Parashat 14 Portion 51- Shemot 8:20-9:35 Haftorah: Yesh 34:11-35:4 – Hebrews 12:14-17

Blessing for the Torah Reading:

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,

v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.” 

(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. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)

טז  דִּרְשׁוּ מֵעַל-סֵפֶר יְהוָה, וּקְרָאוּ

Yeshayahu/Isa 34:16  Search from the book of יהוה, and read: (call out) not one of these shall be missing, not one shall be without a mate, for He has commanded my mouth. And His Spirit shall gather them.

We have been given 66 amazing volumes of this book (sefer) but these volumes only have value as they relate and confirm the Torah of Yahveh.

Isa 34:1  Come near, you gentiles, to hear. And listen, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world and all its offspring.

Isa 34:2  For the displeasure of יהוה is against all the gentiles¹, and His wrath against all their divisions. 

He shall put them under the ban, He shall give them 

over to the slaughter, Footnote: ¹See footnote Jer. 30:11.

Yir/Jer 30:11  ‘For I am with you,’ declares יהוה, ‘to save you. Though I make a complete end of all gentiles¹ where I have scattered you, yet I do not make a complete end of you. But I shall reprove you in judgment, and by no means leave you unpunished.’ Footnote: ¹See 46:28, Isa. 34:2, Isa. 45:17, Dan. 2:44, Amos 9:8, Hag. 2:22.

Isa 34:3  and their slain be thrown out, and their stench rise from their corpses. And mountains shall be melted with their blood.

Isa 34:4  And all the host of the heavens shall rot away. And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll, and all their host fade like a leaf fading on the vine, and like the fading one of a fig tree.

Isa 34:5  “For My sword shall be drenched in the heavens. Look, it comes down on Eḏom, and on the people of My curse, for judgment.

Isa 34:8  For it is the day of the vengeance of יהוה, the year of recompense for the cause of Tsiyon.

We are called to strengthen one another as we wait for the day of His salvation:

Isa 35:3  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the weak knees.

Isa 35:4  Say to those with anxious heart, “Be strong, do not fear! See, your Elohim comes with vengeance, with the recompense of Elohim. He is coming to save you.”

Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of יהוה shall return and enter Tsiyon with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

When we survey the plagues of Mitsrayim we see a pattern of three groups of three plagues each and the final plague of the death of the first born.

Interestingly we see a similar pattern in the plagues of the book of Revelation, there are three groups of plagues or destructions coming upon the earth in the form of seals, trumpets and bowls of wrath.

One can midrash and speculate about the similarities. The book of Revelation begins with the letters to the assemblies. It is striking that only the assembly of Philidelphia obtains a good report from our Master because they remained true to the Word or Torah of YHVH. This group will be preserved and protected from the coming tribulation which will come upon the earth. This group paid a price to remain true to YHVH and His Torah.

The next dramatic event in the book of Revelation is finding someone worthy to open the seals which precede the first seven judgments.

Rev 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, having been sealed with seven seals.

Rev 5:2  And I saw a strong messenger proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loosen its seals?”

Rev 5:3  And no one in the heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

Rev 5:4  And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

Rev 5:5  And one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Yehuḏah,¹ the Root of Dawiḏ,² overcame to open the scroll and to loosen its seven seals.” Footnotes: ¹Heb. 7:14 ²Isa. 11:1 & 10.

Perhaps these events happen at the beginning of the great tribulation. In the Shemot account of the plagues in Mitarayim we see that the children of Israel were also included in the first three plagues that came upon the land.

In the last days that for the first time many in the apostate church and others both Jew and Gentile begin to come to their senses. The scroll or the Torah is “opened” and so for the first time so are their “eyes” to recognize that only Yahshua – The Torah in the flesh is able to open the eyes of our understanding to understand the eternal counsel of YHVH.

The following set of judgments -  trumpets – are sent upon those who still refuse to repent and submit to YHVH’s counsel and Kingdom. This second set of plagues could be the subject of this week’s Torah portion.

The third set of plagues -  bowls of wrath – are finally poured out upon those who absolutely refuse to repent with a resulting total destruction of all means and manners of surviving on earth.

The final death of the firstborn possibly refers to the final destruction of a religious priesthood which led everyone astray to idolatry and away from Torah.

Rev 18:1  And after this I saw another messenger coming down from the heaven, having great authority, and the earth was lightened from his esteem.

Rev 18:2  And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Baḇel the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, and a haunt for every unclean and hated bird,

Rev 18:3  because all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her whoring, and the sovereigns of the earth have committed whoring with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the power of her riotous living.”

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from the heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.¹ Footnote: ¹Jer. 51:6 & 45.

Rev 18:5  “Because her sins have piled up to reach the heaven, and Elohim has remembered her unrighteousnesses.

Our Torah portion begins:

Exo 8:20  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Let My people go, so that they serve Me.

Exo 8:21  “Or else, if you do not let My people go, see, I am sending swarms of flies on you and your servants, and on your people and into your houses. And the houses of the Mitsrites shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.

There is much discussion and debate as to exactly the fourth plague was. The Hebrew word used here is “ arov” spelled “ayin, reish, vav) This word can be translated as “swarms” perhaps swarms of all kinds of insects. This Hebrew word is also the word used for “mixture”

Could this possibly be referring to a variety of unclean flying insects (demons) that seek to defile YHVH’s people of all kinds of pagan mixture forms of worship?

Exo 8:22  “And in that day I shall separate (palah) the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, so that you know that I am יהוה in the midst of the land. (You will not become part of the mixture and thus will experience the protection of the Almighty One)

יח  וְהִפְלֵיתִי בַיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת-אֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן, אֲשֶׁר עַמִּי עֹמֵד עָלֶיהָ, לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת-שָׁם, עָרֹב--לְמַעַן תֵּדַע, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ

Exo 8:23  “And I shall put a distinction between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ’ ”

Exo 8:24  And יהוה did so, and thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Mitsrayim, and the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies.

Exo 8:25  Pharaoh then called for Mosheh and Aharon, and said, “Go, slaughter to your Elohim in the land.”

Exo 8:26  And Mosheh said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be slaughtering the abomination of the Mitsrites to יהוה our Elohim. See, if we slaughter the abomination of the Mitsrites before their eyes, would they not stone us?

Exo 8:27  “Let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, then we shall slaughter to יהוה our Elohim, as He commands us.”

Exo 8:28  And Pharaoh said, “I am letting you go, then you shall slaughter to יהוה your Elohim in the wilderness. Only, do not go very far away! Pray for me.”

Exo 8:29  And Mosheh said, “See, when I leave you I shall pray to יהוה, and tomorrow the swarms of flies shall depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But do not let Pharaoh again deceive, not to let the people go to slaughter to יהוה.”

Exo 8:30  And Mosheh went out from Pharaoh and prayed to יהוה.

Exo 8:31  And יהוה did according to the word of Mosheh and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.

Exo 8:32  But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time too, and did not let the people go.

They could not have offered acceptable offering to Elohim in Mitsrayim/Egypt – Acceptable worship to the one and only true Elohim can only be accomplished in the context of obedience. The worship Elohim desires cannot be given in the realm of disobedience.

The sages tell us to live outside the land is like living in idolatry.

Why was it necessary for Yisrael to leave Mitsrayim before they could offer acceptable offering to YHVH?

Because an eternal picture was wrapped in her leaving: redemption and deliverance must precede acceptable worship – only the redeemed are able to worship Elohim in the context of the covenant.

Elohim would take Yisrael for His wife – and give her the marriage covenant – ketubah -  on mount Sinai – This was the sign YHVH promised Moshe was the proof that He had called Yisrael out of Mitsrayim. As long as Israel remained in Mitsrayim  she could not be Elohim’s wife. Worship would be the result of her redemption and not the cause of it.

Thus the remaining plagues serve to separating Yisrael as a distinct people from the Mitsrites/Egyptians.

Exo 8:23  “And I shall put a distinction between My people and your people.

We must also note that offering – laying down our lives – was the key activity associated with worship – why? Because redemption can only be accomplished via offering.

Exo 9:1  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Go in to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus said יהוה Elohim of the Heḇrews, “Let My people go, so that they serve Me.

Exo 9:2  “For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them,

Exo 9:3  see, the hand of יהוה is on your livestock in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the cattle, and on the sheep – a very grievous pestilence.

ג  הִנֵּה יַד-יְהוָה הוֹיָה, בְּמִקְנְךָ אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה, בַּסּוּסִים בַּחֲמֹרִים בַּגְּמַלִּים, בַּבָּקָר וּבַצֹּאן--דֶּבֶר, כָּבֵד מְאֹד.

Exo 9:4  “And יהוה shall separate between the livestock of Yisra’ĕl and the livestock of Mitsrayim, and let no matter die of all that belongs to the children of Yisra’ĕl.” ’ ”

Exo 9:5  And יהוה set an appointed time, saying, “Tomorrow יהוה is going to do this word in the land.”

Exo 9:6  And יהוה did this word on the next day, and all the livestock of Mitsrayim died, but of the livestock of the children of Yisra’ĕl, not one died.

Exo 9:7  Then Pharaoh sent, and see, not even one of the livestock of the Yisra’ĕlites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The kinds of livestock mentioned here were very important for agriculture commerce and even the military (horses).

Exo 9:8  And יהוה said to Mosheh and Aharon, “Fill your hands with ashes from a furnace and let Mosheh scatter it toward the heavens before the eyes of Pharaoh.

Exo 9:9  “And it shall become fine dust in all the land of Mitsrayim, and it shall cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast in all the land of Mitsrayim.”

Exo 9:10  So they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Mosheh scattered them toward the heavens. And they caused boils, breaking out in sores on man and beast.

Exo 9:11  And the magicians were unable to stand before Mosheh because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Mitsrites.

Exo 9:12  But יהוה hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as יהוה had said to Mosheh.

Exo 9:13  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus said יהוה Elohim of the Heḇrews, “Let My people go, so that they serve Me,

Exo 9:14  for at this time I am sending all My plagues unto your heart, and on your servants and on your people, so that you know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

Exo 9:15  “Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.

Exo 9:16  “And for this reason I have raised you up, in order to show you My power, and in order to declare My Name in all the earth.

Exo 9:17  “You still exalt yourself against My people in that you do not let them go!

Exo 9:18  “See, tomorrow about this time I am causing very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Mitsrayim, from the day of its founding until now.

Exo 9:19  “And now send, bring your livestock to safety, and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every beast which is found in the field and is not brought home, and they shall die.” ’ ”

Exo 9:20  Those among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of יהוה made their servants and livestock flee to the houses.

Exo 9:21  But those who did not set their heart on the word of יהוה left their servants and livestock in the field.

“Imhotep” was the Mitsrite/Egytian deity of medicine. The Mitsrites prided themselves in their advanced medical achievements in surgery, dentistry, prosthetics and a host of cures and medicines they produced. Their physicians were sought after throughout the world.

This is in contrast of the Yisraelites. The priests diagnosed and prescribes herbal and other natural cures for various ailments. Sickness was considered to have spiritual causes and was treated accordingly.

This plague served to destroy their medical ability to cure diseases caused by this plague.

Could it be in the last days that medical science may prove completely inadequate to deal with the challenges sick people will have to face?

To summarize the first three plagues came upon all Mitsrayim (including the Yisraelites in Goshen)– these could be compared to the  seven seal plagues of the book of Revelation. The following plagues came only upon the Mitsrites and can be compared to the seven trumpet plagues. The last group of three can be compared to the seven bowl plagues where the wrath of YHVH is poured out upon those who refuse to repent. The final plague the death of the first born is perhaps the last judgment that destroys a religious priesthood that opposes the priesthood of YHVH.

Exo 9:22  Then יהוה said to Mosheh, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, and let there be hail in all the land of Mitsrayim – on man, and on beast, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Mitsrayim.”

Exo 9:23  Then Mosheh stretched out his rod toward the heavens. And יהוה sent thunder and hail, and fire came down to the earth. And יהוה rained hail on the land of Mitsrayim.

Exo 9:24  Thus there came to be hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy, such as had not been in all the land of Mitsrayim since it became a nation.

Exo 9:25  And the hail smote in all the land of Mitsrayim all that was in the field, both man and beast. And the hail smote every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.

Exo 9:26  Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Yisra’ĕl were, there was no hail.

Exo 9:27  Pharaoh then sent and called for Mosheh and for Aharon, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. יהוה is righteous, and my people and I are wrong.

Exo 9:28  “Pray to יהוה, for there has been enough of the thunder and hail of Elohim. And I am letting you go, so that you stay no longer.”

Exo 9:29  And Mosheh said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, let me spread out my hands to יהוה, let the thunder cease and the hail be no more, so that you know that the earth belongs to יהוה.

Exo 9:30  “But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear before יהוה Elohim.”

Exo 9:31  And the flax and the barley were smitten, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud.

Exo 9:32  But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for they were late crops.

Exo 9:33  And Mosheh went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to יהוה, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.

Exo 9:34  And Pharaoh saw that the rain, and the hail, and the thunder had ceased, yet he sinned again and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.

Exo 9:35  And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Yisra’ĕl go, as יהוה had said through Mosheh.

This serves as a very serious warning that there can come a time where one can no longer turn back and repent.

Rev 9:20  And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship the demons, and idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood, which are neither able to see, nor to hear, nor to walk.

Rev 9:21  And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their drug sorceries, nor of their whoring, nor of

Parashat 14 Portion 50 – Shemot 7:19-8:16 Haftorah: Yoel/Joel 3:9-21 – Rom 9:17,18

Blessing for the Torah Reading:

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,

v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.” 

(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. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)

“What is the significance of the number ten in the Exodus tradition? Why ten plagues?  The number of plagues in Exodus was meant to correspond to the ten divine utterances by which the world was created and ordered (Beresheet/Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29). The destruction of Mitsrayim/Egypt was part of the redemption of Yisrael, so the Exodus narrator tied his story of redemption to the story of creation through subtle echoes and word plays.”

Our Torah Portion begins with the first plague:

Shemot/Ex 19:20-25

Exo 7:19  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, “Say to Aharon, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Mitsrayim, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they become blood. And there shall be blood in all the land of Mitsrayim, both in wooden and in stone containers.’ ”

Exo 7:20  And Mosheh and Aharon did so, as יהוה commanded. And he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

Exo 7:21  And the fish that were in the river died, and the river stank, and the Mitsrites were unable to drink the water of the river. And the blood was in all the land of Mitsrayim.

Exo 7:22  And the magicians of Mitsrayim did the same with their magic. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as יהוה had said.

Exo 7:23  And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and his heart was not moved by this either.

Exo 7:24  And all the Mitsrites dug all around the river for water to drink, for they were unable to drink the water of the river.

Exo 7:25  And seven days were completed after יהוה had struck the river.

The first three plagues affected both Yisrael and Mitsrayim. (Exodus 7:21, 8:2, 8:16)

It will serve us well to remind ourselves that judgment begins with YHVH’s people.

1Pe 4:17  Because it is time for judgment to begin from the House of Elohim. And if firstly from us, what is the end of those who do not obey the Good News of Elohim?

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where shall the wicked and the sinner appear?

Blood is a symbol of life and of death and of judgment.

By the blood of Yahshua we have been redeemed. However it cost the shedding of his blood – his life – to redeem us from death.

The teaching of much of the church has been that there can and will be no judgment on any born again believers.

This is first of all a contradiction of the above verse of scripture and secondly we all still sin and fall short of YHVH’s esteem.

Gal 6:7  Do not be led astray: Elohim is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap.

Gal 6:8  Because he who sows to his own flesh shall reap corruption from the flesh, but he who sows to the Spirit shall reap everlasting life from the Spirit.

Rom 8:4  so that the righteousness of the Torah should be completed in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

In the light of this truth we need to consider a very serious phenomenon that is going to occur in the heavens over the next two years. It’s called the “blood moons”.

 

    Act 2:20  ‘The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and splendid day of יהוה.

     Rev 6:12  And I looked when He opened the sixth seal 

      and saw a great earthquake came to be. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.

    “Throughout history, many civilizations have searched the heavens to see if there is a connection between celestial patterns and events here on earth.  Thanks to modern technology, we are now not only able to chart past changes to the stars, sun, and moon, but we know when these future changes will take place as well. 

Modern science has focused much of its efforts on looking for mathematical patterns utilizing our modern Gregorian calendar system, but when historians, astronomers, and theologians looked for patterns utilizing the ancient Biblical calendar with key prophetic dates such as Passover, everything changed.

Now, an unprecedented pattern has been discovered. For millennia, a rare celestial event known as the “Blood Moon Tetrad” has coincided with periods of monumental change affecting the Holy Land and ultimately the world. Today, after hundreds of years of absence, this rare celestial event has begun occurring once again.

The next Blood Moon Tetrad sequence is coming soon and if this pattern continues as history has shown - a major prophetic event regarding Israel is on the horizon. 

The Jewish Talmud (book of tradition / Interpretation) says; “When the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel. If its face is as red as blood, (it is a sign that) the sword is coming to the world.” Therefore: Lunar Eclipse = bad omen for the Jewish people and Israel; Blood Moon = sword coming; Solar Eclipse = bad omen for the world.

Four, blood moons on Jewish/Biblical Feast days within two years in Israel is very rare and has only occurred seven times since the time of Yeshua (Jesus). There are now four blood moons scheduled to appear in 2014/2015 and then there will NOT be any for the next 100 years.

Every time a blood moon pattern has appeared on Jewish/Biblical feast days a big event affects the nation of Israel. The event affecting Israel begins just before the actual years of the blood moons. To understand what will happen in the 2014 - 2015 “blood moons” you must understand the pattern of blood moons in the past.

NASA found that we have had “blood-red moons” on the first day of Pesach/Passover and the first day of Sukkot on back-to-back years seven times since 1 A.D. Three of these occurrences were connected to 1492 (the final year of the Spanish Inquisition), 1948 (statehood for Israel and the War of Independence), and 1967 (the Six-Day War) — some of the most significant days in Jewish history. According to NASA - Four 'blood-red' TOTAL lunar eclipses WILL fall again on Passover and Sukkoth in 2014 and 2015… the same back-to-back occurrences at the time of 1492, 1948 and 1967.

Seven back-to-back, blood-red moons have fallen on the first day of Passover and Sukkot, with the “eighth time”…..coming in 2014 and 2015.

The meaning of the number "Eight”in the Bible is "New Beginnings"… The eighth day was new after ELOHIM rested. There are 7 days in a week and the 8th day is a new beginning. Yahshua Messiah rose on the 8th day which was a new beginning for the world.

When the whole earth was covered with the flood, it was Noah “the eighth person” (2 Peter 2:5) who stepped out on to a new earth to commence a new order of things. “Eight souls” (1 Peter 3:20) passed through to the new or re-generated world.

Hence, too, circumcision was to be performed on the “eighth day” (Genesis 17:12), because it was the fore-shadowing of the true circumcision of the heart, that which was to be “made without hands,” even “the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah.” (Colossians 2:11). This is connected with the new creation.

The first-born was to be given to YHVH on the “eighth day” (Exodus 22: 29, 30)… and the Resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus) is ultimately signified when He rose from the dead on “the first day of the week,” (Mark 16:9) that was of necessity the “eighth day.”

Putting everything into perspective… The above does not mean that the Second Coming of Yeshua (Jesus Christ) at Tabernacles… has to occur on Tabernacles 2015. But, what the above taken as a whole does show a pattern. The "1493 tetrad"… is tied to the Spanish Government expelling the Jews. The "1949 tetrad" is the nation Israel being reborn" and the "1967 tetrad" is the recapture of Jerusalem. The coming "2014 tetrad"… will be tied to some major event dealing with Israel. We believe that the "tetrad" of 2014 through 2015 will have something to do with Israel for the start. The blood moons show a pattern of Jewish persecution… and then new land for Israel after a time of war!

This means that the blood moons of 2014 - 2015 will be a time of war or persecution for the Jewish people. This may Lead Israel to gain and/or loose land during this time. End Quote.

The Second Plgue – Frogs. "Hegget", frog-goddess of fertility.

Shemot/Ex 8:1-15

Exo 8:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Let My people go, so that they serve Me.

Exo 8:2  “But if you refuse to let them go, see, I am smiting all your border with frogs.

Exo 8:3  “And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and shall come into your house, and into your bedroom, and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls,

Exo 8:4  and the frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” ’ ”

Exo 8:5  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Say to Aharon, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Mitsrayim.’ ”

Exo 8:6  So Aharon stretched out his hand over the waters of Mitsrayim, and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Mitsrayim.

The Hebrew word here for frog is in the singular – “The Frog!”

In Revelation 16:13-14 we read about a force that will cover the face of the Earth. It says,

“And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and

out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of

demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the world, to gather them together

for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty”. Perhaps these demonic spirits are

compared to frogs as their power will cover the Earth as the frogs of Mitsrayim covered the

land.

“A frog test for human pregnancy, introduced by Lancelot Hogben, which still was used in the 1950s and allowed the frog to remain alive and be used repeatedly: a female frog was injected with serum or urine of the patient; if the frog produced eggs within the next 24 hours, the test was positive. This was called the Bufo test, named after the toad genus Bufo, which was originally used for the test. Other species of toads and frogs have been used later on.” Wikipedia.

Exo 8:7  And the magicians did so with their magic, and brought up frogs on the land of Mitsrayim.

Exo 8:8  Pharaoh then called for Mosheh and Aharon, and said, “Pray to יהוה to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I shall let the people go to slaughter to יהוה.”

Exo 8:9  And Mosheh said to Pharaoh, “Explain yourself to me: When am I to pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, and remain only in the river?”

Exo 8:10  So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, so that you know that there is no one like יהוה our Elohim.

Exo 8:11  “And the frogs shall turn aside from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people – they shall remain in the river only.”

Exo 8:12  And Mosheh and Aharon went out from Pharaoh. And Mosheh cried out to יהוה concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.

Exo 8:13  And יהוה did according to the word of Mosheh. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.

Exo 8:14  And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.

Exo 8:15  And when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as יהוה had said.

This calls for great discernment. Is this sign relevant to believers – to Yisrael -  in our day?

“Ancient Egypt was the spiritual and cultural cesspool of the world. Promiscuity, adultery, and sexual perversion were the norm. When our Sages write that no foreign nation in Egypt ever escaped from the land, they mean it in a spiritual sense, as well as the physical. The clutches of temptation and sin were so powerful that no people, in the natural course of events, could shake off the shackles of lust that marked Egyptian life.

The Jews were no exception. After 200 years dwelling in such a polluted, immoral environment, we plummeted to the 49^th degree of impurity and would have been immediately destroyed if G-d had not miraculously interfered and rescued us with the utmost haste, speeding our exodus from the land.

Once again, we see that the commitment to abandon sexual transgression was the key to our redemption from Egypt. This separation from sexual immorality is the essence of the Jewish People, "a nation of priests and a set apart nation." Only when we rose above the sordidness and pollution of Egyptian culture could we escape from the chains of its bondage”.

"He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them" (Psalm 78:45)

The word "destroyed" was translated from the Hebrew word shachath, which means, "to destroy, corrupt, ruin, decay", and, in many verses, this word has the connotation of "moral decay", "loss of integrity", or "degradation in righteousness", as is the case in the following verses:

"And YHVH said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Mitsrayim/Egypt, have corrupted themselves" (Exodus 32:7)

“[The word "corrupted" was translated from the Hebrew word shachath. This verse speaks of how the Israelites corrupted themselves by fashioning a golden calf, after which they indulged in carnal excesses. As we have said before, people-pleasing Canaanite pastors like to fashion “golden calf gods” to the liking of their audiences.]

The connection between "frogs" and Canaanite mental impurity is further reinforced by the fact that frogs are very unclean animals that harbor many harmful bacteria in their bodies. Canaanites are very comfortable with spiritual impurity, which means that unrighteousness "bacteria" can live comfortably and unchallenged in a Canaanite atmosphere. Canaanites ban judgments, (and Torah instruction) which allows spiritual unrighteousness to thrive and flourish.” Italics mine the rest a quote from http://shamah-elim.info/p_frogs.htm -  Frogs in the church – Patricia Alleyn.

Much has been and still been said about the subject of human sexuality. The Torah has a very simple and direct approach to this matter.

Lev 18:6  ‘No one is to approach anyone of his own flesh to uncover his nakedness. I am יהוה.

Lev 18:7  ‘The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you do not uncover. She is your mother, you do not uncover her nakedness.

Lev 18:8  ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife you do not uncover, it is your father’s nakedness.

Lev 18:9  ‘The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you do not uncover.

Lev 18:10  ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you do not uncover, for theirs is your own nakedness.

Lev 18:11  ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, brought forth by your father, she is your sister, you do not uncover her nakedness.

Lev 18:12  ‘The nakedness of your father’s sister you do not uncover, she is your father’s flesh.

Lev 18:13  ‘The nakedness of your mother’s sister you do not uncover, for she is your mother’s flesh.

Lev 18:14  ‘The nakedness of your father’s brother you do not uncover, you do not approach his wife, she is your aunt.

Lev 18:15  ‘The nakedness of your daughter-in-law you do not uncover, she is your son’s wife, you do not uncover her nakedness.

Lev 18:16  ‘The nakedness of your brother’s wife you do not uncover, it is your brother’s nakedness.

Lev 18:17  ‘The nakedness of a woman and her daughter you do not uncover, nor do you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are her relatives – it is wickedness.

Lev 18:18  ‘And do not take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.

Lev 18:19  ‘And do not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness in her monthly separation of uncleanness.

Lev 18:20  ‘And do not have intercourse with the wife of your neighbour, to defile yourself with her.

Lev 18:21  ‘And do not give any of your offspring to pass through to Moleḵ. And do not profane the Name of your Elohim. I am יהוה.

Lev 18:22  ‘And do not lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination.

Lev 18:23  ‘And do not have intercourse with any beast, to defile yourself with it. And a woman does not stand before a beast to mate with it, it is a perversion.

Lev 18:24  ‘Do not defile yourselves with all these, for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am driving out before you.

Lev 18:25  ‘Thus the land became defiled, therefore I punished it for its crookedness, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.

Lev 18:26  ‘But you, you shall guard My laws and My right-rulings, and not do any of these abominations, the native nor stranger who sojourns among you,

Lev 18:27  because the men of the land who were before you have done all these abominations, and thus the land became defiled,

Parashat 14 Portion 49 – Shemot/Exodus 6:2-7:18 Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:25 – 29:21 – Acts 7:17-22

Blessing for the Torah Reading:

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,

v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.” 

(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. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)

     Heb 12:1  We too, then, having so great a cloud of witnesses all around us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, (witness of our fathers who followed the ancient paths of YHVH are our clear example)

     Heb 12:2  looking to the Princely Leader aיהושע, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake, having despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.

nd Perfecter of our belief,

Heb 12:3  For consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and faint in your lives.

We are alive today because YHVH is giving us an opportunity to trust Him to bring to perfection the work He has begun in each of our lives.

Only the true Hebrew will experience this completion as he/she allows the Ruach (Spirit) of YHVH to lead them to walk as our Master walked here on earth. The very essence of a Hebrew is one who “has crossed over” (Hebrew comes from a Hebrew verb “avar” which means to cross over). Our father Avraham was the first Hebrew.

It will require a faith like unto Avraham’s to embrace the complete redemption of YHVH and allow that perfect and complete redemption to progressively become our reality.

That Avrahamic faith that believes against all odds that YHVH will do in and through us what we cannot do for ourselves.

1Co 9:24  Do you not know that those who run in a race indeed all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to obtain it.

2Ti 4:7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have guarded the belief.

Eph 4:4  one body and one Spirit, as you also were called in one expectation of your calling,

Eph 4:5  one Master, one belief, one immersion,

Eph 4:6  one Elohim and Father of all,¹ who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Footnote: ¹ 1 Cor. 8:6, 1 Tim. 2:5, Mk. 12:29-34.

“Bring us back our Father to Your Torah and bring us closer our King to Your service and make us return in complete repentance before You” (Teshuvah – Amidah)

Our Torah portion once again gives us the patterns and types of how YHVH brings us to perfection.

Exo 6:2  And Elohim spoke to Mosheh and said to him, “I am יהוה.

Exo 6:3  “And I appeared to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, as Ěl Shaddai. And by My Name, יהוה, was I not known to them?

Exo 6:4  “And I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Kenaʽan, the land of their sojournings, in which they have sojourned.

Exo 6:5  “And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Yisra’ĕl whom the Mitsrites are enslaving, and I have remembered My covenant.

Yahshua must have had a deep understanding of what these words meant.

Yochanan/Joh 17:6  “I have revealed Your Name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have guarded Your Word.¹ Footnote: ¹See Ps. 138:2.

Joh 17:25  “O righteous Father, indeed the world did not know You, but I knew You, and these knew that You sent Me.

Joh 17:26  “And I have made Your Name known to them, and shall make it known,¹ so that the love with which You loved Me might be in them, and I in them.” Footnote: ¹See v. 6, Ps. 22:22, Heb. 2:12

This “Name” business seems to be very important business -  We see a pattern of how the “name” becomes known by someone. First He is known as “El Shaddai” the “many breasted one” It seems that we are first nurtured by YHVH before He can reveal His name to us.

Let’s once again look at the name of the Mighty On which He said is’ YHVH’.

There are three interesting meanings to the Hebrew root of His name.

“Hava”  (hey vav hey)means “cause to exist” – YHVH will cause everything to exist that needs to exist to bring about our complete and perfect redemption.

“Hava” can also mean to destroy – YHVH will also destroy anything that prevents or hinders His redemption from being fully accomplished.

“Hove” which is the same root – hey vav hey – can also mean present. YHVH is not bound by space and time, therefore for Him everything is in the present.

Exo 6:6  “Say, therefore, to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I am יהוה (YHVH), and I shall bring you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrites, and shall deliver you from their enslaving, and shall redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments,

Exo 6:7  and shall take you as My people, and I shall be your Elohim (Mighty One). And you shall know that I am יהוה your Elohim who is bringing you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrites.

Exo 6:8  ‘And I shall bring you into the land which I swore to give to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give it to you as an inheritance. I am יהוה.’ ”

These are the verses the sages use to identify the four cups that are part of the “pesach seder”

These four cups stand for the four “I wills” that are recorded in Exodus 6:6-7.

1.The cup of sanctification - "I will  cause you to go  out... Hebrew – “vehotzeiti”" 2) The cup of deliverance  "I will rescue you..." Hebrew “vehatzalti” or “snatch away” 3) The cup of redemption "I will redeem you..." – Hebrew “vegalti”4) The cup of restoration "I will bring you..." Hebrew – “velakachti”

This pattern remains true today for “Yisraelites” He causes us to go out; then He cause us to be rescued or “snatched away” when danger threatens us and He release us from bondage and He will join Himself to us.

There are two great dangers – the Amalakites – those who lick up the flesh – those who are fixated by carnal appearances and the other danger is that of wanting to run back to Mitsrayim/Egypt when our backs are against the wall.

In the prayer of the “Amidah” – “Gibor” YHVH’s Might – we pray …” umatir asurim”- “He navigates the captive out of their captivity.” He alone has the power to do this.

Because YHVH/Yahveh is who is – He is the only One who can create the right kind of circumstance that will cause us to be able go out – then He rescues us or snatches us away – then He pays the price of our redemption – then He brings us to our destination.

Or we can say – He will take us out – He will keep us out – He will rescue us if we want to run back – He will make us His people.

Exo 6:9  And Mosheh spoke thus to the children of Yisra’ĕl, but they did not listen to Mosheh, because of shortness of spirit, and from hard slavery.

ט  וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה כֵּן, אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ, וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה.

“shortness of spirit” speaks of anguish and delayed expectation of good.

Pro 13:12  Expectancy drawn out makes the heart sick, But a longing come true is a tree of life.

Trapped in despair? – what does one do? Most often we simply have to wait on YHVH.

Isa 40:31  but those who wait on יהוה renew their strength, they raise up the wing like eagles, they run and are not weary, they walk and do not faint.

The Hebrew word for “wait” is “kava” (6960) and originally meant to twist or curl – like the cords of a rope are intertwined with one another. The implication being that those who are intertwined with YHVH will renew their strength. Yahshua our Master is our example as he is the most “intertwined” with the Father.

Shaul teaches us to be content in whatever our circumstances.

Php 4:11  Not that I speak concerning need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.

Php 4:12  I know what it is to be humbled, and I know what it is to have in excess. In any and every situation I have learned both to be filled, and to be hungry, both to have in excess, and to be in need.

Php 4:13  I have strength to do all, through Messiah¹ who empowers me. Footnote: ¹John 15:5, 2 Cor. 3:5-6, 2 Cor. 12:9, Eph. 3:20, Philip. 2:13, Heb. 13:20-21, 1 John 4:4.

Exo 6:10  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Exo 6:11  “Go in, speak to Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, to let the children of Yisra’ĕl go out of his land.”

There is once again in these days a voice crying from the wilderness – “let YHVH’s people go” The religious leaders (Pharoahs) of this world have brought YHVH’s children into bondage.

I believe the false religious systems of this world have allowed strong demonic forces to control the world and its people.

It will require another series of plagues -  the great tribulation – to break these strongholds.

Exo 6:12  And Mosheh spoke before יהוה, saying, “The children of Yisra’ĕl have not listened to me, and why would Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

There is nothing that we can say in your own strength and flesh that will persuade the Phaorahs to release YHVH’s people. When YHVH’s word is spoken through your lips then it becomes a different story.

Exo 6:13  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, and gave them a command for the children of Yisra’ĕl and for Pharaoh, sovereign of Mitsrayim, to bring the children of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of Mitsrayim.

Maybe this is the reason why YHVH is raising up a very, very small remnant in these days whose lives and words are a prophetic voice to the Pharoah’s of this world to let YHVH’s people go.

Exo 6:14  These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Re’uḇĕn, the first-born of Yisra’ĕl: Ḥanoḵ and Pallu, Ḥetsron and Karmi. These are the clans of Re’uḇĕn.

Exo 6:15  And the sons of Shimʽon: Yemu’ĕl, and Yamin, and Ohaḏ, and Yaḵin, and Tsoḥar, and Sha’ul the son of a Kenaʽanite woman. These are the clans of Shimʽon.

Exo 6:16  These are the names of the sons of Lĕwi according to their generations: Gĕreshon, and Qehath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Lĕwi were one hundred and thirty-seven.

Exo 6:17  The sons of Gĕreshon: Liḇni and Shimʽi according to their clans.

Exo 6:18  And the sons of Qehath: Amram, and Yitshar, and Ḥeḇron, and Uzzi’ĕl. And the years of the life of Qehath were one hundred and thirty-three.

Exo 6:19  And the sons of Merari: Maḥli and Mushi. These are the clans of Lĕwi according to their generations.

Exo 6:20  And Amram took for himself Yoḵeḇeḏ, his father’s sister, as wife. And she bore him Aharon and Mosheh. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven.

Exo 6:21  And the sons of Yitshar: Qoraḥ, and Nepheḡ, and Ziḵri.

Exo 6:22  And the sons of Uzzi’ĕl: Misha’ĕl, and Eltsaphan, and Sithri.

Exo 6:23  Aharon took to himself Elisheḇa, daughter of Amminaḏaḇ, sister of Naḥshon, as wife. And she bore him Naḏaḇ, and Aḇihu, Elʽazar, and Ithamar.

Exo 6:24  And the sons of Qoraḥ: Assir, Elqanah, and Aḇiyasaph. These are the clans of the Qorḥites.

Exo 6:25  And Elʽazar, Aharon’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Puti’ĕl as wife. And she bore him Pineḥas. These are the heads of the fathers of the Lĕwites according to their clans.

Yisrael and those grafted into is YHVH’s choice – these are the ones that will come out of bondage and become a light to all the nations of how majestic and wonderful YHVH is. (Rom 11)

Exo 6:26  This is Aharon, and Mosheh, to whom יהוה said, “Bring out the children of Yisra’ĕl from the land of Mitsrayim according to their divisions.”

Exo 6:27  They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, to bring out the children of Yisra’ĕl from Mitsrayim. This is Mosheh, and Aharon.

Note how the command to bring out the children of Yisrael is repeated twice in these two verses. The Torah does not waste words. This is possibly pointing to a future exodus from bondage.

Jer 16:14  “Therefore see, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when it is no longer said, ‘יהוה lives who brought up the children of Yisra’ĕl from the land of Mitsrayim,’

Jer 16:15  but, ‘יהוה lives who brought up the children of Yisra’ĕl from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I shall bring them back into their land I gave to their fathers.

Jer 16:16  “See, I am sending for many fishermen,” declares יהוה, “and they shall fish them. And after that I shall send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

Jer 16:17  “For My eyes are on all their ways; they have not been hidden from My face, nor has their crookedness been hidden from My eyes.

Jer 16:18  “And first I shall repay double for their crookedness and their sin, because they have defiled My land with the dead bodies of their disgusting matters, and have filled My inheritance with their abominations.”

Jer 16:19  O יהוה, my strength and my stronghold and my refuge, in the day of distress the gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers have inherited only falsehood, futility, and there is no value in them.”¹ Footnote: ¹See Ps. 147:19, Isa. 2:3, Isa. 60:2-3, John 4:22, Rom. 2:20, Rom. 3:2, Rom. 9:4.

Exo 6:28  And it came to be, on the day when יהוה spoke to Mosheh in the land of Mitsrayim,

Exo 6:29  that יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, “I am יהוה. Speak to Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim all that I say to you.”

Exo 6:30  And Mosheh said before יהוה, “See, I am of uncircumcised lips, and why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

Exo 7:1  So יהוה said to Mosheh, “See, I have made you an elohim¹ to Pharaoh, and Aharon your brother is your prophet. Footnote: ¹Or mighty one – see footnote at 4:16.

Exo 7:2  “You shall speak all that I command you, and Aharon your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, to let the children of Yisra’ĕl go out of his land.

Exo 7:3  “But I am going to harden the heart of Pharaoh, and shall increase My signs and My wonders in the land of Mitsrayim.

Exo 7:4  “And Pharaoh is not going to listen to you, and I shall lay My hand on Mitsrayim, and bring My divisions and My people, the children of Yisra’ĕl, out of the land of Mitsrayim by great judgments.

Exo 7:5  “And the Mitsrites shall know that I am יהוה, when I stretch out My hand on Mitsrayim. And I shall bring the children of Yisra’ĕl out from among them.”

Exo 7:6  And Mosheh and Aharon did as יהוה commanded them, so they did.

Exo 7:7  Now Mosheh was eighty years old and Aharon eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Exo 7:8  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying,

Exo 7:9  “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aharon, ‘Take your rod and throw it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ”

Exo 7:10  So Mosheh and Aharon went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as יהוה commanded. And Aharon threw his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Exo 7:11  But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the practisers of witchcraft. And they, the magicians of Mitsrayim, also did so with their magic.

Exo 7:12  And they, each one, threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But the rod of Aharon swallowed up their rods.

Exo 7:13  And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as יהוה had said.

Exo 7:14  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “The heart of Pharaoh is hard, he refuses to let the people go.

Exo 7:15  “Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him. And take in your hand the rod which was turned into a serpent.

Exo 7:16  “And you shall say to him, ‘יהוה the Elohim of the Heḇrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, so that they serve Me in the wilderness,” but see, until now you have not listened!

Exo 7:17  ‘Thus said יהוה, “By this you know that I am יהוה. See, I am striking the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood,

Exo 7:18  and the fish in the river shall die. And the river shall stink, and the Mitsrites shall find it impossible to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”

When YHVH originally made man He made us perfectly without any flaw- free from all bondage. Now in these days and in the closing of this age we shall witness the perfection of His Creation coming into being. Let us trust Him to help us remain as clay in His Hands.