The Road Less Traveled – BeShalach – Jan. 31

Why does life often take us down difficult roads?

I bought an iPad recently but the one I wanted (size, color, and memory) wasn’t in stock.  They told me that I’d have to pay for it and wait until it arrives and then pick it up from the store at that time.  It takes me nearly an hour each way on the bus to get to and from this Apple store in Jerusalem and I really didn’t want to have to go and come back again to pick up the item I already paid for but I had no choice.

Granted, this is only an electronic gizmo.  As all of us know, there are much more serious obstacles in life than waiting a few more days for a new product. This wasn’t a life and death situation, however, I wonder why we have to deal with these types of inconveniences in life?  Why does God permit circumstances in life that interrupt our plans and cause us to take a different path than the one we intended?

 

Following God

When God brought the sons of Israel out of Egypt He intended to bring them to the Promised Land.  God did not chose to take the sons of Israel on the shortest journey from Egypt to the new land because he did not want them to face the Philistines in war and have them turn back to Egypt out of fear.  Instead, God took them by the way of the desert and God led the sons of Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:17-22).  Following God will not always make sense to the human mind but we must trust that God has a bigger plan in mind and remember that He will faithfully guide and lead us.

In this week’s Torah Portion reading (Ex. 13:17 – 17:16) there are several examples of the nation of Israel having to face unexpected challenges on their journey.  The challenges began even before they left Egypt.  God actually set it up.  God told Moses to instruct the Israelites to camp at a certain place, Pi ha Hiroth, which is a place with no exit.  They would be trapped next to the sea (Ex. 14:1-2).  This is exactly what God wanted because as the text tells us, God wanted Pharaoh to think that the Israelites were wondering aimlessly in the land and then to chase after them.  God said that He would be honored through Pharaoh and all of his army and that the Egyptians would know that God is the LORD (Ex. 14:3-4).  God had a plan and God had a purpose in his plan, to make the nation of Egypt know Him.  The nation of Israel would have to trust God during the journey ahead.

The Plans of Man and the Plans of God

It happened just as God said it would.  Pharaoh and the people of Egypt had a change of heart after setting the sons of Israel free and decided to chase after them (Ex. 14:5-9).  However, when the children of Israel saw the Egyptians coming toward them they feared and were ready to turn back and serve Pharaoh (Ex. 14:10-12).  The people only saw the circumstances before them and could not believe that anything good could come of this.  The sons of Israel began to complain against Moses and dreamed of being back in Egypt, safe and sound as slaves.  They did not trust the plan of God.  In essence, they did not trust God.

Moses responded to the sons of Israel and told them not to fear but rather to stand by and see the salvation of God (Yeshuat Adonai – ישועת יהוה) [Ex. 14:13].  Moses continued by stating, “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent” (Ex. 14:14).  Moses declared to the sons of Israel that the LORD was fighting for them and that they had nothing to fear.  They did not need to do a thing but simply stand by, keep silent, allow God to fight for them, and they would see His salvation!

This would be the continual theme of this week’s Torah reading; the sons of Israel would find themselves in impossible situations and God would continually provide a great deliverance.  This occurred again and again, however, at each turn the sons of Israel would fear, complain, and question the presence of God in their midst.

The Crossing of the Red Sea

After the children of Israel complained to Moses about having left Egypt to die in the desert God instructed Moses to lift up his staff and part the Red Sea in order to have the sons of Israel walk through it on dry land and escape from Pharaoh and his army (Ex. 14:15-31).

The Bitter Waters become Sweet

Three days after seeing the power of God part the Red Sea and destroy the Egyptians before their eyes the sons of Israel came to a place with waters that were bitter.  Again they complained to Moses.  God instructed Moses to throw a tree into the waters and make the waters sweet (Ex. 15:22-27).

The Giving of the Manna

The children of Israel then arrived at the wilderness of Sin and complained to Moses again as they had nothing to eat.  The had only been on their journey for one month (Ex. 16:1) and they had seen miracle after miracle both in Egypt and during their journey but still they didn’t believe that God would take care of them.

God promised to rain down bread from heaven enough for one day at a time.  God also told them that they would have a double portion on the sixth day so as to be able to rest on the Sabbath (Ex. 16).  God wanted to teach the sons of Israel to trust Him daily for their needs.  We need to learn to trust God for what we need today, our daily bread, and not be anxious about tomorrow (Matt. 6:9-13).  God also gave them meat in the desert by providing quail (Ex. 16:13).

The Water from the Rock

One final time in this week’s Torah reading we see the sons of Israel in a situation that challenged them and they again respond by complaining to Moses.  Moses cried out to the LORD on behalf of the people as he feared that they would stone him.  The LORD instructed Moses to take his staff, take some of the elders of Israel with him, and strike a certain rock from which water would gush out, providing the people with water.  Moses did as God commanded him (Ex. 17:1-6).  The text then reads, “And he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, ‘Is the LORD really among us, or not?’” (Ex. 17:7).

Every time that the Israelites faced a challenge on their journey and quarreled against Moses they were really testing God.  In their quarreling and complaining the Israelites were asking again and again, “Is the LORD really with us or not?”

How do you and I respond to the challenges of life?  How do you and I respond to life situations that seem unfair and difficult beyond our capability?  Do we turn to God and trust in Him or do we complain and quarrel and rely solely on our ability to solve a problem?

Faith in the Battle

This week’s Torah Portion ends with one final challenge that the Israelites were not expecting on their journey.  The people of Amalek came out to fight against Israel when they were at Rephidim.  Moses sent Joshua with the men to go and fight against Amalek while Moses went up on the hill and would hold his staff high with arms raised.  While Moses’ arms were raised the Israelites were winning but whenever he lowered his arms the Amalakites would prevail.  Moses’s arms were getting heavy so Aaron and Hur sat Moses on a stone and they each held an arm of Moses to support him.

The story ends with these words, “Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.  So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” (Ex. 17:12-13).  The word used for “steady” is the Hebrew word “emunah – אמונה” which simply means “faith” or “belief” (Ex. 17:12).  So it was literally God working through the faith of Moses with outreached hands that brought this great victory for Israel.

The challenges and battles of life can sometimes seem overwhelming and we always have two ways to respond to them, either in our own strength or with faith in God and in His strength.  We need to be strong in our faith and not give way to complaining and quarreling.  We need to trust God and believe that His plans are greater than our plans and that He has a plan for salvation.

The End of the Story:

I want to close by sharing the rest of the story of the delay in receiving my iPad.  I received a call the following day that my iPad had arrived and I could go and pick it up.  I took the train to the bus stop and continued the journey by bus back to the Apple store.  There was an empty seat on the bus and I sat down.  The guy sitting next to me asked me a question about the route of the bus and I answered him.  We started talking about life and the privilege of being able to live in Israel as Jewish people again and the reality of the end of days in the world.  This guy was very knowledgable as to what is written in the Bible concerning the end times.  We talked during the entire bus ride.

We got off at the same bus stop and continued our conversation.  At one point he asked me if I’m married.  I told him no.  He asked me what kind of woman I’m interested in and I replied someone like me; a bit traditional and someone who believes in God and in the Messiah.  He then asked me which Messiah and I responded, “Yeshua!  Is there any other?”  He then said, “So you’re Messianic!  I have a friend who is Messianic but you guys have it all wrong.”  We continued to talk for another 20 minutes or so.  He shared with me a few reasons why he thought Yeshua couldn’t be the Messiah.  I shared with him a few reasons why it is obvious that Yeshua is the Messiah including the fact that He was born in Bethlehem and that His life is a fulfillment of the signs spoken of in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 9:6-7.

He kept talking about how Christianity and the New Covenant are foreign and not part of the Jewish people.  I shared with him how the New Covenant is taken from the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament).  He didn’t believe me.  We then read Jeremiah 31:31, which clearly speaks of the “New Covenant” that God will make with the houses of Israel and Judah.  I also shared with him the centrality in the Bible of the concept of sacrifice for sin and the giving of the Holy Spirit.  I challenged my new friend that belief in Yeshua as the Messiah is not a foreign concept for Jews but the most natural one and then we went our separate ways.

I didn’t understand why I had to wait an extra day to pickup my iPad.  I was frustrated that I couldn’t receive it the moment I was in the store the day before.  It didn’t make sense to me to “waste” two hours traveling but now I see what God had in store.  God had a plan for me to meet this guy and testify of the Truth of Yeshua.  God had a plan of salvation that he wanted to delivery to the young man I met that day.

 

Faith

The Bible tells us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1-6).  The challenges and obstacles in life are never ending but we can choose how we respond to them.  Faith is not a blind belief in fate but rather a strong belief in the living God no matter what happens on this earth.

Do you have faith today?  Do you believe in God today?

God is among us today through His Holy Spirit and by the testimony of Yeshua as the Messiah.  We need to walk in this faith no matter what challenges we face day to day.  God never promised a trouble-free life to His followers, however, He did promise to always be with them (Ex. 13:21-22) and to be “the LORD your healer,” (Adonai Rofecha- יהוה רופך) if they would walk in His ways and listen to His voice! (Ex. 15:26)

I challenge you to take “The Road Less Traveled” today and walk in faith with God!

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Ex. 13:17 – Ex. 17:16

Hafatara: Judges 4:4 – Judges 5:31

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