Nathan’s Commentary on Parashat Va’eira Exodus 6:2–9:35

Posted on by

Exodus 6

Exodus 6:1–8, YHVH redeems Israel. 

Of Frail Men and a Faithful Elohim—The Roots of the New Covenant Revealed

How many times have you started off on a new venture full with enthusiasm and alacrity only to have it fail immediately out of the starting gate? We all have our stories to tell. The difference between one who is successful and one who is not is that the former does not give despite initial failure. Though Moses was one the Bible’s greatest heros of faith, he experienced apparent failure in his initial efforts to free his people from Egyptian tyranny. However, thanks to overcoming faith in YHVH, he “let go and let God” and became the great liberator of the Israelite people and victor over that era’s most powerful nation—a biblical metaphor for the world, the flesh and devil. There is an inspiring lesson and an encouraging message in this story for each of us to this day.

Moses’ first brushes with defeat began the moment he exited the womb, for he was born with a death sentence on his head as he narrowly escaped being aborted. At the last moment, he was adopted into an alien, heathen family and was raised as a prince in the king of Egypt’s household estranged from his Israelite heritage. We can now look back with perfect 20-20 hindsight and see how YHVH orchestrated circumstances in Moses’ life to accomplish a divine destiny, but at the time both Moses and his Israelite family were totally oblivious to higher purpose. For them, it was a day-by-day struggle for survival much less a faith walk.

Despite an auspicious and promising future as a member of the Egyptian royal family in the region’s most power nation, Moses suddenly found himself fleeing for his life as a wanted criminal—a murderer. From riches and fame, he escapes to the backside of the desert out of the legal jurisdiction of the Egyptian authorities where he becomes a lowly peasant tending sheep for forty years. As a shepherd leading quiet, bucolic life, he end up marrying the sheep rancher’s daughter, but his life struggles do not end there.

Two sons are born to him. And they all live life happily ever after. Right? Well, not exactly. While leading a rather mundane life for decades tending sheep in the desert, he unexpectedly has a divine encounter. While tending sheep, YHVH suddenly drops into his life through the spectacle of bush that is engulfed in flames but is not consumed. At that moment Moses’ life is suddenly turned upside down. Then and there, YHVH commissions him to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh set the children of Israel free. This is when Moses’ troubles really begin.

A happy marriage, the father of two, a peaceful life as a shepherd—what could go wrong? Moses’ wife wanted nothing to do with Moses’ new ministry. She likely thought that he was out of his mind. Consequently, she abandons him and Moses’ marriage likely ends in divorce. Now Moses is alone and without his family. Likely a monumental depressions situation for him. 

But in faithful obedience to YHVH, Moses accepts the call to lead the enslaved Israelites out of captivity and into the wilderness in which he had spent forty years leading sheep. For all those years, YHVH had been preparing him to lead two-legged sheep. 

As Moses returned to Egypt to confront Pharaoh, YHVH literally put a sermon in Moses’ mouth to preach to Pharaoh, even though he was stricken with a speech impediment of some sort. To this point, Moses’ life is one of stumbling, failure and seemingly random and serendipitous events. What could YHVH possibly make out of this stew of disparate ingredients? A disgraced member of the Egyptian royal family, a wanted criminal, a lowly shepherd, a failed family marriage and life plus a speech impediment on top of it all. This sounds like a recipe for disaster! 

The Bible is teeming with examples like Moses of individuals, who YHVH called to accomplish great things, but who encountered seemingly insurmountable and often life threatening challenges en route to their ultimate, heaven-mandated destiny.

For example, like Moses, although YHVH gave Abraham a divine mission, but stumbled along the way in fulfilling his destiny by trying to make things happen in his own way. The same occurred with both Jacob and Joseph whose lives took a series of unexpected and seemingly disastrous and dead end turns until the seemingly random puzzle pieces fell into place and YHVH’s plan for their lives came to fruition. Similarly, David was anointed as king of Israel many years before became king. In the interim, he spent many years fleeing for his life from those who wanted to kill him. Many more examples could be given.

So Moses’ struggles did not end with his divine encounter, commissioning and empowering at the burning bush. They only begin. As mentioned earlier, shortly thereafter, his marriage likely ended in divorce. His wife of some forty years failed to catch YHVH’s vision for Moses’ life and preferred to remain in the comfort zones of her father’s house in the land of Midian. 

Moving on, YHVH had set the stage is set for Israel’s redemption in Exodus 5:22–23. After all, Moses, as either Pharaoh’s adopted grandson or his nephew (depending on whether this was the Pharaoh of Moses’ childhood or his son), had an “in” with the monarch that he could have exploited for the benefit of securing the release of Israel. Yet Moses’ first venture to Pharaoh was a disaster. The plight of the children of Israel deteriorated instead of being improved. Discouraged, Moses almost takes on an accusative tone toward YHVH (Exod 5:22–23). Graciously, YHVH doesn’t rebuke Moses, but as a loving Father encourages him to refocus on his word and the veracity and surety of his promises (Exod 6:2–5).

Despite Moses’ complaints, YHVH graciously encourages Moses upward and onward in spite of his discouraging first attempt at securing the ­children of Israel’s release from captivity. Is it possible that YHVH allowed immediate success to elude Moses to bring him “to the end of himself” with regard to any tendency he might have had to rely on himself and on his own wisdom to accomplish Elohim’s plans? Probably so, for YHVH tested the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and David in a similar manner.

As YHVH wanted Moses to rely on him alone for Israel’s deliverance, even so YHVH is teaching is modern saints to trust him alone to accomplish his will in our lives, rather than on not relying on our own human abilities. This is how YHVH increases the faith of his servants. For faith “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). We have to be totally emptied of ourselves before we are ready for the Master’s use. This does not mean YHVH will not use our natural abilities or what he have gained through life’s experiences, but we must learn to submit all that we have and are to his sovereign will. The Bible instructs us to “[t]rust in YHVH with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov 3:5–6). In this way, not only is our faith built, but YHVH, not man, gets the glory when success occurs (Jer 9:22–23). It is at this point that one steps into heaven’s river of life and the realm of supernatural with its miraculous possibilities endless opportunities.

To this point, at age 80 Moses’ life continues to be one of ongoing struggles and failure.

Moses’ story is one to which most of us can relate. How is this? Because Moses’ road to ultimate success involved multiple setbacks and wrong turns, and he was beset with human foibles and weaknesses. Yet out of the bittersweet ingredients of Moses’ life, out of this confused potpourri and miscellany of human experiences, the Creator of the universe, who ex nihilo created the heavens and the earth, created Moses out of nothing, formed and shaped him, prepared him to prophetically prefigure Yeshua the Messiah, who was to come 1,500 years later. So what is the moral of this story? Like formless, worthless lumps of clay, if we will, in faith, trust and submit our lives into the hands of the Almighty, despite our weaknesses and failures, he can turn each of us into useful vessels that will ultimately bring glory and honor to him—and to ourselves as well.

So what was Moses’ ultimate destiny that required him to go through such a refining process? What was the real meaning and ultimate purpose his life? Here is a key takeaway regarding the life of Moses. He was the tool that YHVH would use to unfold heaven’s plan of redemption for the descendents of Abraham—a plan that would eventually expand to encompass all humans. Through Moses, YHVH brings the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant and adds to it the of righteousness as outline in the Mosaic or Sinaitic Covenant, and in the process lays the groundwork for the New Covenant.

How did YHVH encourage and empower Moses? By reminding Moses of and reaffirming his covenantal promises made to the patriarchs, Moses’ forefathers, and by standing by his word which is summarized in his name and reputation. YHVH reaffirmed his covenant promises to Moses using his covenant name YHVH, three times (Exod 6:6, 7, 8). Here are some other examples of how Scripture uses YHVH’s covenant name along with modifying adjectives to describe his promise and ability to meet all our human needs and to fulfill his lofty plans in our lives:

  • YHVH Elohim (Gen 2:4–7)
  • YHVH El Elohim: YHVH (I AM THT I AM or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE) El of gods or Mighty One of mighty ones (Josh 22:22)
  • YHVH Elohaykha: YHVH Your Elohim or Mighty One (Exod 20:2)
  • Elohay Avotaynu: YHVH Elohim (Mighty One) of our fathers (Ezra 7:27)
  • Elohay HaShamaiyim: YHVH, Elohim (Mighty One) of heaven (Gen 24:7)
  • YHVH Elohay Yisrael: YHVH Elohim (Mighty One) of Israel (Josh 24:2)
  • YHVH Elohaynu: YHVH Our Elohim (Mighty One) (Ps 99:5)
  • YHVH Elohi: YHVH My Elohim (Mighty One) (Zech 14:5)
  • YHVH Asaynu: YHVH Our Maker (Ps 95:6)
  • YHVH Echad U-Shmo Echad: YHVH Is One and His Name Is One (Zech 14:9)
  • YHVH M’Kadishkhem: YHVH Who Sanctifies You (Exod 31:13)
  • YHVH Nisi: YHVH Is My Banner (Exod 17:15)
  • YHVH Ro-ee: YHVH Is My Shepherd (Ps 23:1)
  • YHVH Rophekha: YHVH Who Heals You (Exod 15:26)
  • YHVH Shamah: YHVH Is There (Ezek 48:35)
  • YHVH Tzidkenu: YHVH Is Our Righteousness (Jer 23:6)
  • YHVH Tzuree: YHVH My Rock (or Strength) (Ps 144:1) 
  • YHVH Tzvaot: YHVH of Hosts/Armies (Isa 6:3)
  • YHVH Yireh: YHVH Will Provide (Gen 22:14)

Now in this story of YHVH dealing with Moses and his Israelites children, we come to a series of sevens wherein YHVH summarizes his plan of redemption for his people and ultimately the whole world.

YHVH reveals to Moses the seven steps of Israel’s redemption, which are actually promises of what YHVH will do for Israel.

Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, “I am YHVH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem [Heb. ga’al meaning “to buy back, ransom for money”] you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments, and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you an Elohim, and you shall know that I am YHVH your Elohim, which brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am YHVH.” (Exod 6:6–8, emphasis added)

Here we find listed the seven steps of redemption YHVH lays out for Israel. YHVH uses his covenant name three times during the seven promises: at the beginning, middle and end. He wraps his covenant promises in his covenant name for emphasis.

YHVH is telling Moses (and us as well!!) to just believe him! Believe his Word; trust that he is who he says he is (which is what his covenant name, YHVH, implies: I am who I am, or I will be what I will be; i.e., I will be your All Sufficient One and will meet your every need…So just trust and believe!)

The seven “I will” promises that YHVH made to Israel in Exodus chapter six were preceded by and predicated on another set of seven promises that YHVH had made to Abraham a few hundred years earlier. This is yet another example of how the Word of Elohim weaves itself together like a rich, multi-colored pictorial tapestry with each layer and thread relating to and interdependent upon the others the come before and after. When all the threads are woven together, they form a huge, varied and complex picture­—a gospel message tract that far excels any other! Only the infinite mind of Elohim could have engineered this in light of the fact that the Bible was written over a period of some 1800 years by dozens of authors from different backgrounds and countries on three different continents.

The Abrahamic Covenant has seven “I wills” from YHVH as well.

“And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” And Abram fell on his face, and Elohim talked with him, saying, “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be an Elohim unto you, and to your seed after you. And I will give unto you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their Elohim.” (Gen 17:2–8, emphasis added)

The promises that YHVH made to Abraham were expanded in Exodus and were further expanded hundreds of years later by the prophet Jeremiah. 

Here are seven “I will” promises that YHVH made to his people through Jeremiah:

“‘Behold, the days come,” says YHVH, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they break, although I was an husband unto them,” says YHVH, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says YHVH, “I will put my law [or Torah] in their inward parts, and [I will] write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know YHVH,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,” says YHVH, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer 31:31–34, emphasis added)

This additional set of seven promises form the bases for the New Covenant, which is merely an expansion of the Sinaitic Covenant, which in turn is an expansion of the earlier Abrahamic Covenant. The New Testament weaves all three of these covenants along with their sets of seven promises each into a marvelous tapestry of Truth which we now call “the gospel message.” 

All three of these covenants along with their promises are for all the saints from then until now. No covenants that YHVH has ever made with his people have been annulled or supplanted by a subsequent ones. Those who say latter promises or covenants that YHVH has made with his people supplant former one are liars, false teachers! This is because they are blasphemously inferring that YHVH is a liar. Moses declared that YHVH’s covenantal promises in both the Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants were for a thousand generation or some forty thousand years (Deut 7:9) as did the psalmist knew (1 Chron 16:15–18; Ps 105:8). Paul knew and declared this truth as well, for in Ephesians chapter two, he states that the saints are now included in ‘the covenants of promise” (note that the word covenants is plural and not just limited to the New Covenant). Moreover, in Romans chapter four, Paul assumes that the Abrahamic Covenant forms the basis for the salvation equation, which states that salvation is by grace through faith leading to the good works in which the saints are to walk (Eph 2:8–10).

All of YHVH promises from Abraham to Yeshua until now are inviolate. YHVH cannot lie. His word is true and he does not change regardless of men’s philosophical and theological doctrinal fantasies that tell us otherwise.

This latest covenant—the New Covenant—is the one that Yeshua is currently in the process of making with both the Jews and the non-Jews (Eph 2:11–19). He initiated this process at his last supper, Passover meal with his disciples (Matt 26:28; 1 Cor 11:25), and this process continues to this day (Heb 8:8–13), and will be finalized after Yeshua’s second coming (Ezek 34:25; 37:26; Jer 32:40; 50:5). This covenant is Yeshua’s marriage covenant with his blood-bought bride—redeemed Israel, the saints where there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Gal 3:28; Col 3:11) all of whom are descendants of Abraham (Gal 3:29; Rom 4:16; 9:8–11).

The takeaway lesson from this brief study is that Scripture teaches us that each successive covenant that YHVH makes with his people is based on and is an expansion of the previous covenant/s. Moreover, he uses weak and frail human beings, who are learning to have faith in him and his promises, to accomplish his vast and expansive plan of redemption of lost and wayward humans here below. This theme of YHVH redeeming his people from sin is an ancient one, and it is constantly expanding and extending into the future in breadth and scope to include all people everywhere. YHVH’s love for humans knows no limits!

Exodus 7

Please stay tuned. To be continued…

 

Share your thoughts...