Va’era (Exodus 6:2 – 9:35)
“Moses said this to the people of Israel. But they wouldn’t listen to him, because they were so discouraged, and their slavery was so cruel” (Exodus 6:9).
As Exodus 6 opens, the Lord appears to Moses and announces, אֲנִי ְהוָה, “I am the Lord.” He explains to Moses that to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob he appeared as אֵל שַׁדָּי, “God Almighty.” In rabbinic literature, the divine, personal name of the Lord, יהוה, is recognized as a revelation of the Lord’s compassion, mercy, love and justice; while God Almighty speaks to his power and provision. It is in these opening verses (Ex. 6:2-8) that the Lord again acknowledges the plight of his covenant people, and his plan to rescue and redeem them from the hands of the Egyptians. From the land of bondage, he will deliver them to the Promised Land, where the children of Israel will dwell in the inheritance promised to the patriarchs.
At the Lord’s direction, Moses takes this announcement to the children of Israel, but as the Torah recounts, “they wouldn’t listen to him” (Ex. 6:9). Why would they not listen? In Exodus 5, after Moses speaks to pharaoh, the harshness of the labor of the children of Israel only intensifies, it does not diminish (Ex. 5:6-23). After witnessing such an escalation, Moses boldly goes before the Lord and says, “For ever sense I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he had dealt terribly with this people! And you haven’t rescued your people at all” (Ex. 5:23). The Lord then responds, “Now you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand he will send them off; with force he will drive them from the land” (Ex. 6:1).
When we give close attention to the flow of the Torah narrative, we recognize that the Lord had a plan – one that involved an intensification of the pressure, before the promised relief. As they received the news of their coming deliverance, the children of Israel would not listen, in fact they could not listen, why? The Torah notes that they had become discouraged after receiving news of a deliverance that did not seem to come. Yet, the Torah gives a short visual explanation as to their hardness of ear. As the Torah says, מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ, Israel had “shortness of spirit/breath.”
We can understand מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ in two ways – 1) they were fatigued spiritually, and 2) they were fatigued physically (out of breath). It was this spiritual and physical fatigue that caused the children of Israel to not heed the words of Moses. The pressure of the bondage was so great that they gave up hope of ever being delivered.
The majority of the world’s population live with a daily struggle for the basic necessities of life – food, water and shelter. With the urgency of this reality ever-present, the thought of a better life, hope for a future change in circumstance, is a burden that many cannot assume. Still, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wants to speak into that circumstance, and he desires to ease that burden by giving those trusting in him the strength of body and spirit to overcome.
Israel didn’t know how they were going to overcome. The Lord, however, was not expecting them to overcome in themselves, but rather, in him. Psalm 105:37 reminds us, “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” Israel was powerless to overcome, but when they trusted in the Lord, he not only enriched their lives, he healed their fatigue of breath and spirit.
There is an old rabbinic proverb that says, “From the greatest pressure comes the greatest treasure.” The Lord knew when he sent Moses that Israel was fatigued in body and spirit – as it was the place that he needed them to be. We are unable to deliver ourselves from the harsh realities of this life, or the spiritual bondage that ensnares humanity. When we recognize our limitations we look for a Savior, a Deliverer. Messiah Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).
In these short verses we recognize that all humanity has something in common with the enslaved children of Israel – struggle and burden. Christ is the shelter from the burden and struggle. He takes the stress of the yoke upon himself, and gives us pause to breathe and learn from him. This is not just a rest for the body, but also our soul. How do we receive this rest? “Come to me” beckons Jesus.
Let us not lose hope for a different future, it is Christ who secures the future of those who believe on him. This hope from him will change how you live now, and how you experience what is to come, while we wait patiently for what will be. When you are faced with those daily struggles, stop, pray, and remember to breathe in the hope of Messiah.
Shalom;
Dr. J.D. Elwell