Parashat VaEra

Elohim: the side of Him that acts as a judge, as He was getting ready to do for Pharaoh, but that is not all there is to Him; it is not for the sake of judgment, but so that He can have compassion on His people. to Israel, He would be YHWH—the merciful, protective side. His promises come with a clause: “If you will do what I say.” A covenant requires action from both sides, or it is merely a promise. Moshe had been obedient despite his questioning, so YHWH’s initial wrath had departed by this point. I am YHWH: This says everything there is to say. He can be everything His people need Him to be. This is the beginning of the first commandment, and it is where everything begins for Israel. We cannot put him in any of our boxes, but still He lets us know Him.

The patriarchs KNEW Him by the Name YHWH (Gen. 12:8; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25), but He had never introduced Himself to them as such. El is the shorter version of Elohim, which means "mighty one" and emphasizes His power and justice. Shaddai stems from a combination of shad (breast) and dai (enough), emphasizing His sufficiency as our nourisher. Name: includes one’s reputation. He proved Himself to the patriarchs through natural, though abnormally-timed, things like births of children, a land to inhabit, and provision in duress. He promised them a home, as one would to a bride. But to Moshe He began to emphasize "raising a family", a "people". But they had only experienced Him from time to time. They knew Him as a mother, but not in His fullness. He was there when they needed Him, but that was not all there is to Him. He did not want Moshe to think His power was one-faceted, like the gods of Egypt, who supposedly each controlled only one aspect of weather, etc. What He was going to do to Pharaoh was not a motherly thing. He would not even drive Israel out gently. He was not only a friend to individuals, showing mercy, but a warrior who can do much more than protect them and make them wealthy; He could avenge them in a magnificent manner as well. He wanted to be al things to His people at all times, for at this time Israel needed both nurture and a strong hand. They had not been obedient or remained in unity, so they needed more than El Shaddai. They are building state-sponsored monuments to multiple elohim! Both they and Pharaoh must therefore be invaded with the fact that He is one, and experience the fact that He is very different from Egypt’s elohim. This transition into a corporate knowledge of Himself also emphasized the supernatural: the bush did not burn. A staff changed form, a hand became leprous, and slaves were freed, with their masters willingly handing over their booty to them. The nation of Israel had begun through an untimely birth, and the Exodus brings to birth a nation that interrupts the natural flows of history as usual. The "repair of the world" had begun!

He refers everything back to the context of the covenant, because without them, there is no more Israel. If they are replaced by a “new” covenant, Israel is destroyed. (Rather, there is only a renewal of the same one.) YHWH heard their cry because of this covenant, a contract with their ancestors that extended to them—and to us. In Egypt, we had come to be about acquiring and security, and we forgot our responsibilities to YHWH. But His covenant is for a people in unity. YHWH even took responsibility Himself to put Israel back into the right context to be able to fulfill their part—the exact same task the prophets had, and the same job Yahshua was given in regard to the scattered sheep of the House of Israel, in addition to returning those still at home to the fullness of the original covenant. Sojournings: Yaaqov was described as "a perfect man, living in tents" (Gen. 25:27), which symbolizes learning the ways of YHWH. YHWH was again going to move His people onward, and would meet them in the wilderness and in a tent. Once they moved into the Land and became settled, there was more temptation to fear the gods of the peoples there, and also when David stopped fighting the paganism and his son settled in and built a stationary house, he also became idolatrous. Even in the Land they were considered tenants of YHWH, because it is His Land (Lev. 25:23), and were called "sojourners WITH Him". Even the Promised Land is a picture of something better, and Hebrews chapter 11 celebrates those who kept seeking a homeland, and continued living as strangers and pilgrims on the earth; how much more those of us who are still in exile from our earthly homeland as well? Yaaqov built himself a house, but built sukkoth (stables or booths--i.e., temporary shelters) for his flocks, and we are YHWH's flock. Yaaqov then, in fact, went back to dwelling in tents. Israel, ideally, is always a sojourning nation, because only this way do we constantly see that our provision comes only from YHWH.

6. "So tell the descendants of Israel, ‘I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from [under] the tyrannical service of the Egyptians, and I will snatch you away from their slave-labor, and I will avenge you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.

I am YHWH: Moshe is speaking as a prophet. Aharon does not arrive until v. 13. Judgment: both punishment for the Egyptians and vindication for the Israelites.

I will acquire you for Myself: Aram., "I will bring you close before Me". This is the terminology of taking a bride.

Raised My hand: i.e., swore an oath; Aram., "swore with My Memra (Living Word)". The statement “I am YHWH” is enough to prove that He is trustworthy, though He has not yet acted with a strong hand. He is telling Moshe that he will see every part of Him, for He will act in many roles during this whole process. Heirloom: possession or inheritance.

Did not listen: or simply, could not hear. Anguish of spirit: or shortness of breath, impatience, or lack of spirit; LXX, "faintheartedness". When one is in such straits, in a “living hell”, it is hard to believe things will get any better. When they tried to do the right thing, their situation became worse. They needed relief, and at first they had thought Moshe was bringing these. They were disappointed, and it is hard to blame them. They needed results, not just promises. But YHWH had more to teach them on the way there, so He did not just work magic. Cruel: fierce, intense, severe. Pharaoh’s orders to “forget those pipe dreams” worked for a while. "Cruel slave-labor" could also be translated "stubbornness in service", i.e., obsession with getting their job done. Today this is applicable to those who are hesitant to leave the Church or any other loyalty to take their place as Israel, because the Church "needs them", even though it is really enslaving them.

11. "Go in and warn Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, [to] set the descendants of Israel free from his land."

Set free: literally "send out"; they had to be sent out before they recognized YHWH.

Not only had Pharaoh shown great disrespect for YHWH; the Israelites themselves have put doubts in Moshe’s mind. Uncircumcised lips: or, "sealed/overhanging language"--i.e., he stumbled over his own mouth as he spoke. Yeshayahu (Isaiah) also said he had "unclean lips" and needed to have them purified before he could speak for YHWH. Did Moshe only see himself as not diplomatic enough to avoid saying something that would get himself killed? Or did YHWH not let him speak Egyptian, even to Pharaoh? YHWH was to be honored with his language, not Pharaoh. Once we know better, to give in to compromise with the substitute names, even “for the sake of understanding, dishonors YHWH. If the Israelites did not understand his Hebrew, how much less would Pharaoh? Yet having so many Hebrews under his authority, it would be strange if Pharaoh did not understand some Hebrew as well. Yet still, he is transferring genuine experience to what is a mere suspicion, a yet-unproven theory. Too often our doubts prevent us from acting. There is a fine line to walk between not thinking enough about what one is doing and overthinking it, but Moshe is definitely doing the latter. So YHWH needed to keep reminding him that, it was true, Moshe could not do what he was being asked to do, but YHWH could, and he needed to take what steps he could to get the process started. As long as we hesitate, we cannot accomplish what YHWH asks of us. If we are always waiting on something, we will prevent the Kingdom from coming. If we do not move out of Egypt, we will be lost with it. Much of what He has for us is indeed foreign to us, but one thing for certain is that it does not include our remaining captive in “Egypt”. The rabbis say it was time for Israel to be freed because they were growing accustomed to their bondage and learning to live with bondage to Pharaoh and being separated from one another, just as kidnapped hostages often learn to identify with their captors’ goals and hold them in very high esteem. YHWH has a problem with us holding Egypt in high esteem as if that was just the way it is and we could do nothing about it. People who experience harsh treatment begin to see it as normal and treat others the same way. We must not get used to our bondage. We cannot be satisfied until we are unified and are back in our Land. YHWH does not accept our captivity; nor should we. We must begin to think as free men and see ourselves where YHWH sees us, or we will continue to make excuses like this. Do not look so much at the big picture, but at the next step He has called us to, and it will not seem so huge. If we get it wrong, we will have a price to pay, but if we profit from the failure, we can move on, and there is freedom in that. Do not move ahead of YHWH, or you will miss a step He wants you to take in the meantime. The way He wants us to go includes the lessons He wants us to learn, and it is rarely the way we anticipate, so go at His pace.

Gave them charge: or, commanded them and Pharaoh… I.e., everyone was now responsible to get the Israelites out of Egypt—Moshe, Aharon, and Pharaoh himself! No one was left with the excuse that they did not know this needed to be done. All were held accountable for seeing that they left. It will be similar when the fullness of judgment comes—when all who have bookshelves full of Bibles will be made to actually open them and read what their responsibilities were. As a blues-spiritual in the 1920s said, “If I don’t read, my soul will be lost, and nobody’s fault but mine.” The entire earth must answer for this. Kings will carry our children home on their shoulders! Part of the earth (Pharaoh in this case) must have a deaf ear so that the judgments can take place, yet YHWH even tells him what he must do. He has to earn his judgment by making the wrong choices, because YHWH is “overly” fair in waiting for his cup to be full.

The sons of Reuven [Look! A son!], the firstborn of Israel, were:
Chanoch [dedicated or disciplined],
Pallu [distinguished, set apart],
Hezron [surrounded by a wall], and
Karmi [my vineyard or the gardener].

These were the clans of Reuven.

Who says genealogies have to be boring?! The name groupings tell stories: the eldest son Reuven's tribal leaders remind us instantly of Y'shua's parable of the unfaithful keepers of his walled-in vineyard. (Matt. 21:31-41) YHWH has just told Pharaoh (through Moshe), "Israel is my firstborn". (4:22) Reuven lost that right because of a wicked deed (Gen. 49:3, 4), so that later Efrayim, Yoseyf's son, is called the firstborn (Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:9), i.e. in terms of transferred birthright. The wording is eerily reminiscent of these five names and the name of Efrayim ["doubly fruitful"]: They SAW the SON, said "this is the heir (firstborn)", did not REVERENCE him, but threw him out of the VINEYARD. The master then ended their lease and turned over the vineyard to OTHERS which would give him of its FRUITS in their proper season.

What a prophetic family! It immediately transports us into the seventh (Sabbath) millennium to the book of the Revelation of Y'shua the Messiah, which begins with Yochanan being taken in spirit into the DAY OF YHWH, and immediately HEARING behind him a great voice, turning to see the speaker in DAZZLING WHITE apparel, and having the keys of death so that he can ESTABLISH his kingdom. He holds seven stars in his RIGHT HAND, and he himself is the Servant, a name for the central trunk of the menorah that unites all the branches into one "vine" (cf. Yochanan 15). He is the one called by his Father's Name. "In THAT DAY [nearly always an idiom for the Day of YHWH] YHWH will be ONE and his name ONE." (Zech. 14:9).

17. Then the sons of Gershon [exile]:
Livni [my white one]
Shimei [my "heard-of" or renowned one], by their clans.

The sons of Levi were divided into four groups in their encampment around the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The sons of Gershon camped on the West, between the tent of meeting and the three tribes of Rachel, and who all traveled under the banner of Efrayim, the tribe that led the northern kingdom into a self-chosen EXILE. Yet YHWH did not forget His promises to them, and sent Y'shua to these lost sheep. Those who did HEAR his voice "washed their garments" in His atoning blood and were given WHITE apparel, which speaks of righteousness. They have made his name RENOWNED throughout all the world during their exile--which Paul tells us was the plan from the start (Romans 11)--and will again be brought back to their inheritance in their greatest numbers from the WEST.

K'hath's sons ended up with the most EXALTED positions of all the Levites because of their special faithfulness. The high priesthood came from the line of Amram through his son Aharon. They camped with the three tribes under the standard of Yehudah, the EXALTED, royal line that brought forth David, the "man after YHWH's own heart" and Y'shua, "the Shepherd and the man who is My ASSOCIATE" (Zech. 13:7). The Menorah, symbol of Yehudah's people to this day, is a lampstand in which OIL (a picture of the Holy Spirit) is burned, giving forth a SHINING light in YHWH's temple, which is true STRENGTH.

The sons of Merari were camped on the side of the Tabernacle with the tribes that were under the standard of Dan [a judge]--the tribe that, living both by the sea (a picture of the Gentile nations) and on the northern border of Israel, from which much pagan influence entered the land, caused the whole nation to YIELD to the pressure to participate in idolatry and of course, become sickly in YHWH's eyes. Bitterness bears, as its fruit, sickliness (so that one is of no benefit to his neighbors) and thin-skinned self-consciousness in which one is so easily offended that he no longer wishes to be part of the community. The name sounds fitting in English as well—“mushy” meaning nauseatingly emotional. The raw nerves of oversensitivity are a symptom of the root of bitterness (Deut. 29:18) that causes many to be defiled. In the context of unity in the Body of Messiah, the writer to the Hebrews warns us to beware of this root that will seek its nourishment from the community but bear no edible fruit in return. (12:15) In other words, it is selfishness. The word for rebellion in Hebrew shares the same root as “Merari”. It means serving our own purpose, rather than what YHWH is leading His people to do. Rebellion indicates that we are trusting someone other than YHWH. (Yesh. 35:5) Insolence is counted as being as evil as witchcraft and idolatry (1 Shmuel 15:22-23), and leaves a bitter taste in YHWH’s mouth. Oversensitivity means we think too much of ourselves; we think we know better than YHWH or the leaders He sets in place. Defensiveness is a sign that we have not been fully dealt with, because one who is dead to self is not easily offended. Rebellion and bitterness breed sensitivity to self, which in turn breeds more of the same in others, so those infected with it must be put off-limits so the sickness cannot spread. The more time YHWH has put into His craftsmanship, the angrier He is when it goes awry, and He had put everything into Israel. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 5) YHWH is jealous and says He will separate such people from His tribes (Deut. 29:18), for we cannot serve Him and our own hearts at the same time. Indeed He did this; to remedy the fact that some of Israel was “Merari”, YHWH made them “Gershon” (exiles) so that the bitterness could be dealt with. He longs for Ephraim to be “sweet” again (Hoshea 11), and He has given us all that we need to rebuild His dwelling place, but He will not do it without our cooperation. Guard against bitterness!

Beloved: or his aunt; the word is ambiguous. Marrying one’s father’s sister would later be forbidden by Torah, but so would marrying two sisters, which Yaaqov did, though unintentionally. But “sister” has wider meanings in Hebrew as well, and could have included more distant relatives of his father. 137 years: LXX: 132 years.

22. And the sons of Uzzi-El [Elohim is my strength]:
Mishael [Who is what Elohim is?],
Elitzafan [My Elohim has protected], and
Sithri [my hiding-place].

23. Then Aharon took as a wife Elisheva, daughter of Amminadav, sister of Nachshon, and she bore him Nadav, Avihu, El'azar, and Ithamar.

The fruit of Aharon (the “light-bearer”) and Elisheva (“My Elohim has sworn an oath") are Nadav (“one who is noble, willing, or generous”), and Avihu ("he is my father"), El'azar ("Elohim has helped"), and Ithamar: "coast of palms". The 70 palm trees at Elim represented 70 nations for which Israel is to intercede (1:5; 15:27; Deut. 32:8), and the “coastlands” are a figure of speech for the nations which would inhabit Shem’s tents. (Compare Gen. 9:27; 10:5) Thus Ithamar represents the fact that many Israelites would be exiled in other lands. Amminadav means "my people is noble", and Nachshon, “great enchanter” (related to the word for “serpent”).

These are the families of the Korchites. 25. And Aharon's son El'azar took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel [disparaged by Elohim] as a wife, and she bore him Pin'has [mouth of bronze]; these are the heads of the progenitors of the Levites, according to their clans.

The genealogy ends at Pin'has, a generation beyond Moshe, because YHWH was satisfied with him. (Number 25:12) His zeal and action earned his family an eternal covenant.

Thus Moshe and Aharon were of the fourth generation living in Egypt. Companies: really battle divisions or armies. (See 7:4) One title of Elohim is YHWH Tz'vaoth (YHWH of the armies). The Tabernacle yard's layout resembled the field-camp of the Pharaohs, according to ancient Egyptian rock-carvings. So when this several million-strong community was traveling through the wilderness, the other peoples saw them coming and were struck with respect for this company that resembled Pharaoh's army, only was much larger. Bilaam (Numbers 24) saw them from high above and prophesied, "How pleasing are your tents, O Israel!" Men of war are men of tents, for a soldier does not entangle himself in everyday affairs (2 Tim. 2) so he can please the one who enlisted him. Israelites are not to live in palaces, because they are built to do spiritual warfare, on the offensive against the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Ephes. 6). We don't wrestle against people, but against the concepts and spirits that rule them. Our worship disrupts their agendas, and our prayers and proclamations do battle in other dimensions which affect the physical realities around us as well. Only warriors come out of Egypt, partly because we first have to fight ourselves off, since we are often the ones who keep ourselves in bondage, as we saw in v. 9.

Moshe introduces himself not as first in line, even in his own family, and shows that his tribe is not the firstborn either, but the third.

29. was that YHWH told Moshe, "I am YHWH; declare to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I tell you.”

Again, if he were to repeat YHWH’s words exactly, he would be speaking Hebrew to Pharaoh, reminding him that his language was inferior, though he thought of himself as a god.

We are back to where we began. Why this digression, then, into genealogies? They put Moshe and Aharon into perspective, but why the other two tribes? And, for that matter, why not the other nine? It relates to the fact that Moshe was told to gather the elders of Israel. He is speaking about everyone taking responsibility (v. 13), and the leaders are expected to make everyone under them act responsibly. This is an example of how. It shows the organization of Israel as YHWH wants it—divided into houses with heads. It is a representative government in a way, but not democracy. Not everyone has a vote, though their wisdom may be called on when needed. Reuven is listed as the firstborn, and though he had lost his birthright, these three tribes tell us what we need in order to know how to bring deliverance to Israel again in our own day. The meanings of the names of those listed tell us much. Reuven’s family (v. 14) speaks of a SON who DISCIPLINED and DEDICATED Himself and was SET APART as well as DISTINGUISHED. This is Yahshua, YHWH’s Son, who delivers Israel from Egypt. The Temple is SURROUNDED BY A WALL, and just above it is HIS GARDEN. The “Gardener” (Adam) began to be reconstituted through Israel as it went out of Egypt to form a dwelling place for YHWH. Shim’on, the “great hearing”, (v. 15) pictures Mt. Sinai, where with loud trumpets and voices, YHWH laid out His marriage covenant. The DAY OF ELOHIM (the Millennial Kingdom) is the result of this listening and obeying. The RIGHT HAND, Yahshua, made it possible for that UNITED people who spoke with “one voice” at Sinai (24:3) to be ESTABLISHED at last. We will be able to walk with Him in DAZZLING WHITENESS (Rev. 3:4), but we have to ASK FOR it, giving Him no rest until He establishes Yerushalayim, which mystically is the same as this united Man. (Yesh. 62:7; cf. Luke 18:3ff) Levi(vv. 16-18) teaches us that as the EXILES bring forth PURITY and makes YHWH’s REPUTATION known (which is synonymous with His Name, Zeph. 3:19), we can be JOINED fully back to YHWH in His Land. Only as we are not only ASSEMBLED but also truly ALLIED with one another can an EXALTED PEOPLE be birthed again, along with the OIL that is worthy of anointing Yahshua and lighting the lights in the Temple, and we can have CLOSEST FRIENDSHIP with YHWH Himself, as well as His STRENGTH.

CHAPTER 7

There must be some reason YHWH wants to use Moshe in particular to do this job, because He still makes allowances for him despite his complaints and doubts. Prophet: or simply a spokesman. The terms are not just religious ones. The father of a household is its elohim, and anyone who speaks his will to another is his prophet. If his words reflect any will other than that of the one who sent him, he is not a true prophet. He is the one with the authority to hold others responsible to do what is right. And Moshe is YHWH’s prophet as well. Acting too “humble” when He has given him authority is wrong, because true humility is simply a realistic appraisal of what one is and is not. The Hebrew one means “low”—that is, close to the ground—not groveling, but grounded on a sure foundation, knowing where one stands. If He has called us Israel, then we have within us what is needed to get the task He has assigned to us done. YHWH doees not want him to see himself as weak when he really is not. But there is also some psychological warfare involved here, as Moshe does not speak to Pharaoh, but has a "servant" who speaks for him. Pharaoh, supposedly a god himself, would start to get angered by this man who "thinks he's too noble to speak to me"—especially since he was a sheepherder, and, as far as Egypt was concerned, a murderer. And now he is made responsible to ensure that the most powerful man in the known world lets Israel go. YHWH expects him not to let what took place 40 years ago stop him from speaking. It is not Moshe Pharaoh is not listening to; it is YHWH. If he does what he is told, he will see YHWH’s salvation. In response to 6:30, YHWH is telling him to notice what He has done, so he will realize why Pharaoh really will listen to him. Elohim also means "judge", and he certainly was that to Pharaoh. As the Aramaic targum Pseudo-Jonathan puts it, “Why are you afraid? I have already made you an object of fear to Pharaoh.”

Aharon will need to keep his own opinions to himself, or change them! He must have trust his brother to really be saying words he heard from YHWH. Aharon was a brave man! He will send: YHWH could have simply brought them out and destroyed Egypt by His word, but He wished to show that He was powerful enough to make Pharaoh willing to actually command them to leave, not just let them go.

Toughen Pharaoh's resolve: or, harden his heart; Aram., make it stubborn. This refusal of the circumcision of the heart (Deut. 10:16) also kept the “foreskin” of his ears (Acts 7:51) from being removed. The two are intimately connected. Paul spoke about how important it is for one to hear in order for his heart to believe. (Rom. 10:9-14) YHWH, however, has the prerogative of doing things the way He wants to (Dan. 4:35), and He would make sure Pharaoh would ultimately listen to Him by making him unable to listen at first.

My armies: They were armies-in-training to reclaim the Land of Kanaan for those to whom it was promised. The House of Israel, also known as the sons of Yoseyf, will also be brought back into the Land as armies to reclaim it once again. (Ovadyah 1:18) There is no place for cowardice or pacifism in Israel. We may be fighting lies rather than people (may we indeed conquer through truth), but we cannot let Israel be defeated simply because we do not enjoy confrontation. Great acts of judgment: Egypt had been blessed by Israel’s presence among them, so YHWH would judge them for how they treated Israel in return. Through the tests of the power of the things he bowed down to, Pharaoh would be found legally guilty and thus punished. He would pay for bowing down to things that were not ultimately elohim with a slow, tortuous death. The Israelites were never enslaved to Pharaoh as the rest of Egypt was (during Yoseyf’s day), yet they, too, were treated as slaves, and even more so than the native inhabitants of Egypt. Yet many Israelites indebted themselves to him, though they belonged to YHWH, and it is time to reclaim them, but everything is done above board. Since the coming exodus will greatly overshadow the past one (Yirm. 16:14-15), the events described in the Book of Revelation are also directed against the forces that will try to keep Him from accomplishing this. That Egypt is also symbolic of the institutional Church also suggests that its highest leaders will not be granted repentance if they do not wish to set their hardest workers, the “cream of the crop” among their members, free to be Israel as they were meant to be.

If Moshe avoided the confrontation, not only would Israel suffer; so would those YHWH wanted to know Him from among the Egyptians. He does not include Pharaoh at this point, but He wants some of Pharaoh’s subjects to stop being fooled by idols of wood and stone.

This is one of the most beautiful verses in the whole Torah! They did things YHWH’s way rather than the least offensive way or as their own fears, hesitations, or even morality dictated. He did not even do things his parents’ or grandparents’ way, because if their way was right, why was Israel still in exile and slavery?

Not only does this show that Aharon, the elder brother, subjected himself to Moshe as YHWH had commanded. The Hebrew word rendered “your prophet” in verse 1 also has the numeric value of 83, so his very ago demanded that his would be his role! As for Moshe, his life has been neatly divided into two 40-year periods already, with a clear transition between them, for 40 in Scripture is a number representing testing and transition. Now he is entering the third and final 40-year period of his life, and what takes place here is defining who he will be for the rest of his life.

9. "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Produce a token for yourselves', then you shall tell Aharon, ‘Take hold of your rod and fling it before Pharaoh, and it will become a crocodile.’"

Token: i.e., evidence that you have authority to tell me to do this. Yahshua said a generation that required such a sign was wicked and adulterous. (Mat. 12:39) Before Pharaoh: or even, into Pharaoh’s face. When Moshe appeared before the elders of Israel, the rod became a nachash (serpent, the same word used of haSatan in the Garden of Eden, and communicated to them that the promise to crush his head was still remembered); when before Pharaoh, it becomes a tanin (in Scripture, always depicted as in the water or coming out from the water—a crocodile, dragon, or amphibious dinosaur—also serpentlike, but more familiar to the Egyptians to this day; even one of their hieroglyphic “letters” was a crocodile, and the the Egyptian word for “king” was composed of a hawk and two crocodiles. So Pharaoh’s very position was linked with crocodiles.). The crocodile was one of Egypt's gods, named Sobek (see photo), who in their view created the Nile from its sweat. It was feared because it was the most terrible creature in the Nile, but according to Herodotus, the Egyptians paid homage to it by keeping a tame one as a pet, hanging its ears with rings, encircling its forepaws with bracelets, and finally embalming it when it died. It was considered the protector of the royal dead. So YHWH was making war on Pharaoh’s title, his afterlife, and the strength of Egypt. The rod that turned into a “dragon” (a picture of haSatan) suggests that the hand YHWH was employing against Egypt was not His right hand (Yahshua), but He was using the other side to divide a kingdom against itself.

11. But Pharaoh also summoned the wise men and those practicing sorcery, and the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments:

LXX: sorcerers and charmers. Magic was flourishing at this time. Magical texts and even magic books have been found in Egypt from this time period. Pharah must have been somewhat impressed, because he did not just say, “So what?” but called in his best to counter it. Enchantments: literally, "flames". In Y’hezq’el (Ezekiel) 29:2-7, Pharaoh himself is called a tanin/crocodile who rules his river and says that he created it himself He is a picture of the counterfeit Messiah, who claims to be above every god. (2 Thess. 2:4) Now this seems to uphold his viewpoint: see how many crocodiles he has? Nachmanides (Ramban) said these magicians could manage the negative supernatural forces of destruction, but could not remove them, as YHWH could. These forces were already in motion, and they were tapping into already-active energy. Any time worship is established, some spirit will come to receive it. The “disorderly energy” cast out of YHWH’s presence seeks to be increased through such acknowledgement. HaSatan was in charge of leading the worship of YHWH, so he knows well how these principles work. The magicians are dealing with a power they do not understand; they do not know who they are really calling on. YHWH sometimes gives haSatan permission to miraculously heal, but the source and the fruit must be taken into account before it is acclaimed. Paul wrote that it is those who did not welcome the love of the truth that are deceived by "lying wonders" stemming from the "secret of lawlessness". (2 Thess. 2:7ff) The counterfeit Messiah will repeat this strong delusion to keep Israelites within the ecumenicized Church by making them think they are still Egyptians and that he is their “Lord”. Pharaoh also turned on the Israelites who had turned to him for help, so YHWH said He would leave him like a fish out of water.

If Pharaoh had paid attention to the history of Yoseyf, he would have been warned that one animal eating another of the same kind was a bad sign for Egypt. Sobek was actually depicted as four crocodiles rather than one, so this multiplicity of crocodiles being swallowed up would be a definite message that Sobek was not all-protective. Yet it does not say it was the crocodile that ate other crocodiles, but the rod, which is a symbol of authority. So this is the message that really matters here. When these rods were eaten up, the Egyptians had to find new rods. Israel is reclaiming the Scriptural authority that the Church had co-opted, so the pope and other leaders are looking elsewhere for their validation—to the Dalai Lama, to appeals to reunification with the Protestant churches, to being beneficial to the world at large, or to “inter-faith” precursors to the coming single world religion, for the harlot will ride the Beast until it turns on her. (Rev. 17) If we trace the history of this particular rod throughout the whole narrative from chapter 4 onward, we find that the same rod that belonged to Moshe (sometimes called the Rod of Elohim) is also the one Aharon uses--the one which later blossoms in order to show that YHWH had chosen Aharon as high priest (Numbers 17).

Strengthened: Though his own magicians were outdone, the fact that they could nonetheless do something upheld his preconceived ideas, in his mind, confirming to him that his worldview was the correct one and he need not change anything. This “trick” was not worthy of his attention, in his opinion.

Burdensome: literally, heavy, dull, or given importance--i.e., he gave more weight to his own heart, and let this be his authority. He considered it to be right, and decided to "follow his heart"--a philosophy so common in today's media arts, but very contrary to Scripture, which says the human heart is profoundly deceitful (Yirmeyahu 17:9) and leads us astray (Numbers 15:39).

Coming out of the water: either bathing or relieving himself--a vulnerable moment for the reputation of this "god" who supposedly had no such needs; it is more psychological warfare designed to unsettle him. YHWH gave them leverage to accomplish more than they think they can by catching him at such an undignified moment when he not on his throne or in his royal finery but was probably already nervous and would be in a hurry to get to the river and therefore more willing to conclude this interruption as quickly as possible. YHWH refers Moshe back not to the most recent usage of his rod, but to the one that would remind him of Sinai where his underlying purpose—that of shepherding Israel—was defined. The time it turned into a serpent (rather than a crocodile) was when he first encountered YHWH and proved himself. He is down at the river not because of the circumstance immediately in front of him but because at that earlier time he had committed himself to YHWH. He was real then, and He is real now. Do not look at your present situation, but look back to what what brought you this far to start with. The rod does not actually get used at this time, but the fact that he has it there is more leverage, for by the river, Pharaoh cannot call in his other magicians, and it Moshe were to turn it into a crocodile here—in its own element—he would not be able to outrun it.

17. "Thus says YHWH, ‘This is how you will know that I am YHWH: Watch--I myself will strike the water of the River with the rod that is in my hand, and it will be transformed into blood.

Pharaoh had asked who YHWH was and why he should care. Now he will find out very clearly who He is, but he will meet the side of Him that he should not be eager to meet.

The Nile was considered one of the gods of Egypt, since their livelihood depended on it. It was also tied inextricably to the people's perception of Pharaoh's power. (Y'chezq'el 29:3) Thus this would weaken his image in their eyes as well. Find it offensive: or impossible; targum Neofiti: “they will weary themselves to find drinkable water ". This was the first of YHWH's direct litmus tests of the power (or lack of it) in the things they trusted in.

Pool: or reservoir; Heb., miqvah, the word later used for Torah-compliant ritual baths which change one's symbolic status to one of being "pure" and eligible to enter holy places. If so, symbolically, the Egyptians have no possibility of being clean in YHWH's eyes anymore. There is some evidence of these in Egypt, but these could be reservoirs for other purposes. Now He is making war on Hapi, the river god, who is depicted a s a man with breasts (see photo)—a counterfeit of El Shaddai. It was seen as the creator of fish and also of grain, since only after the Nile’s annual floods would the crops grow. This is where their “happiness” comes from. Since Egypt represents the Church, YHWH’s great end-time judgments are designed to show up its bankruptcy as well, since now that Israel’s exile has run its course, He has removed His presence from it.

21. And the fish [population] that was in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink from the river's water; there was blood throughout the whole land of Egypt.

Most Egyptians, though paying homage to many deities in certain times of crisis, would normally consider themselves chiefly worshippers of one particular elohim, and those elohim were often in opposition to one another. They would devote themselves to one particular temple which they frequyented, paying its priests, which became their livelihood. Even Pharaoh was not allowed to enter some temples; only the priests connected to it were, and this gave them a great commercial advantage. In the book of Acts we see similar devotion by a whole town to a particular deity, and the rivalry it created with devotees to other deities when the source of wealth derived from it was threatened. The northern and southern kingdoms of Egypt worshipped two different elohim, both of which were supposedly the creators of the Nile. When Sobek was thus dishonored, Horus’ priests would rejoice! So this began further dividing Egypt against itself.

Did the same: Whatever Moshe and Aharon had not already turned into blood, they did, thus finishing up the job for them, and proving to be a foolish kingdom divided against themselves!

As is so common today, as long as he had his “holy” counterfeit, he did not think he needed to pay attention to the real thing. If he can get by with his substitute, he thinks he will be all right. If he was not so prosperous (for which he was really dependent on the actions of Yoseyf many years before without acknowledging it), he might have appreciated the Hebrews instead of oppressing them, like his predecessor back then who knew he was in trouble and rewarded Yoseyf as he deserved for his rescuing the nation from oblivion. Ebut even if this Pharaoh’s interest in YHWH was piqued by things going wrong, when they returned to normal, his fingers went right back into his ears. Maybe there is a little bit of Pharaoh in all of us?

The water was corrupted by blood, so they had to dig new wells. This difficult-to-reach fresh water may have been the source of the water the magicians turned into blood. In any case, it kept the Egyptians too busy to harass the Israelites further. The pague on Egypt is replacing water with blood. There is much emphasis in Christianity of being “washed in the blood”, but Scripture actually says that what washes us is the water of the Word. We cannot drink blood! The pure water of Torah has been defiled by an overuse of Yahshua’s blood, which is applied everywhere instead of where it pertains. The Church, finding that this kills the “fish”, thinks the Torah is responsible, and does not dig in it for water. Instead it should make us run back toward the Torah. But when the water is replaced by blood, it is a curse. We cannot claim the blood without walking in the instruction. YHWH once more shows He has power over what the Egyptians worship (the Nile). We do not worship the Torah, but only appreciate the life YHWH brings us through it. Josephus adds that it caused great pain to those who ventured to drink it, but says the water was completely drinkable to the Israelites. However, there is no evidence of any difference in the Hebrews’ condition until chapter 9, for as long as we are mixed in among the Egyptians, we will suffer the same things they suffer. One evidence of this is in verse 19. It pays to know archaeology when studying Scripture, for one detail that would not otherwise stand out is that the Egyptians did not use wooden or stone containers to store water in, but clay vessels. However, the Kanaanites did, and this practice was carried on by the Hebrews who had lived among them. Wooden and stone vessels would not retain ritual impurity like clay would. (Compare Lev. 6:28 and 11:32 with 11:33.) Thus this appears to be referring to eth containers in which Israelites stored water as well. Too many of them may have been paying homage to that elohim.

By this time, his people are dying of thirst, but Pharaoh does not take it seriously enough to ask Moshe to stop the plague, and there is no record that it did stop, though the Aramaic targum assumes that it stopped after this complete cycle of seven days. Judgment upon the river: YHWH makes war on anything that holds His people captive.

CHAPTER 8

Send away: more than just “let My people go”. He commanded him to give him a proper sendoff. The ancient near eastern expectations of hospitality to foreigners included ensuring their safe passages to one’s borders after three days of hosting them as guests. YHWH had asked him to let them go three days into the wilderness. Israel had been partially responsible for their own bondage at first, but now that Israel (at least as represented by Moshe and Aharon) was walking in obedience, Pharaoh was the only one holding them back from departing. If we walk in Torah, YHWH can force the powers that be to not only free us, but do so willingly. Pharaoh would end up giving them a military escort out of his land, though not in the way anyone expected. Serve Me: instead of Pharaoh! (Compare Gal. 1:10) The Hebrew word used here for “send away” (shalakh) is used in Deut. 24:1 specifically as term for divorce. Pharaoh sees them as his slaves; YHWH sees things differently. They are His people. They are to come out of Egypt so they can come into His Land—His household, as His bride. He is telling Pharaoh to divorce himself from them. He is jealous of the Egypt that holds His people captive today as well. What is our reason for wanting to leave the pagan system? Paranoia that it will collapse? Rebellion against authority? Just wanting to be different? Because Hebraic dance makes us feel nice? Even the beauty of the heritage He has given us is the wrong reason. The only acceptable primary motive is that we want to please Him. He does not want us “married” to anything that has more importance in our lives than He does. Serving YHWH in this case, as detailed elsewhere, entailed celebrating a feast by dancing in circles, and slaughtering offerings to YHWH.

Frogs: The Hebrew name for them means "those that come out early from the swamp". They were another of the things the Egyptians worshipped, because of how they "die" and are "resurrected" when metamorphosed from tadpoles. The ancient Egyptians saw thousands of frogs appear all along the Nile at certain times of the year. Their appearance came to symbolize fruitfulness and coming life. But the four primeval deities of Egypt, Nun (representing water), Amun (invisibility), Heh (infinity), and Kek (darkness), were all also illustrated as frogs. Frogs were consecrated to Osiris and were the symbol of inspiration. Frogs and toads were very sacred to the Egyptians. If someone killed a frog, even unintentionally, the person was punishable by death. So Egypt sees frogs as a beneficial thing, but YHWH will use them against it.

The goddess Heqt (Heket) was depicted as a frog-headed woman, who was “reborn” through her many children. As a water goddess, she was also a goddess of fertility where she was particularly associated with the later stages of labour. Her priestesses were trained as midwives. So having Heket in one’s bed might have sounded like a wonderful idea to them—until YHWH actually brought the frogs into their beds! Now they were not such a blessing anymore! Into your people: Some Rabbinic writers say they even entered all of their bodily orifices. Thus even men would be “delivering” frogs! Rabbi Hirsch says He took away their privacy so they would know what their slaves were constantly experiencing. This also provides the background for the idea of the "unclean spirits like frogs" in the mouth of the dragon (Rev. 16:13)--doctrines of demons. These indeed are infesting the Church in greater numbers as YHWH calls His people out from there.

Your slaves: since it is listed in addition to his people, this must mean the Israelite slaves.

6. So Aharon extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and overwhelmed the land of Egypt.

Overwhelmed: covered, concealed. Josephus adds that they caused a filthy slime to be over everything. Psalm 78:45 tells us that the frogs corrupted them (spoiled them, caused them to rot, perverted them). YHWH has allowed the Church to be spoiled by doctrines of demons, so it is not a place for a holy people to remain any longer.

Secret arts: This term makes one wonder whether they were using sleight of hand. As if there were not already enough, the magicians conjured up more! Arrogance can lead people to do verty strange things. Why not try to make them disappear instead? But the dark side can only counterfeit what YHWH is doing through His servants; they cannot create anything original.

In Egypt, only the priests did the slaughtering, whereas in Israel, the one who brought the offering slaughtered it himself, while the priest merely officiated, assisted, and dealt with the blood. It is a a personal, intimate experience. Blood must be shed to provide a proper understanding of redemption. The animal has the offerer’s hands laid firmly on it to show his identification with it, for he is intending to kill off the “animal nature” within himself. When we die to self, we can draw near to YHWH, which is the real meaning of the other word often translated “sacrifice”. This also tells us that Israel had not been slaughtering animals to YHWH the whole time they had been enslaved in Egypt. YHWH withholds from Pharaoh the knowledge that He intends to ask of him a greater challenge—that of letting Israel go altogether. He mercifully allows him to prove faithful in a smaller thing first. Note that Pharaoh does not ask his magicians to take the frogs away. He admits this is from YHWH, acknowledging Him at last, after a taste of what He is capable of. Yet he still puts himself before his people—the opposite of what YHWH looks for in a leader. YHWH chose shepherds who risked their lives for the flock to be leaders of His people. He makes no mention at all of removing the frogs from his slaves (as included in v. 4). He did not care what happened to the Israelites. Moshe corrects him by placing them before his own people:

Glorify yourself over me: Here, apparently, "You be the one to choose!" Aramaic targum Onqelos says "Ask for a mighty deed; set an appointed time when I should pray..." In the river: their normal habitat, where they would not be an inconvenience. Yet the picture is still one of an unclean beast in the source of drinking water (which symbolizes selfish interpretation of Torah); thus it would still constantly defile everything.

It is amazing that Pharaoh did not say, “Right now!”, as if he wanted to enjoy the dirty feeling of frogs within his body for one last day. Or he may have just wanted to preserve some sense of control in this matter. In any case, this gave him ample time to truly repent, though not unlimited; the choice must be made by “tomorrow”. And the longer one hesitates, the more blessing “evaporates” from what YHWH is offering us. Egyptian deities were limited by time or territory, and had to ask permission of other gods to act outside their jurisdiction, but YHWH is not bound like this. By setting a specific time he could prove it was YHWH acting, not just Moshe doing tricks.

12. Then Moshe and Aharon departed from Pharaoh, and Moshe cried out [for help] to YHWH about the matter of the frogs which He had brought upon Pharaoh.

13. And YHWH did according to Moshe's word, and the frogs perished from the houses, enclosed settlements, and cultivated fields.

YHWH did according to Moshe’s word: “Moshe” symbolizes the Torah, and YHWH does honor that in everything He does.

They must have been glad to have them out of their houses, ovens, and ears, but still there is a bitter reminder left behind. A stench is in Scripture is usually associated with disobedience, as in the test regarding the manna. (16:20) He is just saying words to get past the unpleasant situation, but does not actually change his intentions at all.

How typical of us all to relax our zeal and repentance when things get back to normal and the pressure is off. The heart is more inclined to YHWH when there is trouble, so another plague is needed…

Lice: while it is sometimes translated gnats, the Hebrew word indicates something that fastens [its egg] onto a stalk, somewhat like a grape cluster. It could also be interpreted as something that inserts, like a mosquito or tick. Anciently, demons were associated with blood-sucking insects. Indeed, like a mosquito, Constantine extracted the blood of Yahshua from Israel and appropriated it for his own purposes, creating a new entity that he thought could have the best of both worlds. But the term for gnats is also based on a root word meaning a root, support, shoot, or stock. Paul reminds Gentiles not to imagine that they support the root, but to remember that the root (Israel) supports them. Constantine did all he could to obliterate that fact. This time Pharaoh receives no warning, for those he receivede earlier should be enough. He is still being held accountable for those.

Adam was created from the dust of the land of Israel, since Eden is above Yerushalayim. But from the dust of Egypt, all that can be created is stinging, discomforting parasites. But what was YHWH making war on this time? There was no elohim of gnats or lice in Egypt. Rather, he is told to strike the ground. The people of Egypt also worshipped the land from which these came. An elohim called Geb (see picture) is depicted as a man wearing a crown with a goose on it, and his body is called the “house of the Earth”. So YHWH will turn the very earth against them, if they continue to want to see it as something to worship.

This is where their power ran out. It may be that this was because they had no advance lead time to work up a counterfeit as they could in previous cases. Josephus also adds that they were "not able to destroy this sort of vermin with either washes or ointments".

Finger of the Elohim: Psalm 8:3 describes the heavens, the moon, and the stars as the work of YHWH’s fingers. So this is creation force that they are dealing with, not something they can imitate. With incantations they could coax frogs out of the river, but could not create life from “scratch”. When the Assyrians spoke of the finger of Elohim, it always referred to devastation, but in Egypt the phrase infers something miraculous. A Midrash says that after this these magicians became Moshe’s students. This prefigures many in the Church who, when its mask is finally off, will follow Israel in knowing YHWH the way He originally wanted to be known. The lice probably now disappeared, because this was the response YHWH was looking for. They were starting to realize that YHWH really was greater than their elohim. But Pharaoh did not acknowledge this.

21. "‘And if you do not send My people off, look out! I am about to send swarms upon you, your slaves, and your people, and into your houses, and the houses of the Egyptians will be filled with swarming things, and also the ground which they are on."

Swarms: it does not specify what type of animals or insects this entailed, though the LXX says the "dogfly"; an Aramaic targum has gnats. Its name means "mixture" (a practice deadly and corrupting to the church as it mixed Hebraic truth with paganism), "with constant or involved motion", or what “darkens” the ground. Josephus calls it "various sorts of pestilential creatures, with their various properties". (See also note on 9:24) At this specific time period in Egypt, the “order of the golden fly” was a much-coveted military decoration. The fly also graced the rods of the heads of Egypt’s armies. A golden chain with three pendants bearing the fly motif was found in the tomb of Queen Ahotep from 1550 B.C.E. The fly hieroglyph signified bravery. Pharaoh’s armies had conquered the whole world; to hear of them would make anyone’s knees weak. So while they remained in their own land, many would feel absolutely secure, trusting them to ward off any invader. So YHWH is making war on this rival object of faith as well. Modern parallels are obvious. After this plague, the soldiers themselves might have been tired of this symbol!

"In that Day" often has a prophetic reference to the time just prior to the Kingdom. It appears that this is the first plague that did not affect that part of the land. YHWH is now making a way for Israel to be unaffected by the sufferings being brought on Egypt. Goshen means "drawing near", and this regathering was an essential prerequisite for their departure from Egypt, just as the "fallen sukkah of David" must be raised back up BEFORE the descendants of Israel will again return to their land (Amos 9:11), just as one must ascend many steps before entering the Temple proper. We must pay attention to this, because “what has been is what will be”. (Qoheleth/ Eccles. 1:9) When YHWH opens the door to gather in “Goshen”, do not remain in bondage, no matter what you must sacrifice! Goshen held none of the attractions of mainstream Egypt; all that was there were shepherds and flocks, but that is why it was given to Israel, whose purpose is to feed YHWH’s sheep. Those who did this are the ones YHWH calls His people; the rest are living as individualists rather than seeing themselves as part of Israel. Apparently there was a community who had never left Goshen; it is possible that they were never even enslaved, but only those who scattered into the rest of Egypt. In any case, with the Egyptians preoccupied with the plagues, Israel has an open door to come back to where they were supposed to remain a separate people. Every time there was a pogrom against the Jews, even under Hitler, there was always a time allotted to leave beforehand. Prior to the 1920s and 1930s it was difficult to emigrate from Germany, but at this time there was an unprecedented open, but most had grown wealthy in Germany and saw no reason to leave this behind. Many Israelites of this generation had never been shepherds, and in Goshen they could not make bricks, so they might have felt they had no way to make a living there. It was only for the later plagues that affected the people themselves that the land of Goshen (which was only under Egypt’s military jurisdiction) received a different treatment than the land of Egypt proper. Israel will be affected by part of the “great tribulation”, because the plagues of Revelation are coming on all the world. But during the latter, worse, part, they will be gathered together and hidden in "the secret place of the Most High" (cf. Psalm 91) where they will be near the destruction of the wicked, but will only see it; the plague will not come near the tent of those who have gathered when called (the Tabernacle we will again have with us in that short replay of the wilderness wanderings that followed this greater Exodus). With the current resurgence of nature-worship under the guise of esoteric New Age philosophy, we can see the same pattern in the book of Revelation, as the earth and all that people are again worshipping is shown to be inadequate to save them from the wrath of the same Judge, YHWH.

A division: The word also means “ransom”. (Used thus in Psalms 111:9; 130:7) So redemption makes us separate from what we have been. We hear no more about them making bricks, so this may have brought reprieve from their hard labor. Those who were not in Goshen by “tomorrow” would be considered to be in Pharaoh’s camp, not YHWH’s, no matter what kind of blood was running through their veins. No one outside Goshen would receive the benefit of YHWH’s shielding. YHWH draws a line even for His people: Those who don’t return home to the community of Israel remain in Pharaoh’s jurisdiction and will suffer along with him. Gathering in Raamses or Pithom would not provide any kind of protection. “For tomorrow” also suggests a fulfillment for the time to come as well, when everyone will be given one final mandate to take one side of the other--Israel or "Egypt".

Since Moshe and Aharon had upheld YHWH’s word, He upheld theirs. Another possibility of what this "swarm" was is the scarab beetle, also known as the dung beetle, because it rolls 1½-inch balls of animal dung along the ground in balls to build its nest--thus infecting every place over which it moved. They were thought to be able to bring life out of inanimate matter, because they laid their eggs, too tiny for the human eye, in the dung balls, then the newborn young would eat the dung and emerge when grown larger. Thus the Egyptians worshiped them; they even considered the sun a large ball rolled by a huge scarab beetle! This swarm would disrupt Egyptian religious life, since the priests were required to shave all their hair and bathe twice a day if even lice were found on them, and they would be forbidden from entering their temples if so many insects were all over them.

26. But Moshe said, "It is not safe to do that, because we will be making a slaughter to YHWH our Elohim that is abominable to the Egyptians; if we slaughter what is an abomination to the Egyptians where they can see us, won't they stone us to death?

Safe: It was not secure or solid ground for them. Slaughter that is abominable: Yoseyf had told his family (Gen. 46-47) that shepherds and herdsmen were an abomination to the Egyptians, much like in India today. Aramaic, "We are taking as our sacrifice the very cattle which the Egyptians worship." Egyptians neither kill nor eat sheep; we would be killing things they believe are supposed to survive. This would not work whewn we are surrounded by people who do not believe in what we are doing. Can we follow YHWH while within the institutional church? It may tolerate an occasional Passover seder, but usually it is seen as entertainment, not an obligation, and it is thus totally out of context. It does not even let us keep the Sabbath, yet still wants our tithes to go to its own agendas, which include things that YHWH hates. And we will have to “kill” things it holds dear: its Hellenized Jesus, Gentile ways, extrabiblical morals, and simply die to self, which flies in the face of its current psychology. We have to leave Egypt and go to the “place of the Word” to be able to truly keep YHWH’s festivals. As it turned out, since Pharaoh would not cooperate, the Israelites would have to slaughter many sheep right in front of the Egyptians.

28. So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, so you may make a slaughter to YHWH your Elohim in the wilderness. Just don't go very far away. Say a prayer for me, then!"

Say a prayer: Herodus' trickery in saying he, too, wanted to pay homage to the newborn king of the Jews (Matt. 2:8) is another example of the same spirit. Or he may only be saying, "Pray that this will stop now!" Any atheist with a gunto his head believes in YHWH!

I.e., it had better be real this time! His slaves: Those Israelites who had still not gathered in Goshen, the place He had provided to prepare for deliverance.

Notice that he would not even speak to YHWH in front of Pharaoh; there was no need to let him get hold of—and profane—any truth about YHWH.

32. Then Pharaoh made his heart weighty this time also, and he did not let the people go.

The situation had made it obvious that he had to let the people go, but he gave more authority to what his own heart wanted. He could say, “What right does this foreign Elohim have to do anything in my land?” According to Egyptian culture, he was right! But more often than not, our hearts are wrong.(Yirmeyahu 17:9) Israel was in Egypt, and Israel belonged to YHWH, so His truth superseded any rights Pharaoh had. Our hearts will not just lie down and die on their own volition; do not wait for that. We need to act on what is right, no matter how we feel. Following Torah instead of our hearts will make the difference between whether we go home or stay in exile.

CHAPTER 9

His message has not changed, nor has His reason. Is this the reason that we are coming out of today’s “Egypt”?

Detaining: literally, holding them within your grip.

I.e., if you do not take your hand off My people, you will feel My “hand” against you. Livestock: the Hebrew word means “acquired possessions”. They would gladly trade gold for any of these animals that could actually feed their children. Though Pharaoh and his people do not eat sheep, they keep great herds to ttrade for other things they want, and of course they would use the wool for clothing. Sheep and goats were the standard of trade in the fertile crescent. Horses were Egypt’s military advantage. They were so skilled with chariots, that they even hunted from them. Donkeys and camels were the equivalent of vehicles to modern men, and cattle were of the highest value because they had so many uses—plowing, grinding grain, pulling great loads, and food. So though it does not sound as bad as some of the previous plagues, it would devastate the economy. This may be a foreshadowing of His judgment on the multitude of possessions owned by the Church. YHWH will take away the things Pharaoh should be holding onto if he wants to remain ruler, if he will not stop holding onto the Israelites. He is the wrong person to be holding onto them. We, on the other hand, should be taking a firmer grip on Israel, and releasing our grip on other securities. The word for “plague” here, dever, actually comes from the root davar, which means to speak. Since all of creation came from YHWH’s word, it is as if He is saying, “Don’t make me say it, because if I do, it will definitely come to be!” It is the teaching of YHWH’s word that draws the sheep into Israel, but His word can become a plague to those who keep part of themselves in reserve for Egypt’s purposes. The Torah is a tree of life to those who take hold of it—the same phrase used in verse 2—but it can indeed be a curse if we refuse to walk fully in it, but continue to touch it with “Egyptian fingers”.

5. "Now YHWH has set an appointed time, saying, ‘Tomorrow YHWH will carry out this matter in the land.'"

Set an appointed time: LXX, "fixed a limit". But now He is no longer letting Pharaoh have the option of deciding when He will act.

The great bull Apis was considered a manifestation of the Egyptian god Osiris. One bull was chosen to represent him, and when it died, another had to be chosen, and there were 29 criteria it had to meet in regard to its markings and qualities. After the cattle of all who were remaining loyal to the Egyptian religion were destroyed, it would be very difficult for them to find a replacement.

He even checked to see if the prophecy had come true, but then he did nothing about it. YHW was weighing his heart. He could have argued to YHWH, “You said send and I sent!” But he sent the wrong people to the wrong place. He only obeyed halfway. We cannot simply do something related to what YHWH has commanded, but must carry out His actual commands. Since Goshen was the best pastureland, many of Pharaoh’s livestock may have been there too, and died in the presence of the cattle belonging to Israel. One may be in the place of safety, but if he does not fully belong to Israel, he will continue to suffer along with the Egyptians. Who we belong to matters as much as who we are.

Furnace: or kiln, probably a place where the Egyptians made some of the bricks for their building projects; but in Hebrew it emphasizes a place for subduing the fire, or keeping it under control--which is just what Pharaoh was trying to do to the people of Israel.

The Egyptians had a belief that scattering ashes to the wind would protect them from disease (much like those in the children’s song “Ring around the Rosy”, which originated with a similar superstition that ashes and the smell of a rose would war off the bad odors that caused the bubonic plague). Also compare Iyov 2:7-8. But again YHWH shows that their superstitions (probably related to a particular deity) could not be trusted, by causing exactly the opposite effect. The Egyptians were very vain about the appearance of their bodies, and this plague again would bring their purposes to nought. YHWH is also fighting the elohim of a specific type of furnace—a smelting furnace, which is used to get impurities out of metals. The Egyptians were considered the fathers of alchemy and some metallurgy. They figured out much about the nature of metals, but also tried to turn other metals into more valuable ones. Each metal was correlated with a specific celestial body (gold represented the sun and silver with the moon, etc.) Each metal was also linked to a specific god. Iron was more valuable than gold at this time, because chariots and swords were made from it; gold was too soft. Iron was called “Ba-inpet”—the metal of the heavens. It was related to Thoth, the god of wisdom and knowledge, and he was represented with a quill pen and papyrus, because the scientists were also the magicians so often being spoken of here.

The result of this ash taken from a kiln was very much like the blisters that form after one is burned. Josephus adds that before the blisters broke out, the disease had already "inwardly consumed" them. This is a foreshadowing of the "grievous sores" that will be poured out on all who take the Mark of the Beast (Rev. 16:2), who, like Pharaoh, tries to claim the position of YHWH. It would also keep the people distracted from the Israelites who may have been continuing to move into Goshen.

Remain standing: either the pain was too great, or they simply were too ashamed to show their face because they could no longer imitate Moshe. Their trade may have been the specific target of the plague of boils. If they were no longer able to shave themselves because of the boils, this would also put a stop to activity in the pagan temples. The priests were often the same as these scientists and magicians. They knew the mathematical formulas, which is why they could bring flies and frogs and counterfeits, but they are now at a point where they can no longer “do the math”, even backwards. The Hebrew term for them stems from a root meaning “to engrave or write”. Rather than wiping out the Egyptians’ deities, YHWH was using them against the people who trusted in them. In Hebrew, words are numbers, and YHWH spoke the right combination of numbers (for davar, at root, means “to arrange”), and this time the scientists could not protect themselves.

Up to this point, he had hardened his own heart. But after five plagues (one for each finger) did not loosen his grip, YHWH started to use his own hand against him. Now that Pharaoh has given his own heart the authority twice in a row (8:32 and 9:7) with nothing else to strengthen his argument, but rather evidence to the contrary, YHWH Himself starts to harden his heart. YHWH gave him reason to repent, and he did not, so now YHWH will not allow him to repent. His cup is full, and now he will have no power to make the right choices. Repentance is not always available, if we hesitate. This is a frightening thought. It might seem cruel, but, as with Y’hoshua's upcoming conquest of Kanaan, it is only after much patience on His part--more than was deserved--and many, many warnings. (See note on v. 30.) Note that there is no record of this plague ever being cut short as at least some others had been. So there may now be a cumulative effect of the plagues upon Egypt.

Get up early: or, shoulder the burden. I.e., make it your first priority. Moshe might be wondering how many times he had to say the same thing, and with Pharaoh’s heqart hardened, it might seem a total waste of time and breath. But YHWH tells him not to go lax, but to continue to put his whole heart into it and do the job fully, even before tending to his own needs, for no day is an ordinary day. Because he did, when we do not know what YHWH’s will is for us when we wake up in the morning, we can start by consulting Moshe, and that is easy to do by just opening the Torah. Of the Hebrews: He is increasingly bringing the distinction from Egypt into the discussion. “Hebrews” means those who have crcossed over; in this case, that would mean chiefly those who had moved back out of Egypt proper into Goshen (the land of “drawing near”), thus acting like Hebrews, in contrast to those who were still serving Pharaoh, though they were Israelites.

He has no equal whatsoever, and anyone who is still serving Pharaoh will feel the brunt of this. It was the Hebrew oevseers who had a compelling reason to see their brothers remain enslaved who were beaten when the slaves did not make enough bricks. Today, as YHWH increasingly takes Israel out from the church, there will be many shepherds left with no sheep, because they do not know how to shepherd those who know they are Hebrews. It was through the avenue of Pharaoh's own heart that He was making war on all the deities of Egypt. When meat is pounded, it becomes more tender, but not Pharaoh’s flesh. His heart still had not changed, for he still had a callous around it; it was uncircumcised. He refused to let it soften. YHWH offers us the open doors, but He is not responsible to do our part. We need to surrender and work with what He gives us; it is not magic or automatic.

Now I have: Aramaic, "the time is approaching for Me to..."

YHWH is telling Pharaoh that He does not need Pharaoh; He could have easily killed him along with the animals, but He kept him alive as an example to others of what not to do. He is really putting him in his place, eating away at his arrogance. His very existence is only for the sake of being part of YHWH’s will; He made him to destroy him! Why do the wicked prosper? So they can be concentrated into one area and eliminated. (Ps. 92:7) Reputation: lit., "name"; compare His purpose in Tzefanyah (Zeph.) 3:9. The Pharaohs’ focus even in their tombs was on making their names known throughout the whole world. But now YHWH tells Him this is being done so that HIS Name will be known! Pharaoh, on the other hand, was a vessel fit for destruction. YHWH created the wicked for the day of calamity (Prov. 16), like a playwright who needs "extra" actors to form a more exciting plot and a more formidable conflict to for the protagonist to surmount. This is not unjust on His part. (See note on v. 30; compare Rom. 9:14-24.) Pharaoh could at least respond by saying, “At least He has a purpose for me!” Even that would be worth yielding to, but Pharaoh drags his feet and kicks and screams the whole time, so he earns no merit for his people through this whole experience. Moshe, on the other hand, was raised up for the same purpose—to set Israel free. He is glad to be used and surrenders to what YHWH is doing. It may look horrible at first, but when he gets into the mud puddle, it turns out to be a healthful mineral bath!

18. "‘Watch! Tomorrow at about this time I am sending such a heavy ‘hail' as Egypt has never had the likes of ever since the day it was founded!

He now uses the psychological tactic of letting him know He is going to hurt him even more.

Your livestock: But weren’t they all dead? (v. 6) The Israelites who had some left may have sold them some again and by doing so acquired some of the gold needed for the Tabernacle. Field: Yahshua says this is a symbol of the world (Matt. 13:38), i.e., the pagan/humanistic "system"; compare Rev. 14:9-10). YHWH is building one "new man", while the world simultaneously is constructing a counterfeit unity, and ultimately there will be a showdown between the only two entities left on earth. Indoors: literally, "home" or "into the house". The "house" that YHWH is building with Yahshua as the cornerstone is the "ark of protection" for His "flocks and herds" in our day. Human: Heb., Adam. (See note on v. 25.)

Servants of Pharaoh: His own were turning against him (v. 11), but Pharaoh would be admitting that he believed in the word of lowly Moshe if he were to bring his servants in. Notice that there were servants of servants. Some of the Hebrews had even acquired slaves in Egypt. There were still Israelites in Egypt proper who thought of themselves as belonging to Pharaoh, and had not yet seen the need to move into Goshen to rejoin their true community. The Scripture is written for Israel. Therefore, the plagues discussed in Revelation are also meant to call out those who belong there but are still within the church, and motivate them to be true Hebrews and “cross over”. Yet apparently some will not; tradition says the Counterfeit Messiah will be from the tribe of Dan.

Left: literally, deserted, abandoned, or neglected. This is reminiscent of Noach's ark. Place any value on the word: They were preparing for the harvest (v. 31); it would be foolish according to natural wisdom (1 Cor. 1:18-31) to bring everything back inside now. But “whoever does not believe on Him is condemned already”, says Yochanan 3:18, in the context of Moshe lifting up the serpent (which could also have a reference to his picking it up by the tail) and YHWH giving up His only Son (the last plague He would bring on Egypt) but sparing any who would trust Him.

23. So Moshe stretched forth his rod toward the sky, and YHWH delivered [loud] noises and ‘hail', and fire ran along the earth; thus YHWH dropped hail on the land of Egypt.

Loud noises: or thunderings. Psalm 18 describes "coals of fire" falling from the heavens at this time.

Flashing: Aramaic, leaping (Pseudo-Jonathan). This was clearly no ordinary "hail" as we know it. Josephus says it was not like the hail that falls in wintry climates either. The Hebrew word is related to "ice", yet these were rocks big enough to kill anything they fell on. Verse 5 says YHWH had an appointed time, and Gen. 1:14 says the heavenly bodies were created for this very purpose (using the same term for “appointed times”). So this is something from beyond the clouds and terrestrial atmosphere. Velikovsky (Worlds in Collision, 1950) theorized that part of the earth passed through a comet's tail, which was described by the Latin poet Servius as being eerily red "with a fine dust of rusty pigment" --possibly what turned the water blood-red (leaving only groundwater unaffected, as above), and irritated the skin of men and animals (v. 8). It took place at the very moment Moshe obeyed YHWH's commands. (Josephus said that the pestilential creatures in 8:21 were such "as had never come into the sight of men before." Velikokvsky said that in the comet's tail, there would be bacteria-like hydrocarbons of the same type as were found in 1996 in a fossilized state from a rock that originated on Mars. In other words, these creatures were never meant to have been on earth in the first place, but were brought here only in an act of judgment.) The Babylonian Talmud says these stones were "hot" (Berakhot 54b). Meteorites crash with explosion-like noises, and the comet's gaseous tail would indeed include burning matter as gravelly ice came in contact with the earth's atmosphere like a million small meteors. The comet's head did not crash into the earth (though it was probably thrown into orbit to become the planet Nogah (Venus), which was once described by the Chaldeans as being "bearded" like a comet), but exchanged repeated violent electrical discharges, which would look like colored serpents in the sky and are best described as "thunderbolts". It appeared that there was a celestial battle going on between "gods". Velikovsky cites story after story from every part of the world of similar conditions at this very time, most notably American Indian legends in which the heavens came very close to the earth and repeated shouts of "Yahu!" were heard--this being the very pronunciation of the shortened version of "Yahweh" in Hebrew, which we know from names like "Netanyahu". The Chinese speak of a cataclysmic time in the "days of Yahou". The same type of “hail” fell during the battle of Y’hoshua in the Valley of Ayalon when the sun “stood still” (Y’hoshua 10:12), indicating the bypass of another heavenly body large enough to stop the earth’s turning or cause it to wobble on its axis through its strong gravitation. (Patten, Hatch, and Steinhauer). Rocks very different in character from anything naturally occurring in the area have been found in that valley. Since the ancient pagans worshipped the planets, YHWH was again having one of their own elohim attack them.

The Egyptian eyewitness Ipuwer concurs that even trees were destroyed, and all the vegetation that had been visible the day before was no longer there, as if it had been reaped overnight. We see the same thing taking place again in Rev. 8:7, since in our day people are again worshipping the "green earth" instead of the One who generously lets us benefit from it (v. 29). Every green plant: in the context of “Adam or beast” (v. 19), we see that YHWH is rescinding His creation as far as Egypt was concerned (as all three of these elements was mentioned in the creation account). And He was using Set (Seth), the god of thunder and storms in the desert, against them. The heat of the fires would even make it seem like the desrt was being brought to them.

The comet's tail could have cut a swath across the Nile Valley and the Delta without touching Goshen, which sits toward the northeast of Egypt, "out of the way". In a particularly large meteoritic blast, if it occurs while still in the air, the epicenter is hardly affected. Whether or not this was something we can now explain naturally, the main point is that YHWH made this distinction between Israel and Egypt.

As if this was the first time he had done anything wrong, he makes only an indirect confession and even wants his people to share the blame with him, though many of them have repented. He would have been much more honorable—and maybe even honored--if he simply took responsibility rather than making excuses.

Seriously excessive: or, enough of this thunder and hail of the elohim! He does not specify which elohim, so he may still be crediting this to Set. He is still trying to keep the upper hand somehow. It is hard to surrender to YHWH, but it is always better to do so.

Earth: one of the things worshipped by the "Egyptians" of today, who make it into the goddess "Gaia".

For the first time Moshe adds his own opinion, for he is beginning to learn to discern men’s hearts. YHWH Elohim: He corrects Pharaoh’s vagueness in verse 28. Proverbs 15 tells us that the fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom, and that one who does not heed reproof or instruction will not gain understanding. YHWH searches hearts (1 Chron. 28:9), and though Pharaoh appears to be remorseful (v. 27), he is not truly repentant, and now it is too late for him. Like the "Yizavel" (Jezebel) whom Yahshua gave time to repent (Rev. 2:20), at some point YHWH tells the wicked to go on being wicked (Rev. 22:11), and gives them over to their own reprobate wishes (Romans 1:26). He chooses who will be a vessel fit for destruction (Rom. 9:22), but He is not bound by time, He can base His choice on each one's own pattern of choices, so it is not as if he was unfair. Now that YHWH has seen that nothing will truly change Pharaoh's heart, He has already decided what to do with him; his attempts to change his course will be futile, because, as Proverbs 16 tells us, a man may plan his ways, but YHWH will direct the actual outcomes. Pharaoh was no longer in control of the supernatural world as he once thought he was. Even if he should now wish to repent, YHWH would not let him do so. He had taken every bit of slack YHWH would give him, so now it had to be a noose for him.

This stage of barley’s maturation is how the new moon of Aviv is identified, and the new year cannot be declared nor can Passover come until this stage is reached. But in Egypt, the barley reaches this stage about a month before it does in Israel. So this may be anywhere from two to six weeks before the Passover. Flax is what the priests’ garments were made of, so the destruction of these parallels the destruction of those who were meant to be firstfruits among those who went to Goshen, but failed to do so. But there is a second harvest of those who are YHWH’s chosen yet not “on time to the wedding feast” (cf. Mat. 25:1ff):

Rye: or spelt. Ripened: changing to a darker color. LXX, "they were late". This may parallel those in Kanaan whose sin had not yet reached the point where YHWH had to destroy them. (Gen. 15:16) Since there was still some semblance of hope left for Egypt, they held out this hope rather than surrendering to YHWH, just as the people alive during the Great Tribulation will keep refusing to repent after many such warnings. (Rev. 9:20-21)

34. Now when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the ‘hail' and the thunderings had ceased, he increased his sin and gave his heart weight, [both] he and his servants.

Though he knew he had sinned (v. 27), he still tried to make his own heart the authority.

Had predicted: all the way back at the burning bush. Pharaoh still thinks he is the one holding Israel captive, but he is really held captive by his own heart. If he had escorted them out of his land willingly, they might even have loved him and willingly aided him. If we ask what we are holding onto, the answer will tell us what is really holding onto us, and the more we loosen our grip on it, the more it will set us free.