slave; his master must provide sustenance for his wife and children; the bondsman is released after the sixth year and in the jubilee year with a grant from his master; he may even redeem himself, etc., so that in the end he essentially is removed from the class of a slave and is no less than a resident hired worker. Moreover, a Hebrew slave is like a master, for the gemara (Kiddushin 20a) interprets the verse, "he... is happy with you" as follows:

Eating with you and drinking with you, for you are not to eat fresh bread while he eats stale mouldy bread, you drink aged wine while he drinks young wine, you bed down on feathers while he on hay. Hence it is said that whoever buys himself a Hebrew bondsman (i.e. slave) is as if he bought himself a master.

Abarbanel looked for the lesson to be learned from the juxtaposition between the Ten Commandments at the end of Parashat Yitro and the passage on Hebrew slaves at the beginning of this week's reading. He further developed the Sages' interpretation that the conjunction "And" appearing in the Hebrew as the first letter in Mishpatim, appended to the words, "These are the rules," means that the text which follows should be seen as adding to what preceded (i.e., to the first commandment, which says "who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage," Ex. 20:2). Abarbanel felt that the juxtaposition taught that by taking the Israelites out of bondage YHVH acquired them as His very own, as indicated by the Midrash on the words, "The children of Israel are My servants," (Lev. 25:58) "and not servants of servants". This idea was further developed by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in his commentary on this text. He adds that a Hebrew slave was not something encountered every day. Jewish courts did not sell a person, and a person would not sell himself except in the most dire of circumstances. Accordingly, even the situation of a "slave who is not a slave" came about only in the most rare of circumstances. Even in the extreme case of a thief sold for his theft it is said: "He shall remain with you as a hired or bound laborer" (Lev. 25:40), and we are taught that "you may not change his trade," that is, he must continue doing the skills he learned and may not be forced to do menial tasks.

We conclude with a quote from Rabbi Wolf:

Rather, the Torah left slavery in and of itself in existence, but improved the condition of the slave to the extent that the land of Israel would in any case become a paradise for slaves. The life and health of the Canaanite slave are well protected (vv. 20-21, 26-27). A weekly day of rest is assured him (Deut. 5:14). Slaves from other lands would flee to the land of Israel, to find refuge and be decently treated there, and in the fullness of time this situation would force slave owners in other countries to improve the lot of their slaves, so that in the end it would be recognized that a human being is not chattel and slavery would end of its own accord.

It must not be forgotten that in these matters the Torah does not permit any agreements to turn over slaves, for it says: "You shall not turn over to his master a slave who seeks refuge with you from his master" (Deut. 23:16). Even in our time, with the enlightened progress in morality of the third millennium, we have not yet reached this level. For all our progressive approaches, we are not capable of changing the mistaken conceptions to which we have become accustomed. Even the word 'slave' we are not capable of interpreting in its historic context, but give it anachronistic connotations in line with our modern-primitive conceptions.

Perhaps we would do better to learn our modern humane ideas precisely from the words of our ancient Torah?” End of quote.

It is was from this deep spiritual understanding of bondservants that the talmadim -  the messengers of our master Yahshua referred to themselves as bondservants.

The Greek word “doulos” means a “bond servant.” Rom 1:1; Gal1:10; Col4:12; Tit 1:1; James 1:1;  2 Pet1:1; Jude 1:1

Exo 21:7  “And when a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she does not go out as the male servants do.

A female slave was to be treated the way her own father would have treated her.

See Stones Chumash page 419 – “Sale of a daughter”

Exo 21:8  “If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who has engaged her to himself, then he shall let her be ransomed. He shall have no authority to sell her to a foreign people, because of him deceiving her.

ח  אִם-רָעָה בְּעֵינֵי אֲדֹנֶיהָ, אֲשֶׁר-לא (לוֹ) יְעָדָהּ--וְהֶפְדָּהּ:  לְעַם נָכְרִי לֹא-יִמְשֹׁל לְמָכְרָהּ, בְּבִגְדוֹ-בָהּ.

8 If there is evil in the eyes of her master’s (an evil eye meant a man was not generous) which not (ie her masters did not designate her for marriage)  or allow her to be ransomed by a foreign people which would be a wrong ruling(“mashal” to rule or have dominion over) to sell her – this would be treacherous of him towards her.

Mat 6:22  “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good (you are generous), all your body shall be enlightened.

Mat 6:23  “But if your eye is evil,¹ (you are stingy) all your body shall be darkened. If, then, the light that is within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Footnote: ¹This is a Heḇrew idiom – a good eye means to be generous, while an evil eye means to be stingy.

Parashat 17 Portion 59 Yitro “his excellence” – Shemot/Ex 18:1-20:26 Yesh 61:1-6 Luke 4:16-30

It remains a great source of amazement to the ancient and modern Jewish sages how the most important Torah portion in the Torah – The Mattan Ha Torah – “The giving of the Torah” could be named after the gentile – Yithro.

This Torah portion reminds us once again that righteous gentiles have always and could again play a critical role to cause the Torah to flourish again among Jews and non- Jews  – may it be His will in our time for this to happen – Rom 11:14.

The name Yithro comes from a root word “yeter” (S3499) ”which can also mean “remnant.” Will there be a Torah observant “ex-gentile” remnant in the last days that together with a revived Jewish remnant, usher in the Messianic Torah reign and bring “tikkun” restoration to all the earth?

Listen carefully to the following prophetic word given to us from the Torah:

It is said of Yithro in Bamidbar 10:29-31 reads, “And Moshe said … We are journeying to the place about which YHVH said, I will give it you; come with us, and we will do you good … And he [Yitro] said to him, I will not go; but I will depart to my own land, and to my kindred. And he [Moshe] said, Leave us not, I pray you; for you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, והיית לנו לעינים and you may be to us instead of eyes.”

Rashi (Bamidbar Numbers10:31) reads, “You will be our guide … Another explanation: [the passuk is in] the future tense—If anything should be hidden from our eyes, you shall enlighten us.

Torah Readings:

 

1. 18:1-12
2. 18:13-23
3. 18:24-27
4. 19:1-6
5. 19:7-13 (Sefardim); 19:7-19 (Ashkenazim)
6. 19:14-19 (S); 19:20 – 20:17 (v. 14 Heb.) (A)
7. 19:20- 20:17 (v. 14 Heb.) (S); 20:18-21 (15-18 Heb.) (A)
8. Maftir: 20:24-26 (21-23 Heb.) (S); 20:22-26 (19-23 Heb.) (A)

 

Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sefardim); 6:1 – 7:6; 9:6-7 (5-6 Heb.) (Ashkenazim)

Aliyah Rishon 18:1-12

Exo 18:1  And Yithro, the priest of Miḏyan, Mosheh’s father-in-law, heard of all that Elohim had done for Mosheh and for Yisra’ĕl His people, that יהוה had brought Yisra’ĕl out of Mitsrayim.

It is well documented that Yitro was a Kenite. Kenites were descendants of Cain. They were willing to associate and help the children of Yisrael. Sadly their history is seldom spoken of. Some interesting research has been done in this regard. Below is a quote from a book written by a scholar who believes there was a believing remnant from the descendants of Cain that remained true to the One Elohim of Yisrael. This remnant can be traced to the Rechabites that still exist in places today.

The Kenite Hypothesis, which is based on clear teachings of the Bible, states that the ancient Hebrews did not know Elohim by the name YHVH (The four-letter Hebrew name of the Eternal One) until the time of the Exodus. This name is often translated as "the LORD" in Bibles. In the Kenite Hypothesis, it was the Kenites who first worshiped YHVH. Moses sojourned among the Kenites and among them he received the revelation that the Elohim of the Kenites, YHVH the same Elohim worshiped by his forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by a different name, that of El Shadday, meaning "Elohim Almighty." – Shemot/Ex 6:3 –“ Va yera

http://aramaicherald.blogspot.co.za/2011/10/secret-of-jabezthe-mystery-of-kenite.html

Here in lies a profound message there has always been a faithful priesthood who have been partakers of the Abrahamic covenant that come from outside the nation of Yisrael. These have been willingly grafted into the Hebrew roots of the faith and have become citizens of the commonwealth of Yisrael.

Exo 18:2  And Yithro, Mosheh’s father-in-law, took Tsipporah, the wife of Mosheh – after he had sent her back,

Commentary: N Lawrence

18:2–3, There is indication here that Moses divorced his wife after their altercation over the circumcision of their sons in 4:24–26. The phrase sent away/back in verse two is shilluach/ (shin-lamed-lamed-vav-chet, shil-loo’-akh), which according to Strong’s and Gesenius can refer to divorce. Shilluach is from shalakh/ (shin-lamed-chet), a basic verb meaning “to send” (note passive participle ie an action which was done to her ie she received her marching orders) where in Isaiah 50:1 and Jeremiah 3:1 the prophets use it referring to YHVH’s divorce from the House of Israel/Ephraim. Though rabbinical commentators Rashi and Hirsch fail to note the possibility of Moses’ divorce (Jewish Torah commentators tend to gloss over the faults of their great  heroes), Baal HaTurim notes this possibility in his commentary. Yet in Exodus18:2, YHVH still views Zipporah as Moses’ wife. What’s going on here? Zipporah seems to have evidenced reluctance at obeying YHVH’s command to circumcise their sons (4:25), so did Moses put her away (divorce her), as a result? Was Moses, the human “savior” of Israel from Egypt and an antetype (prophetic forerunner) of Yeshua the Messianic Savior (Deut 18:15–19), having to deal with a rebellious wife even as Yeshua  had to deal with his rebellious wife Israel and eventually had to put her away? “Perhaps we see in this week’s and next week’s Torah portion how Moshe takes her back. We read in Numbers 12:1 how Moshe took another wife (Kushite woman)”

In next week’s Torah portion –“ Mishphatim” - Exo 21:10  “If he takes another wife, her food, her covering, and her marriage rights are not to be diminished.

Maybe there is a prophetic reference here to the gentile part of the Bride of Messiah.

Parashat 16 Portion 58 Shemot/Ex 16:25 – 17:16 Yesh 58:13-14 Mark 2:27-28

     The Haftarah portion: Isa 58:13  “If you do turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My set-apart day, and shall call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ the set-apart day of יהוה ‘esteemed,’ and shall esteem it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,

     Isa 58:14  then you shall delight yourself in יהוה. And I shall cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and feed you with the inheritance of Yaʽaqoḇ your father. For the mouth of יהוה has spoken!”
“    Nor finding thine own pleasure - The Chaldee renders this, 'And shalt not provide on that day those things which are necessary for thee.'

     Nor speaking thine own words - Lowth and Noyes render this, 'From speaking vain words.' The Septuagint, 'Nor utter a word in anger from thy mouth.' The Chaldee renders it: 

'Words of violence.' It is necessary to add some epithet to make out the sense, as the Hebrew is literally, 'and to speak a word.' Probably our common translation has expressed the true sense, as in the previous members of the verse the phrase 'thine own' thrice occurs. And according to this, the sense is, that on the Sabbath our conversation is to be such as becomes a day which belongs to YHVH. It is not less important that our conversation should be right on the Sabbath than it is that our conduct should be.”

יג  אִם-תָּשִׁיב מִשַּׁבָּת רַגְלֶךָ, עֲשׂוֹת חֲפָצֶךָ בְּיוֹם קָדְשִׁי; וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג, לִקְדוֹשׁ יְהוָה מְכֻבָּד, וְכִבַּדְתּוֹ מֵעֲשׂוֹת דְּרָכֶיךָ, מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר.

13 If thou turn away thy foot because of the sabbath, from doing (creating) your own pleasure on My Set Apart day; and call the sabbath a delight, and  Set Apart of YHVH honourable; and shalt honour it, (more than)  (from)doing thy  ways, pursuing thy pleasure,  speaking a word (possibly creating something with your words that was not yet created, speaking something into existence that was not there before eg a business deal)

This interpretation of the verse seems to suggest various options of how we can and should understand the verse. It may even appear that YHVH has allowed room for interpretation to test us as to how we would make rulings (halachot) on the Sabbath. The rabbi’s have sadly placed so many “fences” around the Shabbat that has robbed many believers of the joy of celebrating the Shabbat.

Yet keeping the Sabbath the way YHVH intended is a sign (ot) for those who are part of the bride of Messiah.

Exo 31:13  “And you, speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘My Sabbaths you are to guard, by all means, for it is a sign¹ between Me and you throughout your generations, to know that I, יהוה, am setting you apart. Footnote: ¹The only sign of יהוה setting us apart, the only sign of the everlasting covenant, is His Sabbaths, one of them being the seventh day Sabbath. This is repeated in Ezek. 20:12 & 20.

We were meant to enjoy what YHVH had already created and given to us on the Sabbath. We can reflect and enjoy His goodness and His creation on the Sabbath. We must involve ourselves with activities that would be more pleasing to YHVH than to us.

Maybe hooking up your boat to go water skiing on a Sabbath is doing your own pleasure. However sitting next to the beach enjoying the left overs of your Sabbath meal (prepared on the sixth day) having fellowship with your loved ones, may be more acceptable to YHVH.

Watching or taking part in sport on the sabbath is possibly not honouring the Sabbath as sportsman are often involved in strenuous activities.

 In all we say and do we must put a difference between this day and other days.

“At the heart of Sabbath-breaking is idolatry, having other gods before YHVH (Ex/Shemot 20:3).  The basic, physical manifestation of idolatry is the worship of idols—graven images, statues, etc.—but its spiritual manifestation is much more subtle and dangerous. It is putting anything above YHVH: money, a job, a house, or even a spouse! If anything becomes more important than YHVH, idolatry is committed. Thus, if in the weekly observance of the Sabbath we do anything that becomes more important to us than our relationship with YHVH, we have broken the Sabbath and committed idolatry. It could be said that idolatry is at the heart of all sin, as our willingness to esteem something higher than YHVH and His way of life causes us to sin.” “Torahlessness”.


Another thought to remember: we cannot set the Shabbat apart. YHVH has already set it apart. All we can do is commemorate (honour) it in such a way as to keep it set apart as Torah states that we must remember it to set it apart. This means we do not let its set apartness or blessing pass us by, but participate in it – we, our sons, our daughters, our servants, our maids, our burden-bearing animals, and even the ‘foreigner’ in our midst.”

“THE SABBATH CONCEPT 
It has been stated that when Yahveh finished creation, His blessings overflowed upon his creatures and upon man.  Man did not have to toil daily for existence, everything was provided.  This was lost through the fall of Adam, but not forever; through redemption and mercy Yahveh will restore it.  This "rest" of Yahweh is the goal creation is destined to reach. The weekly Sabbath was a command for man to see, and experience in a small way, what was lost under the curse of sin ; a restful, peaceful existence to enjoy life and walk humbly with our creator.
Thus, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  Man is not to afflict himself on the weekly Sabbath, he is to enjoy it and the freedom it gives him from having to "go to work to make a living."  His praise and worship is offered up to Yahveh during the set apart assembly (miqra haKodesh) of the day, and he should enjoy the gift of life either alone or with others; such as letting the children play and perhaps playing with them, enjoying music tapes, CDs or playing his own musical instrument, or reading a “set apart” book in his recliner.”

http://www.truthofyahweh.org/sabbath1.html

THE PROBLEM IS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNDERLINE PHRASE BELOW: 
As you have seen, of the many Scriptures we have read commanding us not to work on the weekly Sabbath, none mentions "afflicting your souls" or a prohibition of "doing thine own ways, finding thine own pleasure, or speaking [thine own] words."  The problem is how some define this phrase.  In Isaiah 58, this phrase is referring to unrighteous and unloving behavior toward others.   It is an idiomatic phrase from the Hebrew language. A word to word translation without considering the context of the chapter leads to misunderstanding, which is why some think that the phrase means "having fun" (good clean fun), and that it is to be eliminated on weekly Sabbaths as part of "ye shall afflict your souls," which they also erroneously think refers to the weekly Sabbath.   So, they eliminate playing ball with your son in the back yard, listening to some classical music, asking someone how their family is (non-biblical topic), and taking their daily shower; these are not unrighteous actions that Yahveh wants us to eliminate.
Yes, we should turn away from unrighteous and abusive behavior toward others (as described in chp 58) at all times, not just on one High Day. 
But, let us not make our weekly Sabbaths an incorrectly restrictive day due to the misunderstanding of a few words.  Let us back away from the tree and look at the whole forest (ops an idiom!).  Let us cross check our ideas of what we think one line of verse means, to see if it fits the Sabbath concept.  The weekly Sabbath rest looks forward to the eternal rest, and we will not be continually afflicting ourselves in the eternal rest. “ End quote

For six days all work must be done and on the Seventh Day is the set apart Day of rest. The weekly Shabbat on the Seventh Day (Shabbat) firstly points to the Messianic Kingdom in which Messiah Yahshua will reign as king from Yerushalayim/Jerusalem when the ‘Seventh Day starts’ and Yahshua comes back for his bride, the marriage supper of the Lamb and the thousand years of shalom. Spiritual rest is the prophetic fulfillment of the Scriptural observance of Shabbat. The seventh day (Shabbat) is a wonderful reminder of a coming day set aside for the coming rest in the Messiah. The 1000 year Kingdom of Yahshua will be a beautiful time of shalom and teaching and obeying the Torah as Yahshua Himself will rule and reign on behalf of Father YHVH from Yerushalayim. Then comes the fulfilment of Rev 21 when the ‘Eighth Day’ of eternal rest comes.

Chapter 58 is a chastising of the people by Yahveh, because they are unkind to their fellowman and placing their own interests above those of YHVH. This is sadly not something new and occurs in abundance even in our day.

Exo 16:25  And Mosheh said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to יהוה, today you do not find it in the field.

Exo 16:26  “Gather it six days, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there is none.”

Exo 16:27  And it came to be that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.

Exo 16:28  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “How long shall you refuse to guard My commands and My Torot¹? Footnote: ¹Torot - plural of Torah, teaching.

Exo 16:29  “See, because יהוה has given you the Sabbath, therefore He is giving you bread for two days on the sixth day. Let each one stay in his place, do not let anyone go out of his place on the seventh day.”

YHVH did not want them to go outside to collect manna. This verse does not mean you must stay confined to your house on the Sabbath. What about the coming together of believers on the Sabbath?

Exo 16:30  So the people rested on the seventh day¹. Footnote: The seventh day of the week, the weekly Sabbath, was observed before the Ten Words were given on Mt. Sinai.

Exo 16:31  And the house of Yisra’ĕl called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like thin cakes made with honey.

Exo 16:32  And Mosheh said, “This is the word which יהוה has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to keep for your generations, so that they see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim.’ ”

Exo 16:33  And Mosheh said to Aharon, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and set it down before יהוה, to keep for your generations.”

YHVH assuring them through this remembrance that He would always provide for them.

Exo 16:34  As יהוה commanded Mosheh, so did Aharon set it down before the Witness, to keep.

Exo 16:35  And the children of Yisra’ĕl ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Kenaʽan.

Exo 16:36  And an omer is one-tenth of an ĕphah. (an omer is approx. 2litres)

Exo 17:1  And all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the command of יהוה, and camped in Rephiḏim.(resting places) And there was no water for the people to drink.

Exo 17:2  Therefore the people strove with Mosheh, and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Mosheh said to them, “Why do you strive with me? Why do you try יהוה?”

Exo 17:3  And the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Mosheh, and said, “Why did you bring us out of Mitsrayim, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

The Hebrew word for “grumble” is “lun” Strongs 3885. It also means to “lodge, remain or abide” When we grumble we  just remain in a “wilderness”

Exo 17:4  Then Mosheh cried out to יהוה, saying, “What am I to do with this people? Yet a little and they shall stone me!”

Exo 17:5  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Pass over before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Yisra’ĕl. And take in your hand your rod with which you smote the river, and go.

Exo 17:6  “See, I am standing before you there on the rock in Ḥorĕḇ. And you shall smite the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people shall drink.” And Mosheh did so before the eyes of the elders of Yisra’ĕl.

Exo 17:7  And he called the name of the place Massah and Meriḇah, because of the ‘strife’ of the children of Yisra’ĕl, and because they ‘tried’ יהוה, saying, “Is יהוה in our midst or not?”

This same place would bring great sorrow and disqualification for Moshe. See Ps 106 & Num 20:8-12

Psa 106:32  And they provoked wrath at the waters of Meriḇah, And Mosheh suffered on account of them;

Psa 106:33  Because they embittered his spirit, And he spoke rashly with his lips.

Exo 17:8  And Amalĕq came and fought with Yisra’ĕl in Rephiḏim.

Amalek means “valley dweller” they were descended from Esav. Those who are of Yakov pass through valleys to dwell in the promised land.

Exo 17:9  And Mosheh said to Yehoshua, “Choose for us men and go out, fight with Amalĕq. Tomorrow I am stationing myself on the top of the hill with the rod of Elohim in my hand.”

Exo 17:10  And Yehoshua did as Mosheh said to him, to fight with Amalĕq. And Mosheh, Aharon, and Ḥur went up to the top of the hill.

Exo 17:11  And it came to be, when Mosheh held up his hand, that Yisra’ĕl prevailed. And when he let down his hand, Amalĕq prevailed.

Exo 17:12  But Mosheh’s hands were heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aharon and Ḥur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Exo 17:13  And Yehoshua defeated Amalĕq and his people with the edge of the sword.

Exo 17:14  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Write this for a remembrance in the book and recite it in the hearing of Yehoshua, that I shall completely blot out the remembrance of Amalĕq from under the heavens.”

Exo 17:15  And Mosheh built an altar and called its name, יהוה Nissi,

Exo 17:16  for he said, “Because a hand is on the throne of Yah, יהוה is to fight against Amalĕq, from generation to generation.”

As long as the teaching of Moshe is held up high Esav will not prevail; but when the teaching of Moshe does not prevail as delivered by our Messiah, the descendants of Esav (the church) will prevail.