14th Portion
[7-13 Jan 2023]
Theme of the Book of Exodus:
About pursuing the instructions in order that we can build a dwelling place for Yeshua.
Meaning of "vaera" = "I appeared"
This week's Torah portions:
Sunday: Exodus 6:2-13
Monday: Exodus 6:14-28
Tuesday: Exodus 6:29-7:7
Wednesday: Exodus 7:8-8:10
Thursday: Exodus 8:11-22
Friday: Exodus 8:23-9:16
Shabbat: Exodus 9:17-35 & Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
Apostolic Writings:
Romans 9:14-23
Daily Bread for Busy Moms portions:
2 Samuel 13-18
Psalms 80-86
Luke 9-12
This is the 14th portion in the Torah reading cycle and the 2nd one of the book of Exodus.
This parashat is a special one for us as a family! As per the custom (explained in detail in this blog), the Torah portion that's read on the date of someone's birth - is linked to your destiny in life. And as mentioned in the initial blog post in which I shared that I'll be doing the Torah Readings as blog posts this cycle - I have NEVER met a person who's Torah portion didn't fit them to a T! God is a God of immense detail!
So why is this specific portion then so special to us as a family? It's because it's Ruahné's portion / the portion that was read the week when she was born!
Remember that the Hebrew calendar has 12/13 months (each consisting of 29/30 days depending on the moon). The Hebrew calendar does not work like the Gregorian calendar (Jan - Dec) which the world follows. Thus in the previous reading cycle 2021/2022, Parashat Vaera was read in the week of 31 Dec 2021. And in the 2022/2023 reading cycle - it's read the week of 15-22 Jan 2023.
We are super excited to see how Abba will mold her to step boldly into her calling to fulfill His destiny for her life! How fortunate are we to be able to play a role in this journey of hers!
This parashat we get to a turning point. Up until now, we discussed the fact that Abba has a redemption plan for us as individuals but also for the body of believers as a whole. From last week's portion we know that we all have a God-given destiny!
In this parashat, God revealed Himself to Moses and broke open to Moses what this redemption plan is all about!
We read about 7 promises regarding the redemption plan:
1. God said He would take the Israelites out of Egypt.
2. God said that He would deliver the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt.
3. God said that He would redeem the Israelites with an outstretched arm.
4. God said: "I will take you to be a people for Myself."
These 4 promises are accustomed to be part of the traditional Pesach / Pass Over meal. Which is so profound when we come to understand the Biblical essence of Pesach / Pass Over.
But the promises don't stop there! There are 3 more promises!
5. God furthermore said: "I will be a God unto you."
6. God said that He would then take the Israelites into the Promised Land.
7. God said that He would give the Promised Land to the Israelites as their inheritance.
THIS is the complete plan of salvation! All seven of the promises and not only number 1-4.
It's not only about getting out of Egypt and slavery (spiritual bondage)! And to become part God's people. He has so much more instore for us! Which often times we miss out on!
Many people when they come to faith and accept Yeshua (Jesus) as their Saviour. They stop there. But God doesn't only want us to be free. He wants us to have life and life in abundance! He wants us to walk into the destiny He has instore for each one of us. That's where promises 5-7 comes in! He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to enter the Promises Land a.k.a. walk into the callings He has for each one of us.
How sad is it that so many of us live our entire lives saved (promises 1-4) but never enter into our callings (promises 5-7). When we walk in relationship with Abba, we can enter into our callings. And as a result of our covenant with Him - we will receive an inheritance. Not only for ourselves, but for the generations to come!
Inheritance is not only about the current generation. But it's intended to bless many generations that's to come. That's the heart of the God we serve! Through one person many can be blessed. We see the proof of that in Scripture over and over again!
Through Moses - Abba laid out His entire redemption plan for the Israelites. If we only focus on the first part, we loose out on so much that Abba has in store for us! Abba wants to build a dwelling place for Him to dwell amongst us. Just like the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, so our bodies today are the temple. The place where God wants to dwell.
In this portion we read how Moses and Aaron went to the Pharaoh and told him to let the people go. And we repeatedly read how Pharaoh refused to let them go. We then also read about the plagues that came over Egypt. These plagues were directed against the Egyptian gods who kept the Israelites in slavery.
I.e. they prayed to the Nile, so the Nile turned into blood. They worshipped themselves and their bodies, so their bodies became full of lice, etc. God sent plagues based on the gods the Egyptians served.
Regardless of all the plagues, Pharaoh was still unwilling to let the Israelites go.
The biggest form of worship in Egypt was the worship of Pharaoh himself. Thus Pharaoh felt untouchable. Despite the plagues that have come, he was still fine. He saw himself as the ultimate god in Egypt and his heart was hardened.
This parashat starts and ends with the Israelites being in bondage. There's a redemption plan for all of us which includes (but is not limited) for us to be set free from our bondage.
Before breakthrough was able to take place for the Israelites in Egypt, judgement had to take place. And the judgement had to come over the gods of Egypt so that everyone would realise how much bigger God is than all the gods of Egypt.
From this portion we can thus learn that the point is not simply to get our from underneath slavery. But to also enter our own freedom. Freedom from the things which kept us in bondage.
The Israelites weren't free when they moved out of Egypt. They were free after they have entered their promised land! Lilkewise, we are not free when we are delivered from our spiritual slavery. Real freedom lies within entering into the promises of God - entering into the promised land (the promises He has) for your life and experiencing and living in that inheritance.
We are only living in the fullness of Abba's redemption plan for our lives - when the promises which He spoke over our lives - start to produce a continual never-ending harvest!
To get to live in the spiritual harvest, we have to judge the things of the flesh and get out of slavery. The things/gods to which the flesh bow down to are the things which we need to get rid of if we want to enter into our promised land!
The theme of this parashat can be concluded that Abba does not only want to free us from Egypt, but He also wants to lead us into an inheritance! But to get to that inheritance, we need to allow Abba to bring His judgement over our lives and judge the things which we value and honour more than we value and honour Him. Those things have become gods in our lives and we need to get rid of them if we want to enter into our inheritance.
Abba is a righteous God! His ways are just and fair!
God allowed Pharaoh's heart to be hardened. So that He (God) would be glorified through it!
It wasn't His wish that the Pharaoh would harden his heart. But we are all made with a free will. God is Almighty and He can use circumstances which are not in line with His wishes for us (for Pharaoh in in this case) to still bring glory unto Him!
Just like God allowed Pharaoh's heart to be hardened. He also allowed the Jews' hearts to be hardened. Once again this wasn't His wish but they had a free will. But as a result the gentiles (us) now have the opportunity to be grafted in as God's people. And thus just like in the time of Moses, God use it so that His Name could be glorified!
Just like the Pharaoh and the Israelites had a choice to harden their hearts or not... We today also have a choice! And we need to make the choice to allow Abba's judgement (theme of Vaera) in our lives so that we can enter into the promised land and the inheritance which He has in store for us!
God is the Potter and we are the clay. He has a destiny for each one of us. But we have to make the choice to follow Him and allow Him to complete His work in us!
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Portion 14: Vaera (This blog you are reading now)
