Bible Studies
Parshat Beshalach
“It happened when Pharaoh sent out the people that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, because it was near, for God said, ‘Perhapst eh people will reconsider when they see a war, and they will return to Egypt.’” Exodus 13:17 (Stone)
“So God turned the people toward the way of the Wilderness to the Sea of Reeds. The Children of Israel were aremed when they went up from the land of Egypt.” Exodus 13:18 (Stone)
Not the Red Sea, the Sea of Reeds. Where, exactly, is the Sea of Reeds? It is the Gulf of Aqaba, where there is, plain to see, a graveyard of ancient Egyptian chariots and armor on the bottom of the sea.
“They journeyed from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, at the edge of the Wilderness.” Exodus 13:20 (Stone)
Etham is etam in Hebrew. It comes from an Egyptian word, and means “their plowshare.” They left Sukkot, and camped in their plowshare in the end of the wilderness.
“It was told the kind of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants became transformed regarding the people, and they said, ‘What is this that we have done that we have sent away Israel from serving us?’” Exodus 14:5 (Stone)
Some seem to think that Pharaoh planned on letting the people go, and then changed his mind. On the contrary, Pharaoh thought he was merely letting Israel go to the wilderness to serve Father for three days. He did not know that they would leave altogether. So his change of heart is understandable.
“Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of HASHEM that He will perform for you today; for as you have seen Egypt today, you shall not see them ever again!’” Exodus 14:13 (Stone)
Stand still and see the Yeshua of YHWH, “and they were all baptized by Moses, in the cloud and in the sea.” I Corinthians 10:2 (Murdock)
This is what immersion is; it is the Yeshua of YHWH. This is the essence of immersion, hope in Messiah to wash away impurity.
“It happened at the morning watch that HASHEM looked down at the camp of Egypt with a pillar of fire and cloud, and He confounded the camp of Egypt.” Exodus 14:24 (Stone)
The word “looked down” is shaqaf. shaqaf does mean “look down” but in the sense of leaning over. When it says “with a pillar of fire” it is literally “in a pillar of fire.” If Father leaned over the Egyptians in a pillar of fire, wouldn’t it naturally cause a lot of confusion among the Egyptians? When it says He “confounded” them, it is the word hamam, which literally means the confusion of a defeated army after battle. What did Moses say? “YHWH will make war for you.” Father had already defeated Pharaoh, He had fought for Israel as He said.
“Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and toward morning the water went back to its power as the Egyptians were fleeing toward it; and HASHEM churned Egypt in the midst of the sea.” Exodus 14:27 (Stone)
Isn’t it amazing that the same waters of immersion that were the salvation of Israel, were the destruction of Egypt? It was by the salvation of Israel that Egypt was destroyed. When Messiah returns, it will be by the salvation of Israel that Egypt will be destroyed.
The things that are righteousness, cleanness, and salvation to those who are following Father, the exact same things are sin, uncleanness, and death to His enemies. This is just as He says His zeal is, “Thou dost not bow thyself to them, nor serve them: for I, Jehovah thy God, am a zealous God, charging iniquity of fathers on sons, on the third generation, and on the fourth, of those hating Me, and doing kindness to thousands, of those loving Me and keeping My commands.” Exodus 20:5-6 (Young)
His zeal is death to those who hate Him, and life to those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Most versions render this word “jealous” in Exodus 20:5. However, “zealous” is another possible translation of qana‘. It is translated “zealous” in such places as Numbers 25:11.)
“Deep waters covered them; they descended in the depths like a stone.” Exodus 15:5 (Stone)
They descended? Weren’t they going across on “dry land”? Does this suggest a land-bridge across the Sea of Reeds?
“At a blast from Your nostrils the waters were heaped up; straight as a wall stood the running water, the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.” Exodus 15:8 (Stone)
The word “nostrils” sometimes refers to anger. With a blast from His anger the waters were heaped up? “Running water” is from the Hebrew nazal, which means “flowing” or “running” or “pouring.” It is literally talking about something being a continuous flow. This was a break, a complete break in the sea. It did not go partway down, it completely split the sea from top to bottom.
“You blew with Your wind—the sea enshrouded them; the mighty sank like lead in the water.” Exodus 15:10 (Stone)
This verse is layered with meaning. The word “wind,” is the same word that is used for “spirit.” The word “enshrouded them” is the word kisamu, which comes from kasah, the very same word that is used to describe the covering on the Holy Place in the Tabernacle. This is a word that speaks of hiding, as in Genesis 18:17 when Father asks if He should hide what He is going to do from Abraham. It is speaking of the separation between God and man. By His spirit Father cut Pharaoh’s army off from His presence. There is only one place that is completely cut off from His Presence. The next phrase is, literally, “they rolled down like lead in water excellence.”
The word “excellence” is adiyriym, which comes from adiyr, which refers to being nobility, first, or highest. The root-word is adar, which is used twice refer to Father, calling Him “glorious” in Exodus 15:6 and Exodus 15:11. The only other time, Isaiah 42:21, is calls Torah “glorious” or “honorable.” Essentially, these men were the rulers of Egypt, and yet they sank in the sea. They were at the top of Egypt, the rulers, the foremost, and they sank to the very bottom of the sea. They sank like lead, which speaks of permanence, as in Job 19:24, “That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!” (KJV)
“You stretched out Your right hand—the earth swallowed them.” Exodus 15:12 (Stone)
The word “swallowed” is also used as “covered” in Numbers 4:20. “But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.” (KJV) Again, this is the separation between God and man. The earth completely cut them off from Father.
“With your kindness you guided this people that You redeemed; You led with Your might to Your holy abode.” Exodus 15:13 (Stone)
The word “abode” is naveh which comes from navah. Navah is literally a place of feasting and resting. He brought the Children of Israel to His holy banquet.
The incident at Marah resembles what happened to Job. They had been blessed abundantly, and been faithful to Father. But when the first test of faith came, they flinched. It raises the question, should we only accept good things from Father?
“and Moses said, ‘When, in the evening, HASHEM gives you meat to eat and bread to satiety in the morning, as HASHEM hears your complaints that you complain against Him—for what are we?—not against us are your complaints, but against HASHEM.’” Exodus 16:8 (Stone)
This is an important lesson to learn. Rebelling or complaining against Father’s established authority on earth is the same as revolting against Father Himself. To revolt or complain against Torah, or a parent, is exactly the same as complaining against Father. What is the parent, or the leader, or the Torah, without Father? Without Him they are nothing, because it is only from Him that they have their authority.
This is also why we have no reason to boast, no reason to be proud, because, after all, “what are we?” We have no right to boast, no right to be proud, no right, even, to be self-conscious, because what are we that we should be conscious of ourselves?
“Moses said to Aaron, ‘say to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel, “Approach the presence of HASHEM, for He has heard your complaints.”’” Exodus 16:9 (Stone)
“Complaints” or “murmurings” comes from the Hebrew luwn, which means to complain, or dwell. It is used to mean “dwell” or “repose” in Psalm 25:13, “His soul in goodness will repose and his offspring will inherit the land.” (Schottenstein) This is not simply making a complaint, it is dwelling on a problem. Dwelling on something breeds complaining about it. Israel was dwelling on the problems, rather than the solution; Father.
And yet, Father heard it when they were dwelling on it. He heard their complaints. Why? Why does He ever hear us? He answers in verse 12, “and you shall know that I am HASHEM, your God.” (Stone)
“This is the thing that HASHEM has commended, ‘Gather from it, for every man according to what he eats—an omer per person—according to the number of your people, everyone according to whoever is in his tent shall you take.’” Exodus 16:16 (Stone)
“They measured in an omer and whoever too k more had nothing extra and whoever took less was not lacking; everyone according to what he eats had they gathered.” Exodus 16:18 (Stone)
A two-fold miracle. First, that there was manna at all. Second, that every household was satisfied with an omer per person, and that no one had too much and no one had too little. No matter how old or how young the family, no matter how much or how little each person normally ate, there was not too much, and there was not too little. This is the provision of God, not too much, and none too little.
“But they did not obey Moses and people left over from it until morning and it became infested with worms and it stank; and Moses became angry with them.” Exodus 16:20 (Stone)
This means they weren’t eating their fill. They had exactly the right amount for a day, so someone was going hungry in order to save over for the next day. They were depriving themselves of the blessing of Father. What happens when the blessing of Father is refused? The basic things that are needed for life are taken away. Father offers blessings in Torah, but if the blessings are refused, the curses actually deny basic life to those who refuse the blessing, as in Deuteronomy 28. Verses 12-13, “HASHEM shall open for you His storehouse of goodness, the heavens, to provide rain for your land in its time, and to bless all your handiwork; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. HASHEM shall place you as a head and not as a tail; you shall be only above and you shall not be below—if you hearken to the commandments of HASHEM, your God, that I command you today, to observe and to perform.” (Stone) Abundance is promised for obedience.
But in verses 17-18, “Accursed will be your fruit basket and your kneading bowl. Accursed will be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the offspring of your cattle and the flocks of your sheep and goats.” (Stone) The basics of food and children are denied to those who refuse the abundance of the fullness of Father.
They may have even ended up going completely hungry for a day, if they had to clean out their pots and couldn’t gather more, or if they waited too late to gather, because they thought they had food, and probably did go hungry. All because Father offered abundance, and they did not accept it. It is the same with Torah, as Father reveals. “He afflicted you and let you hunger, then He fed you the manna that you did not know, nor did your forefathers know, in order to make you know that not by bread alone does man live, rather by everything that emanates from the mouth of God does man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3 (Stone)
The word “Thing” is Davar meaning, basically, “thing.” But it is also the word Daber, which means, “word.” This word play points out that He’s referring to manna as the Torah, Torah being His words, and manna being the things.
This verse tells what the real problem was in this situation. They could not live by the manna alone, they had to live by the command of the Father through Moses to not leave any manna overnight.
“It happened on the sixth day that they gathered a double portion of food, two omers for each; and all the princes of the assembly came and told Moses.” Exodus 16:22 (Stone)
Why did they gather two omers? Wouldn’t they have been afraid to gather extra, or save any after the incident of the worms? Also, why did the princes bring this before Moses? The sages explain it this way, they gathered the normal portion, but when they got home they realized suddenly that they had an extra omer, so the princes took it to Moses to ask him about it. But in verse 27 it says that some had not collected extra. How can that fit into this explanation? No, it seems that the sages cannot be right.
It seems that most of the people must have actually had a desire to keep the Sabbath, and enough faith in Father that He would bless their effort to keep the Sabbath by not letting the manna rot. This is His provision for those who desire to follow Him.
“HASHEM said to Moses, ‘How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings?’” Exodus 16:28 (Stone)
Clearly, from this passage, Moses was supposed to have told the people to gather extra, but didn’t, because of what Father tells him, and because the moment the princes come to him, he tells them what Father said. He already knew. He had already received the word.
This case is interesting in comparison to Mark chapter 2. Going out to gather manna isn’t that different from gleaning in the field. The difference is that all the Israelites ever did for their food was to go and gather what was there for them, but for the disciples, they would either have to go out and fish, or collect taxes, or actually harvest. This is a rest. It is less than what they would have done other days. But in the wilderness, where it was laid at their feet, they weren’t allowed to gather any food. However, they were allowed to get it out and set it out to eat. The Sabbath isn’t so much a prohibition on work as it is a command to rest, to focus on Father.
The command on Sabbath is to abstain from customary labor. In the wilderness it was customary for them to gather manna. In Mark 2 it was not customary for them to glean heads of grain.
“It happened that when Moses raised his hand Israel was stronger, and when he lowered his hand, Amalek was stronger.” Exodus 17:11 (Stone)
The Mishnah put it put it very well when it said, “Was it Moses’ hands that won the battle or lost the battle? Rather [the Torah] teaches you: As long as Israel looked heavenward and subjected their heart to their Father in Heaven, they would prevail. But when they did not, they would fall.” (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 3:8)
The Readings: Parshat Beshalach, Exodus 13:17-17:16. Haftarat Beshalach, Judges 5:1-31. Tehillim Beshalach, Psalm 66. B’rit Chadesha Beshalach, Mark 2:18-28 I Cor 10:1-6.
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