Today’s Old Testament chronological reading is in Exodus 5 and 6.
The Psalms/ Proverbs reading is in Psalm 49.
The New Testament reading is in Mark 7.
Common theme.
And Pharaoh said: Who is YHVH, that I should hearken to His voice to let Israel go? I know not YHVH, and moreover I will not let Israel go. Exo 5:2
And Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed him, because of impatience of spirit, and their cruel bondage. Exo 6:9
And Moses spoke before YHVH, saying: Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? Exo 6:12
And it came to pass on the day when YHVH spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, {s} that YHVH spoke to Moses, saying: I am YHVH; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you. And Moses said before YHVH: Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me? {p} Exo 6:28-30
“Hearken” and “heed” is the same Hebrew root we have seen before, Strong’s H8085, shama, “to hear.” Hearing, we learned, is not merely receiving the audio into our ears only. We have only heard, when the audio inspires a corresponding action. Thus in English, “to hearken,” that is, to pay heed, is similar to the Hebrew shama, because when we have heeded what we have heard, there is a corresponding action.
Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world. Psa 49:1
There it is again, shama.
And when He had called all the people to Him, He said to them: Hearken to Me every one of you, and understand: Mar 7:14
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Mar 7:16
The Greek word is Strong’s G191, akouo, “to hear.” The translators of the Septuagint most often translated shama to akouo. So in all three readings, we see the same word and the same meaning. We also see failures to hear. What causes us to not hear the word YHVH is speaking?
For Pharaoh, it was pride (Exo 5:2). In his own culture he himself was considered the embodiment of the sun god Ra. He was god incarnate to his people. He knew the sun god, but did not know YHVH, therefore he dismissed Him and His words, thinking himself greater.
For the children of Israel, it was impatience of spirit (Exo 6:9), that is, anguish over their circumstance, having come to the end of their ability to cope. They had not yet learned to make a distinction between their present negative circumstance, and God’s ability to work His positive, hopeful redemption in it. He was teaching His children, as well as Pharaoh, to know who YHVH is, His name meaning the Redeemer of Israel.
For the boastful rich man who oppressed others, his failure to hear and understand again stemmed from pride, and deception because of it, that his riches would last forever (Psa 49:6-9), that he would never himself see destruction. But the psalmist had learned the lesson of Exodus:
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah Psa 49:15
For the scribes and Pharisees, it was again pride, hypocrisy, blindness; all coming from an uncircumcised heart far from the heart of YHVH.
He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. Mar 7:6
But the good news: our Savior is the Healer of deaf ears! And not just the natural ear only!
And they brought to Him one who was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought Him to put His hand upon him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers into his ears, and He spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightaway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. Mar 7:32-35
Links to previous studies.
Exo 4:18-6:1 Chiastic structure
Exo 4:27-6:1 Chiastic structure
Exo 4:27-6:9 Strong theme
Exo 5:2-6:9 Chiastic structure
Exo 6:2-3, The names of God
Exo 6:2-9 Chiastic structure
Exo 6:2-7:7 Chiastic structure
Exo 6:10-12, Circumcision and grace
Exo 6:10-30, Moses’ question and YHVH’s answer
Exo 6:13, The charge of YHVH
Psalm 49 Chiastic structure
Mark 7, Clean and unclean food
Mark 7 in harmony with the other gospels
Mark 7 Chiastic structure
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