Weekly D'rash Va'era

Artwork by John Martin

It goes without saying that everything that happens in the world is somehow connected to God. Some things happen because humankind is disobedient and rebellious. Sometimes things happen because we live in a fallen world and there is no one to blame. Other times, God will act in a certain way for eternal purposes that we may never understand. Sometimes when we look back we can discern positive outcomes from difficult situations. Sometimes, God parts the water of the sea and it is clear that he has interceded. Perhaps you have experienced each of these types of situations. Thankfully, we remember that God is the potter and we are the clay—and not the other way around. In other words, we do not have to know the “why” of everything that happens, but that somehow God is involved and will bring comfort, peace, and ultimately deliverance.

This week our Torah portion is about the ten plagues. We sing about them, memorize them, and theologize them. The ten plagues served as a judgment on Egypt and a way for both the Egyptians and Israelites to understand the reality and power of the God of Israel. They were unique in history and never exactly repeated. What is interesting about the ten plagues is that when we come to the end of the Bible in the Book of Revelation, we see that at the end, just before the great deliverance of the world, there will once again be plagues that are like the plagues in Egypt. They will not be so specific as to only affect Egypt, but they will demonstrate the power and sovereignty of God, and the result will be judgment and deliverance as it was in Egypt.

For example, in Exodus 7:20, we read that the Nile would turn to blood. Revelation 8:8, 11:6, and 16:3 describe a plague of the sea turning to blood. In Exodus 8:6, we read about frogs covering the land of Egypt. Revelation 16:13 talks about frogs. Exodus 9:3 describes a plague of pestilence. Revelation 6:8 describes a plague of pestilence. There are other kinds of similarities to the Exodus in Revelation even though there is not a perfect match for every plague. But, the point is that in the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, we see a looking forward to the final redemption that will take place when the Messiah manifests himself at the consummation of all things.

The disaster for Egypt was real! The deliverance of Israel was real! There will be a day when the finger of God will once again bring horrible plagues upon the earth for purposes of judgment, cleansing, and ultimately deliverance. Like Yeshua said, it will be like labor pains just before giving birth to new life (see Matt. 24:8). May this motivate us to spread the message of new life in Yeshua and give hope to a lost world. May the world realize that we are all accountable and there are consequences to sin, but in Yeshua there is deliverance. It is interesting that the primary description of the Messiah in the book of Revelation is the Lamb. This is another connection between Exodus and Revelation. But, that is the subject of next week’s d’rash!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard