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Beshelach

After He Let Go
Torah: Shmot 13:17-17:16 Haftarah: Judges 4:4-5:31 Brit Chadasha: Luke 2:22-24

Shmot 13:17-17:16

Judges 4:4-5:31

Brit Luke 2:22-24

= : bayit, S#1004;
meaning house or building; home; household; land, a place of worship or sanctuary, it can signify a room or rooms, a place where someone dwells or rests; a receptacle or container for something; can also refer to those who live in the house or to the descendants. From S#1129 which is

=: baw-naw; a prim.
root, to build, build up, built again, repair, set up, have children, establish, construct, rebuild; to build a house may also mean to found a dynasty.
The name of this weeks parasha is Beshalach, or After he let go. Much of my style in facilitating Torah study is to share oftentimes in a written style that affords a reader to consider things Abba brings to mind, which I think is a pretty accurate assessment of how most if not all teachers teach. However, its important to never privately attempt to interpret Scripture as GOD warns against it, and will inevitably bring confusion, which is what has often times contributed to so many well-intentioned manmade traditions so prevalent in many an assembly today. We have an impression, a compulsion, a leading of The Ruach that brings to our heart and mind items of critical importance from Torah, but all of which by His design create the opportunity to awaken us to a greater understanding of our purpose and the beauty of who He is. 1|Page

Shmot 13:17-17:16

Judges 4:4-5:31

Brit Luke 2:22-24

This weeks parasha may be somewhat modified as time and health have been somewhat of a battle, but its important that you get this because only not often enough do we get to shema this particular message that The Father has for us today. Youll notice I opened up with a few definitions to kick-start your mind today. How often do we gloss-over things weve since resigned ourselves to having already mastered? I do, but so often we read Scripture and rarely get beyond, to the treasures that lie in wait beneath the pshat, or surface level of interpretation. When we see the word Bet, or Bayit we think of a house, a building, a tangible structure with nails and studs and drywall; someones pulled wire for appliances, outlets, switches and ceiling fans. Theres a foundation, floor joists, rafters and suchwhich technically a house is. But in our minds we often fail to see the greater meanings The Father desires us to see. So up above you see the meaning of house and where it originates from; notice it also refers to a place of worship, a place of rest, a sanctuary, a receptacle or container (to hold what?) and also place to build. These will follow us throughout our exploration of this weeks parasha. And so we begin

If you read last weeks parasha, Bo (Go), which is in Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 46:13-28, you would have gotten a clue as to what The Father is trying to do in His people, and even today. He tells Israel, But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their
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captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished. (Jer. 46:27-28 KJV)
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The key word we see here is fear. Fear is a very powerful motivator, but it is also a very powerful stronghold that too many of us have accepted as status quo, and it is tearing our lives apart, causing us to live a life paralyzed and stunted. And as fear is a key component to understanding the greater things of this particular parasha, I truly believe much of it is communicating our damaged mindsets.shall we peel back the veil?

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For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12 KJV) Understand.I started my thought asking you to understand, which just so happens to be the root of the word Bayit, as outlined in the beginning of our study. Understanding is acquired through wisdom, or Chokmah, which is obtained through Torah. 3|Page

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We all possess a bayit, house, or sanctuary that Abba lives in as The Holy Spirit. And as we obey, or Shema His Word and apply it to our bayit, so shall His Glory be manifested outwardly to a watching world. I was seeking to know the deeper meaning of the word bayit, and realized as I dug deeper the root of House was none other than Banah which is understanding, to establish, to repair, to build etc. Which is key because all too often we assume that once we Give our lives over to God that we essentially wait for God to do something; which couldnt be any further from the Truth! GOD gives us His Sons blood to redeem us, fills us with His Ruach, and His Torah, and then sends us out to be a light unto the nations, that they would see through our love, our actions, our faith in action, God living in us, and be moved by a heart of repentance. To only confirm what Hashem makes clear over and over in Scripture though I want to show you another picture;

: Bayit, or house is comprised of a letter


Bet, a Yod, and a Tav. Remember now that the Bet is also used as a prefix meaning inwardso the house, the establishing, or repairing of the home begins where? Inside. Inside where? You already know beloved. Lets follow the trail anyway
:Bet, meaning the home inside, or inward, as I believe King David spoke about God desiring Truth in the inward parts. :Yod, meaning the Hand, and also an indirect reference to the identity of God; but yod means to worship, to throw, to work, to energize. :Tav, meaning the sign, to mark, to seal, own, covenant. 4|Page

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Now bear with me a moment more. In the previous parsha, Bo, we read how GOD sends the death angel to claim the firstborn; but to protect all of Israel He commands them to take the blood of the lamb sacrifice and to place it on the sides and lintel of the door of their homes. So if we recognize this inwardly, we see that GOD desires of us too, to take the sign, the mark of the covenantwhich is the blood of Yeshua, and to place it on the door of our homes inwardly, which is our hearts! Again, GOD demonstrated something in the natural, that He desires for us to experience in the spiritual. Now, this is critical that we submit our heart to Him, because its only through Him that our heart will be prepared for the rest of the journey yes? Because what lies out there in the world without and within? Lets see

So much of our problem today is essentially a heart problem. We allow our life to be tossed like a wave on the ocean because all too often we live by the seat of our emotions, which is the heart. How many songs have we heard growing up about the heart? How many song lyrics, stories and movies have been made to reach in and touch your heart, to get you to reach in and take money out of your wallet? The heart is an amazing thing, from within the heart are the two natures that dual daily for your allegiance, and it is a war; as Paul said, For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (Rom 7:15 KJV)
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For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Rom 7:22-23 KJV) 5|Page

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Beloved, just like our Israelite ancestors, we too suffer from a heart problem. Varied and manifested in similar ways, all of us on some level are trying to learn what King David echoes to us still today
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Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. (Psa 51:6 KJV)

He desires truth in the inward partsthat we may know wisdomwisdom as we realize comes from GOD, and much of it was communicated to Moshe on Mt. Sinai in the form of the Torah given by way of the two tablets of Testimony, and the oracles (halachic rulings: how to walk out Torah) which were passed to Moshe and the 70 elders who later came and dined with YHWH and Moshe, on the Mountain (Exo. 24:9-12) In the Etz Hayim Torah and Commentary we read regarding Israels initial path upon departing from Egypt that 17 Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for God said, "The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt." (Exo. 13:17 TNK) As a psychological interpretation, Rashi says God did not lead Israel through Philistine territory precisely because it was close, and it would have been too tempting to become discouraged and return to Egypt. Rambam: Although the way through the Philistine territory was more direct, God was afraid that the people would be discouraged if they had to fight their way through. Finally.[s]ome commentators specifically spell out the implication that sometimes the harder way of doing something turns out to be the better way. There is a long way which is short and a short way which is long. When something comes to us too easily instead of being hard earned, we dont always appreciate it.

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The point about all of this, regardless of which is the correct interpretation, or perhaps they could all be correct as there several million Israelites participating in the Exodus, could it be remotely possible that a diversity of fears, concerns and emotions swept over them? Certainly.the issue I want to press upon us is the fact that Israel had become accustomed to living in bondage to Pharaoh. Commentators argue over whether Israel had remained separate from Egyptian culture and held fast to their beliefs, or if they had over time perhaps acquiesced to Egyptian culture. In defense of separation we do know they kept Hebrew names...which very well could imply that they had some vestige of hope in the GOD of their Fathers. But all throughout this time beginning with Moshes commitment to relent upon Pharaoh Hashems decree, the Israelites were forever-looking in the rear-view mirror, if I may use a figure. I would appeal to you to simply consider that despite the fact that GOD had promised to redeem Israel from the hand of Pharaoh, you have a people who, despite their own groanings that got GODs attention, were more apt to romance living out their existence under the cruel bondage of a tyrannical dictator! Now thats what I call the Good LifeNOT! This is what those who struggle with addictive behaviors classify as insanity. You hate the life you have, you seek to change it, but when the opportunity for change presents itself you run back to the very thing that is killing you. Do we all on some level find ourselves doing this at different points in our life? I know I do, but the hope is as we willfully allow YHWH to change our hearts, our lives will reflect the changesgoing from glory to glory, and from strength to strength. The question is, are we really being willing to let GOD take us through the wilderness where we can truly be changed? We read in the book of Hebrews,

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Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? (Heb 3:12-17 KJV) Again, I saywe, much as theysuffer from a heart problem. Pharaoh and Israel suffered a hardening of heart from the deceitfulness of sin! (Heb. 3:13) Pharaoh became a tool to reveal GODs glory that resulted in Pharaohs death, and Israels deliverance, but Israel still had a heart problem GOD wanted to address as well. Hindsight is 20/20, but one may think that if GOD brought death upon Pharaoh for his unwillingness to repent of his hard heart, why would GOD choose any different for any rebellious unrepentant heart, regardless whether it beat in the chest of an Egyptian or Israelite; which as we discover later proves true as many Israelites in the wilderness did die for the exact same reason that Pharaoh did. I want to speak to some specific heart issues. How about the heart that obsesses and stresses over feelings of inadequacy, inability, judgments of others, bitterness, resentment, pride? The root of such emotions stems from fear 8|Page
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Fear, Stress, Anxietydo you think Israel suffered from these emotions as they were beaten and told they had to maintain the same number of bricks despite the fact that they now had to gather their own straw? How about when Pharaoh decreed that all Hebrew baby boys had to be ruthlessly murdered by being drowned in the Nile River? Or could they have felt such a fear sweep over them when they sat like so many sitting ducks as Pharaoh and his captains in their chariots thundered towards them with the snorting war horses and blades and spears glinting? What was it they said to Moshe just then? Oh yes,
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As Pharaoh approached, the people of Isra'el looked up and saw the Egyptians right there, coming after them. In great fear the people of Isra'el cried out to ADONAI and said to Moshe, "Was it because there weren't enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out to die in the desert? Why have you done this to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we tell you in Egypt to let us alone, we'll just go on being slaves for the Egyptians? It would be better for us to be the Egyptians' slaves than to die in the desert!" (Exo 14:10-12 CJB) Fear, Stress, and Anxiety most certainly had paralyzed The Israelites in the very moment GOD had designed to reveal His Glory to them. And so we often go the same path, when GOD is there the entire time taking even our broken, paralyzed, scared-to-death hearts desiring to do a heart-work, and we would rather go back to a house of bondage. In his book A More Excellent Way, Be in Health Pastor Henry Wright shares The Bible saysin the last days mens hearts shall fail them because of fear. Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thoses things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (Luke 21:26) 9|Page
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In the textbook Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease under the heading Examples of Stress-Related Diseases and Conditions, a primary target organ is the heart and/or the cardiovascular system. Diseases such as angina, hypertension, arrhythmias, mitral valve prolapsed are listed and considered fear, anxiety and stress diseases by the medical community. Not only does the medical community say the basis for these diseases is fear, anxiety, and stress, but who else said it? In the scripture we just quoted from Luke 21:26 God said itin the last days mens hearts will fail them because of fear. What good would it do for God to heal you, for example, of angina if you hold onto the spirit of fear and anxiety that is causing the stiffening, hardening, vasospasm or hyperactivity of the cardiovascular system? Do you think that God knows that fear and anxiety will produce angina pain and other cardiovascular problems? Do you think He knows that? If He knows that, dont you think He wants us to know it too? Thats why He told us in His Word exactly what would cause certain types of heart disease. He said that in the last days mens hearts shall fail them because of fear. (p.228)

However, these emotions, as powerful as they can be are only half of the equation because Israel as most commentators concede, were still psychologically bound even after they had left Egypt. Recall in Shmot as Hashem ordered Moshe and Aharon on numerous occasions, And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. (Exo 8:1 KJV) And isnt this often where the rub comes? God lets us gothat we may serve Him. The second half of that statement is what all too often Israel then, and 10 | P a g e

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now has forgotten. But it is The Truth, GOD redeems us so that we can serve Him. The problem herein lies. In Egypt Israel served Pharaoh. Life there was lean, unforgiving, cruel and punishing, but their flesh was fed, right? Everything they did was circumstantial and apparent to the eye. Make the bricks, keep your mouth shut, do your jobyou generally get to go home at the end of the work-shift and eat a decent hot meal and a place to lay your head to sleep. The food must have been a delectable, as Israel often used it as the reason to go back to Egypt when life in the wilderness proved to require more than humilityit requires action. Heres the dealwe were not created for ourselves. We were created for a set-apart relationship with Elohim. When we live life unto ourselves we end up serving under a different a cruel taskmaster; one that bases everything on a selfish rule. We will find a cheap substitute for peace provided we please man, provided we obtain all the trinkets and trappings that man says one must have in order to be a person of any real value and substance. This type of life takes you into the bayit, or house of bondage and sabotages your heart and cuts your life short because you become ate up with fear, stress, and anxiety. When we Serve our Faithful Creator, he blesses us with joy, purpose that cannot be taken away, a spirit of power and sound mind. We can live free of the shackles the enemy of this world desires to place us in. Our heart and mind is able to operate free from fears of judgment of others, free from fears of inadequacy, free from the stress of getting things done wrong, when all GOD asks is to step out in the measure of faith and knowledge that you have and He will add unto it, amen? Ahmein! The life of redemption pulls you out of an unforgiving torturous, hopeless existence, and breathes real purpose into you where you can experience real joystill with its ups and downs, but all of it is designed to grow yourFaith! Again the writer of Hebrews so succinctly states for us,

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But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6 KJV)

Chapter 15 is the recital of the Song of Moshe and how Adonai absolutely destroyed Pharaoh and his men and miraculously delivered The Israelites through the parting of the waters of the Sea of Suf. At the end of the chapter we read how after celebrating with song and tambourines, and dance and hearts refreshed, renewed and invigorated with faith, the plow ahead under the anointed leadership of Moshe. But again, after 3 days, notice, this was part of the original planGod said told Moshe and Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. (Exo 5:1 KJV) The word here for feast is

= S#2287, chagag, khaw-gag'; meaning: 1) to hold a feast, hold a

festival, make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast, celebrate, dance. Folks, this was going to be a celebration! Joy! An Exuberant demonstration of thankfulness for Gods faithfulness, goodness, redemption and provision! But as we see at the end of 3 days, instead, Israel demonstrated anything but! 12 | P a g e

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So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
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And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,(Exo 15:22-25 KJV). The deeper lesson here is the people had lost faith. At the end of 3 days they had become bitter. If its not fear, its bitterness, which gives way to grumbling in the ranks right? And grumbling and bitterness all lead to resentment, unforgiveness, and retaliation and anger. Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. (Exo 15:25 NAS) Beloved, this was nothing more than the beginning of a series of tests. Oh yes, GOD tests us. Why, you say, would a loving, redeeming Creator allow His chosen people to go through times of testing? "In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. (Deu 8:16 NAS) "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin." (Exo 20:20 NAS) 13 | P a g e
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To explain so beautifully this passage in our parsha on the bitter waters of Marah, again we consult the Etz Hayim commentators, v.23 they could not drink the waterbecause it was bitterLiterally, they could not drink the waters.because they were bitter. Were the waters bitter? Or was it the people who were bitter, full of self-pity at having to travel through a wilderness? One of the Sages interprets the words found no water to mean that water was there (see the oasis nearby in Elim, v. 27) but the people did not notice it because they were so busy complaining. V.25 the water became sweet he purpose of religion is not to explain lifes bitterness but to sweeten it, to make it more palatable. The Midrash envisions Moses asking God, Why did You create brackish water in Your world, a liquid that serves no purpose? God replies, Instead of asking philosophical questions, do something to make the bitter waters sweet. (Etz Hayim, p.413)

This is a valuable lesson. As pointed out in the parasha Vaera, GOD promised Israel that He would Redeem them, which included 4 stages. Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am the LORD. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements.
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And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, the LORD, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians.
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I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I the LORD." (Exo 6:68 TNK)
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Again the Etz Hayim commentators very clearly explain, The stages of Redemption: I will free you from physical enslavement in Egypt; I will deliver you from the psychological mind-set of being a slave, which might persist even after you have been physically liberated; I will redeem you so that you will think of yourselves as free people; and I will take you into a special relationship with Me, for that is the ultimate goal of your liberation. Finally , I will bring you into the land which I swore to give Abraham. (p.352.)

The word hidden in plain site in Marah, is the Hebrew word Mar, and it means bitter. Some rabbinical commentators say on a deeper understanding of the bitter waters of Marah, that the teaching has to do with Torah; the bitter waters were symbolic of a people who had become bitter because they lacked instruction. The piece of wood Moshe was given to throw into the bitter waters in Hebrew is Etz, or tree, which is symbolic of Torahas we read in Proverbs chapter three that Torah is a Tree of Life unto all who take hold of it. So from a Messianic perspective we see that our life is bitter water, but Yeshua comes and tells us to drink of Him and we shall have rivers of living water flowing out of us, He makes our life sweet! How sweet is that? Now, the question is, does your life reflect the sweet water of Yeshua? Or the bitter water of a mindset that would rather grumble and complain about how comfortable the chain and shackle accommodations at Hotel Pharaoh 15 | P a g e

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were? But if we will submit ourselves and observe, shema, and listen to His voicethen He will not bring any of the diseases that He brought upon the Egyptians.Yeshua, our Healer. In Chapter 16 we read again about the grumblings of Israel. They had been removed from Egypt, but still they chose to romance the life they had there for the meat they had access to. This is hard, because we have to eat. Taste is a gift from GOD. But its important again for us to understand that taste should not be the king on the throne in our heart? Our Healer Yeshua made it abundantly clear that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God. And yet heres Israel sitting outside their tents, complaining about how great life was in Egypt because of the sumptuous smell of the boiling pots of meat; forget the fact that they were treated cruelly earlier that day with whips from a cruel taskmaster; forget the fact that their newborn infant son had just been stripped from its mothers breast and tossed into the Nile.I dont know about you but I just lost my apetite. Again, Abba to the rescue, here we read a story of The Fathers chesed, and yesod, His Love demonstrated towards a stiff-necked people "I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, (Isa 65:2 NAS) The deceitfulness of sin is in the camp, but GOD in His infinite wisdom realizes this is a process, and as the veil of blindness is pulled back from the eyes of Israel, then their hearts will become soft and pliable and truly willing to serve GOD as He intended, in lovebecause GOD is not like Pharaoh, Hes like a faithful Husband that longs for faithfulness, honesty, intimacy and real relationship with his bride. How are we doing? Chapter 16, verse 7 reads and in the morning you shall behold the Presence of the LORD, because He has heard your grumblings against the 16 | P a g e
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LORD. For who are we that you should grumble against us? 8Since it si the LORD, Moses continued, who will give you flesh to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full, because the LORD has heard the grumblings you utter against Him, what is our part? Your grumbling is not against us, but against the LORD! Commentators explain that grumbling against the LORD, which at first is worded as grumbling against Moshe and Aharon is really a grievance against GOD, from whom their mission and authority are derived. So, when we begin to grumble against our leadership, perhaps the very first thing we should look at is ourselves. Why am I grumbling? Why am I experiencing this knot in the pit of my stomach? What is the root of this emotion Im struggling with right now?is it Susies fault? Is it Daveys fault? Hmm, where do I place the blame here? You see, we have to address the root of our emotions and if theyre not founded in Torah, then its important for us to stop looking outward, and address the malady weve encouraged in our own hearts. Beloved, I say these things because I struggle with them daily. So, be encouraged, let us choose to walk in love, and to be sweet to one another, because GOD will reward us if we choose to go through the test obediently.

The remainder of chapter 16 has to do with GODs prescription for Israel to prepare for Shabbat. The truth is, Friday should be a day of preparation so that we will have all we need to sustain us on Shabbatits simple, Rest on Shabbat.I need to heed this better because I find there are things I do, that I know I make allowances for, when GOD saysthis is my Holy Set Apart Shabbaton it you shall do no work, and you shall rest! 17 | P a g e

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GOD commands Moses to tell Aharon to take one omer of Manna and place it in a jar which later came to be placed inside the Ark of The Covenant next to the Tablets of Testimony. The greater understanding we learn from this is that GOD can take something from His Spirit realm, and bring it down to the physical realm and give it to sustain man. This teaches us about Yeshua, who is The Bread of Life that came from The Father, and was born a virgin and lives and walks, and breathes, experiencing everything we have, to the point of death on a cross. YeshuaThe Living Manna, come to give real life to man!

Chapter 17: The Grumblers


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And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Mat 14:31 NAS) Read Exodus Chapter 17, verses 1-7 please: This is the 3rd time The Israelites complain against Moshe. Rabbinical commentary says the word for quarrel here is or ( rib or rub) (936b) Meaning: to strive, contend Origin: a prim. root Usage: argue(2), complain(2), contend(24), contended(7), contends(1), dispute(1), ever strive(1) And connotes an angry, hostile confrontation. Here we have yet another picture of a people that have been shown miracle after miracle, after miracleand to really put salt in the wound they go on to Test GOD! By saying "Is ADONAI with us or not?" (Exo 17:7 CJB) 18 | P a g e

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Beloved, I dont think GOD minds it when we go through periods of doubt, but one must, after careful consideration of GODs obvious handson deliverance and miraculous provision for all of Israel, over and over again, to then be questioned if He was for them or not? This I would humbly submit to you is less about doubt, and more about willful rebellion. GODs heart is pure, no darkness at alland here you have a people with hearts riddled with bondage putting a HOLY ELOHIM to the test and questioning GODs presence with them? What was that whole Fire by Night and Cloud by Day? Or the Manna and birds? How about the sweet water? Oh yeah, and what about the whole parting of the Sea, delivering them across faithfully and then destroying Pharaoh and his men? Can you see the stiff-necked attitude coming out? GOD has a way to adjust that yall. And suddenly here comes Amalek. Commentary states that Amalek is the Torahs symbol of pure malice, attacking without cause. Some people commit crimes for profit or revenge, but Amalek acts that way for the sheer joy of hurting people. Gods war from generation to generation is not only with the tribe of Amalek, but with those people in very generation who revel in cruelty and hatred. The Amalekites were a tribe of Edomite nomas whoe home was the Negeb and the Sinai Peninsula. (pp.420-421) Interestingly enough, if one does a word study on Amalek, and the Hebrew word for Doubt, both have the same Gematria of 240. And so we recognize this battle, as savage as it was upon The Israelites, was the first of many wars they would have to fight with Amalekor better yet, doubt. When Moshes hands were raised during the battle with Amalek, then Israel prevailed. When his hands became weakened and lowered, Israel suffered. Rabbinic commentary states this is the result of Israels faith being demonstrated in GOD. I like what Etz Hayim again has to say Repeatedly the first half of the Book of Exodus, Gods outstretched arm smites the Egyptians in Egypt and at the sea. Similarly, Israel is described 19 | P a g e

Shmot 13:17-17:16

Judges 4:4-5:31

Brit Luke 2:22-24

as leaving Egypt boldly, literally with arms raised high, and Moses commands the sea to plit by lifting his arm and rod over it. The upraised arm, representing both Gods power and Israels attention directed heavenward, is a central image in the narrative (p.421) The parasha concludes with Moshe building an altar unto YHWH as a heart of gratitude for victory and a memorial as to what GOD had done for Israel this day. He calls the altar The LORD is My Banner, or Adonai Nissi (Exo 17:15 NAS) Some translations translate Banner as Miracle. But the tw0 letter root word there is Nun- Samech. Nun means Son, Life, fish, Heir, to Continue. And Samech means thorn, to Grab Hold. Together Nun-Samech means To Continue to Grab Holdand arent we all on the journey. Let us this week not grumble against one another.

Beloved, may we with hearts submitted trusting faithfully in our Creator, submit to one another in love, and may our actions today and this week shine His Standard to everyone we come in contact withmay our words and our actions Lift up one another! May we love one another in such an outward demonstration of love that it encourages one another to keep holding onto ADONAI NISSI, who IS OUR MIRACLE!
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Shmot 13:17-17:16

Judges 4:4-5:31

Brit Luke 2:22-24

Beloved, Debora and I love you all, we Miss all of You! And as soon as we get over this cold we will be back! We look forward to seeing each of you next Shabbat. Be Safe, & Be Blessed! We are keeping each of you in prayer! Shavua Tov Mishpocha!

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