Lesson date: 8/4/5855AA

((I want to subtitle this chapter as the testimony of my sad pathetic life as a “Christian”.))

Verse 1 – After all his excuses Mosheh accompanies Aharon into the throne room of Pharaoh and tells him “Let My people go”. Let’s put this into a modern context; YHVH tells you to go to President Trump and tell him to do something. Now, remember, YHVH tells you first that Pres. Trump won’t do it. How many excuses would I come up with? What would I feel like in the Oval Office telling the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, “Let My people go so that they can celebrate a festival to YHVH.” Just being in the Oval Office is a very intimidating place to be.

There are a couple of interesting thing about the above sentence. First the word that is translated as “let” is H853.  Secondly, the word for “hold a feast” is “Chag”: H2287 – chagag – which means to move or dance in a circle. But look at it in the pictographic Hebrew:

h         tent wall, divider or separation
c         camel’s foot, walk, carry, gather

Set-apart gathering.

Verse 2 – “Who is YHVH?” I hear this quite a bit, even from my family. Can’t you just hear the President saying, “I know who God is and I know who the Lord is but who is YHVH that I should listen to Him? I can hear it. Or, what difference does a name make? Psa 14:1  The fool has said in his heart, “There is no יהוה.” They have done corruptly, They have done an abominable deed, There is no one who does good.

The word for fool is H5036 – nabal – and it means fool, foolish, senseless or to come to naught. It is interesting to note that in Shem. 20:7 the word that is translated for naught is H7723 – shav – desolate, desolating. You could almost translate Teh. 14:1 “The one who says in his heart, There is no YHVH will come to naught because he brought My Name to naught.”

For all Pharaoh knows YHVH is some new bully in town trying to make a reputation for himself, so this is why YHVH will harden Pharaoh’s heart. YHVH will show Pharaoh just who He is and in so doing will bring down every god worshipped in Egypt.

Pharaoh truthfully states that he does not know YHVH nor will he let Yisra’el go to celebrate a feast to someone he does not know.

Verse 3 – I call this the big set-up. Moshe warns Pharaoh that if he does not allow them to go three days journey into the wilderness that YHVH could fall on “them” with pestilence or sword. Pharaoh has been put on notice.

Verses 4-9 –  Now the slave drivers are told to make the Yisra’elites go and get their own straw because they are “idle” or lazy. They want to go and celebrate a festival because they are bored so, they need more work.

Anyone ever ask you what you do on Shabbat? You tell them that you sit and study Scripture all day long and rest, take a nap maybe? They ever respond, “That sure is lazy?” They might even say something to the effect, “Last week after church I mowed my yard and washed my truck.” How many times have we said or heard it said, “I can’t afford to take off a week and go camping for some feast. I’ve got to work.”

Do you think that in America that we are not slaves? Maybe to the banks that hold a lien on our houses,  cars, boats, jet skis, on our way of life, our hearts, our worship. 2Pe 2:18  For speaking arrogant nonsense, they entice – through the lusts of the flesh, through indecencies – the ones who have indeed escaped from those living in delusion,

2Pe 2:19  promising them freedom, though themselves being slaves of corruption – for one is a slave to whatever overcomes him.

I used to work 7 days a week, 12, 14, 16 even 20 hours a day because I thought I did so out of a sense of duty, or, if I didn’t everything would fall apart. Well, it did fall apart but not because I didn’t work hard enough but I had my priorities wrong. I chased after the wrong gods.

In verse 9 we see Pharaoh utter, “And not pay attention to words of falsehood” Have we ever heard something similar? The enemy calls the Truth falsehood. Isa 5:20  Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

H7760 – soom or seem – means to change or disguise. The church has changed and disguised good and called it evil. We can’t not keep Christmas or Easter because it is UN-Christian. They should tell us who Christ is if that is the case. Where can I look in the Word and find the necessity for keeping Christmas or Easter? In Wayyiqra 23 I can find the necessity of keeping YHVH’s feasts(moedim), including His Shabbat.

Verse 11-13 – ‘Go, take straw for yourselves,’ I equate this to where we are now. We don’t have a preacher preaching from his notes and commentaries. We have to go and dig in order to try and satisfy this feeling inside of us that wants more of the Word. Look at the word for “straw”: H8401 – תּבן – teben – BDB Definition: 1) straw, stubble…: A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: probably from H1129.

H1129 – בּנה – bânâh – BDB Definition: 1) to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue

We are building something. We are building, establishing a house for the Word in our hearts. We now have to stop what we are doing and go and gather straw so that we can make bricks to build a house in our hearts on a foundation laid by the Word of Elohim, by His Ruach Hakodesh.

Luk 6:47  “Everyone who is coming to Me, and is hearing My words and **is doing them**, I shall show you whom he is like:

Luk 6:48  “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock. And when a flood came, the stream burst against that house, but was unable to shake it, for it was founded on the rock.

1Co_3:11  For no one is able to lay any other foundation except that which is laid, which is יהושע Messiah.

Eph_2:20  having been built upon the foundation of the emissaries and prophets, יהושע Messiah Himself being chief corner-stone,

Verse 14 – “Why have you not fulfilled your law” Our law? H2706 – חֹק – chôq – khoke – From H2710; an enactment; hence an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage): – appointed, bound, commandment,

You see, the church has commands, too, and if you don’t keep them you will be labeled a heretic, a pagan, ungodly or a nutjob. Take your pick. “The Pope, sorry, Pharaoh has spoken and changed your law, changed your appointed time, given you a new commandment that you must follow. How will we know the anti-Messiah when we see him? Dan 7:25  and it speaks words against the Most High, and it wears out the set-apart ones of the Most High, and it intends to change appointed times and law, and they are given into its hand for a time and times and half a time.

I have heard people say that they left the church because the wear physically and financially exhausted, worn out. Psa 19:7  The Torah of יהוה is perfect, bringing back the being; The witness of יהוה is trustworthy, making wise the simple;

Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (KJV)

The word in Teh. 19:7 and 23:3 are the same word – H7725 – shoob – and it is a beautiful word meaning to rescue, return, deliver or restore. The Torah of YHVH restores, rescues, delivers my soul. HalleluYAH!!!

Verses 15-16 – We see the Hebrew foremen going to Pharaoh complaining. We need straw, the basic building material of brick and when we ask for the basic building material of brick you beat us, afflict us, you wear us out.

Verse 17-19  – You are lazy, idle. You sit around all day studying the “Bible”(list), talking taking naps, resting. That is why you want to go to slaughter to YHVH. You want to offer the sacrifice of your lips when you should be out bringing more visitors in, having rummage sales, car washes, bake sales, passion plays, Christmas plays, cantadas, Sunday School, Training Union, Women’s Mission Unions, Lottie Moon offering drives… “it wears out the set-apart ones”

“So now get back to work and don’t let the number of visitors drop, or new members or the offering. I want more people in Sunday School next week compared to this week. Go back and get some of those tired worn out old members and visit them so they’ll think we care about them and come back. Tell them we are putting together a softball team, a basketball team, also football team and that we are building a new multi-purpose building for basketball and vollyeball teams. Remind them we need more money so, if they want to give a hundred dollars we will put a brick with their name in the wall.”

I have heard every bit of this and more.

Verse 20-21 – Did you notice that the people went to Pharaoh without Mosheh and Aharon? They went on their own authority, not protected by the Name.

Mat 13:19  “When anyone hears the word of the reign, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is that sown by the wayside.

Mat 13:20  “And that sown on rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,

Mat 13:21  yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived, and when pressure or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Mat 13:22  “And that sown among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the worry of this age and the deceit of riches choke the word, and it becomes fruitless.

Mat 13:23  “And that sown on the good soil is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields – some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

The Children of Yisra’el heard the Name and the Shabbat and the feast days and immediately challenged the authority figure with their new found knowledge. Maybe that authority figure was their supervisor at work(like Pharaoh). They demanded Saturday off from work so they could go and worship Elohim. Maybe they were told if they demanded Saturday off they would get everyday off cause they would be fired. So, they just went back to work.

“Mosheh, Aharon, now look what you have done. You taught us about all of this new stuff, this Torah stuff and now the boss threatened to fire me. Right or wrong, I have to have a job to pay the bills.”

Or, maybe it is more like verse Mat. 13:22 “the worry of this age”. I have things I have to do because it will be closed on Sunday so I have to do it on Saturday while they are still open. The bank is closed Sunday and Monday so I have to go Saturday because that is the only day I have off while the bank is open.

Or, The kids have ((fill in the blank)) on Saturday and I have to go for that.

Or, The sabbath is a day of rest and I’m going to take take off and go fishing or take the kids to the park, or bar-b-que or go to a movie…

Or, The sabbath is a day of rest and I am just going to sit around the house in my pj’s and watch TV. They are having a John Wayne marathon on Saturday.

Or…

How many excuses did Mosheh come up with on the side of the mountain?

Verses 22-23 – Pity party. So no one thinks I am picking on Mosheh I will change the name to that of a hypothetical character, Daryl.

You know YHVH, ever sense I have been things Your Way my family has been real happy with me:

Mar 13:12  “And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and a father his child. And children shall rise up against parents and shall put them to death.

Mar 13:13  “And you shall be hated by all because of My Name. But he who shall have endured to the end, he shall be saved.

You know YHVH, when I was in the church I was real popular. Now, people avoid me:

Joh 15:18  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

You know YHVH, back when I was in the church, and even when I wasn’t, I could make 5 or 10 thousand dollars a day, some days more:

Luk 10:4  “Do not take a purse, nor a bag, nor sandals. And greet no one along the way.

Ahavah,