Tam.V I) Reading the Torah Portion Now It’S Time to Read the Torah Portion

3-Year The Torah Portion | Parashat #48 Torah Cycle Shemot (Reading 3 of 3) September 7, 2019 Parashat #48

tAm.v I) Reading the Torah Portion Now it’s time to read the Torah portion. You will get the most out of the Torah portion if you have a Shemot disciplined plan for approaching it each week. I suggest the following (although you may want to develop your own plan of attack). Prepare by having a pen and paper ready to take notes or by Exodus 4:14 – 6:1 having your computer ready. Read the Torah portion quickly just to get a bird’s-eye view of it and Isaiah 55:12-56:7 to gain a general understanding of its contents. Then read it again slowly and more contemplatively. As you read it, you should keep track of 1) changes in the main storyline (plots and subplots) of the Acts 7:35-37 text, 2) the introduction of new major themes you have not encountered heretofore and 3) connections to the main themes developed in the Torah portion. Keeping track of the major themes will provide you with thoughts to help you outline the passage later on. Recording changes in the storyline (subplots) will 1) help you more accurately interpret Scripture and 2) see connections to themes that may be repeated in the Haftarah and Apostolic readings.

I strongly recommend that when you study these lessons you have the following tools available. 1) A Bible [all references are based on the NKJV], 2) a printed copy of this lesson, 3) pen and paper [notebook preferred] where you can either write extra notes or complete answers to questions where the lines in this lesson are not enough space to write on, 4) an on-line version of the Bible. I suggest BibleGateway (https://www.biblegateway.com/). There are many instances where I will ask you to make a connection to some other passage. The BibleGateway app has an awesome SEARCH feature to find Bible passages. Also, once you find a passage you can use Control-F or Command-F (MAC users) to find words, numbers or phrases in the text on display. Lastly, as often as possible . . . have a partner studying with you! II) Outlining the Torah Portion

Now that you have read the Torah portion, it’s time to outline it. Try to divide the Torah portion into its major subject divisions. Please limit the outline to no more than seven major headings. Also, try to limit each subject division to a short phrase. In the chart below provide a brief phrase describing each significant change of events in the reading. Outlining will help you develop the skill of “seeing” the themes in the text.

II.

III.

IV.

VI. VII.

III) Torah Portion Discussion Questions

I have given you a number of questions to stimulate your thought about the Torah portion reading. My goal is two-fold. First, I want to ask you questions about what the Spirit has shown me are important lessons to learn from the Torah reading. Secondly, I want to help you develop the art of making thematic connections. This skill will develop as you practice, practice, practice. Furthermore, once you see the benefits of making thematic connections, I’m hoping that you believe that the language of thematic connections is Adonai’s “language.”

1. Sometimes you can find connections that are not so significant, but are connections, nonetheless. As I’ve said before, you should always meditate on passages and open yourself to the Spirit and ask Him to help you make thematic connections. Some will be not so significant. Some will be seemingly insignificant, yet important as He reveals more truth to you. And some will be epic! How many connections can you find between Exodus 4:14-17 and Genesis 45:12-13? ______2. What passage in our Torah reading gives us a great definition of the function of a prophet? ______3. What passage in the book of Exodus can be given to further strengthen our interpretation above that Moses is defining the role of prophet? This passage will also confirm that Aaron is a prophet. ______4. From previous lessons, we know that Joseph was a prophetic picture of Moses. Here is another connection between Joseph and Moses. How can we thematically connect Exodus 4:18 (So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”) to Joseph’s life when he was in Egypt? ______5. How is Exodus 4:22 (Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.”’) thematically connected to Hosea 11:1 and what is its significance? ______6. At this point you will need to put on your thematic thinking caps to really see what is being taught by the story of the Exodus. At its most basic LITERAL level I am going to give you a summary of what the story of the Exodus (only considering our current point in the book of Exodus) is about: A. The children of Israel have been chosen as recipients of God’s grace through their covenant relationship to Abraham. They are chosen to receive an abundance of grace and mercy because of their relationship with Abraham. B. Israel’s present circumstance does not reflect the reality of the grace and mercy they have obtained through relationship with Abraham. C. The people of Israel are slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. They are in total bondage to him. D. They have known nothing but slavery their entire lives. E. There is no way they can deliver themselves. F. They have no hope and are doomed to a life of slavery. G. Adonai has sent a deliverer, Moses, to deliver Israel from her slavery to Pharaoh so that they can serve their true master, Adonai. H. Pharaoh is resisting and will not allow the children of Israel to leave and serve her true master.

Copyright © 2019 Restoration of Torah Ministries. 2 This is our present situation and it forms the prophetic blueprint for everything we read in the New Testament about Adonai’s plan for our deliverance. So, as we continue, please keep the points above in mind so that you can make the connections to what you read in the New Testament. Next, I want you to remember important facts we learned in our study of the book of Genesis. Remember all the narratives we studied pertaining to how the Patriarchs’ wives were taken from them? Remember the prophetic significance of those events? Yes, they were all prophetic events showing how one day Israel, Adonai’s bride, would be taken from Him by Pharaoh (book of Exodus) and enslaved. We saw that the Patriarchs’ wives were prophetic pictures of Israel. The Patriarchs were prophetic pictures of Adonai. Therefore, who are Pharaoh (Genesis 12), Abimelech (Genesis 20 and Genesis 26), Laban (Genesis 28-31) and our current Pharaoh (Exodus 4) prophetic pictures of? ______

We already know that Moses is a prophetic picture of Yeshua. So, the picture of typology is complete. As we continue to study the Torah we will use our prophetic blueprint to relate what we’re reading in Exodus to what we see in the gospels and epistles. We are about to see how the events in the Exodus teach us about Yeshua’s work on the cross. 7. The Enmity of the Seed – We also saw the importance of Genesis 3:15 in interpreting Scripture. We saw that the seed of the woman represents all of those who keep Adonai’s commandments and have the testimony of Yeshua. However, the seed of the serpent is basically all the unsaved of the world who reject Adonai, His commandments and the Gospel. We learned that the seed of the serpent will always persecute and resist the seed of the woman. Therefore, it is always profitable to identify the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent as we study Scripture because the entire Bible is about the struggle between those two seeds! We know that Yeshua is the seed of the woman. Now let’s identify the seed of the serpent (the ones who persecute and try to kill the seed of the woman) in the Gospels. With whom do we see Yeshua (the seed of the woman) battling most of the time? ______

8. What Scriptures can you remember (from the Gospels) that clearly connect the Pharisees and religious leaders with the seed of the serpent? ______

IV) Messiah in the Parsha

In Luke 24:25-27 and 46-47 Yeshua stated that Moses, the Prophets and the Writings all prophesied of His death, burial and resurrection in three days. Therefore, we should expect to see teachings about Yeshua and His role in redemption throughout the Torah. In this section I will ask you questions that will hopefully help you “see” Messiah Yeshua in the Torah portion and sometimes the Haftarah reading as well. 1. What connections can you make between Exodus 4:19-20 (Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” 20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.) and what we read about Yeshua’s early childhood in the Gospels and what is its significance? ______

2. How is Exodus 4:22 (Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.) thematically connected to Matthew 2:19-21, and what is its significance?

3. In the previous section we discussed how Aaron was Moses’ prophet. We know that Moses was a prophet also. Look at the picture – Adonai has come to deliver His people and He has chosen two prophets who are related to help with this great deliverance. How is this thematically connected to what we read in the Gospels? ______

4. How many ways is Exodus 4:27 (And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.) thematically connected to how John the Baptist and Yeshua “met” in John 1? ______

5. What connection can you make regarding Moses and Aaron to John the Baptist and Yeshua regarding their ministry roles? ______

V) Making the Connection to the Haftarah Reading

I have listed a number of passages from the Haftarah reading that have thematic connections to the Torah portion. Your job is to find the thematic connections in the Torah portion. Although I may quote an entire verse or two from the Haftarah reading, you should focus most of your attention on the text that is bold and italicized. The bold and italicized text will contain the main theme or words that I want you to connect to the Torah portion. Once you have found a connection to the Haftarah verses, record the chapter and verse of the Torah text connection and write a brief sentence describing how the two passages are thematically connected.

1. How is Isaiah 55:12 (“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.) thematically connected to the Torah portion? ______2. How is Isaiah 55:13b (For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”) thematically connected to the Torah portion? ______3. How is Isaiah 56:1 (Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.) thematically connected to the Torah portion? ______4. How is Isaiah 56:4a (For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths . . .”) thematically connected to the Torah portion? ______Copyright © 2019 Restoration of Torah Ministries. 4 5. How is Isaiah 56:7 (Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”) thematically connected to the Torah portion? ______

VI) Making the Connection to the Apostolic Writings

I have listed a number of passages from the Apostolic reading that have thematic connections to the Torah portion. Your job is to find the thematic connections to the Torah portion. Although I may quote an entire verse or two from the Apostolic reading, you should focus most of your attention on the text that is bold and italicized. The bold and italicized text will contain the main theme or words that I want you to connect to the Torah portion. Once you have found a connection to the Apostolic verses, record the chapter and verse of the Torah text connection and write a brief sentence describing how the two passages are thematically connected.

1. How is Acts 7:36 (He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.) thematically connected to the Torah portion? ______

This crossword puzzle will cover basic facts about the Torah portion, Haftarah reading and Apostolic readings. The answers are based on the text from the New King James Version of the Bible and may contain phrases as well as individual words.

Let's get practical. The study of the Word is not complete until we are encouraged to think, speak and act differently. Our study of the Word should always involve personal application of the text to our lives. As I've heard it said before, Adonai's Word needs to go from our head to our hearts and then to our hands. Our lifelong journey is to become like our master, Yeshua, and this is only accomplished as we faithfully apply His Word to every aspect of our lives. Discipling Our Children What have you learned from this week’s Torah study that you can teach your children? Ø Write down what you learned that can and/or should be discussed with your children? Perhaps they need to know some of the facts covered in the crossword puzzle? o ______o ______o ______Ø Write down anything you learned that revealed bad habits or thought patterns in your children’s lives? o ______o ______o ______Ø Write down anything you learned that revealed good habits or thought patterns that your children need to be encouraged or strengthened in and grow in obedience to? o ______o ______o ______Ø Write down anything you learned that can be a topic of prayer for you and your children this week or permanently? o ______o ______o ______Discipling One Another Think about what you’ve studied in this week’s lesson. Ø Write down anything you learned that impacted you the most? o ______o ______o ______Ø Write down anything you learned that revealed bad habits or thought patterns you need to stop? o ______o ______o ______Ø Write down anything you learned that revealed good habits or thought patterns you need to be encouraged or strengthened in and grow in obedience to? o ______o ______o ______Ø Write down anything you learned that can be a topic of prayer for yourself, your family, your worship community, your neighborhood, the world or Adonai’s people at large? o ______Copyright © 2019 Restoration of Torah Ministries. 7 o ______o ______Just focus on one thing and talk to an accountability partner about it. Determine what you can DO over the next week (or more) in order to put what you’ve learned into practice. Make a commitment to someone else that you are going to seek to put some aspect of this week’s lesson into practice. ANSWER KEY Outlining the Torah Portion I. Exodus 4:14-17 – Aaron to be Moses’ Spokesperson II. Exodus 4:18-26 – Moses Returns to Egypt III. Exodus 4:27-31 – Moses’ Initial Arrival in Egypt IV. Exodus 5:1-5 – Moses’ First Request to Let the People Go V. Exodus 5:6-14 – The People Must Make Bricks Without Straw VI. Exodus 5:15-19 – The People Ask for Relief From Their Punishment VII. Exodus 5:20 – 6:1 – Moses and the People Complain About Their Punishment

Torah Portion Discussion Questions Answers 1. Answers: A. Both passages emphasize the mouth. B. In both passages a family member in Egypt is reunited with a family member who has been separated from him and living in a foreign land. C. In both passages there’s an emphasis on the mouth as a tool to convince others of something hard to believe. 2. Exodus 4:15-17 – 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” A prophet is one who speaks Adonai’s words to others. 3. Exodus 7:1 – So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.” 4. Two times, in Genesis 43:7 and Genesis 43:27, Joseph, who is separated from his family, wants to know if his father (a relative) is still alive in a foreign land. This is thematically connected to Moses wanting to know if his relatives who are living in a foreign land are alive or not. This is just one of many connections between Moses and Joseph. 5. Both passages mention that Israel is Adonai’s son and that He called His son, Israel, out of Egypt. The significance is that Adonai regards Israel as His firstborn son. Furthermore, we can now see that Moses’ life is a prophetic picture of the nation of Israel as well as the Messiah’s! This is a very subtle connection here. When I say that Moses’ life is a prophetic picture of Israel, this is typically within the context of Israel as “The Servant of the Lord.” In other words, as you read the prophetic writings (especially Isaiah) you will notice that sometimes the prophets speak of the nation of Israel as Israel, Adonai’s servant. However, sometimes when the prophets speak of the Servant of the Lord they are talking about Yeshua! Context will determine whether the Servant of the Lord is the nation of Israel or Yeshua. The point here is that when Moses is giving us a prophetic picture of Israel it may be that he’s giving us a prophetic picture of 1) the nation of Israel alone, 2) both Yeshua and the nation of Israel [as in the present discussion], or 3) Yeshua alone. 6. They are all prophetic pictures of hasatan, the devil, who has enslaved Adonai’s bride, Israel. 7. The Pharisees and religious leaders are the seed of the serpent! 8. Matthew 3:7 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Matthew 23:33 – Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? John 8:44 – You are of your father the Copyright © 2019 Restoration of Torah Ministries. 8 devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. Messiah in the Parsha Answers 1. Answers: A. In both passages someone had fled a land because someone wanted to kill them. B. In both passages the one wanting to kill the main character had died. C. In both passages the main character is commanded to return to where he lived before D. Moses is thematically connected to Yeshua because in both passages someone is trying to kill them. E. In one instance (Moses) he fled from Egypt to save his life, whereas for Yeshua, His parents fled to Egypt to spare His life. F. Once again, we see that Moses’ life is a prophetic picture/shadow of Yeshua’s life! Moses’ life teaches us that in the future, the Messiah will have to flee to a foreign land in order to save His life, but He will return once the threat to His life has passed. 2. In Matthew 2:19-21 we can see that Matthew has connected Moses’ life to Yeshua’s! In other words, Matthew wants us to see that Moses’ life is a prophetic picture of Yeshua’s life. The events in Moses’ life are a prophetic blueprint for the life of Messiah Yeshua. This is why we can know for a certainty (no matter what arguments anti-missionaries bring to us) that Yeshua is the promised Messiah! Because Yeshua fulfills the prophetic pattern established in the Tanakh! Remember John 5:46 (For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.)? The connection we just made between Matthew 2:19-22 and Exodus 4:22 is a perfect example of how, when Moses wrote about himself, he was actually writing about the Messiah. It’s all cryptic. It’s all hidden . . . but Adonai has given you and I eyes to see and ears to hear! Praise His Holy Name! 3. Adonai chose two prophets to speak to Israel at the time of the Messianic deliverance – John the Baptist and Yeshua. Both of these prophets were relatives (cousins). 4. John was baptizing in the wilderness. John 1:29 states that Yeshua went to see John. Therefore, they met in the wilderness just as Moses and Aaron did. Furthermore, just as Moses revealed his identity to John as the deliverer of Israel when they met in the wilderness, so likewise, it was revealed to John that Yeshua was the deliverer (the lamb of God) who would deliver Israel in the wilderness. 5. Moses was a prophet and Yeshua was a prophet. Aaron was a priest and John the Baptist was of the priestly lineage also. Haftarah Connection Answers Remember, we are in the Haftarahs of consolation, which began after Tish’a B’Av (8/11/19) and so the connections are more difficult to see because these Haftarah passages were chosen to be an encouragement leading up to the holy days!

1. Exodus 5:21 – And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” The connection is an opposite! The abhorrence in the Torah portion is the opposite of the joy expressed in the Torah portion. 2. Exodus 4:8-9 – “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.” Seven times our Torah portion mentions the word signs. 3. Exodus 4:30-31 – And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. Exodus 6:1 – Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” These passages express the hope that salvation is just around the corner. Copyright © 2019 Restoration of Torah Ministries. 9 4. Exodus 5:1 – Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” The Shabbat is the first of His feasts (Leviticus 23:1-3)! 5. Exodus 5:3 – So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” A contrast of the blessings of sacrificing to Adonai versus the curse of withholding sacrifice. Apostolic Reading Answers 1. This Torah portion records the first sign and wonder performed by Moses in Egypt.