Parasha Bo
Exodus 10:1-13:16

By: Dani'el Rendelman

 

 

"Egypt rejoiced when they went," says Tehillim (Psalms) 105:38.  “This is comparable to a fat man who is riding on a donkey. The donkey longs: "O when will he get off me"; and the man longs: "O when will I get off the donkey." As soon as he gets off, the man is happy and the donkey is happy. Still I do not know: who is the happier?  So, too, when the Hebrews were in Egypt, and the plagues were befalling the Egyptians, the Egyptian were longing: "O when will the Yisraelites get out!" And the Yisraelites were longing: "O when will Yahweh redeem us!" As soon as they went out, both were happy.  Still, I did not know: which was the happier? Until King David came and said: "Egypt rejoiced when they went," says one Rabbi in Midrash Tehillim.

 

Perhaps the Egyptians wanted the Israelites to leave because Pharaoh had finally conceded defeat.  The Egyptian gods had failed.  The cataclysmic spiritual battle was finally over.  The white flag of surrender was being raised as Pharaoh himself was finally permitting the exodus to occur.  The Hebrews and their Elohim had prevailed.

 

The plagues against Egypt had culminated with the tragic killing of the firstborn.  The darkness of death had swept the land and mourning was just beginning.  “At midnight Yahweh struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.  Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Mitzrayim (Egypt), for there was not a house without someone dead.  During the night Pharaoh summoned Moshe and Aharon and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship Yahweh as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me,” Shemot 12:29-32.

 

This devastation of death had shattered Pharaoh’s hardened heart to pieces.  Yet this plague did more than just break Pharaoh’s will.  A great deal more had occurred than just the killing of the firstborn.  The tenth and final plague sent a resounding message to every home in the land.  The message of redemption was sounded where every firstborn Egyptian was slain and where every firstborn Hebrew was saved.  What was the message?  Yahweh is the only Elohim worthy to be worshipped.  It is a message that is to be remembered to this day.  “Bring to mind the former things, those of long ago; I am Elohim, and there is no other; I am Elohim, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please,” Yesha’yahu 46:9.

 

Worship war

Forget for a moment the war between America and Al Queda.  Stop to consider the battle between Yahweh and the gods of Mitzrayim (Egypt).  Their fight is over who controls Yisrael.  Their battle is over who does Yisrael acknowledge as Supreme.  In this week’s parasha, a worship war is being waged between tov (good) and evil.  Pharaoh wants to keep the Yisraelites in bondage to slavery, subjective to the false gods of Egypt.  Yahweh wants His people to be free to worship Him and Him alone in Spirit and in truth.  Just who is Elohim of Yisrael?  What took place between Egypt and Yisrael in the natural was reflective of what was actually taking place in the supernatural.  Yahweh was defeating the gods of Mitzrayim (Egypt).  Here are a few points of this battle to ponder:

 

Yahweh first wants His people to journey for three days to worship.

Pharaoh does not allow this, and calls the people lazy.

 

Yahweh desires an offering of sacrifice from Yisrael in a specific manner.

Pharaoh tells Yisrael to do it his way and just sacrifice while still in Mitzrayim. 

 

Yahweh seeks total obedience to His will.

Pharaoh releases the Hebrews but not their herds or flocks, so they cannot sacrifice in accordance to Yahweh’s will.

 

The war for Yisrael continues up until the tenth plague and finally a winner is declared.  A knockout punch is made to the gods of Mitzrayim by the mighty hand of Yahweh!  The winner is Yahweh Eloheynu.  “I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh,” said the Creator in Shemot 12:12.  Through the ten epidemics Yahweh Elohim brings judgment upon the elohim or gods of Egypt.  Does all this talk of “elohims” sound confusing?

 

“In any language other than Hebrew, the term “God” comes down to us through numerous pagan cultures and does not accurately represent the Eternal One of the Hebrew Scriptures.  Although perhaps you have probably come to know Him by the term “God,” for the sake of truth and clarity, you need to know that “god” is actually a word etymologically connected to pagan deities…the term you need to learn is Elohim,” wrote Avi Ben Mordechai in his book Messiah Volume Three.

 

“Elohim” is the plural Hebrew term found throughout the Bible for “gods.”  Most English Bibles translate this same Hebrew statement as “God,”  “god,” or “gods.”  While the Hebrew word Elohim is unchanged, the only difference in the English is the capitalization by the publisher.  This is because the Hebrew word “Elohim” is a general term used throughout the Scriptures to describe spiritual beings or “mighty ones.”  The Egyptians, for example, had many elohim or “gods.”  According to Strong’s Exhaustive Dictionary the word “elohim” carries with it the connotation of judgment and literally means “gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God; occasionally magistrates.”  Elohim comes from the root word prefix “El” meaning “strength; as an adjective mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):—God  or god, goodly, great, idol, might (-y one), power, strong.”  The term Elohim appears over 1,100 times in the Bible as a “title” describing Yahweh.   

 

Elohim versus elohim

The problem is that the Egyptians worshipped many elohim, or spiritual beings, including Pharaoh himself.  The majority of the Egyptians did not acknowledge nor worship Yahweh THE Elohim.  Remember the words Pharaoh spoke when Moshe first told him to let the Hebrews go… “Who is Yahweh that I should obey when he says to let Israel go?  I don’t know Yahweh, and I also won’t let Israel go.”  Well, Pharaoh and all of Egypt would soon find out exactly who Yahweh is.

 

The events of Shemot occur to share the fact that Yahweh is the Almighty El.  Mitzrayim and the world have many Elohim while Israel has the One true Elohim.  The elohim of Mitzrayim were defeated and Yahweh was proved the true Elohim in plain view of the world through the ten plagues.  “Who among the elohim is like you, O Yahweh?  Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?,” Shemot 15:11.  The Talmud teaches that the divine appellation of Elohim was “understood to denote His aspect of judgment while the name YHVH, denotes his aspect of mercy.”  With that in mind it is no surprise that Elohim judges the elohim with the plagues.

 

Here is a short list of some of the false Elohim that were judged by Yahweh.  This is just more proof that, “Elohim presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the “gods,” Tehillim 82:1.

 

                  

 

In the above chart you will find the name of Pharaoh many times.  Pharaoh was defeated when his own son was killed.  The ruler’s firstborn, literally considered to be “Elohim incarnate,” was just one of the various gods that were defeated.  “For Yahweh Eloheynu is Elohim of elohim and Adon of adons, the great EL, mighty and awesome,” says Devarim (Deuteronomy) 10:17.

 

Through the building up of the plagues and the culmination of the final affliction Yisrael is finally released to worship Yahweh.  Pharaoh no longer exhorts his supposed “control” over the Hebrews.  They are no longer subject to false Elohim of Mitzrayim.  They are free to worship Yahweh Elohim.  No wonder Yisrael was happy to leave.  Yet it wasn’t just the Hebrews who left the land of idolatry and paganism.  “A mixed multitude went up with them also,” says Shemot 12:38.  Many left Egypt and the elohim of Egypt behind.

 

The Egyptians were humiliated because their gods had been defeated.  They were also frightened that another plague would hit them if they held the Hebrews back.  They were happy to see the Yisraelites come and they were happy to see them go.  The Israelites were happy to go and the people of Mitzrayim were happy to let them go.  Who was happier?  Probably Yahweh was the happiest of all..