Parsha # 15: “Bo/Come [or Go]”
(Sh’mot / Exodus *10:1 to 13:16*)
Edition: 15a24
“Elohim and the Stubborn Mind”
Greetings Sojourners, Friends, Guests and Other Readers! Welcome!
Dear Readers, Please note that you will find some text in blue within the notes below. The blue colour, and the [ ] following it, indicate that there will be some relevant footnotes at the end of the article.
In the Book of the Prophet Yo’el (Joel, meaning “Man of God”), he describes the coming “Day of the Lord”. The phrase is repeated several times within just a few chapters, and in one case Yo’el uses the additional descriptive term “The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”. In a few verses before this, Yo’el describes some of the things which will lead up to that ‘special’ day in our future. At one point, this is what he has recorded for us: “What the ‘cutter-worm’ left, the Locusts ate…”
Locusts have long been seen as the scourge of mankind’s existence. While sometimes we read about them being food for some extraordinary people (Yochanan the Immerser, for one), usually locusts have a negative ‘essence’ to them. Part of the reason for this is that they have voracious appetites. They devour anything in their path, at least anything that is ‘new growth’ and green. In some cases, the use is metaphorical or figurative. In Deuteronomy 28:42 for instance, as Moshé is warning the people of future possibilities, in particular what will happen if those who enter the land turn away from God, we read “The bugs [locusts] will inherit all your trees and the produce of your land.” Here, he is referring to the armies that will invade and carry off the inhabitants and conquer the land. In Judges, the author foretells the invasion of the armies swooping into the area of Giv’at Moreh [the ‘Hill of Moreh’], north of Gideon’s encampment: “Now Midyan, Amalek and all the others from the east had settled in the valley as thick as locusts;…” (7:12) and in Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 51:42, Elohim, through the prophet, warns that “Adonai Tzva’ot [The Lord of Hosts] has sworn by Himself, ‘I will fill you with men as numerous as locusts; they will raise over you a shout of triumph.’” Even in the Hahftorah portion for this week,(Yirmeyahu 46:13-28) we read about Elohim’s promise of justice brought against Egypt through the armies of Babylon: “… the Babylonians will come with an army, with axes will they arrive against her. They will cut down her forest… for they are more numerous than locusts.”
The point of this being that, whether figurative - or real, (as in the up-coming story) – in the majority of cases, locusts are a bad thing. Our Parsha for this week picks up the story of more of the pre-Exodus encounters of Moshé, Aharon and the Pharaoh as Moshé is told by Elohim to go to the Egyptian ruler and warn him of the impending plague of Locusts – eighth of the ten plagues that are sent by Elohim.
Before we go any further, we need to do what “The Doctor” would call a “Mind-Wipe” – that is to say, we need to get rid of any prejudiced thinking you (as reader) might have about the nature of God. If you see Elohim as being ‘full to the brim’ with mercy and good wishes for all mankind, always forgiving with no accountability, the way a great number of uninformed people see Y’shua, then you will never be able to accept what this parsha is saying, and – on the other hand – if you see Elohim as being judgmental and unforgiving, harsh and cruel no matter what, the way most people tend to see “the Old Testament God, than you will not be able to comprehend all that this passage is trying to illustrate about Him. The God of the Older Covenant is exactly the same God as the One we encounter in the Newer Covenant. Make no mistake about this, and get it firm in your mind. The Lord our God – the Lord is One! Period! The God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’acov, and Yesha’Yahu (Isaiah) and Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) and Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) and all the Older Covenant figures is a God of Justice and Mercy. The God of the Gospels and the Pauline, Petrine, and Lucan Epistles and all the other letters and the Revelation of Yochanan is a God of Justice and Mercy. He is One God, unchanging, unwavering, and Eternal. Only if you can grasp this, should you try to read further in this reflection.
It is the God we know today, no matter how He has revealed Himself to us, who called up the Plagues to come against Egypt. It is the God we know today, who also hardened the heart of the Egyptian Pharaoh so as to complete all ten of those plagues. And it is the God we know today who contracted with Moshé and his brother Aharon to deliver the messages to Pharaoh and to B’nei Yisra’el. And it is the God we know today, merciful and just (in harmony) who has had a plan for this from the time of the Fall of Mankind in Adam and Havah (Adam and Eve). Once we have that firmly rooted in our understanding, then we can move forward to study the plagues and what they were, (and will be)[i] all about.
Before examining the eighth and ninth plagues in a bit of detail, let us do an over-view of all of the plagues. First, we need to be aware that they did not happen one after the other in immediate succession. That is an error in thinking which comes to us because the Plagues are all grouped so compactly in the relating of them. The span of time, however, is evident because plants, trees, crops and animals are often restored between plagues. The Sage, Ibn Ezra for example, points out that “Several months must have elapsed between the hail and the locusts so that the damaged trees could flourish again.” (SEASC pg 341 notes. We are told, for instance, that all the water turned to blood and that it stayed that way for 7 days. We are also told that, although they could not reverse what God had done, the magicians of Pharaoh’s court were able to mimic the transformation of water into blood, and the rising up of the frogs from the river. (These were the only Plagues they could imitate however. Clearly, there must have been some delay in these instances, otherwise how would one know which miracle was which if the blood or frogs of the magicians appeared simultaneously?[ii]
Second, because there are many who sub-consciously know that if they admit the reality of miracles and the power of God to perform them, they will have to change their ways and beliefs, modern naysayers, skeptics, and unbelievers like to point out that frogs and lice are a natural follow-up to piles of dead fish rotting on the river banks following the 1st Plague. There is some truth in this of course – but careful reading of the passage takes the 2nd and 3rd Plague beyond ‘reality’ to a point far-removed from what would happen in nature. The frogs cover all the ground, get into the houses of the people at all social and ‘political’ strata, and, it is held that they even infested the innards of the people. In fact, all the Plagues go beyond the realm of nature and the “natural”… that’s the whole point !
Third, notice that the plagues come in groups of three. The first and second plagues are preceded by warnings to the people and Pharaoh, but not so with the third. The fourth and fifth plagues also are foretold to Pharaoh, the sixth is not. Finally the seventh and eighth come with Moshé’s warning, but not the ninth. Not all the Plagues are forewarned, so that the un-foretold Plagues each create a break between the groupings. These Plagues, the third, the sixth and the ninth are sent without warning to be a punishment for Pharaoh’s unwillingness to accept the preceding pairs of Plagues and because of his failure to submit to Elohim’s superiority.
Fourth, In every plague, or in every set of three plagues, God is making a point which the observant person should be able to see, though obviously the Pharaoh and his courtiers and servants all miss it. In the first set, we see God triumphant over nature and particularly over the Nile, a god of Egypt.. In the second set we see God all powerful throughout the land, bringing punishment to Egypt in an “eye for an eye” / “measure for measure” manner. (Just as the Israelite slaves eventually had to grow and collect the straw for the bricks from the fields, so now God destroys all the crops of the land.) Then, in the third set, we see God all powerful in the atmosphere – controlling weather, flying insects, light and dark and so on. In the Tenth plague of course, we learn that Elohim alone has power over life and death..
Finally, take note that Moshé and Aharon are sent before any of the plagues begin to ask Pharaoh to let the people of God go out from Egypt peacefully, and that then only after he refuses does Adonai provide a warning for the ‘king’. Furthermore, take notice that in every case (except as noted the 3rd, 6th and 9th) there is a caveat and a means of escape given to the leader. It is only when those warnings are not heeded that the subsequent plague is cycled in and the ‘attached’ warning offered. We are told that in each case, the Pharaoh “hardens his heart” against the warning. In doing this, Pharaoh is elevating himself over Elohim, God of Isra’el. We are told also, in many of the cases, that it is God who brings about this hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. God is simply using the advisors – the necromancers, magicians, courtiers and servants of Pharaoh – to encourage his hardness. Note that after the 8th plague all the advisors have changed their minds, and that now Pharaoh’s pride has ‘kicked in’ and, in his ignorance of what is actually happening, he sets out with stubbornness to crush his personal adversary Moshé. Meanwhile, Elohim is using Pharaoh’s stubborn heart to show both Egypt and Israel that only He [Elohim] has the power to do all these things. God is Just, in that – as He foretold – He is bringing His punishment down on those who oppressed His people, and yet, in His Mercy, God is also giving the people (including Pharaoh) time to amend their ways, He is providing an alternative for them, He is encouraging them to submit to His all-powerful being. God is hoping that they will repent and come to Him in righteousness. As the Psalmist one day (long after these events) will record: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”, and as it is written elsewhere, “Almighty God,… desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live…”
Adonai Elohim is the God of Israel, He has been in the hearts and minds of generations of Shem’s descendants for some 1500 years. Now, Adonai is using these Plagues to illustrate – no to prove – that He is God of all the earth, God of all creation, God of all people. The desire of Elohim is simply that all the world will see that He IS HaShem, as is stated in the previous parsha “I have let you endure, in order to show you My strength and so that My Name may be declared throughout the world” (9:16) and again “that you may know that I am HaShem”. (10:2) . Elohim is observably the prime cause of all events in creation. The gods of Egypt, and indeed the majority of gods of most other ‘religions’ and cultures (for example the gods of Roman and Greek mythology) are generally aloof and unattached or simply toying with their subjects as if for ‘sport’, but Elohim alone has mastery over all things and intervenes in life’s events to help His people come to a right (or Righteous) decision with regards to our relationship with Him. But God will wait only so long for us to make up our minds.
Dear Readers, Please note that you will find some text in blue within the notes below. The blue colour, and the [ ] following it, indicate that there will be some relevant footnotes at the end of the article.
In the Book of the Prophet Yo’el (Joel, meaning “Man of God”), he describes the coming “Day of the Lord”. The phrase is repeated several times within just a few chapters, and in one case Yo’el uses the additional descriptive term “The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”. In a few verses before this, Yo’el describes some of the things which will lead up to that ‘special’ day in our future. At one point, this is what he has recorded for us: “What the ‘cutter-worm’ left, the Locusts ate…”
Locusts have long been seen as the scourge of mankind’s existence. While sometimes we read about them being food for some extraordinary people (Yochanan the Immerser, for one), usually locusts have a negative ‘essence’ to them. Part of the reason for this is that they have voracious appetites. They devour anything in their path, at least anything that is ‘new growth’ and green. In some cases, the use is metaphorical or figurative. In Deuteronomy 28:42 for instance, as Moshé is warning the people of future possibilities, in particular what will happen if those who enter the land turn away from God, we read “The bugs [locusts] will inherit all your trees and the produce of your land.” Here, he is referring to the armies that will invade and carry off the inhabitants and conquer the land. In Judges, the author foretells the invasion of the armies swooping into the area of Giv’at Moreh [the ‘Hill of Moreh’], north of Gideon’s encampment: “Now Midyan, Amalek and all the others from the east had settled in the valley as thick as locusts;…” (7:12) and in Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 51:42, Elohim, through the prophet, warns that “Adonai Tzva’ot [The Lord of Hosts] has sworn by Himself, ‘I will fill you with men as numerous as locusts; they will raise over you a shout of triumph.’” Even in the Hahftorah portion for this week,(Yirmeyahu 46:13-28) we read about Elohim’s promise of justice brought against Egypt through the armies of Babylon: “… the Babylonians will come with an army, with axes will they arrive against her. They will cut down her forest… for they are more numerous than locusts.”
The point of this being that, whether figurative - or real, (as in the up-coming story) – in the majority of cases, locusts are a bad thing. Our Parsha for this week picks up the story of more of the pre-Exodus encounters of Moshé, Aharon and the Pharaoh as Moshé is told by Elohim to go to the Egyptian ruler and warn him of the impending plague of Locusts – eighth of the ten plagues that are sent by Elohim.
Before we go any further, we need to do what “The Doctor” would call a “Mind-Wipe” – that is to say, we need to get rid of any prejudiced thinking you (as reader) might have about the nature of God. If you see Elohim as being ‘full to the brim’ with mercy and good wishes for all mankind, always forgiving with no accountability, the way a great number of uninformed people see Y’shua, then you will never be able to accept what this parsha is saying, and – on the other hand – if you see Elohim as being judgmental and unforgiving, harsh and cruel no matter what, the way most people tend to see “the Old Testament God, than you will not be able to comprehend all that this passage is trying to illustrate about Him. The God of the Older Covenant is exactly the same God as the One we encounter in the Newer Covenant. Make no mistake about this, and get it firm in your mind. The Lord our God – the Lord is One! Period! The God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’acov, and Yesha’Yahu (Isaiah) and Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) and Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) and all the Older Covenant figures is a God of Justice and Mercy. The God of the Gospels and the Pauline, Petrine, and Lucan Epistles and all the other letters and the Revelation of Yochanan is a God of Justice and Mercy. He is One God, unchanging, unwavering, and Eternal. Only if you can grasp this, should you try to read further in this reflection.
It is the God we know today, no matter how He has revealed Himself to us, who called up the Plagues to come against Egypt. It is the God we know today, who also hardened the heart of the Egyptian Pharaoh so as to complete all ten of those plagues. And it is the God we know today who contracted with Moshé and his brother Aharon to deliver the messages to Pharaoh and to B’nei Yisra’el. And it is the God we know today, merciful and just (in harmony) who has had a plan for this from the time of the Fall of Mankind in Adam and Havah (Adam and Eve). Once we have that firmly rooted in our understanding, then we can move forward to study the plagues and what they were, (and will be)[i] all about.
Before examining the eighth and ninth plagues in a bit of detail, let us do an over-view of all of the plagues. First, we need to be aware that they did not happen one after the other in immediate succession. That is an error in thinking which comes to us because the Plagues are all grouped so compactly in the relating of them. The span of time, however, is evident because plants, trees, crops and animals are often restored between plagues. The Sage, Ibn Ezra for example, points out that “Several months must have elapsed between the hail and the locusts so that the damaged trees could flourish again.” (SEASC pg 341 notes. We are told, for instance, that all the water turned to blood and that it stayed that way for 7 days. We are also told that, although they could not reverse what God had done, the magicians of Pharaoh’s court were able to mimic the transformation of water into blood, and the rising up of the frogs from the river. (These were the only Plagues they could imitate however. Clearly, there must have been some delay in these instances, otherwise how would one know which miracle was which if the blood or frogs of the magicians appeared simultaneously?[ii]
Second, because there are many who sub-consciously know that if they admit the reality of miracles and the power of God to perform them, they will have to change their ways and beliefs, modern naysayers, skeptics, and unbelievers like to point out that frogs and lice are a natural follow-up to piles of dead fish rotting on the river banks following the 1st Plague. There is some truth in this of course – but careful reading of the passage takes the 2nd and 3rd Plague beyond ‘reality’ to a point far-removed from what would happen in nature. The frogs cover all the ground, get into the houses of the people at all social and ‘political’ strata, and, it is held that they even infested the innards of the people. In fact, all the Plagues go beyond the realm of nature and the “natural”… that’s the whole point !
Third, notice that the plagues come in groups of three. The first and second plagues are preceded by warnings to the people and Pharaoh, but not so with the third. The fourth and fifth plagues also are foretold to Pharaoh, the sixth is not. Finally the seventh and eighth come with Moshé’s warning, but not the ninth. Not all the Plagues are forewarned, so that the un-foretold Plagues each create a break between the groupings. These Plagues, the third, the sixth and the ninth are sent without warning to be a punishment for Pharaoh’s unwillingness to accept the preceding pairs of Plagues and because of his failure to submit to Elohim’s superiority.
Fourth, In every plague, or in every set of three plagues, God is making a point which the observant person should be able to see, though obviously the Pharaoh and his courtiers and servants all miss it. In the first set, we see God triumphant over nature and particularly over the Nile, a god of Egypt.. In the second set we see God all powerful throughout the land, bringing punishment to Egypt in an “eye for an eye” / “measure for measure” manner. (Just as the Israelite slaves eventually had to grow and collect the straw for the bricks from the fields, so now God destroys all the crops of the land.) Then, in the third set, we see God all powerful in the atmosphere – controlling weather, flying insects, light and dark and so on. In the Tenth plague of course, we learn that Elohim alone has power over life and death..
Finally, take note that Moshé and Aharon are sent before any of the plagues begin to ask Pharaoh to let the people of God go out from Egypt peacefully, and that then only after he refuses does Adonai provide a warning for the ‘king’. Furthermore, take notice that in every case (except as noted the 3rd, 6th and 9th) there is a caveat and a means of escape given to the leader. It is only when those warnings are not heeded that the subsequent plague is cycled in and the ‘attached’ warning offered. We are told that in each case, the Pharaoh “hardens his heart” against the warning. In doing this, Pharaoh is elevating himself over Elohim, God of Isra’el. We are told also, in many of the cases, that it is God who brings about this hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. God is simply using the advisors – the necromancers, magicians, courtiers and servants of Pharaoh – to encourage his hardness. Note that after the 8th plague all the advisors have changed their minds, and that now Pharaoh’s pride has ‘kicked in’ and, in his ignorance of what is actually happening, he sets out with stubbornness to crush his personal adversary Moshé. Meanwhile, Elohim is using Pharaoh’s stubborn heart to show both Egypt and Israel that only He [Elohim] has the power to do all these things. God is Just, in that – as He foretold – He is bringing His punishment down on those who oppressed His people, and yet, in His Mercy, God is also giving the people (including Pharaoh) time to amend their ways, He is providing an alternative for them, He is encouraging them to submit to His all-powerful being. God is hoping that they will repent and come to Him in righteousness. As the Psalmist one day (long after these events) will record: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”, and as it is written elsewhere, “Almighty God,… desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live…”
Adonai Elohim is the God of Israel, He has been in the hearts and minds of generations of Shem’s descendants for some 1500 years. Now, Adonai is using these Plagues to illustrate – no to prove – that He is God of all the earth, God of all creation, God of all people. The desire of Elohim is simply that all the world will see that He IS HaShem, as is stated in the previous parsha “I have let you endure, in order to show you My strength and so that My Name may be declared throughout the world” (9:16) and again “that you may know that I am HaShem”. (10:2) . Elohim is observably the prime cause of all events in creation. The gods of Egypt, and indeed the majority of gods of most other ‘religions’ and cultures (for example the gods of Roman and Greek mythology) are generally aloof and unattached or simply toying with their subjects as if for ‘sport’, but Elohim alone has mastery over all things and intervenes in life’s events to help His people come to a right (or Righteous) decision with regards to our relationship with Him. But God will wait only so long for us to make up our minds.
So it is that the locusts come forth against Egypt. They are carried on winds from the East, in clouds so dense that they block out the light of the sun, a swarm so huge, it was the worst in three generations, that is ‘in recent recall’. Further, they were so plentiful, that when they alight one can not see the ground, for it is completely covered. The locusts do not just infect the crops, however. Like the frogs before them, they enter the houses as well. Notice in verse 6, as Moshé speaks directly to Pharaoh, “They will fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all Egypt.” The implication of this is that the Plague hits Pharaoh directly first, then ‘filters down’ to the rest of the population. In the end, Pharaoh recovers his hardness, and refuses to the let “B’nei Yisra’el” leave. Thus the 9th Plague, third Plague of punishment is brought against the Egyptian people.
One can not imagine the dread that complete and utter darkness brings upon humanity. It is, all the same, a global common reality, that human beings everywhere seem to be ‘afraid of the dark’. In most cases, of course, it is not the dark itself that brings the fear, for even in most natural darkness there will be some slight form of light. It is rather our own imaginings of what lurks in the darkness; that cause us to quake. What fearful monsters crouch, ready to spring out and do us in? But in this case, it is not ‘monsters’ that instill the fear – it is the absolute “tangible” darkness. And this fear is so great that the ninth Plague, (the third punishing Plague), creates a paralysis amongst the Egyptian people.[iii]
Notice that the phrase “for a three day period” is repeated. The sages claim, because of this, that there were two periods of darkness – one of complete darkness and a second even greater phase, as the commentary says: “After the first three days of the Plague, the darkness entered a new stage, it was so thick that the Egyptians could not even move… One who was sitting could not stand and one who was standing could not sit.” To understand this personally, imagine being in a large unfamiliar gymnasium-like room, having entered with a blindfold over your eyes so you have no bearings. Suddenly the lights are turned off, and a heavy, multi-folded curtain of black velvet is lowered over and all around you, enveloping you in a labyrinth of material which actually touches you, rubs against you if you dare to move. It is said that the Egyptian darkness was “palpable” and paralyzing.
May I offer a second concept around this ‘darkness’? Come with me, back to Breisheet / Genesis 1, where we read: “In the beginning of Elohim’s creating the heavens and the earth – when the earth was astonishingly empty, with DARKNESS upon the surface of the deep,… God said ‘Let there be light…’” Is it possible that this darkness in Egypt took the people, in their sub-conscious imaginations, back to the time before the initial act of creation, before anything that they knew even existed – just a thick, black, inky, void? In his book, “The Magicians Nephew”, (the prequel to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and the rest of the Narnia Chronicles), C.S. Lewis wrote of such a blackness which existed before the creation of Narnia. I recall that the children in the story had jumped into a puddle and sunk down into total darkness – they knew they stood on something but couldn’t describe it, they could see absolutely nothing including each other. Such emptiness would hold total dread for any human being, I suggest, for it would be beyond our reason and our comprehension – and that is where absolute fear resides. Without a doubt, this darkness, all darkness in fact, is created by God. It is “not merely the absence of light, but a specific creation as is noted in Isaiah 45:7, [where we read] ‘He who forms the light and creates darkness.’” Perhaps, in the minds of the Egyptians, the darkness caused them to believe that they had died, and yet they were not experiencing any sign of the afterlife they had believed in all their lives. This too, would create fear and could even lead to a transformation of their faith. (Note: Many Egyptians would accompany the Israelite people in the Exodus when the time came.)
Although Elohim knows in advance what will play out in the mind and actions of Pharaoh, it seems He is still exasperated and frustrated by his stubborn behaviour. The goal of Elohim, as we have seen, is simply to humble Pharaoh, but the ‘kings’ stubborn heart continues to win out – to control everything that Pharaoh thinks, says and does. We see this aggravation voiced in the words of Moshé in 10:3, “So said HaShem, God of the Hebrews: ‘Until when will you refuse to be humbled before me?...” God is showing this frustration at Pharaoh because of His concern for all those who are suffering. Adonai is saying to his opponent, “How long must this continue until you realize that you are in a losing battle?”.
There is a great price which is paid for arrogance, and it may not always be [just] the arrogant who pay that price. While it was Pharaoh who insisted on being stubborn of heart, the people of his nation paid heavily alongside him. I strongly suspect that today, any leader except the most feared tyrant would be ousted by a rebellious people for such selfishness, but such was not the case here. Similarly, when we harden our hearts toward God, we pay a price for sure, but so do others in many circumstances.
So how does God deal with a stubborn heart? The first thing I would say, and this is born out in our lesson dealing with Pharaoh, is that God is patient. We read in Exodus (34:5 to 7) “HaShem descended in a cloud and stood with [Moshé] there, and He called out with the Name HaShem. HaShem passed before him and proclaimed: ‘HaShem, HaShem, God, Compassionate and Gracious, Slow to Anger, and Abundant in Kindness and Truth; Preserver of Kindness for thousands of generations, Forgiver of Iniquity, Willful Sin, and Error, Who Cleanses – but does not cleanse completely,’” This is a prayer uttered by God to Moshé, to be shared with the people, a prayer containing the 13 attributes of God [‘thirteen attributes of mercy’], which is still used today whenever a repentant person seeks mercy and forgiveness.
Second, coming out of that patience is the willingness of Adonai to provide a warning for us. How often have we encountered that “still, small voice” within us, or have been warned away from some action by a friend or acquaintance or some other messenger? Pharaoh received several such warnings. We too are often made aware somehow of the consequences of doing (or not doing) something against the will of God. The warnings are meant to slow us down, to cause us to reflect on what is happening. They should torment our minds and trouble our souls so that we come around to avoiding the consequences which will surely come from our actions.
Next, when the warnings do not ‘take hold’ and encourage us to change our ways (repent), God will often send punishments our way. We see in our story that three times Elohim had to send punishments upon Egypt because Pharaoh refused to heed the signs and the warnings. These punishments ‘catch us off-guard’, at weak moments, or perhaps when Adonai senses we might be ready to see the truth (the light??) with just a little nudge. Recently I opened a fortune cookie to find the following message, (the first of its kind for me, I must say): “Your predicament is about to get worse. What did you do wrong?” Or to put it in other words, The ancient sage Ibn Ezra once stated this principle: “If one wishes to contaminate himself, the way is opened for him.” (SEASC pg 344) Sha’ul said something similar in his letter to the Romans: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness… therefore God gave them over in the lists of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonoured among them….”
God will not / does not / can not leave haughty behaviour alone. Haughtiness and arrogance lie at the very root of the worst kind of idolatry, for it is in our haughty behaviour, it is in our arrogance that we say, “this warning does not apply to me!” or we presume to think ourselves “above the power of God”, and this leads one to see one’s self as a god unto ourselves. We supplant God, and build ourselves up, deifying our selves even in the midst of our sinfulness. This was the very temptation put forward to Adam and Havah in the Garden. “You will not surely die! God knows that on the day you eat of [this fruit] your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.” (Breisheet 3:4,5) It is the same family of temptation which Satan put before Y’shua in the wilderness when he claimed: “You can turn stone into bread and eat and be filled…. You can test the angelic messengers and protectors for they are at your beck and call….You can rule over all the kingdoms of the earth…. “ (based on Mt. 4:3 thru 10)
We fall so easily into this pattern of haughty behaviour when we suggest to one who maybe offers prayer support “Oh I’m OK, I can deal with this on my own.” or when we try to take difficulties onto ourselves, or don’t seek Divine Guidance in a life decision, forgetting to submit to God’s will for us, and acknowledging that God does know better than we do ourselves.
The Lesson for us today is this, When we experience the torment of our souls, when our hearts and minds are disquieted in the midst of making a decision, then we need to listen carefully to hear the voice of Adonai, we need to hear the warnings and avoid the punishment. We always have a choice with God, because of His patience, mercy and His justice:….. We can put our pride first, respond with stubbornness and wallow in self pity afterward, or we can hear God’s voice, Submit to His will for us and Rise up to become better children and disciples of the One True God who cries out to us, who reaches out to us, who longs to be our One, True God.
Shavua Tov!! - Have a Great Week!!
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Notice that the phrase “for a three day period” is repeated. The sages claim, because of this, that there were two periods of darkness – one of complete darkness and a second even greater phase, as the commentary says: “After the first three days of the Plague, the darkness entered a new stage, it was so thick that the Egyptians could not even move… One who was sitting could not stand and one who was standing could not sit.” To understand this personally, imagine being in a large unfamiliar gymnasium-like room, having entered with a blindfold over your eyes so you have no bearings. Suddenly the lights are turned off, and a heavy, multi-folded curtain of black velvet is lowered over and all around you, enveloping you in a labyrinth of material which actually touches you, rubs against you if you dare to move. It is said that the Egyptian darkness was “palpable” and paralyzing.
May I offer a second concept around this ‘darkness’? Come with me, back to Breisheet / Genesis 1, where we read: “In the beginning of Elohim’s creating the heavens and the earth – when the earth was astonishingly empty, with DARKNESS upon the surface of the deep,… God said ‘Let there be light…’” Is it possible that this darkness in Egypt took the people, in their sub-conscious imaginations, back to the time before the initial act of creation, before anything that they knew even existed – just a thick, black, inky, void? In his book, “The Magicians Nephew”, (the prequel to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and the rest of the Narnia Chronicles), C.S. Lewis wrote of such a blackness which existed before the creation of Narnia. I recall that the children in the story had jumped into a puddle and sunk down into total darkness – they knew they stood on something but couldn’t describe it, they could see absolutely nothing including each other. Such emptiness would hold total dread for any human being, I suggest, for it would be beyond our reason and our comprehension – and that is where absolute fear resides. Without a doubt, this darkness, all darkness in fact, is created by God. It is “not merely the absence of light, but a specific creation as is noted in Isaiah 45:7, [where we read] ‘He who forms the light and creates darkness.’” Perhaps, in the minds of the Egyptians, the darkness caused them to believe that they had died, and yet they were not experiencing any sign of the afterlife they had believed in all their lives. This too, would create fear and could even lead to a transformation of their faith. (Note: Many Egyptians would accompany the Israelite people in the Exodus when the time came.)
Although Elohim knows in advance what will play out in the mind and actions of Pharaoh, it seems He is still exasperated and frustrated by his stubborn behaviour. The goal of Elohim, as we have seen, is simply to humble Pharaoh, but the ‘kings’ stubborn heart continues to win out – to control everything that Pharaoh thinks, says and does. We see this aggravation voiced in the words of Moshé in 10:3, “So said HaShem, God of the Hebrews: ‘Until when will you refuse to be humbled before me?...” God is showing this frustration at Pharaoh because of His concern for all those who are suffering. Adonai is saying to his opponent, “How long must this continue until you realize that you are in a losing battle?”.
There is a great price which is paid for arrogance, and it may not always be [just] the arrogant who pay that price. While it was Pharaoh who insisted on being stubborn of heart, the people of his nation paid heavily alongside him. I strongly suspect that today, any leader except the most feared tyrant would be ousted by a rebellious people for such selfishness, but such was not the case here. Similarly, when we harden our hearts toward God, we pay a price for sure, but so do others in many circumstances.
So how does God deal with a stubborn heart? The first thing I would say, and this is born out in our lesson dealing with Pharaoh, is that God is patient. We read in Exodus (34:5 to 7) “HaShem descended in a cloud and stood with [Moshé] there, and He called out with the Name HaShem. HaShem passed before him and proclaimed: ‘HaShem, HaShem, God, Compassionate and Gracious, Slow to Anger, and Abundant in Kindness and Truth; Preserver of Kindness for thousands of generations, Forgiver of Iniquity, Willful Sin, and Error, Who Cleanses – but does not cleanse completely,’” This is a prayer uttered by God to Moshé, to be shared with the people, a prayer containing the 13 attributes of God [‘thirteen attributes of mercy’], which is still used today whenever a repentant person seeks mercy and forgiveness.
Second, coming out of that patience is the willingness of Adonai to provide a warning for us. How often have we encountered that “still, small voice” within us, or have been warned away from some action by a friend or acquaintance or some other messenger? Pharaoh received several such warnings. We too are often made aware somehow of the consequences of doing (or not doing) something against the will of God. The warnings are meant to slow us down, to cause us to reflect on what is happening. They should torment our minds and trouble our souls so that we come around to avoiding the consequences which will surely come from our actions.
Next, when the warnings do not ‘take hold’ and encourage us to change our ways (repent), God will often send punishments our way. We see in our story that three times Elohim had to send punishments upon Egypt because Pharaoh refused to heed the signs and the warnings. These punishments ‘catch us off-guard’, at weak moments, or perhaps when Adonai senses we might be ready to see the truth (the light??) with just a little nudge. Recently I opened a fortune cookie to find the following message, (the first of its kind for me, I must say): “Your predicament is about to get worse. What did you do wrong?” Or to put it in other words, The ancient sage Ibn Ezra once stated this principle: “If one wishes to contaminate himself, the way is opened for him.” (SEASC pg 344) Sha’ul said something similar in his letter to the Romans: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness… therefore God gave them over in the lists of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonoured among them….”
God will not / does not / can not leave haughty behaviour alone. Haughtiness and arrogance lie at the very root of the worst kind of idolatry, for it is in our haughty behaviour, it is in our arrogance that we say, “this warning does not apply to me!” or we presume to think ourselves “above the power of God”, and this leads one to see one’s self as a god unto ourselves. We supplant God, and build ourselves up, deifying our selves even in the midst of our sinfulness. This was the very temptation put forward to Adam and Havah in the Garden. “You will not surely die! God knows that on the day you eat of [this fruit] your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.” (Breisheet 3:4,5) It is the same family of temptation which Satan put before Y’shua in the wilderness when he claimed: “You can turn stone into bread and eat and be filled…. You can test the angelic messengers and protectors for they are at your beck and call….You can rule over all the kingdoms of the earth…. “ (based on Mt. 4:3 thru 10)
We fall so easily into this pattern of haughty behaviour when we suggest to one who maybe offers prayer support “Oh I’m OK, I can deal with this on my own.” or when we try to take difficulties onto ourselves, or don’t seek Divine Guidance in a life decision, forgetting to submit to God’s will for us, and acknowledging that God does know better than we do ourselves.
The Lesson for us today is this, When we experience the torment of our souls, when our hearts and minds are disquieted in the midst of making a decision, then we need to listen carefully to hear the voice of Adonai, we need to hear the warnings and avoid the punishment. We always have a choice with God, because of His patience, mercy and His justice:….. We can put our pride first, respond with stubbornness and wallow in self pity afterward, or we can hear God’s voice, Submit to His will for us and Rise up to become better children and disciples of the One True God who cries out to us, who reaches out to us, who longs to be our One, True God.
Shavua Tov!! - Have a Great Week!!
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[i] The plagues which came against Egypt may have ended, but they have not ended for humanity. In the “End Times”, the Lord will once again send plagues upon the earth. These plagues, described in the Book of Revelation, are all the same as those brought against Egypt, (Blood, beasts, darkness, etc.). The Exodusian Plagues are but a foreshadowing of what is to come, but they will come next on a much larger scale – namely they will cover the entire earth, and as much as a third of all the earth will be grossly affected (a third of the fish in the sea will die, a third of the rivers will turn to blood, and so forth). You can read all about it in the last book of the Bible – but don’t imagine that this language is only poetic or metaphorical – for if you do, you will miss the warning being given to all mankind.
[ii] In fairness, not all the sages agree about the timing of the Plagues being delayed or spread out. Ramban, for instance, argues with Ibn Ezra, claiming that the grain crops were fully grown, which would mean they were in the month of Adar, just prior to Nisan. He claims further that the hail must have come in that month, just before the Exodus took place. He also claims that the Plague of locusts, the darkness and the death of the firstborn would have occurred in quick succession in the month of Nisan, immediately before the departure. Ramban, in support of his reading, puts forth the idea that after the hail, not all the tree branches were broken, suggesting that the locusts ‘finished off’ what had been left. (cf. Sh’mot 10:5)
I would propose a third alternative, a blending of the two theories. Picking up on the concept of the grouping of the Plagues, (see point 3 below) I suggest that the Plagues also occurred in groups of time. This would then allow that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Plagues could have taken place in quick succession early on in the mission of Moshé. Then, after a lull, and some time to ‘relax’ the tension, and the new growing season of livestock growing up, the 4th Plague, which we are told lasted only one day, comes along pulling people up short, with the 5th Plague coming down on the animals and people, followed by the 6th Plague in hot pursuit, still occurring in the month of Adar, as Ramban suggests, on fields full of mature grains. Then a second lull – as much as a year, coming around again to the new grain fields so that the pain of the 8th Plague has full effect on the people. Finally, as punishment for his stubbornness, Egypt is afflicted with the 9th Plague. In other words, I have no trouble seeing the Plagues of Egypt being stretched out over as much as a year and a half to two full years.
[iii] From the time following the third Plague, it is only the Egyptian population which has been suffering. The Israelites were made to suffer the first three Plagues so as to – get their attention – to show that God was with them and was about to rescue them,– to prove that Moshé was sent by God and – to prove that Elohim was all powerful, and thus worthy of His place as God of Israel and all creation. Throughout the Plagues, however, the Israelites were witnesses to God’s power and punishment against their adversaries. They were to teach their following generations about how Adonai rescued them from slavery and brought them “home”. During the Plague of darkness, for instance, in Goshen, there was abundant light during the day, and at night, the lanterns of the Hebrew people were ample sources of light for their activities.
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[ii] In fairness, not all the sages agree about the timing of the Plagues being delayed or spread out. Ramban, for instance, argues with Ibn Ezra, claiming that the grain crops were fully grown, which would mean they were in the month of Adar, just prior to Nisan. He claims further that the hail must have come in that month, just before the Exodus took place. He also claims that the Plague of locusts, the darkness and the death of the firstborn would have occurred in quick succession in the month of Nisan, immediately before the departure. Ramban, in support of his reading, puts forth the idea that after the hail, not all the tree branches were broken, suggesting that the locusts ‘finished off’ what had been left. (cf. Sh’mot 10:5)
I would propose a third alternative, a blending of the two theories. Picking up on the concept of the grouping of the Plagues, (see point 3 below) I suggest that the Plagues also occurred in groups of time. This would then allow that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Plagues could have taken place in quick succession early on in the mission of Moshé. Then, after a lull, and some time to ‘relax’ the tension, and the new growing season of livestock growing up, the 4th Plague, which we are told lasted only one day, comes along pulling people up short, with the 5th Plague coming down on the animals and people, followed by the 6th Plague in hot pursuit, still occurring in the month of Adar, as Ramban suggests, on fields full of mature grains. Then a second lull – as much as a year, coming around again to the new grain fields so that the pain of the 8th Plague has full effect on the people. Finally, as punishment for his stubbornness, Egypt is afflicted with the 9th Plague. In other words, I have no trouble seeing the Plagues of Egypt being stretched out over as much as a year and a half to two full years.
[iii] From the time following the third Plague, it is only the Egyptian population which has been suffering. The Israelites were made to suffer the first three Plagues so as to – get their attention – to show that God was with them and was about to rescue them,– to prove that Moshé was sent by God and – to prove that Elohim was all powerful, and thus worthy of His place as God of Israel and all creation. Throughout the Plagues, however, the Israelites were witnesses to God’s power and punishment against their adversaries. They were to teach their following generations about how Adonai rescued them from slavery and brought them “home”. During the Plague of darkness, for instance, in Goshen, there was abundant light during the day, and at night, the lanterns of the Hebrew people were ample sources of light for their activities.
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Acknowledgements
Wikipedia and other Internet sources for background information
Scherman, R. Nosson; and Zlotowitz, R. Meir; Editors, Stone Edition Art Scroll Chumash, Mesorah Heritage Foundation / Mesorah Publications, Ltd., Brooklyn, New York, 2008
Stern, David, The Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications Inc, Clarkville, Maryland. 1998
Zodiates, Spiros, Exec Editor, The Hebrew Greek Key Word Bible (New American Version Bible) AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 1977
Barker, Kenneth, General Editor, The New International Study Bible, Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985
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Wikipedia and other Internet sources for background information
Scherman, R. Nosson; and Zlotowitz, R. Meir; Editors, Stone Edition Art Scroll Chumash, Mesorah Heritage Foundation / Mesorah Publications, Ltd., Brooklyn, New York, 2008
Stern, David, The Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications Inc, Clarkville, Maryland. 1998
Zodiates, Spiros, Exec Editor, The Hebrew Greek Key Word Bible (New American Version Bible) AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 1977
Barker, Kenneth, General Editor, The New International Study Bible, Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985
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