
Parasha Va’Era
וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל-מֹשֶה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ וָאֵרָא אֶל-אַבְרָהָם אֶל-יִצְחָק וְאֶל-יַעֲקֹב בְּאֵל שַדָּי וּשְמִי יְהֹוָה לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם׃
In last week’s Torah study, God appeared to Moshe at the foot of Mount Sinai in a burning bush, instructing him to lead the Israelites out of Pharaoh’s bondage, and Moshe obeyed. In this Parasha, God promises Moshe that He will accomplish four redemptive acts: He would bring out the Israelites from their suffering in Egypt, rescue them from slavery, redeem them from their oppression with His outstretched arm, and take them as His own nation. These four promises are called the Four Expressions of Redemption, and they are traditionally commemorated during the Passover Seder (ritual meal) with four cups of wine. For each of these acts of deliverance written in Exodus 6:6–7, God used the following Hebrew words:
Hotzeiti (הוֹצֵאתִי), which means I will bring out;
Hitzalti (הִצַּלְתִּי), which means I will rescue;
Ga’alti (גָאַלְתִּי), which means I will redeem; and
Lakachti (לָקַחְתִּי), which means I will take.
God also makes a fifth expression of redemption. He promises He will bring (heveiti הֵבֵאתִי) …His people back into their own land. Exodus 6:8 says, “And I will bring (heveiti) you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Avraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am Adonai.” God promises to redeem the Israelites from Mitzrayim, the narrow place of oppression. Sadly, the children of Israel are so demoralized they can’t even hear the promise of better. The Hebrew phrase קֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ kotzer ruach is usually translated as shortness or anguish, and ruach means spirit or breath. Kotzer ruach implies a soul crushed by despair, a kind of shortness of breath that’s spiritual and existential rather than physical. Kotzer קֹּ֣צֶר can also mean “impatient.” What would it mean to say that the Israelites’ souls were impatient? How does that fit with the idea that they were so ground-down by oppression and circumstance that they couldn’t even imagine accessing hope? How can one be impatient for something if one can’t feel any hope of the thing actually coming to pass? But maybe that’s what makes it anguish: feeling impatient, and feeling that change is impossible. The haggadah teaches, “In every generation we must see ourselves as if we had been brought forth from Mitzrayim.” Often, we understand this as the narrow places in our own lives.
Lately I’ve been thinking about the collective mitzrayim of America sinking in sin. Torah speaks of liberation coming via God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm, but I don’t think that means we should just sit back and wait to be lifted. I find hints of that truth in this week’s Torah portion too. When God says, “I will take you to be My people,” what I hear is: we aren’t in this alone. God is with us in our tight straits, and God will be with us in the work of building a better world. And as always if the word “God” doesn’t work for you, try ideals like Justice, or Love, or Truth. Whatever name we use to connect us with our source of meaning and hope: it’s still aleinu, on us, to build a better world. And we do this not individually but as a community. Building a healthy America will take all of us. Kotzer ruach keeps us in the narrow straits of despair, feeling like there’s nothing we can do. Or the two candidates are equivalent, so voting doesn’t even matter. Or the planet is doomed, so why bother even trying. Kotzer ruach makes us feel like there's nothing we can do. Resist that. The voice of liberation is calling… The voice of Yeshua is calling.
Adonai had planned to take away the frogs; however, this couldn't be done without men's participation. Moshe's prayer was needed. The Hebrew text says that Moshe cried out va-yits’ak – ויצעק – to God to take away the frogs. Why did Moshe have to cry out if Adonai's plan was to take them away? It's obvious that Adonai seeks for collaborators to fulfill His purposes on the earth. The first time the word tza’ak – צעק – appears in the Torah is in Genesis 4:10 where it speaks about Hevel's (Abel's) blood crying out from the ground. The second time we see this word is in Genesis 27:34 where it is written that Esav cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry when he found out that he had lost his father's blessing. The third time that this word, tza’ak, is found is in Genesis 41:55 where it says that the people of Egypt cried to Pharaoh for bread. I think this teaches us that sometimes we have to cry out to heaven for Adonai’s plan to be fulfilled on earth. One of the most important purposes of prayer is that haShem's will is done on earth as it is in heaven. And many times, it is necessary to cry out for God to respond. Why cry out if Adonai can hear our thoughts? The Eternal doesn't need our cry - we are the ones who need to cry out to Him. The one who cries out uses a lot of energy in his prayer, and that energy creates intensity that helps the one who is praying to focus and really be aware of what he is doing. God doesn't hear the prayers made with no devotion (the prayers of a sinner; until they repent first); if one prays without thinking on what he is praying for or with no real desire for what he is asking, his prayer has no effect. Crying out helps intensify our prayer. The cry of a righteous person unleashes supernatural powers. The cry of a righteous person delivers from the chains of disbelief. The cry of a righteous person delivers from demonic oppression. The cry of a righteous person takes him out of the emotional prison. The cry of a righteous person moves Adonai's hand. By the power of a righteous person's cry the evil forces tremble. The cry of a righteous one is necessary for God's plan to be fulfilled on earth. People, we must cry out to heaven, and we will see the Eternal's mighty hand.
When it was time for haShem to deliver the Children of Israel from Egypt, God poured out His judgments on Egypt to demonstrate His power and allow time for the Egyptians to repent. But before any of this took place, Adonai made multiple promises to the Children of Israel for what He was about to do…
Exodus 6:6–7 tells us, “Say therefore to the people of Israel, “I am Adonai, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am Adonai your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
In this passage, God reveals four specific things He will do for the Children of Israel:
• Release them from harsh labor (physical release)
• Free them from their enslavement (legal release)
• Take them out of Egypt (physical transfer)
• Make them His own people (legal transfer—by giving them His covenant at Sinai)
These promises to Israel were fulfilled when Adonai delivered His people from Egypt. They each have a unique aspect to them and eventually became part of the Passover seder tradition. They became what is known as the Four Expressions of Redemption with each promise corresponding to one of the four cups of wine that are consumed throughout the course of the seder. A fifth expression, however, follows in the very next verse: I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Avraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am Adonai. (Exodus 6:8) This final promise is both historic and prophetic. It is historic in that God brought the Children of Israel into the land He promised them through the leadership of Joshua; it is prophetic because they would eventually be driven from the land but would one day return to it. Although all of this happened thousands of years ago, another prophetic aspect of this is still yet to be fulfilled. Although the nation of Israel has been reborn in our day, the government is not under the rule of the Torah, and the majority of the Jewish people are still in spiritual and a physical exile. One day, Adonai will gather them back into the land He apportioned for them and establish His rule over His people once again. This last promise is connected to the first four promises. God ends the first series of promises the same as this last promise. He concludes with an emphatic statement of His identity: “I am Adonai.” Why does He conclude each of these promises with this reminder? Because He is reminding the Children of Israel that He is a covenant-keeping God. But the fifth promise is different from the other four. The first four have happened in their entirety. The fifth, however, has been experienced only intermittently. Historically, Israel has remained in exile. Because of the very real nature of the galut (the exile), our sages were unclear how this final promise could be equivalent to the first four. Therefore, this final promise is remembered in the Cup of Elijah that sits at our seder table. By drinking the four cups and setting out the Cup of Elijah on Pesach, we testify that four of these have already taken place and proclaim that one day the last promise will be fulfilled entirely. Two thousand years ago, our Master Yeshua remembered these promises as he shared his cup of wine with his disciples at his final seder. Later on that night as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed about another cup he would have to drink. He said, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). He ended up drinking that final, bitter cup on our behalf. At the seder, we drink four cups of wine to remember what Adonai did when He redeemed the Children of Israel from Egypt. But in each of these cups, we should also remember that Yeshua drank the cup of redemption on our behalf, and by doing so he turned judgment into forgiveness. For this, we should be grateful and spend our days remembering our moment of redemption and working toward the ultimate redemption in which the entire world will be transformed, and Yeshua will reign as King. May it be soon and in our day.
I must proclaim, He’s bringing you out! We serve a God that picks us up when we are down and brings us out when we are in. If you’re in trouble, He’s bringing you out! If you’re in a depression, He’s bringing you out! If you’re in despair, He’s bringing you out! If you’re in sin, He’s bringing you out! No matter what situation you are facing, He’s bringing you out! Psalms 136:12 says that with a strong hand and an outstretched arm His mercy endures forever so even if you put yourself in the predicament, you are in, His mercy will bring you out. He’s bringing you out! God wants to bring you out, so He can bring you up, so He can bring you over, so He can bring you into the 30, 60, 100-fold blessing. He wants to bring you out, so He can bring you up, so He can bring you over, so He can bring you into His good, acceptable, and perfect will. He wants to bring you out, so He can bring you up, so He can bring you over, so He can bring you into the good, the better, and the very best. He wants to bring you out. Some of us have been living with sickness too long. He wants to bring you out! Some of us have been in debt too long. He wants to bring you out! Some of us have been in sin too long. He wants to bring you out! We need to get to know our Lord and Savior and what He wants. It’s alright to get intimate and personal with Him. It’s alright to get on a first name basis with the Lord. His name is Yeshua! Yeshua means God is Salvation. He wants to deliver you. He wants to bring you out. We call Him Yeshua haMashiach. Mashiach means Anointed. He’s anointed to bring you out. Some call Him Yeshua haMashiach of Nazaret. We read in John 1:46 – “And Nathanael said unto him, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? “ Yeshua came out of Nazareth to let you know He’s not afraid to come down to where you are to bring you up or to come into what you are in to bring you out. He’s bringing you out! He’s bringing you out! That’s what the book of Exodus is about. It’s to give us pictures of people and principles that set the precedence for Yeshua bringing you out. As we read the book of Exodus, we will realize that every chapter of the book of Exodus is to let you know He’s bringing you out.
It begins with the Israelites’ oppression – Their oppression led to depression. It started with Joseph the draught. Seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. The children of Israel moved to Egypt with their brother for a little while and a little while turned into 400 years. If you don’t move from good to better, then a good thing can turn bad. If you don’t move from better to best, then it can become the worst. Don’t let your last success be the obstacle to your next success. Let God bring you out! Then we see Moshe is born and later flees to Median – Moshe was born into oppression, but God brought him out. Then, after his first sign of confrontation when trying to make a change, he ran and hid. For 40 years, he tried to pretend the problem wasn’t’ there. For 40 years, he tried to pretend the problem wasn’t real. The reason he was born into the problem for God to bring him out was so he could help someone else out. Sometimes, God pleasing faith with put you right in the face of confrontation. Sometimes, your faith won’t get you out of trouble. Sometimes, your faith will get you into trouble for God to bring you out! We continue to read and see Moshe and the Burning Bush – The bible says as Moshe turned to see, that God spoke to him out of the burning bush. Hebrews 9:28 says Yeshua shall appear unto them that look for Him. If you look for Him, He will show up. If you seek His face, you may not see His face, but you will hear His voice. He’ll speak to you out of a burning bush. He’ll speak to you out of that thing that has you bewildered and befuddled you. He’ll speak to you out that situation that has you bamboozled. Why? So, He can bring you out! Pharaoh makes things harder, but God promises deliverance –I just want to let you know things will get worse before they get better. It is always darkest before the dawn. It’s late in the midnight hour and God is about to turn it around. Why are things getting worse instead of better? It’s because Satan is trying to discourage you, but God is using it to purge you. So, you don’t forget why you want to come out of what you are coming out of. So, you don’t think “I had it better in the world” and run right back into what God is bringing you out of. Why is it getting worse? Because He’s bringing you out! The devil is making things harder, but God promises deliverance. He’s bringing you out!
It doesn’t talk about what Pharaoh put on the people but what God put on the Pharaoh. He’s bringing you out! With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, He’s bringing you out! God is liberating you as He is educating the Satan. Pharaoh asked Moshe “Who is the Lord?” So, God had to educate him to let him know He is God. The 10 plagues were to show Pharaoh that God is in control everything. They prayed to different gods for different things, but God is in control of everything. The plague of the blood, the frogs, the gnats, the flies, the livestock, the boils, the hail, the locust, the darkness, and the first born were to show Pharaoh that the Lord is God. By the 10th plague, Pharaoh knew that the last plague was just the finger of the mighty hand on the outstretched arm of God. God will show haSatan that he is not the boss of you. He’ll bring you out! He’s bringing you out! He’s caused the death angel to pass you over and pass you by when you know you should have been dead a long time ago. He’s caused you cross over from the world into Yeshua. He’s caused you to come out of Egypt. He’s opened up your Red Sea. He’s fed you manna from heaven. He’s given you water out of rocks. He’s made a way out of no way. He’s fought your battles for you. He’s even caused the sun to stand still for you to redeem the time so He can get you to where you ought to be and where you would be if you’d been serving Him your whole life. He’s bringing you out!
The word “Exodus,” means “The Way Out!” Adam came to God and said he was lonely and needed someone to share his life with. God said, “Tell you what, I’ll create someone who will wait on your every needs, serve you, love you be totally dedicated to your happiness.” The man asked, “What will it cost me?” God said, “An arm and a leg!” The man thought about it and then asked, “What can I get for a rib?” “What can I get?!” Sounds like an infomercial. You could almost speak of these verses this way. Today, you can get, God’s approach to problems. I’m telling you, here’s a technique that will work every time, shed those unwanted pounds, get rich, find purpose, heal relationships, it’s all here in Exodus. But, wait there’s more, if you call right now, you also get: Freedom from Egypt and the Egyptians; from bondage to sin and from satan. And Peace that passes understanding, because the Egyptians, sin, bondage, etc. will be dead! And will bother you no more. And as a special added bonus, you also get Power, Light, Life, Love, and you’ll be a City set on a Hill, filled with God’s Joy! A little exaggerated? I think not… my God delivers! I will jump ahead for a quick verse; Exodus 15:2, Adonai is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will glorify Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. In simple and modern terms, they partied. They had a praise and worship service, and any modern celebration would be nothing, compared to this! 3 million people, Jewish people, truly free, truly turned loose, joyfully celebrating that fact. And Revelation 15:3 makes it a permanent position, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, and Psalm 34:1-4 affirm this fact. How exactly can we experience this? First, a positive attitude. We need God’s attitude, and it is amazingly positive. Can you imagine God being depressed? Walking back and forth in heaven complaining, feeling sorry for Himself. “Oh my, things aren’t going very well. I’m having a bad millennium! All that evil.“ How can we be positive in the face of so much evil. Sept. 11, 2001, was bad, but the Nazi’s were killing that many people every week. God sees it all, yet He is positive; we need a radical commitment to Romans 8:28 which says, “Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Father and daughter were outside walking. The daughter looked up at the stars and said, “Oh, how beautiful. If they ‘re this nice on this side, imagine what they must be like on God’s side!” God’s side is always, somehow, positive!
Second, a positive attention! We need to focus our attention where God does: On the solution, not the problem! We need a positive attention! Later on in Exodus 14, we will see the Egyptians coming, what is everyone talking about? The problem! The Egyptians! The Hopelessness of the situation! God, says, “Go Forward!” God says, “Go Forward, in the midst of sin, losing weight, getting physically fit, getting healthy, getting a powerful prayer life, finding financial prosperity. And God says, “Go Forward!” With our kids. Most parents spend most of their time talking, complaining, and yelling about the problems. (Tongue in cheek) Kids could help here by coming up with positive responses to most repeated complaints, for instance:
1) “How many times have I told you!” Kid’s response: “Well, Mom, I’ve kept track, this is actually the 378th time!”
2) “When will you every learn!” Kid’s response: “I have planned on learning the afternoon of February 8th, 2025. OK!”
3) “What’s wrong with you?!” Kid’s response “I’m glad you asked; I spent all last week at the doctors, and a battery of tests have conclusively proved: nothing! Oh, here’s the fifty-page report and the 10,000-dollar fee!”
4) “How could you do this to me?” Kid’s response: “Because I love you. The bible says, ‘Count it all joy!’, so I’m just giving you lots of reasons to be joyful!”
How much better to talk and work on solutions to family problems, creating a positive atmosphere for healthy families! What do we do? God says, there’s a party with your name on it on the other side of this Red Sea, “Go Forward!” Not “Oh No!” But “Let’s Go!” Find solutions, not problems! Third, Positive Action! God’s way includes positive action! Adonai said, in effect, “stop talkin’ and start walkin’!” Maybe everyone has heard about the Body Mind Loop! This is an observation of science that is exciting. Simply put, it says that you do influence your emotions by what you do! If you move in a joyful manner, you will feel more joyful! If you move in a fearless manner, you will feel more fearless! If you move in a depressed manner, you will feel depressed! Here’s a cute story to relay the message. A lady once started talking to a speaker and began her “broken record.” She began talking about her husband, how her kids and her body language was depressed. Sloped shoulders, head down, affected, low emotional, sad voice. The speaker recognized the pattern and decided to do something radical: He threw a glass of water in her face! After the initial shock, he laughed and explained that he was simply breaking up her body’s response to her conversation. He explained that she could create joy by simply acting joyful in her conversations about her husband and kids. This she did, transforming her marriage and family by becoming a more joyful person. Superficial? Perhaps, yet God designed our bodies, and they are not curses to our spiritual lives, but assets!
It’s time we Messianics make use of Spirit-filled actions that can help create Spirit-filled attitudes! God’s Way Out, because of the blood of the lamb! Is to focus on the positive, future, solutions of His Word and one of those is to rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say, rejoice! He’s bringing you out!
b’Shem Yeshua, haMelech v’haMashiach Shelanu! Amein.
(“in the name of Yeshua, our King and the Messiah! Amein.”)
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