I was recently talking with a friend, whom we’ll call Rafi, who was completely despondent and at the end of himself. Rafi has been working long hours at work and his boss is constantly demanding more and more from him, which has increased the stress in his already stressful life. Rafi also recently became a father and is struggling to find refuge and a place of solitude in his own home. When I was talking to Rafi the other day he explained to me how he longs to be set free from everything that is consuming his life right now. I asked Rafi about his relationship with God and he told me that he isn’t hearing from God these days. Time with God and daily devotions, prayer and meditation in the Word of God, have ceased long ago. Spiritually, Rafi is empty. Life seems unbearable and God seems far from Rafi at this time.
Have you ever felt like Rafi? Have you ever become so burdened by hardships in life that you feel spiritually depleted and unable to hear anything from God?
This is exactly where we find Moses and the children of Israel in this week’s Torah Portion. In last week’s reading, God sent Moses back to Egypt to talk with Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of slavery and out of Egypt. Moses, with Aharon his brother, obeyed God and spoke with Pharaoh but Pharaoh didn’t even consider setting the children of Israel free. Instead, he increased their hardship and made their toil more burdensome and the children of Israel despised Moses and Aharon (Ex. 5:1-21). Moses then responded naturally and complained to God asking God why He ever even sent him to Pharaoh. God then told Moses “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh…” (Ex. 6:1).
The Timeless Promises of God
This week’s Torah Portion (Ex. 6:2 – Ex. 9:35) begins with God reminding Moses of who He is and how He will fulfill His covenant with the sons of Israel by bringing them back to the Land. God told Moses that He is Yahweh or Jehovah (יהוה) and that He is the one who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shadai – אל שדי) but He did not make Himself known to them as Yahweh or Jehovah (יהוה).
The name of God (יהוה) is not pronounced today as no one is exactly sure how it is pronounced. Instead of trying to pronounce these Hebrew characters the name or title “Adonai” is read. Within this name of God (יהוה) is the definition of past, present, and future in the Hebrew language as the same letters are used: (היה, הווה, יהיה). It was by this special name of God that God revealed Himself to Moses and through Moses to the sons of Israel. God wanted His people to know who He is by His very name; the God of the past, the present, and the future. Throughout the rest of this article the English name “LORD” will represent this name of God.
The LORD explained to Moses that He established His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them the land in which they sojourned. The LORD said that He has heard the groaning of His people and that He has remembered His covenant and He will fulfill it. The Lord then promised to give the Land to the sons of Israel as a possession and as an inheritance (Ex. 6:2-8).
The LORD is king of the past, the present, and the future and it was now time to fulfill His Word. At least four hundred years had passed since God had spoken to Abraham (Gen. 15:13-14) but neither God nor His plan had changed. Everything was exactly as He said it would be. For the Israelites, however, it was difficult for them to see beyond the chains on their hands and feet as they were living in slavery.
Has the LORD given you promises that are not yet fulfilled? Are the circumstances around you drowning out the voice of God in your life today? Don’t give in to despair. Look to the LORD, the holy One of Israel, and wait on Him. He will deliver you in His perfect timing.
Why is there Delay in Deliverance?
God told Moses to go again and tell the Israelites that the time has come to see the power of God as He would deliver them with a mighty hand from their slavery and bring them out of Egypt into the Promised Land (Ex. 6:2-8). Moses spoke to the sons of Israel all that God had said but the sons of Israel would not listen to Moses because of their despondency and as a result of their hard labor (Ex. 6:9). The Israelites were beaten down and slavery had broken their spirits. They could no longer see how there could possibly be a power greater than that of Egypt and Pharaoh. Moses had also given up hope as the people whom he was trying to set free had turned against him (Ex. 6:12).
God had revealed Himself to Moses through signs and wonders and then sent Moses to Pharaoh to set the Israelites free. The desired outcome, however, was not achieved. Instead of freedom there was increased bondage. Instead of deliverance there were beatings and stricter conditions put upon the Israelites.
Why did God not immediately deliver His people? Why does God seemingly delay in delivering us today?
God had a plan that He was working out so that He would be magnified in the land of Egypt. God would harden Pharaoh’s heart and through Pharaoh’s rebellion and arrogance God would display His great power. God promised to deliver the Israelites through great judgements upon the land and the people of Egypt so that all of Egypt would know the one true LORD (Ex. 7:1-5). God could have kept His people from ever being enslaved but then there would have been no need for deliverance. God had a plan to show His power and His character to the people of this world and deliverance would take place in His perfect timing.
Example of Samuel
We see many examples in the Bible of supposed “delay in deliverance” from the LORD. One example of this is when God chose Samuel and raised him up as a prophet and a priest. God had rejected Eli and his sons from the priesthood for their straying from the ways of God. The LORD chose to reveal Himself to Samuel and the Word of the LORD was given to him (1 Samuel 3:21). The LORD spoke to Samuel and Samuel would speak to the people of Israel (1 Samuel 4:1).
Immediately after the declaration that God appeared to His people and that He revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by His Word, the sons of Israel went off to war against the Philistines but lost. Then they decide to take the ark of the covenant with them but lost again. Eli’s two sons were killed in battle and the ark of the covenant was taken by the Philistines. Eli himself fell over and died when he heard the news and there was mourning in Israel (1 Samuel 4:1-22).
Why this great suffering after God appeared to His people and a new priest/prophet was made known to the people? Why wasn’t there immediate victory?
Judgement before Deliverance
God had told Eli through a prophet that both his sons would die for their wickedness on the same day (1 Samuel 2:34). God needed to bring judgement on the house of Eli and the priesthood. The children of Israel also were not walking with God at this time and God needed to purge them from their sin and wickedness.
At least twenty years would pass before God would deliver His people from the hand of the Philistines. Great judgement came upon the Philistines immediately after they took the ark of the covenant. They were stricken with tumors and God’s judgement was on the people wherever the ark went (1 Samuel 5). The Philistines sent the ark back to Israel on a wagon and it arrived at Beth Shemesh, an Israelite city. The Israelites were glad to receive the ark back, however, they did not treat the ark as holy and over 50,000 people were killed as a result of looking in the ark. The people of Beth Shemesh sent the ark to another Israelite city, Kiriath-Jearim (1 Samuel 6).
The ark remained at Kiriath-Jearim for twenty years. The Bible tells us that during this time the house of Israel lamented (or sought) after the LORD during these years (1 Samuel 7:2). It was only after this time period that Samuel spoke and called to the whole house of Israel to repent, put away their foreign Gods, and serve the LORD alone. Samuel promised that if they would do this then God would deliver them from the hand of the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:1-4). The children of Israel obeyed and listened to God through His prophet Samuel. It was shortly after this that God gave Israel a great victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:5-14).
God sent both Moses and Samuel to the Israelites at different times to deliver His people. In both circumstances God would execute great judgement before granting an even greater deliverance. God’s ways are higher than ours and we need to wait on Him and let Him provide the victory in His time.
Seek the LORD and Wait on Him
When God seems far from us we need to seek Him and wait on His deliverance. God hears the cries of His people. I would like to close with a few words from the prophet Isaiah:
Seek the LORD while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the LORD,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD.
‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
Any My thoughts then your thoughts.
–Isaiah 55:6-10
Shabbat Shalom!
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Torah Portion: Ex. 6:2 – Ex. 9:35
Hafatara: Ezek. 28:25 – Ezek. 29:21
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