January 20, 2024: Parashah Torah Portion Bo
This week’s Parashah Torah Portion Bo is taken from Exodus 10:1-13:16. Join Dr. Jeffery Myers, as he dives into this portion with the Israelites leaving Egypt, which in a spiritual sense, we too leave Egypt when Messiah saves us from our sins! And just like the Israelites had to leave Egypt in haste, we too are to leave our old ways behind us and turn to YESHUA quickly and fully!!
Follow along in the AUDIO PODCAST, by clicking on the play button below, and reading along with the notes, as you listen to today's Parashah Torah Portion:
Lion of Judah Speaks: Parashah Torah Portion Bo - Exodus 10:1-13:16:
In this portion of the Hebrews leaving Egypt, in a spiritual sense, we leave Egypt when Messiah saves us, that is what it means to be born again. As believers we are to leave or die to our old way of life and begin life again as new creatures. We have to leave our old ways behind us! Paul says in I Cor. 5:7-13, “Get rid of the old hametz, so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For our Pesach lamb, the Messiah, has been sacrificed. So let us celebrate the Seder not with leftover hametz, the hametz of wickedness and evil, but with the matzah of purity and truth. In my earlier letters I wrote you not to associate with people who engage in sexual immorality. I didn’t mean the sexually immoral people outside your community, or the greedy, or the thieves, or the idol-worshippers- for then you would have to leave the world altogether! No, what I wrote you was not to associate with anyone who is supposedly a brother but who also engages in sexual immorality, is greedy, worships idols, is abusive, gets drunk or steals. With such a person you shouldn’t even eat! For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Isn’t it those who are part of the community that you should be judging? Elohim will judge those who are outside. Just expel the evildoer from among yourselves.”
The old starter dough leaven represents our old way of life. It is sin, godlessness, bad company, bad habits, and all things that taint our lives. Just like an old culture of leavened starter dough, these things continue to leaven our lives from day to day, conforming us to our past.
Paul urges us to make a clean break with the old culture and to start over as a new batch, like unleavened bread! As they left Egypt they were leaving behind their old culture while they were in Egypt they had absorbed much of the wickedness and idolatry of Egyptian society. The unleavened bread symbolized a NEW BEGINNING! They were starting over!
As with us we were supposed to start over and as believers we are to die to our old way of life and leave all behind. Addiction counselors warn recovering addicts about falling back into old patterns. Addicts are at the greatest risk when they spend time with old friends and revisit familiar old hang-outs. To successfully overcome their addiction, it is important to BREAK with the past, CARVE OUT new patterns of behavior, and DEVELOP new healthy habits. It is the same for us, the leaven in our lives comes in a variety of disguises such as certain entertainments, amusements, vices, habits, and social circles. Paul suggests that it may lie in the wicked and malicious attitudes of our hearts.
Pesach is an opportune time to break with our past and start over with King Messiah. As an annual reminder of leaving the old culture, starting a new beginning, reminding us that we left Egypt (spiritually) and that we are free from the past so we are to set aside those things that continue to enslave us.
Adonai gave Egyptians and the children of Israel 10 plagues… the final plague was the death of the first born (Ex. 12:29-33). This last plague will strike at the very heart of Egypt breaking through Pharaoh’s hardened heart. Adonai passed over Egypt striking dead the firstborn of every family…even the firstborn of cattle. Since Pharaoh’s firstborn was heir to the throne of Egypt, he was alleged to be divine as well but his death proves Pharaoh’s mortality and helplessness before the True Elohim!
From our Messianic perspective, the imagery and implications of the Pesach are unmistakable. The Pesach lamb is the first sacrifice that Israel, as a nation, is commanded to give. The stakes are high…Death is coming to the land of Egypt! Even the Israelites in their midst will not be spared...Adonai is coming and will strike the firstborn of man and beast. It is a judgment from heaven, a terror in the night! The merits of innocence and guilt are not considered, faith and creed do not enter this equation, and the righteous will perish with the wicked. The previous plagues had shown particularity, sparing the Israelites in the midst of Egypt. However, the 10th plague will be completely impartial! Just as in life itself…death knows no boundaries. Only those with homes marked by blood of a lamb will be spared…had the Egyptians marked their homes they would have been spared as well!
The blood was the only criteria for salvation in this instance at least, the blood on the doorposts. Deut. 10:12-13 says, “So now, Israel, all that Adonai your Yah asks from you is to fear Adonai your Yah, follow all His ways, love Him and serve Adonai your Yah with all your heart and all your being; to obey, for your own good, the mitzvot and regulations of Adonai which I am giving you today.” What does it mean to walk in Elohim’s ways? It means we are to imitate the ways of Elohim, in as much as we are able. The commandment to imitate Elohim is one of the most fundamental principles of the life of faith. Yeshua expresses the idea in Matt. 5:45 as He encourages us to imitate Elohim, our Father, that we may be called the sons of Elohim.
Moses laments that even though Israel has experienced Elohim’s great salvation, seen His miracles, and experienced provisions in the wilderness…they still have not been “given a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear” (Deut. 29:4). Why after seeing all of this and experiencing Elohim in such a tangible and intimate way, be in need of reproof or warning at all? Why wouldn’t they just wholeheartedly follow Elohim? It is because their hearts are not WHOLE but like all human hearts, they are wayward. Moses pleads with them in Deut. 29:9 but knows that they will not listen and knows the malignancy of the human heart. What is needed? A new heart!
Ezekiel speaking to the chosen people at a time when they were about to experience the coming curses for their unfaithfulness, looks ahead to when Elohim would give the nation a new heart (Ez. 11:18-21). A heart of stone is stubborn! It is unable to be moved to love. Elohim is covenanting fidelity meaning quality of being, faithfulness or loyal as the original meaning dealing with deity. This conveys a sense of moral commitment or obligation to someone or something. A moral commitment should result in action. In other words, the heart of stone is unable to be circumcised! Conversely, the heart of flesh is pliable, a heart circumcised for faithfulness.
The new heart is able to repent and return in obedience! This can only come from a sovereign act of Elohim! Left to herself, Israel is without hope! Left to ourselves, we too are without hope! But Yeshua gave us the promise of forgiveness of sin and the promise of a new heart on which the Torah itself is written…our hope is in our Messiah (Jere. 31:33-34).
As we continue to turn back to the Father, we bring Him joy! The Torah teaches when Israel repents and returns to keeping the commandments of the Torah. Luke 15:7 says, “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance.” Elohim will rejoice over the nation just as He rejoiced over Abraham, Isaac, and Ya’akov! Deut. 30:9 tells us: “Adonai will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers.”
In these last days, let us allow Him to continue to write the Torah on our hearts. Let us be the example and witness to the world. Can I get an AMEN!
Shabbat Shalom Mishpocha,
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Have a great Sabbath. Lift up your voice and give Him praise! Allow Him to turn your heart of stone to one of flesh so that He may write His Torah upon it! He is calling you this Sabbath…will you answer? See you at the altar!
Shalom Aleichem