B’Shalach (When 'Pharaoh' Let Go)
4) Exodus 13:17-17:16
I am writing this from Colorado Springs where I am with some spiritual brothers and sons on a sort of fathering retreat called 10,000 Fathers Winter Summit. There are 23 men here going hard after sonship, husbanding, and fathering in pursuit of Relational depth for Kingdom breadth with God and each other. It is a sweet reunion and my heart is happy.
The parashah for this week is the 4th portion in Exodus and begins with God’s tip-of-the-spear deliverance from slavery—Pharaoh finally lets go. While there is a lot I want to share about this text, I am only going to focus on one verse and point you to the links at the bottom to go to the complete set of devotional commentary tools—all free—to guide you going deeper with God into His timeless word.
Let’s look briefly at the 3rd verse in this portion. Exodus 13:19, says,
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”
I want you to think chronologically with me through a series of Q&A’s.
Q: When is this event taking place?
A: Roughly 3,500 years ago. Exact dates are difficult to confirm but 3,500 years ago is a loose ballpark figure that is easy to remember for Moses and the Exodus.
Q: How old were the bones of Joseph that Moses must have dug up and carried with him out of Egypt?
A: Almost 4,000 years old. Egyptian slavery was about 400 years so again, we are loosely rounding for convenience and ease of remembrance.
Q: According to the text, how did Moses know to do this?
- Don’t skim over this, stop and look up at the text and let it soak in.
Q: How many years was this hope passed down from fathers to sons?
- Hint: subtract the numbers above.
Q: According to the text, what was Joseph’s hope?
A: “God will surely come to your aide.” Wait a minute. When Joseph was still alive, I thought everyone was living large? Joseph was large and in charge and his family was favored and fruitful. Joseph’s hope for God’s “aide” was like a baton of faith passed from generation to generation for about 400 years. That’s a long time to keep hope alive.
Those who follow God today must contend to keep hope alive.
Yeshua said that in the days leading up to His return, that hearts would grow cold.
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Mat. 24:12).
I contend to keep a soft, unoffended heart that loves others well. While I am far from perfect in maintaining a soft heart (especially when my children push my buttons!) I can say that my heart is soft and burns with hope for God’s coming restoration.
As we live in between the two comings of the Messiah, we too await and hope for “God’s aide” that will come with the Messiah’s final victory and righteous rule — the “restoration of all things.” Don’t let your heart grow cold. Don’t get distracted from this precious “hope in God’s aide” that will come with the return of the Messiah.
Joseph and Moses shared the same hope generations apart. The baton of faith must be passed from generation to generation. In Hebrew, this is called l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. Please pray with me for a fulfillment of the hope of the prophets as expressed in Malachi 4:5-6.
Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.
Pharaoh let the Israelites go out of slavery. The power of the enemy was similarly broken 2,000 years ago at the Messiah’s first coming. Let’s keep our hope alive for God’s aide in the return of the Messiah to fulfill the hopes of the prophets, to right every wrong, and to finally satisfy the deepest longings of every human heart. (Read more in this week’s portion which you can access below.)
Readings for the Week:
Torah: EXODUS 13:17–17:16
Prophets: JUDGES 4:4–5:31
Apostolic Writings: REVELATION 19:1–20:6
Click HERE for the online Parashah commentary.
Shalom,
Thomas