Genesis 6–7 highlights Noah’s righteousness and blamelessness in a corrupt world. Unlike his generation, Noah “walked with God,” demonstrating faith and obedience. His righteousness was not situational but consistent, rooted in his willingness to listen to God’s correction and fulfill His commands. This trust and humility set Noah apart, making him a vessel of God’s mercy and a model of faithfulness. This was a shadow of the coming Agent of Heaven’s mercy: Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus).
In this study of Torah reading וָאֵרָא Va’era (“I appeared,” Exodus 6:2–9:35), Pharaoh’s unyielding heart despite God’s plagues on Mitzraim (Egypt) foreshadows humanity’s futile rebellion against the authority of the Creator, as echoed in Revelation. Pharaoh’s “hardened” heart yields briefly with his son’s death, which challenged both his lineage and Egypt’s deities.
Pharaoh’s obstinacy is part of a prophetic role for Israel to bear witness to the global importance of God’s names El Shaddai and YHWH. That role, which reaches its fullness in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ), has come with persecution toward those who uphold the righteousness and sovereignty of the Creator.
It’s no coincidence that the freedom of Yisra’el from bondage in Mitzraim was accompanied by 10 plagues and the release of mankind on the coming Day of the LORD comes after seven plagues. Why such drastic measures are required to give people freedom is behind this week’s Torah portion, וָאֵרָא Va’era (“I appeared,” Exodus 6:2–9:35).
We’ve already explored how Yosef’s life parallels that of Yeshua the Messiah. In part 3 of this study of Genesis 42, we explore the another parallel in the ancient Egyptian name of Yosef (Joseph) and in the three days of imprisonment of his brothers.
We boast in our pride, we constantly demand our rights, we put our trust in our government to protect these rights, but we don’t ask God to protect us. Ya’akov (Jacob) needed to return to Beit ’El (Bethel) to fulfill the vow he had made to the LORD when he was fleeing from Esau.
God protected Ya’akov and his entourage from being pursued by those who would have wanted to take revenge on Ya’akov’s family for what happened in Shechem (Genesis 34). He put a great terror on those who wanted to pursue them and convinced them to leave them alone.
Abraham obeyed God and had himself and all the men in his household circumcised and they all agreed to do it, including Ishmael. In the flesh, there’s no reason for circumcision, but if you believe in God, there’s every reason for it. Actively trusting God’s words — called “faith” and “belief” — is what makes one righteous.
A number of Bible teachers as well as some popular movies and books teach that believers in Yeshua the Messiah will be “taken away” in the prophesied time of trouble preceding the Day of the LORD. Yet based on the teaching of the Messiah on the “days of Noah,” believers should pray that they aren’t “taken away.”