B’shallach: When He Let Go
Shemot (Exo) 13:17 – 17:16
Shoftim (Judges) 4:4 – 5:31
Matthew 5:1-48; 14:24-27; Luke 12:15-32; John 6:15-71; 19:31-37; Acts 7:36; Hebrews 11:29; Rom 9:15-23; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; 2 Cor 8:1-15; Revelation 2:17; 12:10-17; 15:1-4
Ever wonder – how in the world I ended up in this trouble and how can I find my way out? All I can do is cry out to YHWH for help! Hoshiyana – save me now! Abba, I’m listening! Somebody tell me how I can make it out of this mess! Somebody tell me what to do!
Two Voices at the Red Sea Crossing
At their wit’s end, all the children of Israel wanted to do was groan, some complained, and others wanted to rebel and turn themselves back over to the enemy. Even Moses must have turned to YHWH to cry to Him for what to do, for this is how Elohim responded:
“Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the children of Israel, and let them pull up.” Exodus 14:15
YHWH turned Moshe around, for now, was not the time for prayer and supplication – now was the time to be the voice of leadership to call the children of Israel to action.
What lesson is here for us? Sometimes there’s a time to pray humbly before the Throne of Grace to entreat the Almighty Elohim, not demanding, but submitting to the Master’s voice as a bondservant. Other times, He calls His leaders to speak to an oppressed people to rise up trusting YHWH and to stand at the King’s attention for further direction.
So when the enemy’s been hardened, wants us back under his control, and comes hard after us to enslave us to destroy our freedom, for the way out, what voice do we listen to?
Like the children of Israel in the wilderness, one day multitudes will be in the Valley of Decision, having to make life-or-death decisions on which one of two voices to act upon:
- The voice of complaint and unbelief. It calls for us to rebel against what Elohim is saying, to return to slavery to a sinful world, lest we die in the wilderness.
Then they said to Moses, “Were there no graves in Egypt, that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What is this you have done to us, to bring us out from Egypt? Is this not the word which we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Go away from us, and let us serve the Egyptians.’ For it is good for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:11-12
2. The voice of the spoken Word. This voice will call us to remember (Zakhar) – to act and speak on behalf of the Torah of Moshe (Mal 4:4) without the fear of man.
And Moshe said unto the people, “Fear not, stand still, and see the Alef Tav-Yeshuat YHWH, Who will work for you today; for the Mitsrayim (Egyptians) whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. YHWH will fight for you, and you be silent.” Exodus 14:13-14
Moses tells the children of Israel to stop the voice of grumbling and complaining; stop the voice of doubt and unbelief; stop the voice calling for their leader to go away; and stop the voice calling for a return to miserable Mitsrayim! Stop, be quiet and listen.
The voice of their leader commanded them to fear not but to trust in YHWH. The voice of Moses prophesied that YHWH would fight for them and that the enemy army would be seen no more. Herein is the voice we are challenged to shema – hear, trust, and obey:
The Trustworthy Name of Yeshua
In Moses’ words of prophecy (Exodus 14:13), we can hear him speaking the Alef Tav and the mighty Name of Yeshua, spelled: Yod, Sheen, Vav, and Ayin. What do these picture?
The Alef-Tav is a strong sign that this Yeshuat YHWH was the One Whom Yeshua declared Himself to be three times in the Book of the Revelation of Adonai Yeshua. The Alef Tav pictures in paleo-Hebrew – a powerful sign of the covenant that He is faithful to from the beginning to the end. He is the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
He is the Word comprised of all letters of the Alephbet – from the Alef to the Tav.
The Living Word is the Prophet that Moses said to listen to – the Prophet Who would be like him (Deuteronomy 18:15).
I shall raise up a Prophet to them from among their brothers, one like you; and I will put My Words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him. And it shall be, whoever will not listen to My Words which He shall speak in My Name, I will require it at his hand.
Deuteronomy 18:18-19
To pray and to speak in the Name of Yeshua YHWH is to invoke to the hearer the same power of the same Mighty God that Moses invoked that day. Everything we do and say is to be in the Name of Yeshua (Col 3:17). The mighty Name of Yeshua is pictured here in the paleo-Hebrew in the context of the children of Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea:
- Yod: The powerful, working hand of YHWH, the right arm of This mighty hand pulled the wheels off the chariots so they’d drag hard to the bottom of the sea.
- Sheen: The all-consuming fire – the glory cloud that shone bright and stood between Israel and Pharaoh’s army to defend them and to keep them separated.
- Wow (Vav): The Wow Man nailed! A threshold covenant had been made by applying the blood of the slain lamb upon the doorposts. The Wow Man is tight with His people – we have a secure relationship with the Almighty Elohim by the Lamb of God.
- Ayin: The watchful eye of a shepherd watching over his sheep. Yeshua had an eye on all the predators Pharaoh and his bunch were up to – nothing escapes His notice.
From His Word of deliverance to the children of Israel, we find the faith that the voice of Yeshua by His Spirit is trustworthy and carries all the authority of YHWH Elohim:
- Yod: One of the most common words of encouragement I share with those who see no way out of their dire straits in life is that the Yod of Yeshuat YHWH, the hand of Yah, is always working on our behalf. His Yod fights to turn what’s evil around for the good. Stand still, hang in there, Yah is working, even when we don’t see His hand.
- Sheen: Hear the fiery voice of the Spirit of Yeshua that He loves and cares for His people with an on-fire passion for His bride! Another common word we speak to encourage the downtrodden is that Yeshuat YHWH loves you more than you know!
- Wow (Vav): We can trust the voice of the Wow Man, Who laid His life down for us and is clenched like a nail to His people. He will never leave us, nor forsake us.
- Ayin: We can trust the voice of the Good Shepherd Who always watches over us, for He never slumbers nor sleeps. Yeshua is the Mighty God, our Defender Who will not allow any predator to sneak past Him to pluck His child out of the Father’s hand.
Walk the Talk!
A cool story in the Gospels talks about wind/ru’ach upon the waters, cries of fear, a stretched-out hand, the voice of authority, and Yeshua walking, yes walking upon the sea. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and YHWH swept the sea… Exo 14:21 The Hebrew word translated as ‘swept’ is ‘halak,’ where we get our English word ‘walk’. Yeshua YHWH walked back to the sea to divide it, turning it into dry land to cross.
Knowing how Yeshua delivered His people at the Red Sea crossing, you will see the Messiah living out and fulfilling the Torah when reading the account of Him walking on water in Matthew 14:24-33. Yeshua walked, ‘Halak’, on the stormy, terrifying waters of a sea.
Walking on water by faith, Peter walked the talk of Yeshua, but fear started sinking him. Yet Yeshua was merciful and stretched out His hand to Peter when his faith faltered.
Trust His voice to be merciful! When we’re in big trouble, where there seems to be no way out and our enemies are about to destroy us, we are to turn our ear to the merciful voice of our Savior saying:
“Be of good cheer! I AM! Do not fear.” Matthew 14:27
Walk the talk! He is the same Living Word that said,
“Fear not, stand still” Exodus 14:13
Therefore, put on the whole armor of Elohim, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13
Et-Yeshuat YHWH is still fighting our battles for us today! He speaks to us to be quiet, stand still, and trust Him that He’ll destroy our enemies and deliver us out of dire straits.
Believe Him for the day when we stand on the other side praising Yah Who saves! The women will be playing timbrels and dancing! We will rejoice in YHWH for saving us from our enemies’ all-out attempt to bring us back into slavery, or to just outright slaughter us. When all of Israel is saved, Israel will exalt their Mighty God, the Deliverer – King Yeshua!
YHWH is my strength and song of praise, and He has become to me Yeshuah (Salvation); He is Eliy (my God), and I will praise Him; Elohei Aviy (my Father is God), and I will exalt Him! Exodus 15:2
May our voices not be of complaint and unbelief, but of thanksgiving and praise to Yah!
Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
To Him Who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
To Him Who smote Mitsrayim in their firstborn: for His mercy endures forever:
And brought out Yisra’el from among them: for His mercy endures forever:
With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for His mercy endures forever.
To Him Who divided the Red Sea into parts: for His mercy endures forever:
And made Yisra’el to pass through the midst of it: for His mercy endures forever:
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea: for His mercy endures forever.
To Him Who led His people through the wilderness: for Hhis mercy endures forever.
Tehillim (Psalms) 136:1-4; 10-16
Shema: hear, trust, and obey the voice of Yeshua, for He is forever merciful to us!
Be blessed beholding Alef Tav-Yeshua YHWH,
David