Beshalach (to send away)

Ex. 13:17 - 17:16

This week's portion begins with the children of Israel fleeing the land of Egypt and ends as the Jewish people are approaching Mt. Sinai. The striking feature of this portion of Scripture is the fact that so many miracles are performed by God on behalf of Israel. We first read of the magnificent spectacle of the crossing of the Red Sea. Next is the episode at Mara, when the bitter waters turned sweet for the people (15:25). The account of the Manna follows on from that. It tells the story of the miracle food that began to fall around the camp on a daily basis. The parasha ends with two further miracles. Moses produced a supply of water for the Israelites by hitting a rock, water gushing forth from the stone. And then came the war of Amalek. In this battle, the position of Moses' hands seemed to somehow secure defeat or failure. So, all in all, we have miracle after miracle - a rather impressive group of supernatural phenomena.
 

The traditional reason given for all of these miracles is that God was making himself known to the Jewish people, preparing them for receiving the Torah. In Ex 15:2 the Israelites sing about the parting of the Red Sea by saying, "this is my God" According to the famed Jewish commentator Rashi, the children of Israel actually witnessed a revelation of God. In his comments on the phrase this is my God Rashi says "In His fullest glory, God presented Himself to them openly, so that they could point at Him with their finger! A simple handmaid at the sea saw greater visions than the prophets" What Rashi is saying is that the miracle gave the people a clear conception of God that even the prophets never experienced.

The New Covenant tells us of many similarities between the Exodus event and the "Yeshua event". The death of the lamb in Egypt points directly to the death of Yeshua the "lamb of God". May I suggest that the parting of the Red Sea points to the resurrection of Messiah. The parting of the sea provided life for the redeemed Israelites. Without the water parting, the blood of the lamb on the door would not have accomplished anything. The resurrection of Yeshua provides life and spiritual freedom for the believer and an assurance of an acceptable atonement for sin. Just as the children of Israel saw the parting of the Sea and said "This is my God", so may we look at the resurrection of the Messiah and say This Is My God! Messiah's resurrection stands as the ultimate historical evidence of the truth of who Yeshua is and what He did for us. It serves as a constant reminder of God's love and concern for us. Shabbat Shalom!