PARASHAH B’SHALACH
(Exodus 13:17-17:16) Week 16
B’SHALACH: After he had let go. “After Pharaoh had let the people go”
YAD RAMAH: Hebrew meaning “with high arms”. They led out with arms high in strength!
HITYATSEV: Hebrew military command meaning: “Report for duty!”
NACHALA: Hebrew meaning ‘heritage’ as it describes inheritance of land.
TESTIMONY: Referring to the 10 COMMANDMENTS (The 10 WORDS)
TZUR: Hebrew meaning ROCK…moreover…BOULDER!
T’FILLIN: (Phylacteries) Prayer Boxes worn on the forehead or the arm containing the Shema on Parchment, as prayerful reminders to keep God’s commandments on our minds and in our life.
SHABBAT: The Holy Rest of Adonai
MITZVOT: Commandments (613 Mitzvot in the Torah)
GRUMBLINGS: “Grumble” (NIV) “Complain” (NRSV) “Murmur” (KJV) “Rebel against” (CJB) “Grumbled against”
MAN HU: What is it? (Manna) “It is bread which Adonai has given you to eat”
OMER: A measurement for grain (2 quarts)
BAMIDBAR: Desert Wilderness, Hebrew word meaning the Voice in the Wilderness
Remember, Moses had already spent over 40 years in the desert as a shepherd, under the supervisions of his father-in-law, Jethro in Midian. The desert was not the same frightening place to Moses as it was to the Hebrews who had lived an agrarian lifestyle in the Nile Delta, where there was no shortage of water, plant, or animal life.
God may take us into a desert place of ‘lack’ in order to show His goodness to us through miracles, signs and wonders!
Pillar or Column of Cloud: The Angel of God led the way for the EXODUS of God’s people by day.
Pillar or Column of Light: The Angel of God became the LIGHT BRIGADE for God’s people by night.
Adonai leads us as He did the Hebrews, along a path which may not be the most direct route but will have the best outcome!
This is when we must have faith! Our JOURNEY is as important to our story as our DESTINATION!
The greatest demonstration of Adonai’s EXODUS POWER was the parting of the Red Sea. At His command, two walls of sea water were formed, encasing the Hebrews as they CROSSED OVER. The destruction of the entire Egyptian command happened as Adonai turned the sea loose upon the Egyptian military guard, drowning them in the wake of “the birth of the Nation of Israel.”
Adonai gives Himself another Name: At the Red Sea, Adonai Rophekha, Lord our Healer.
Song of the Sea: Please read slowly the “Song of the Sea”, taking a pencil to draw the waves on the right column side of the wording of this song, WRITTEN to DEPICT the waves of the Red Sea! This is a beautiful example of Hebrew Poetry!
Murmuring and Complaining: Entering the desolation of desert wilderness caused the Israelites to complain to Moses and Aaron about the lack of water and food. God provided quails by night and bread by day. The people named the bread Manna, meaning what is this?
Entering Rephidim, the lack of water was the complaint. Moses was instructed by Adonai to strike a rock near Mt. Horeb to make the water flow. They named this place testing and quarreling. 40 years later Moses struck the same place for water, but struck TWICE when commanded to simply speak to the rock for the water to flow. There is much Midrash as to why Moses struck the rock, which cost him the long awaited crossing over into the Covenant Land.
The greatest and simplest admonition from The Lord:
Ex 15:26:
“If you will listen intently to the voice of Adonai your God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe his laws, I will not afflict you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, because I am Adonai your healer.”
- This means we must get to know him in order to hear His voice.
- SHEMA: Hear and Obey…do what He considers right!
- Observe His laws: The Laws set forth in His word from Genesis through the Revelation of Jesus Christ, are clear, concise, complete, and eternal.
The Lesson of the Manna:
The 6 days of the appearance of manna taught the new nation how to trust. On the 6th day a double portion fell, establishing Shabbat. The nation had to rest in faith on the 6th day, that they would receive the double portion in preparation for the observance of the Sabbath, on the 7th day.
Each plague, each miracle, each lesson learned in the wilderness was to develop the Covenantal relationship between the Nation of Israel and the God of Israel, Adonai. God’s ways mirror creation and the law of the harvest. There is a faith journey by our sanctifying wilderness experience where we learn to practice trusting in His Presence, Protection, Provision, and Promise. The 4 – P’s of his love in ACTION!
We see in Exodus that Adonai has pre-ordained plans for those whom He loves. He executes His plan in the way which most benefits His children. Even when we may not see it from this side of the experience, we will be given a vantage point one day, to see the glory of the Lord and His love for us! This is the amazing story of the tapestry of our lives. From this side of our earthly life, the tapestry may look tangled and knotted, even without beauty. From the Creator’s vantage point, the tapestry of our lives is art, in its highest, supernatural form!
Please note:
At Rephidim, the people still quarreled and complained in unbelief to Moses and Aaron regarding the lack of water. They asked again, “Is Adonai with us or not?” The next verse describes the attack of Amalek at Rephidim!
Adonai continued to advance the Nation of Israel, building their faith in his Presence, Protection, Provision and Promise!
Adonai to Moses: “Go on ahead of the people and bring with you the leaders of Israel. Take your staff in your hand, the one you used to strike the river and go. I will stand in front of you, there on the rock in Horev. You are to strike the rock and water will come out of it, so the people can drink.”
ADONAI NISSI…goes BEFORE us! He is our VANGUARD and our REAR GUARD!
Remember this miracle, when in spiritual battles!
Do not assume Amalek’s attack on Israel was a coincidence; just weeks after the birth of the new Nation of Israel and their burgeoning faith in Adonai. In the Hebrew language there is no word for coincidence. The closest interpretation alludes to a Tapestry!
It is during a period of the testing of our faith that we should expect a possible attack by the adversary.
We see in this battle how Moses grew weary! He needed to be upheld by his brothers! Adonai ensured the victory for Jacob over Amalek. Moses built an altar to Adonai in honor of the victory, as instructed by Adonai, and he recorded the details of their victorious battle. Moses called Adonai, ADONAI NISSI. (My banner, My Miracle)
Ask for partnership and prayer by your brothers and sisters in the Lord when fighting a battle! It is important to be humble enough to ask for others to hold us up, when we are in a season of weariness or suffering. It is a privilege to ask for prayer, and a privilege to pray for others!
“Write this in a book to be remembered, and tell it to Y’oshua: I will completely blot out any memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
Moshe built an altar; he called it Adonai Nissi (Adonai is my banner/miracle)
To this day Adonai wars against the spirit of Amalek for us! This is the spirit against Adonai, the Spirit of Anti-Christ.
HAFTARAH (Old Covenant) READING: Judges 4:5-31
“Now Devorah (Deborah) a woman and a prophet, the wife of Lapidot, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under Devorah’s Palm between Ramah and Beit El in Israel at that time.”
Devorah was a prophetess during a period of unbelief and turning away in Israel. She judged over Israel during this time. She sat beneath a palm tree and judged the people there.
She went with Barak, who did not have enough faith in God to go alone, to fight a Canaanite army and Sisera their commander. She prophesied that Sisera would be felled by the hand of a woman, not by Barak.
Deborah assembled 10,000 soldiers for Israel. They were met with 900 chariots of the large Canaanite army and met to fight at Mt. Tabor. The Lord was with Israel! Not a soldier escaped the sword of Israel, except Sisera, who was later killed by a woman, the descendant of Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro the Midianite!
Israel then experienced 40 years of peace (Shalom) due to Devorah’s courage and faith! Our personal obedience matters in ways we may not see this side of heaven!
Our TAPESTRY is being woven by our obedience and courageous acts for the Kingdom!
BRIT CHADASHAH (New Covenant) READING: John 6:15-71, 1 Cor. 10:1-5
“I AM THE BREAD WHICH IS LIFE! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty.”
“For I have come down from heaven to do not my own will but the will of the One who sent me. And this is the will of the One who sent me: that I should not lose any of all those he has given me but should raise them up on the Last Day. Yes, this is the will of my Father that all who see the Son and trust in him should have eternal life, and that I should raise them up on the Last Day.”
He calls Himself Living Bread, like the Manna which rained down from heaven! We know that all who trust in Adonai will not thirst but will be given water that never runs dry.
I CORINTHIANS: “Therefore, my dear friends, run from idolatry!”
“These things happened to them as pre-figurative historical events and they were written down as a warning to us who are living in the Alcharit-Hayamim.” (Latter Days)
“The cup of blessing over which we make the b’rakhah—isn’t it a sharing in the bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah? The bread we break, isn’t it a sharing in the body of the Messiah?