The parasha for this Shabbat is entitled Vaera, meaning “…and I appeared” and covers Exodus chapters six through nine. God tells Moses that whereas He had appeared to the Patriarchs by the title El Shaddai, God Almighty, the Lord was now making Himself known to Moses and Israel by His personal name – a name we have long since lost the knowledge to pronounce correctly. It is comprised of just four letters, yod, hay, vav, hay – which is why it is referred to as the Tetragrammaton (from Gr. ????? meaning “four” and ????????? meaning “letter”). Some pronounce it Jehovah, which demonstrates the failure to distinguish between a k’tiv (what is written) and a Q’ere (what is vocalized) – you need to know how to read Masoretic symbols to make the distinction. Besides which, Jehovah is a linguistic improbability in Hebrew, owing to the lack of a hard “J” sound. Some pronounce it Yahweh which is speculative at best. The Jewish people long ago determined to not risk mispronouncing the sacred name and though it is still written in Scripture as yod, hay, vav, hay, is spoken aloud as “Adonai” – Lord. I personally don’t think we should get worked up about how others choose to pronounce God’s name, but some groups arrogantly think they’re the only ones who know how to do so.
In chapter six, Adonai assures Moses that He has not forgotten the covenant He made with the Patriarchs, to give the land of Canaan to their descendants, nor is He oblivious to the terrible oppression the sons of Israel have suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. Adonai sends Moses to announce to them that He will accomplish their deliverance from Egypt, and will bring them into the Promised Land. Moses goes and announces it, but the people, we are told, are in a state of such despondency that they refuse to listen or to believe him. It was immaterial – God was going to deliver His people whether they believed it or not, and so He sends Moses to Pharaoh.
Suddenly, in the midst of the narrativ we are presented with a genealogy – a genealogy focused primarily on the tribe of Levi and two particular individuals from that tribe: Moses and Aaron. Why suddenly a genealogy? Simple: you want to establish the credentials of the man who is about to lead the entire nation and author the foundational five books of the Bible, and you want to establish the credentials of the man who will supervise the religious life of the entire nation. In ancient Israel, you didn’t get to square one without proving proper ancestral lineage.
In chapter seven God tells Moses without any ambiguity that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that Pharaoh will refuse to let Israel go, and it will give God the opportunity to display His signs and wonders in Egypt. The idea that God hardens a man’s heart and then judges him may make some people uncomfortable, but we’re told why it would be this way: And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst (7:5). In fact, so undeniable would be God’s authority over all the false gods, that when our people left Egypt, a multitude of non-Israelis accompanied us (12:38). We need to take to heart that when God judges, it is often with a redemptive purpose. Egyptians will one day worship the Lord side-by-side with Israelis (Isaiah 19:16-25)!
Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh (at ages 80 and 83, respectively [7:7]!). Aaron throws down his staff and it becomes a serpent, but Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate the sign, so Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. Counterfeit miracles? Yes – so don’t be impressed just because you see supernatural signs. Listen to what is being proclaimed, and make sure it is in keeping with the Scriptures, and that the one performing the miracle is a genuine servant of God and is of good character. The next day Moses and Aaron confront him again in the name of the Lord, and Aaron’s staff is waved over the Nile and the water of the Nile turns to blood! But again, Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the sign, and again he hardens his heart. They waved the staff over the rivers and reservoirs as well, and all the water turned to blood. All the fish died, and the Nile became foul. Seven days later.
In chapter eight, Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh again, demanding in the name of the Lord that he let God’s people go. Pharaoh refuses, and the land is smitten with frogs everywhere – in the house, on the bed, even in the oven. The magicians were also able to make frogs, which at this point didn’t ingratiate them with their master. Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron, promising that if they will entreat the Lord to remove the frogs, he will let Israel go. Moses even allows Pharaoh to name the time for it to happen, so that he might know it was from the Lord. And sure enough, at that very time all the frogs (except for those in the Nile) die out and disappear. But Pharaoh hardens his heart again.
And so it continues, chapters eight and nine chronicling five more plagues: gnats, swarms of insects, the death of Egypt’s cattle, horrible sores on the skin of the Egyptians, hail destroying both crops and what little livestock remained- each time Pharaoh promising to let Israel go if the plague would only be removed, and then hardening his heart and reneging on his word once God removed it. Pharaoh bears culpability for the great suffering of the Egyptian people. Had he humbled himself before the God of Israel, there might have been blessings instead of plagues.
One of the most startling truths brought out in this passage of Scripture is our capacity as fallen human beings to harden our hearts and dismiss evidence before our very eyes. Miracles rarely produce faith. The person who is dedicated to unbelief will always manage to find an alternative explanation. I don’t doubt that Pharaoh rationalized away the sudden conclusion of each plague as circumstantial.
There was an ad executive who was running late for a make-it-or-break-it deal with a large firm. Millions of dollars, not to mention his job, hinged on landing this account, but there wasn’t a parking space anywhere to be found, and time was running out. Finally, in desperation, he looks up and cries out, “God, I promise if you’ll just give me a parking space right now, I will give up the drinking and partying and will go back to church!” At that very instant – right in front of the very building he was going to, a parking space opens up. He looks up and says, “Nevermind, I found one.”
May we learn from Egypt’s painful object lesson that Adonai alone is God, and all the gods of the people are idols. May we have the wisdom to give Him the glory due Him. May all the Earth come to acknowledge Him as Lord. May it not require plagues to bring us and our friends and loved ones to a saving knowledge of God and of Messiah Yeshua.
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