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A key lesson of Torah reading יִתְרוֹ Yitro (“Jethro,” Exodus 18:1–20:23) is we all have our own house of bondage (old life), and we all have our own house of freedom (life reborn through Heaven’s merciful reset). We celebrate this journey every year at Passover.
Exodus 19: Who am I? What is my identity?
To explain what the commonwealth of Israel, think of it as an entity similar to the modern British commonwealth. When the United Kingdom granted its colonies their independence, many of them chose to remain in a commonwealth relationship with the United Kingdom, with the British monarch as their head of state while still having their own identity and political independence.
Israel is:
- “a kingdom of priests”; “a royal priesthood” (Exodus 19:3–8; 1Peter 2:9–10)
- “My son, My first-born” (Ex. 4:22–23; Hos. 11:1) “sons [and daughters] of God through faith in Messiah Yeshua” (Gal. 3:26)
- “children of God” (1John 2:28–3:5)
Sometimes Israel have been a good witness and sometimes they have been a bad witness. Even when God had to correct them through exiles, God was still with them. One of the key witnesses out of Israel is the Messiah Yeshua, the Anointed One. The Messiah is the Only Begotten Son of God.
The only reason that Israel is set apart and holy in any way is because God made them holy. He appointed them.
Exodus 20: Sinai + Spirit = new covenant = new birth
The starting point is the new heart (thoughts) directed by Sinai and new spirit (desires) powered by God’s Spirit. The Sinai component condemns, and instructs, but by itself, it can do nothing by destroy. It’s only when the law is understood and practice in the Spirit that it produces life in us. We have to allow God to give us a new heart and new desires, otherwise we stagnate, and stagnant water is dead water.
Our destination and path is to know the Holy One and to have new life without the stain (guilt) of sins (mistakes), transgressions (willful disobedience) and iniquity (rebellion). In science fiction, they have teleporters, which scan a person and move them from one point to another, but these teleporters must intimately know everything about the person, not only on a molecular level but a spiritual one. While that’s impossible for machines and other people, that is how God actually knows us.
When we follow this way, the result should be a walk in the way of righteousness, which means we are to walk as the Messiah walked. It does NOT mean that Yeshua followed what was right and rejected what was wrong so we wouldn’t have to do so.
These are memorialized in the annual festivals of Pesakh (Passover), Matzot (Unleavened Bread) and Shavuot (Pentecost).
Who is the Holy One?
Moses’ encounter at the Burning Bush (Exodus 3) was a foreshadowing of what would happen later in Exodus 20. Both happened in the exact same location, which is Mt. Horeb. In both incidents, there was a large fire which did not consume the burning item. In both cases, the area was declared holy ground and one could only approach when invited to do so and they would approach with fear and trepidation.
Moses started out leading sheep but when he returned, he was leading a large multitude of men, women and children. Before Yeshua told the Pharisees that He and the Father were One, He revealed Himself as the Good Shepherd. The Lord lead the people out of Egypt and they did not lack anything. We see this in Deuteronomy when we are told that their clothes and shoes did not wear out for 40 years, and they were sustained miraculously with manna and water for all that time, too.
What is a good name?
Yitro not only heard about what God did for Israel “through the grapevine” but directly from the testimony of Moses, his son-in-law.
| Horizontal relationship (human to human) | Principle | Vertical relationship (Heaven & humanity) |
|---|---|---|
| 6. Shall not murder (20:13) | Remember Adonai | 1. I am Adonai; have no other gods (20:2–3) |
| 7. Shall not commit adultery (20:14) | Protect important relationships | 2. Shall not make for yourself an idol (20:4–6) |
| 8. Shall not steal/kidnap (20:15) | Protect property (reputation) | 3. Shall not … take His name in vain (20:7) |
| 9. Shall not testify falsely (20:16) | Guard Heaven’s testimony | 4. Remember the Shabbat (20:8–11) |
| 10. Shall not covet (20:17) | Remember where your blessings originate | 5. Honor your father and your mother (20:12) |
All of us to one degree or another have been dealt a bad hand, but the question sis what to do about it? You can either stop or have faith in God to carry you forward through whatever you need to endure. The martyrs endured many horrible things yet they moved forward in faith in God. A resilient person is not someone who is never knocked down, a resilient person is one who gets back up.
As St. John Maximovitch said, “God’s grace always assists a struggler, but this does not mean that a struggler is always in the position of a victor. What is important is not victory or the position of a victor but rather the labor of striving towards God and devotion to Him. Though a man may be found in a weak state, that does not at all mean that he has been abandoned by God.”
| Burning bush (Exodus 3–4) | Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) |
|---|---|
| I am Adonai of your father. I will free you from Mitzraim. | 1. I am Adonai your Elohim Who has taken you out of Mitzraim. |
| “I will be with you.” I will bring you to Myself and take you into the land. | 2. Have no other elohim but Me. (Cling to Me) |
| Empathy: “I have surely seen the affliction of My people” | 3. Respect My name (reputation as the Empathizer of Israel/world) |
| Staff to snake, hand to leprosy, water to blood: Signs that Adonai reigns over life and death. | 4. Shabbat as a sign of Adonai as Creator and holy-maker. |
| “Who has made man’s mouth…?” (You have what you need.) | 5. Honor your parents who have given you all you need in life. |
In Canada, the government has started a concerted campaign to tell people that their lives are not worth living and that they should either kill themselves or ask a medical professional to kill them.3 That is a blatant disregard for the image of God that resides in every human being.
Following God produces freedom and we are told to protect that. Following HaSatan produces despair and slavery and we are called upon to oppose that. When the Kingdom of Israel separated from the Kingdom of Judah, they not only separated politically but spiritually. Israel set up a new liturgical calendar, celebrating the feasts a month after the feasts that God established in the Torah. This is why God tells them through Isaiah that God hated their feasts and their fasts.
St. Basil the Great said, “True fasting lies in rejecting evil, holding one’s tongue, suppressing one’s hatred and banishing one’s lust, evil words, lying and betrayal of vows.” The majority of those in both Israel and Judah did not keep the fasts, the feasts and the sacrifices to repent of their sins and reject evil. They presented them without understanding of the real purpose of them, treating God like a vending machine that if you use the right coin, you get the result you want. They didn’t want to stop sinning. They wanted an encounter, not a relationship. They were rattled but not changed. Unfortunately, we see a similar thing with the people who were at the base of Mt. Sinai, who initially said “whatever you say we will do” and then did not obey Him at all. They heard what God said but did not put it into practice.
Summary: Tammy
- Hat tip: David Fohrman, “Why are the Ten Commandments so important?” AlephBeta.org ↩︎