Transcript Slide 1

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THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECT
http://www.messianicbible.com
HEAR O ISRAEL
www.hearoisrael.org
SHEEPFOLD GLEANINGS WRITTEN BY JULIE PARKER
www.sheepfoldgleanings.com
MESSIANIC ISRAEL ALLIANCE
http://www.messianicisrael.com
AZAMRA TORAH FOR OUR TIME – RABBI AVRAHAM
GREENBAUM
http://www.azamra.org
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TORAH: Exodus 10:1-13:16
HAFTARAH: Jeremiah 46:13-28
B’RIT CHADASHAH: Luke 2:22-24, John 19:31-37
All scripture references: The Scriptures 1998+ unless otherwise noted
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And ‫ יהוה‬said to Mosheh, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened
his heart and the hearts of his servants, so that I show these
signs of Mine before him,(Exodus 10:1 )
“Bo” has two slightly different spellings in Scripture depending
on where you look. Here it is spelled simply “Beit-aleph” and
means “come”, “enter”, “come with”, “bring near”, “go out”, “go”,
or as translated here “go in”.
The letters in “Bo” (beit = 2, aleph = 1) have the combined
numerical value of “3”. Seven is the number of spiritual
perfection or completeness, three is the number of a divine
perfection or completeness. Yahshua spent three days and nights
in the grave; which as he said, was the “sign of Yonah” given to
that generation, who spent three days and nights in the belly of
the great fish (Yonah 1 & 2). B‟nei Yisra‟el was separated from
Mitzrayim by darkness for three days. They were also
commanded to separate themselves completely from Mitzrayim
by a journey of three days into the wilderness, in order to make4
offerings to ‫יהוה‬, according to Shemot 3:18.
GIMMEL is equal to the number three and is said to denote kindness. It is
a form of the word ‘gamol’, meaning ‘to nourish until completely ripe’, or
‘to bring to maturity’. From this notion comes the expression gemilut
chessed – an act of great kindness.
The pictograph for GIMMEL is a camel and echoes the word for camel,
‘gamal’. which symbolises the gamol chessed – performer of kindness, as
it carries with it the burdens of life on its journey through the desert,
equipped with sustenance to help those travelling with it. Its name comes
from the word ‘to wean’ and ‘a nursing infant’, signifying its
independence as well as its need for nourishment.
In Hebrew thought and teaching it is referred to as a “bridge”. A bridge
between events, people and opinions. The literal meaning of the word
“gimmel” is “to deal out” or “give out”.
This is a picture of Yeshua the one who gave of Himself to re-establish
the bridge between the Father and us. It also represent the third person
in the Godhead the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father, helping us
over the bridge (Yeshua) to the Father.
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And Mosheh and Aharon came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus
said ‫ יהוה‬Elohim of the Heḇrews, ‘Till when shall you refuse to humble
yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they serve Me. ‘Or else,
if you refuse to let My people go, see, tomorrow I am bringing locusts
within your borders. ‘And they shall cover the surface of the land, so
that no one is able to see the land. And they shall eat the rest of what
has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat
every tree which grows up for you out of the field. ‘And they shall fill
your houses, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all
the Mitsrites, which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have
seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” …Pharaoh
then called for Mosheh and Aharon in haste, and said, “I have sinned
against ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim and against you. “And now, please forgive my
sin only this once, and pray to ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim, that He would only
turn away this death from me.” ..(Exodus 10:3-19 )
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It is reported that a swarm of locust can be up to 50 million strong and
climb up to 3,000 feet (914 meters) in the air posing problems for
pilots. In a National Geographic article it was reported that fifteen to
thirty million adult locusts inhabit each square mile of a swarm.
Depending on the wind, locust swarms can fly at some 10 to 12 miles
an hour (16 to 19 kilometers an hour), traveling 80 miles (130
kilometers) or more in a single day. Another resource reported that in
1954 locusts migrated from northwest Africa to the British Isles. In
1988 they moved from West Africa to the Caribbean, covering some
3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) in the period of about ten days. In 2010
Australian locust swarmed over 500,000 square kilometers (190,000
square miles) roughly the size of Spain.
The insects weigh less than one tenth of an ounce (two grams) but eat
their weight in food each day. In a day, one ton of locusts, a very small
part of a swarm, consume enough food for 2,500 people. The locust
can live between three to six months, and there is a tenfold increase in
locust numbers from one generation to the next.
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The word translated here as “locusts” is “arbeh” (aleph-reish-beit-hey)
and has several meanings; one of which is “locust” as in a “swarm of
locusts” or more precisely “swarming locusts”. It also means, according
to Gesenius‟ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, “floodgates”, as in the floodgates
of heaven, that open up during hard rains. The locust was an attack
on Anubis, the god of the fields, especially cemeteries.
The letters that make up “arbeh” have the numeric value of 211 which
equals; ”hei „ra‟ah” or “he has shown”, “gibor” or “mighty”, “ee‟ra” or
“you fear”, “ha ber‟ad” or “the hail” and “El Pa‟al” or “El of
Recompense”. The equivalent Aramaic word for “arbeh”, in the Aramaic
Targum is “gova”. The word “gova” is used in Revelation 9:1-11, the
locusts that come out of the pit. “Gova” is related to the Hebrew word
“geva”, which means “height” and has the connotation of “coming down
from on high” as with judgment. Then I shall repay you the years that
the swarming locust (ha arbeh) has eaten, the young locust (ha yeleq),
and the (chaseil) consuming locust, and the (gazam) gnawing locust, My
great army which I sent among you.” Joel 2:25
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However, ‫ יהוה‬hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not let the
children of Yisra’ĕl go. And ‫ יהוה‬said to Mosheh, “Stretch out your hand
toward the heavens, and let there be darkness over the land of
Mitsrayim, even a darkness which is felt.” ..and there was thick
darkness in all the land of Mitsrayim for three days. They did not see
one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, while all
the children of Yisra’ĕl had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10:20-23)
The ninth plaque, that of darkness; a darkness that can be felt. This
kind of darkness is talked about throughout Scripture. First Abram:
And it came to be, when the sun was going down, and a deep sleep fell
upon Aḇram, that see, a frightening great darkness fell upon him.
(Genesis 15:12 ). And, this is the same darkness mentioned at the
giving of the “Ten Commandments” in ..“Do not fear, for Elohim has
come to prove you, and in order that His fear be before you, so that
you do not sin.” So the people stood at a distance, but Mosheh drew
near the thick darkness where Elohim was. (Exodus 20:18-21)
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And he said to them, “Let ‫ יהוה‬be with you as I let you and your
little ones go! Watch, for evil is before your face! (Exodus 10:10 )
In the Hebrew we find the following translation:
Then he said to them, “You better hope ‫ יהוה‬is with you because
when I let you and your little one go…..beware for RA is in front
of your faces!”
The word for evil in Hebrew is Ra, and Ra was a chief god of
Egypt. He was the sun god, the god of light…and Pharaoh
considered himself to be the son of this god. So we can see here
that Pharaoh is setting forth the challenge of the Elohim of the
Hebrews verses the sun god Ra! The light of Egypt verses the
light of ‫!יהוה‬
And no wonder! For Satan himself masquerades as a messenger
of light! (2 Corinthians 11:14 )
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Ra was the ancient Egyptian sun god, and was viewed as the creator of
all life. This false god was identified primarily with the noonday sun
and represented light, warmth, and growth to its worshipers. It is
depicted as a man with the head of a hawk, bull, ram, or solar orb, and
its symbols were sometimes combined with other gods. Darkness
represented the complete removal of Yahweh’s presence from the
Egyptians, while the light (of His presence) continued to remain over
the Children of Israel. His presence (i.e. His faithfulness) was with
them. Symbol of a time to come: And the city had no need of the sun,
nor of the moon, to shine in it, for the esteem of Elohim lightened it,
and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21:23 )
Darkness snuffed out life; without light life ceased. Scripture said that
no one could move. They were paralyzed for those three days. Without
the life support of light even the air around them was immobile, fire
could not even burn. This plague was so terrible they could actually
“feel” the darkness.
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The pattern of how worship of the sun has continued throughout
history. In ancient Babylon, the kings served as high priests of the sun
god, Bel-Marduk. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 ed., the
celebration of the winter solstice around December 25 was regarded
as the birthday of the sun. It was a major holiday associated with giftgiving and the sacred evergreen tree.
Persia was Babylon’s successor and the ancient Persian religion
centred on the worship of Mithras, the god of light. The Greeks of Asia
Minor identified Mithras with their ancient sun god, Helios. Then
Alexander the Great travelled to Egypt to the Temple of Amon-Ra to be
proclaimed by the priests as the literal son of the sun god. In 274 AD
Aurelian established the sun-god as the supreme god of the Roman
Empire.
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Constantine, considered Rome’s first “Christian” emperor, was himself
a devotee of the sun god. The famous vision of the cross as he
marched on Rome came to him from the sun. The sun appeared on
most of his coins and his own statue at Constantinople bore the rayed
crown of the sun-god. His coins were inscribed: “Sol Invicto Comiti”
(Committed to the invincible sun). While claiming to be a “Christian”,
Constantine maintained the title “Pontifus Maximus” the high priest of
paganism.
In 321 AD, Constantine enacted laws that all courts of justice,
inhabitants of towns, and workers were to be at rest on Sun-day, doing
away with the Sabbath. The term used was “the venerable day of the
sun.” The observance of Sunday (associated with sun worship), has
thus worked its way right on down through the medieval period to
modern times. Contrary to what we’ve been told, it was not ‫ יהוה‬that
authorized the change from a 7th day Sabbath to the 1st day of the
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week.
He saw himself as the sun god, he believed this so much that he
had ‫'יהוה‬s Biblical lunar calendar changed to a solar calendar to
have the people pay homage to him and take the focus off the
God of Israel. Without God’s lunar calendar directing and guiding
them, Yahweh’s people lost their heritage and their identity.
They even began to see ‫’יהוה‬s celebrations as strange and
foreign.
The establishment of his solar calendar worked, and many were
led astray into the worship of Babylonian celebrations like
Christmas and Easter. Constantine even named the days of the
week after Babylonian gods to have the people pay homage to
the gods he worshipped. Thus we readily accept the days of the
week as Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday etc. not realizing they
are so named in honor of pagan gods. So don't let anyone pass
judgment on you in connection with eating and drinking, or in
regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh-Hodesh or Shabbat. These are
a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the
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Messiah. (Colossians 2:16-17 CJB)
The idea to celebrate Christmas on December 25 also originated in the
4th century. The Catholic Church wanted to eclipse the festivities of a
rival pagan religion that threatened Christianity’s existence. The
Romans celebrated the birthday of their sun god, Mithras during this
time of year. Although it was not popular, or even proper, to celebrate
people’s birthdays in those times, church leaders decided that in order
to compete with the pagan celebration they would themselves order a
festival in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. December 25 was
chosen as the official birthday celebration as Christ’s Mass so that it
would compete head on with the rival celebration. This was the Roman
version of Christianity. It was polluted and mixed and filled with pagan
rituals. Christmas was slow to catch on in America. The early colonists
considered it a pagan ritual. The celebration of Christmas was even
banned by law in Massachusetts in colonial days, not taught in most
public school history classes.
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Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You are to see
still greater abominations than these.” And He brought me into the
inner court of the House of ‫יהוה‬. And there, at the door of the Hĕḵal of
‫יהוה‬, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men
with their backs toward the Hĕḵal of ‫ יהוה‬and their faces toward the
east, and they were bowing themselves eastward to the sun. (Ezekiel
8:15-16 )
Ezekiel is taken through a vision to the temple of ‫ יהוה‬and shown many
detestable things, and the MOST detestable thing was this. There are
men worshiping in the temple of ‫יהוה‬, but they are participating in
some facet of sun worship, which causes their backs to face the
ALMIGHTY ‫ !יהוה‬Worship of the sun in ‫’יהוה‬s own house! ‫ יהוה‬hates
the mix in our worship.
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There is darkness in the “Day of ‫”יהוה‬, as in “And I shall give signs in
the heavens and upon the earth: blood and fire and columns of smoke,
the sun is turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the
coming of the great and awesome day of ‫יהוה‬. “And it shall be that
everyone who calls on the Name of ‫ יהוה‬shall be delivered1. ..(Joel 2:3032). We read Woe to you who are longing for the day of ‫ !יהוה‬What
does the day of ‫ יהוה‬mean to you? It is darkness, and not light, as when
a man flees from a lion, and a bear shall meet him; or entered his
house, rested his hand on the wall, and a serpent shall bite him. Is not
the day of ‫ יהוה‬darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no
brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20 ) Near is the great day of ‫יהוה‬, near
and hurrying greatly, the noise of the day of ‫יהוה‬. Let the mighty man
then bitterly cry out! That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and
trouble, a day of waste and ruin, a day of darkness and gloominess, a
day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of ram’s horn and alarm ...
“And I shall bring distress on men, and they shall walk like blind men ..
their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.”
(Zephaniah 1:14-17 )
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“This month is the beginning of months for you, it is the first month of
the year for you. (Exodus 12:2 )
Israel will hear the very first commandment given to corporate Israel,
before the last plaque happens and it was “change your calendar”. The
calendar of Egypt was based on the sun, and in dealing with this
preoccupation with sun worship, ‫ יהוה‬commanded the Israelites to
base their calendar on the moon. They were no longer to have
anything to do with worshiping the sun or with the sun god, Ra. The
beautiful concept of light had been so perverted by the evil one.
Teaching them the truth about light will be a part of Elohim freeing His
people from Pharaoh’s rule and Egypt’s influence. And He will do this
by starting with the celebration of the New Moon. Based on this
calendar, the events of the Passover will be remembered and
celebrated each year as an everlasting ordinance!
‘And this day shall become to you a remembrance. And you shall
observe it as a festival to ‫ יהוה‬throughout your generations – observe it
as a festival, an everlasting law. (Exodus 12:14 )
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The first mitzvah of the Torah to the Children of Israel is that of
"sanctifying the month" (KIDDUSH HACHODESH). This involves
counting the months of the year from Nissan, the month of
redemption, and, when the Sanhedrin sits in the Land of Israel, taking
testimony from witnesses who have sighted the new moon in order to
declare the start of the new month. Marking time from the point at
which the moon, having briefly disappeared from sight, begins to wax
and grow, is a sign of constant regeneration and vitality. The sign of the
crescent was taken over by Islam, but the unique power of the crescent
of the new moon as a symbol of renewal is known only to the Children
of Israel, who observe the commandment of Sanctifying the Month.
‫’יהוה‬s lunar calendar establishes the timing of His moedim/feast days
called the paths of righteousness, an aspect of the walk of holiness He
has called His people to.
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Most rabbis assert that this is actually the beginning of the Torah (the
Instructions). In the Hebrew, verse 2 reads; “Ha chodesh hazeh lachem
rosh chodesh‟im rishown hu lacham l‟chodeshe ha shaneh.” Now,
according to the rabbis, while this verse can be translated as above,
there is a second possible translation; “This new moon shall be for you
the head of months, it is the first month of the year.” This
understanding is supported by the following verse, verse 3, which
states; “Speak to all the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘On the tenth
day of this month each one of them is to take for himself a lamb,
according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. (Exodus
12:3 ). Since the command for each household to take a lamb on the
10th day, this command had to be given some days earlier.
Note: ‫ יהוה‬does not tell Moshe and Aharon to “speak to the Children of
Yisra’el” here. Yah says that this “is the beginning of the month for you
(lachem)” and that this “is the first month of the year (lachem) for
you”. Then, ‫ יהוה‬has them speak to B‟nei Yisra‟el regarding the
choosing of a lamb on the 10th day of the month.
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Rosh Chodesh is the Hebrew term for “New/renewed moon”.
Blow the ram’s horn at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on
our festival day. (Psalms 81:3)
Rosh Chodesh is a time to come together with other believers and
“sound the shofar”! The moon is a heavenly body that cannot produce
its own light. Israel also has no light of its own, but she would learn she
was to be a light to the nations. On Rosh Chodesh the moon’s light
breaks forth from the darkness and brings light to the world as a
reminder to us of our calling and purpose. Our purpose is to bring the
light of salvation to the world. We are to be reflecting the light of
Torah into a dark world.
For the command is a lamp, And the Torah a light1, And reproofs of
discipline a way of life (Proverbs 6:23)
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Torah and Yeshua is the Living Torah!
Therefore ‫ יהושע‬spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of
the world. He who follows Me shall by no means walk in
darkness, but possess the light of life.” (John 8:12)
The light that we are reflecting, is the light of Torah, which is
Yeshua! When we love Yeshua by keeping His commandments,
we reflect that light into a dark world:
“If you love Me, you shall guard My commands. (John 14:15)
Yeshua also said:
“You are the light of the world. It is impossible for a city to be
hidden on a mountain. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under
a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines to all those in the
house. “Let your light so shine before men, so that they see your
good works and praise your Father who is in the heavens.
(Matthew 5:14-16)
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Rosh Chodesh is the exact day when ‫’יהוה‬s presence filled the
tabernacle:
And it came to be in the first month of the second year, on the first day
of the month, that the Dwelling Place was raised up. … And the cloud
covered the Tent of Meeting, and the esteem of ‫ יהוה‬filled the Dwelling
Place. ..(Exodus 40:17-35)
It is written in the Talmud that “anyone who blesses the New Moon is
like one who receives the Shekinah (the glory)”. This is exactly what
happened when the Israelites raised up the tabernacle in the desert on
Rosh Chodesh! Thus every month on Rosh Chodesh, we are able to
watch that little sliver of moon pierce the darkness and we are
reminded of our purpose….shine forth His light! Be renewed!
“For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make stand before
Me,” declares ‫יהוה‬, “so your seed and your name shall stand. “And it
shall be that from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to
Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” declares ‫יהוה‬.
(Isaiah 66:22-23)
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And ‫ יהוה‬said to Mosheh, “I am bringing yet one more plague on
Pharaoh and on Mitsrayim. After that he is going to let you go from
here. When he lets you go, he shall drive you out from here altogether.
Exodus 11:1
This is a parenthetical statement. As soon as Moses and Aaron had
been forcefully driven out of the palace by Pharaoh, ‫יהוה‬informed
Moses that one more plague was forth-coming. It would be a
judgment, and effectual to bring about the release of Israel, a
departure that Pharaoh would actually hasten. A translation
of Sforno [Chumash, Stone Edition] reads: "He shall send you [the
children of Israel] as he has sent you [Moses and Aaron, when he
ejected you from the palace throne room]; he shall surely thrust out all
of you."
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Moshe said, "Here is what Adonai says: 'About midnight I will go out
into Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the
firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the slavegirl at the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the livestock. There will be
a horrendous wailing throughout all the land of Egypt — there has
never been another like it, and there never will be again. (Exodus 11:46 CJB)
This was the last and final plague on Egypt. The death of the firstborn
was an attack on Pharaoh, the god-king. Pharaoh was considered a
god, as was his firstborn son who would succeed him on the throne. In
fact, the firstborn of people and animals in general were often
worshipped. Pharaoh was considered an incarnation of Ra, the sun
god, and Osiris, the giver of life. Because Pharaoh’s son was considered
a god, when he died it was as if a god of Egypt had actually died.
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Your animal must be without defect, a male in its first year, and you
may choose it from either the sheep or the goats. " 'You are to keep it
until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of
the community of Isra'el will slaughter it at dusk. (Exodus 12:5-6 CJB)
The month of Nissan is governed by the astrological sign of Aries
(T'LEH, the Ram), called the "head" or first of the constellations, since
this is when the annual "regeneration" of the world begins in
springtime. The Egyptians, who were masters of astronomy and
astrology, worshipped sheep (see Gen. 46:34 and Rashi). The
commandment to the Children of Israel to take young sheep, ritually
slaughter and eat them, was indicative of the destruction of the
Egyptian religion through the Exodus and its replacement with a
completely new and revolutionary way of coming to know G-d. Rabbi
Avraham Greenbaum
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They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides
and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which
they eat it. That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the
fire; they are to eat it with matzah and maror. Don't eat it raw or
boiled, but roasted in the fire, with its head, the lower parts of its
legs and its inner organs. Let nothing of it remain till morning; if
any of it does remain, burn it up completely. " 'Here is how you
are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet and
your staff in your hand; and you are to eat it hurriedly. It is
Adonai's Pesach [Passover]. (Exodus 12:7-11 CJB)
The two doorposts represent theTwo Houses of Israel: the House
of Judah and the House of Israel. They are joined together by
the lintel, Yeshua, the Lamb of God, the mediator between
heaven and earth. End times unity is seen here of the restoration
of all Twelve Tribes. The one gate can also reflect the future
“twelve gates” unified in Yeshua that lead into the New
Jerusalem. The house represents the house of Yahweh and His
covering, which we choose to remain in as we walk in obedience
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to Him.
For that night, I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both men and animals; and I will
execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt; I am Adonai.
(Exodus 12:12 CJB)
At Midnight, on the 14th day of Abib, ‫ יהוה‬killed all the first-born in
Mitzrayim, of man and beast. But, the Children of Yisra‟el, and
those of the “mixed multitude”, who obeyed the instructions lived
to depart Mitzrayim and the slavery of four generations, just as
‫ יהוה‬had first promised Avraham over 400 years earlier.
Note: YHVH says; „And I shall pass through the land of Mitsrayim
on that night….‟, the Hebrew word for “pass through” is “abar” (or
“ayin-beit-reish” = eber), which also means to “pass over” which
equates to “The Passover”. “Abar” in the Aramaic “And I shall be
revealed in the land of Mitsrayim on that night…‟. “He” passed
through not an angel” and “I and not a seraph” and “I and not a
messenger”. Only ‫יהוה‬, Who gives life, can take it. As we learned
last week, this concept of meting out judgment to Mitzrayim, while
showing mercy and salvation to Yisra‟el, are the attributes that are
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revealed in the Name “Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey”.
" 'This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a
festival to Adonai; from generation to generation you are to
celebrate it by a perpetual regulation. " 'For seven days you are
to eat matzah - on the first day remove the leaven from your
houses. For whoever eats hametz [leavened bread] from the first
to the seventh day is to be cut off from Isra'el. On the first and
seventh days, you are to have an assembly set aside for God. On
these days no work is to be done, except what each must do to
prepare his food; you may do only that. You are to observe the
festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions
out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day
from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation. From
the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the
evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat matzah. During
those seven days, no leaven is to be found in your houses.
Whoever eats food with hametz in it is to be cut off from the
community of Isra'el — it doesn't matter whether he is a
foreigner or a citizen of the land. Eat nothing with hametz in it.
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Wherever you live, eat matzah.' “(Exodus 12:14-20 CJB)
Bitter herbs (Exodus 12:8) - Represent the bitterness of our
slavery and bondage.
Matzo - Flat unleavened bread, represents ‫’יהוה‬s pure Word
pointing to our redemption and freedom from our sin.
Roasted lamb - represents the Messiah Yeshua, the Savior of the
World who took our death upon Himself.
Easter: Man imposed Easter (by threat of death) on the
people three hundred and twenty five years after Yeshua died.
Yeshua never taught Easter or the celebration of it. Easter
originated and was celebrated in Babylon hundreds of
years before Yeshua was born. Easter is the celebration
of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of fertility at the spring
equinox. Eggs are a symbol of Ishtar, and were dipped in the
blood of human sacrifices made to pay homage to her. Today’s
practice of decorating Easter eggs originated from this tradition.30
"Moreover, it will serve you as a sign on your hand and as a
reminder between your eyes, so that Adonai's Torah may be on
your lips; because with a strong hand Adonai brought you out of
Egypt. Therefore you are to observe this regulation at its proper
time, year after year. When Adonai brings you into the land of
the Kena`ani, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it
to you, you are to set apart for Adonai everything that is first
from the womb. Every firstborn male animal will belong to
Adonai. Every firstborn from a donkey, you are to redeem with a
lamb; but if you choose not to redeem it, you must break its
neck. But from people, you are to redeem every firstborn son.
(Exodus 13:9-13 CJB)
Part of the priestly garments was the mitre, a gold plate on the
High Priest’s forehead that read “Holy unto Yahweh.” This “sign”
distinguishes the Bride in the end days; the Bride and the
priesthood, and are called Holy unto ‫ יהוה‬when they walk in His
ways and keep His feasts! (Exodus 28:36; Revelation 20:4) For the
perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the
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mortal with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53).
..set apart for Adonai everything that is first from the womb.
Every firstborn male animal will belong to Adonai. (Exodus 13:12
CJB)
In this week‟s parsha, we see two Hebrew words that come into
play here. First, the word “be‟qor” means literally “born first”
and the word “peh‟ter” which means “to separate” or “first to
open”. Here we see clearly the intent to set apart or separate the
ones born first, just as they were first to open or separate the
womb. The first-born son in the family was assigned several
important functions. He was the kinsman-redeemer of family
members and land that was sold, or encumbered, to satisfy debt.
And also, to recover family who were captured, abducted, or
sold into slavery. The stories of Judah and Tamar, and Boaz and
Ruth depict the role of the firstborn head of the family as one
who “raised” his replacement by fathering a child for the family.
In the event of his death, the next son would marry his brother‟s
wife and raise up a seed, as an heir for the dead brother. And,
this was also considered a picture of the resurrection.
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The firstborn was also the blood avenger, if any family member had
lost his life at the hand of another. He was responsible to restore
family property that had been lost, taken or seized. In order to be able
to respond to all these contingencies the father bestowed upon his
first-born, before death, a “double portion” of his material wealth,
above the other siblings. Up until then he was more like a prince. In
taking full responsibility for all matters in his family, he became to his
clan like a king or ruler and a servant of Elohim, as well as a judge and
a guardian of Torah for the family.
Avraham, for example, was instructed to command his children in the
ways of righteousness according to B’reshith 18:19. The Levites, who
were given the priesthood of the firstborn, were to bestow, inspire,
and be an example of “life and peace” according to Mal’aki 2:5. But
first he had to prove his faithfulness to his father and to the Torah of
Elohim. Had he violated these requirements, he stood a good chance
of losing this position to a younger brother, as happened with Esau and
Rueben.
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‫ יהוה‬chooses His first-born according to His will and often times our
heart. ‫ יהוה‬gave Ya‟aqob revelation and the insight to adopt Manasseh
and Ephraim in order to give Yoseph a “double portion” as he would a
first-born. To Yoseph, Ya‟aqob gives the blessings of multiplicity and
the family priesthood. The blessings of your father Have excelled the
blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting
hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head
of him who was separate from his brothers. (Genesis 49:26 NKJV).
Looking at the Hebrew we get the whole story. The word used for
“separated” is “na‟zir” (Strong‟s #5139) meaning “consecrated”,
“dedicated” or “set-apart one” and is the root for Nazarite. Yoseph was
set-apart and given the “priesthood” according to the order of the
Melek Tzaddik (first-born, righteous king). Shim‟on Kepha tells us in
Kepha Aleph 2:4-5; Drawing near to Him, a living Stone – rejected
indeed by men, but chosen by Elohim and precious – you also, as living
stones, are being built up, a spiritual house, a set-apart priesthood, to
offer up spiritual slaughter offerings acceptable to Elohim through
Yahshua Messiah.
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So, what about the donkey thing? Elohim killed the first-born
throughout Mitzrayim; but, by the blood of the lamb, ransomed the
first-born of Yisra‟el. He then instructs us, that the first-born of the
animals are His, except that we are to ransom the first-born of the
donkeys, or asses, with a lamb. The obvious in comparing men and
asses as donkeys are a picture of us; and here‟s how.
The Hebrew word used here for “donkey” is “cham‟or” (Strong‟s
#2543) literally meaning “ass”, also “troubled” or “in turmoil”.
“Cham‟or” is spelled “chet-mem-reish”. “Chet” means “fear”, “mem”
means “water” or “fountain of Wisdom” and “reish” means “head” or
“beginning”; showing us that fear (or reverence) of the water (the
washing of the Word) is at the “beginning” of our relationship to
Elohim. In other words, these donkeys represent those who have fear
(or reverence) of the Word. Our turmoil, then, is to understand and
learn it. These are as “first-born” who are ransomed. Those who don‟t
care for the Word are not ransomed and their necks are broken. So,
being an ass isn‟t always a bad thing.
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‫ יהוה‬repeats this ransom, or redeeming of the first-born command 18
times in the Torah. He called Yisra‟el His first-born in Shemot 4:22; And
you shall say to Pharaoh, „Thus said ‫יהוה‬, “Yisra‟el is My son, My
firstborn,” And we see For thus said ‫יהוה‬, .. For I shall be a Father to
Yisra’ĕl, and Ephrayim – he is My first-born. “Hear the word of ‫יהוה‬, O
gentiles, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered
Yisra’ĕl gathers him, and shall guard him as a shepherd his flock.’ “For
‫ יהוה‬shall ransom Yaʽaqoḇ, and redeem him from the hand of one
stronger than he. (Jeremiah 31:7-11).
Ya‟aqob indeed gave the “first-born” blessing to Ephraim over
Manasseh, when he adopted them from Yoseph. He set Ephraim apart,
made him “na‟zir”, just as he had done for Yoseph. Ephraim sinned
and led the whole of the Northern Kingdom into idolatry. It was Elohim
who instructed and guided Ya‟aqob to bless Yoseph and then Ephraim
with the priesthood of Melek Tzadik, He provided the “Lamb” for the
redemption of His first-born donkey, just as he did for all Yisra‟el, His
first-born, in Mitzrayim.
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Today the world is witnessing cataclysmic, earth-shaking events.
Natural disasters and man-made catastrophes have been wracking the
earth with uncanny frequency in recent years. But today's leaders,
both the democratically elected variety and the dictatorial are not the
same as Pharaoh. Nor are today's wise men - the pundits and scientists
and scholars - the same as the wise men and magicians of Pharaoh's
day. The last thing that any of today's cultured classes want to admit of
is evidence of the "finger of ‫ "יהוה‬behind all the turmoil. Natural
disasters have their sources in cold scientific fact, and when those facts
are stretched to the breaking point then the finger is pointed at man as
the source of nature's breakdown:
• Pollution and overpopulation;
• Abuse of the planet's natural resources have set the very immutable
laws of nature awry.
Political and social upheaval? They are the result of past and present
colonialism and economic injustice. Our greatest minds tell us so.
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Nobody can deny that there is some substance to all these explanations.
After all, even Pharaoh's necromancers were able to turn the Nile to
blood. Like today's soothsayers, Pharaoh also wanted to believe that all
phenomena, no matter how powerfully devastating and directed, are
basically explainable and explicable. If whisperers of enchantments can
recreate the plagues of Egypt, no matter how self destructive that
recreation may be, then this is a great comfort. If we can explain what is
happening all around us via our intellect then we don't need to search for
a greater or more searing answer. Then we don't need to search our
hearts. And when all else fails, when science and reason cannot explain
the unexplainable, then we, the ever-clever thinking human beings can
always find comfort in that last great refuge: the conspiracy theory.
Equipped with its own self-serving circular logic and the usual array of
guilty parties, the conspiracy theory will weather even our greatest
fleeting moments of true doubt and contrition. No doubt it was the
power of the conspiracy theory that enabled Pharaoh to bounce back
after each and every plague and dig in his feet once again and deny that
there is a ‫ יהוה‬in the world.
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While ‫ יהוה‬was raining destruction down upon Egypt, He was
simultaneously communicating with His people, giving them instruction.
He told them to be ready to relate the wonders He was working to their
children and their children's children for all time. (Exodus 10:2) He told
them to take note of the new moon and to use it to take control of time
and thereby take control of their own destiny. (ibid 12:2) He told each
household to acquire a lamb and to be ready to slaughter and eat it, in
what would be the most extreme and outrageously politically incorrect
act of their day - the "P" word - the korban Pesach, (Passover offering).
(ibid 12:3) He told them to take the blood from the Pesach lamb and to
paint their doorposts red, so that they would no longer see themselves
as being just like everyone else, but as being special and in possession
of a ‫ יהוה‬given mission. (ibid 12:7) And the most miraculous thing
happened, in fact the only miraculous thing: They listened.
Because Israel took up ‫'יהוה‬s great challenge to team up with Him and
change the world forever, His efforts were not in vain, and His presence
was revealed in the world and acknowledged by all.
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Moses was the greatest of all prophets, but he was still "the MAN
Moses". Moses could say that the first-born would be smitten "ABOUT
Midnight" (Ex. 11:4). But ‫ יהוה‬alone could make the plague actually
happen "AT midnight" (Ex. 12:29) -- at the exact moment.
‫ יהוה‬alone is the "hero" of the Exodus. "And I shall pass through
[Targum = I shall be revealed in] the land of Egypt on this night" (Ex.
12:12) -- "I and not an Angel; I and not a Saraf; I and not a messenger."
(from the Seder Night Haggadah, commenting on "And I shall pass
through / be revealed").
The whole purpose of the Exodus was not to glorify a man or a nation,
but to reveal ‫' יהוה‬s absolute power over all creation. As Moses
reminded the people forty years later, at the end of his ministry.
(Deuteronomy 7:6-10)
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