PARASHAH VA’ERA STUDY NOTES
(Exodus 6:2-9:35) Week 14
VA’ERA: “I appeared” (I am Adonai…I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as El Shaddai)
EL: The Almighty…God of overpowering strength!
EL SHADDAI: From the Hebrew word “shad” meaning “breast”; El Shaddai, our caring nourisher, and also from the Hebrew word “shadad” meaning to overpower, speaking of God’s Omnipotence!
SHAD: “Breast”
LAGACHTI: Marriage word meaning “to take” one another into a covenant relationship such as marriage. “I will take you as my people” are marriage words.
YADA: To know in the biblical sense that Adam knew Eve intimately; “Then you will (YADA) know that I am Adonai your God”.
EXODUS: Called; The Book of Engagement; a “Type” of spiritual engagement between Adonai and Israel.
KETUBAH: Hebrew word for ‘Engagement Document’ making the proposed union VALID…TORAH is cherished by the Jews as the Engagement Document between Adonai and Israel!
THE FINGER OF GOD: An idiom describing God’s tremendous POWER!
SHABBAT: Sabbath…The giving of the command of Shabbat is seen as the giving of the engagement ring by Adonai to Israel, because observance to Shabbat “sets apart” all who honor the command for Shabbat, as belonging to Adonai. (Resting fully in His faithfulness.)
I Will Bring You into the Land: This promise by Adonai to the people of Israel is their covenant promise…just as a Hebrew bridegroom would make a formal engagement decree with his bride, then leave to prepare a place for them to dwell together. The father of the bridegroom would oversee the preparations, so that the bridegroom would continue to work on the preparations in the LAND, until the father commanded to his son, “it is finished!” This is a beautiful image of the Rapture of the Church, the Bride of Christ, being taken by her Groom to the Father’s house for the Wedding Feast.
It is in verses 6:14-27 that Adonai instructs the marking of the DIVISIONS which are the TRIBES OF ISRAEL, by the divisions of the sons and heads of households. . .FOR THE FIRST TIME!
Adonai prepares to TAKE Israel OUT of the bondage in Egypt. He FIRST prepares the way OUT, and the new ORDER by which His people will arrange themselves according to their history and family lineage.
NAVI: Prophet…One who brings forth God’s words! Moses was a prophet! Aaron was a prophet! The prophet assumes the authority of the one who sent him! Therefore, Moses and Aaron were God’s agents, of the plagues of Egypt!
7 Plagues: 7 gods:
1) Water into blood: dam
2) Swarming frogs: tzefardea
3) Lice: kinim
4) Swarming insects: arov
5) Disease on animals, cattle: dever
6) Boils: shechim
7) Hail with Fire: (FIRE AND ICE!) barad
Adonai sent plagues to torment the Egyptians which mirrored the 7 gods of Egypt!
The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart: Pharaoh’s heart was hard due to his PRIDE! Adonai hardened the already barbaric heart of the Pharaoh, and goes so far as to tell Pharaoh that He, Adonai, could have destroyed Pharaoh and all of Egypt if it were NOT for His mercy to give them opportunities to repent and come into alignment with Adonai. Thus, exhibiting all 13 Attributes of Himself as recorded in Torah.
The Eternal One passes before Moses and proclaims of Himself: “Adonai, Adonai, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and granting pardon” (Mishkan T’filah)
This IS the epic story of good and evil, of curses and blessings, of pride and humility…the Mishlei or holy comparison of what is of the LIGHT of God, and what is of the DARKNESS of the enemy, Satan.
The delicious irony of the Lord: Verse 8:16-20
Please re-read these verses in a new light, with the irony of the Lord. Moses was commanded to get up early to go find Pharaoh to stand before him when he goes ‘out to the water’…say to him…
The Lord instructs Moses to stand before Pharaoh as he relieved himself at the water’s edge, first thing in the morning! The King of Egypt is interrupted during his morning private time to relieve himself, when suddenly Moses appears in front of him in full view of what Pharaoh is doing which makes him simply a man just like all the rest of the men on the earth, not the elevated view Pharaoh had of himself as a god of Egypt!
A Pivotal Moment in History!
Verse 8:18-22 “But I will set apart the land of Goshen where my people live, no swarms of insects will be there, so that you can realize that I am Adonai, right here in the land!” The Favor of Adonai on His First Born or the Nation of Is’rael!
The Lord God Almighty takes the stand of Bridegroom by protecting His bride and setting her apart from any enemy, any danger, any harm! Covenant Territory has now been established physically, for the first time in history, in behalf of Israel!
The protection of Israel throughout the 7 plagues is a foreshadowing of the protection, and setting apart for holy service, that God WILL do for His bride, during the 7-Year Tribulation. So, it does not matter WHEN the rapture will take place, we are the Bride, and our Bridegroom will set us apart, as His Wild Olive Branch, during His judgement of Israel and her OPRESSORS. Take heart, and be filled with joy! Come Lord Jesus Come!
Relationships take time and bonding:
Adonai, in His mercy, knew that as He showed Himself progressively through the sending of the plagues into Egypt, that He was building His relationship with Moses and Aaron (whom he had chosen to lead) and all the nation of Israel who witnessed His amazing power and sovereignty. Relationships take time and bonding experiences! God is our creator, and knows us from the inside out. He provides all that we will ever need, in our journey with HIM, to develop our intimate “Halakha” or walk with Him!
Just like with Israel, each of us must be set FREE from the bondage of sin and death, DELIVERED into God’s Kingdom and protection, and finally REDEEMED, so that He can TAKE us to the place He has prepared!
These are the 4 CUPS OF THE PASSOVER TABLE! Shalom and shalom!
Haftarah (Old Covenant) Reading: Ez. 28:25-29:21
“Adonai Elohim says, ‘Once I have gathered the house of Isra’el from the peoples among whom they are scattered, once I have shown my holiness in them as the Nations watch, then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Ya’akov. They will have security when they live there, building houses and planting vineyards; yes, they will live in safety, once I have executed judgements against all their contemptuous neighbors. Then they will know that I am Adonai, their God’”
Ezekiel prophesies about the day of salvation for the Jewish people after a long exile. The Nation of Israel will securely dwell in the land promised to Isra’el…Jerusalem (Yerushalem)
Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) Reading: Rom 9:14-33
In Romans we are reminded that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart even more than it was toward Adonai and Israel. This was to ensure the demonstration of God’s power of salvation to all the earth, as his miracles of the Plagues progressed!
Likewise, it is through the hardening of the heart of Israel against Jesus the Messiah, that salvation is now offered to the Gentiles. (The Wild Olive Branch) God’s plans are good, and will be realized and everything used for His GLORY!
“It is for this very reason that I raised you up, so that in connection with you I might demonstrate my power, so that my name might be known throughout the world.”
“Those who were not my people I will call my people; her who was not loved I will call loved; and in the very place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called sons of the living God!”
Baruch Ha Shem!