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B'shelach / When He Let Go
Exodus 13:17-17:16
Judges 4:4-5:31 John 6:22-40
This Torah portion begins with God leading His people out of Egypt, yet a different way. Exodus 13:17-18: ‘Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.’
God wanted to keep them from fear and the urge to return back. However, in the next chapter, God allows Pharaoh to pursue the Israelites, and fear overtook them. Exodus 14:10-12 ‘And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.’
Being very afraid, they grumbled against Moshe and blamed him. When Moshe turns to God, His answer is swift and stern: Exodus 14:15 ‘And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’
In Exodus 14:16-29 God continues with instructions for Moshe in crossing the Red Sea, confusion upon the Egyptians and finally death.
When they Israelites realize they are safe and across the sea, they praise Adonai with a beautiful song followed by another song - the song of Miriam.
Immediately after the victory the people begin to murmur and complain for fear of starvation. Exodus 16:2-3. ‘Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’
In Exodus 16:11 God brings manna and quail to satisfy and sustain His people. ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning, you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’
There were two simple instructions regarding the manna and quail: gather only what was needed, and do not gather on the Sabbath. Unfortunately, some in the camp disregarded and rebelled against these instructions as we read in Exodus 16:16-30.
In Exodus 17 the people again grumble against Moshe, blaming him for thirst in Exodus 17:3. The Lord responds with water from The Rock Exodus 17:6.
B’shalach closes with victory over the Amalekits and two prophetic promises in Exodus 17:14-16. One, that God will ‘utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven’, and the second promise that ‘the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. In between these two statement, God is referred to as ‘The Lord is my banner’ - YHWH Nissi.
We read B’shalach and wonder how could the children of God vacillate so quickly between faith and fear?
It’s human nature, it is our flesh and our thoughts can become consumed. We have faith, yet we also doubt and often fear.
In John chapter 11 there is a great example of faith, doubt and fear.
Miriam sends word to Yeshua that Lazarus is sick. She simply writes, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ She does not include, ‘Come quickly!’ Did her faith include an expectation that He would come quickly or heal her brother from afar?
Yeshua declares to those around Him that the sickness of Lazarus is to glorify Him, the Son of God and then He makes the decision to stay two more days before returning to Judea. Immediately, when He tells the Disciples they will return to Judea, they warn against the plot of some of the Jews to stone Him. They didn’t want to travel back to Judea. Was this for fear for their own lives, confrontation or simply lack of faith? Yeshua’s answer to them was so prophetic: ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” John 11:9-10. He was reminded them that they were in The Light, He was affirming their faith in His faithfulness.
Reading in John 11:20-27 Yeshua arrives and Martha upon meeting Him says, “Lord if You’d had been here my brother wouldn’t have died.” (v. 11:21) In doing so, she proclaims her faith that He is indeed the Son of God. She believes in His powers, that His word is true and her brother will rise on the resurrection day. Her faith is strong in Yeshua and she responds in v.27 that she believes. When Miriam came out of the house, she echoes her sister’s faith in John 11:32. The sisters knew the power of Yeshua, they stated their faith, and proclaimed their faith in the power and faithfulness of Yeshua. Did the expectations that He would heal or could have healed Lazarus override their faith? Yet, their faith is unwavering – until - He commands to roll away the stone. In John 11:39 Martha suddenly ‘reminds’ Yeshua, the Son of God, that Lazarus has been dead for four days and that he will ‘smell’. In John 11:40 Yeshua’s answer pushes her faith to an even higher point.
This takes us back to the beginning of B’shelsach. God did not lead them by the way that would bring fear and dread upon them. And yet, we see all through this Torah portion that there were many times that fear and dread did come upon the people; from the Egyptians chasing them, lack of food, lack of water, and their own lack of faith in disappointments, problems and turmoil.
Often, during our trials and disappointments, we question if God is there. We question -where is He leading us? We might begin to feel our faith waiver. Our faith is fragile, and like the Israelites the past is hard to overcome. But it is not our faith that is perfect, rather it is our faith in His faithfulness that sustains us. We must realize that God has a purpose for allowing disappointments in our lives. It is for our good and His glory that we face trials. When we keep this thought in mind, we won’t get derailed when they come, rather we will seek His wisdom.
Romans 8:28 ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.’
Proverbs 19:21 ‘Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.’
Ephesians 2:10 ‘For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.’
Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’
Job 42:2 ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.’
Isaiah 46:10 ‘Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose…’
Proverbs 16:4 ‘The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.’
Exodus 9:16 ‘But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.’
Isaiah 14:24 ‘The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.’
Psalm 33:11 ‘The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.’
B’Shelach / And He Let Go
Exodus 13:17-17:16
HafTorah Judges 4:4-5:31
Brit Chadasha John 6:22-40
This Torah portion begins with the Israelites being led by God out of bondage, ‘Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.’ Exodus 13:17-18. This very first sentence is a clue to the hearts and condition of the people. They weren’t completely ready for freedom. They were still in a slave mentality, and in their minds, they were still subconsciously oppressed and afraid, especially of the unknown. They were likened to the suffering servant, not the conquering king.
This mentality is seen again in Exodus 14:10-12 where fear displaces faith: ‘And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.’
We see this fear and doubt again as this Torah portion ends in Exodus 17:6-7 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
There were so many miracles in this parsha; it is difficult to comprehend the doubt and fear.
As Adonai guides His people forward, He divides the sea; ‘…and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.’ Exodus 14:21-23.
After the people cross over into safety, the Torah states that God at the ‘morning watch’ caused great confusion for the Egyptians and removed the chariot wheels. Archeologists have found the wheels - God is amazing! Exodus chapter fifteen contains ‘The Song by the Sea’. This song likens the Egyptians to three things: a stone in 15:5, straw or stubble in 15:7, and lead in 15:10. In Exodus 15:6 we again see the power of the Right Hand, ‘Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.’
Chapter 15 ends with the bitter waters, and Exodus 16 with the manna. B’shelach concludes with the rush of water in Horeb, victory over the Amalekites and a Name for Adonai; “The LORD is my banner/YHWH Nissi”. This altar that Moses built marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies, thus the appropriate name: YHWH Nissi.
He is our banner today. He guides us with His right Hand, and yet we, like the Israelites often doubt and displace our faith with fear.
As we enter into the Messianic faith, leaving the bondage of the Hellenistic religions behind, we search for the affirmation we need for strength. The wars that we face as we leave Egypt and enter into His covenant were not so unlike what the Israelites faced. God, in His Divine Wisdom ‘led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.’ Otherwise, they would long to return to the bondage of Egypt. Do we? Do we fear persecution and return? How many of us have been attached, accused and belittled? Hold strong!
Be reassured that His Right Hand is there and it is a symbol of our strength we get from Him!
Psalm 144:7 ‘Stretch forth Your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hand of aliens…’
Isaiah 31:3 ‘Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit; so the Lord will stretch out His hand, and he who helps will stumble and he who is helped will fall, and all of them will come to an end together.’
Exodus 15:12 ‘You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them.’
Isaiah 23:11 ‘He has stretched His hand out over the sea, He has made the kingdoms tremble; The Lord has given a command concerning Canaan to demolish its strongholds.’
Ezekiel 6:14 ‘So throughout all their habitations I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and waste than the wilderness toward Diblah; thus they will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 35:3 ‘…and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out My hand against you and make you a desolation and a waste.’
Isaiah 14:27 ‘For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
Isaiah 65:2 ‘I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts…’
Romans 10:21 ‘But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
Ezekiel 2:9 ‘Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it.’
