Exo 13:17-15:26
Hebrew paragraph divisions:
13:17-22 {p} God led them Himself in a pillar of cloud and fire
14:1-14 {p} Pharaoh pursues Israel
14:15-25 {p} Red Sea divided; Israel goes through on dry ground
14:26-31 {p} YHVH overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea
15:1 {s} Sing to YHVH, for He has triumphed gloriously!
15:2 {s} YHVH has become my salvation
15:3 {s} YHVH is a man of war
15:4 {s} He has cast Pharaoh’s army into the sea
15:5 {s} The depths of the sea have covered them
15:6 {s} YHVH’s right hand glorious in power, He has dashed the enemy in pieces
15:7 {s} YHVH overthrew His enemy by the greatness of His power
15:8 {s} YHVH made the waters stand upright
15:9 {s} The enemy said, I will pursue and destroy them
15:10 {s} YHVH made the waters cover them
15:11 {s} Who is like YHVH, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
15:12 {s} YHVH’s right hand caused the earth to swallow them
15:13 {s} In mercy YHVH has led forth His people whom He has redeemed
15:14 {s} Philistia will be in anguish
15:15 {s} Edom, Moab and Canaan will be dismayed
15:16 {s} They will be in dread till the redeemed of Israel pass over
15:17 {s} YHVH will plant Israel in His established place
15:18 {s} YHVH shall reign forever and ever
15:19 {p} Egyptians drowned in the sea, but Israel went on dry land in the sea
15:20-21 {s} Sing to YHVH, for He has triumphed gloriously!
15:22-26 {s} Israel complained of no water, but the waters of Marah (bitterness) made sweet
Messiah continues to leap out from the pages of Exodus.
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried unto YHVH; and YHVH showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Exo 15:23-25
The Hebrew word for “tree” is Strong’s H6086, a tree, wood, plank, or gallows. The same word is used in the Torah command which Paul quotes in Gal 3:13,
Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree; from Deu 21:23
The tree is the cross, which turns our bitterness into sweetness.
Exo 15:27-16:36
15:27-16:3 {s} Israel complained of no bread
16:4-10 {p} YHVH will provide bread from heaven
16:11-27 {s} YHVH provides manna, institutes Sabbath rest
16:28-36 {p} Sabbath rest is YHVH’s commandment/ memorial of manna
In Exodus chapter 16, YHVH teaches Israel Sabbath rest with bread from heaven. Remember that Sabbath rest is the first teacher of the Gospel of grace from Torah.
Yeshua answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent.” They said therefore unto Him, “What sign do You show us then, that we may see, and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Yeshua said unto them, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Moses did not give you that bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven, and gives life unto the world.” Then said they unto Him, “Lord, give us this bread evermore.” And Yeshua said unto them, “I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger; and he that believes on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, that you also have seen Me, and believe not. All who the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and he that comes to Me I will in no way cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the Father’s will who has sent Me, that of all who He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise them up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that every one who sees the Son, and believes on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Joh 6:29-40
Exo 17:1-16
17:1-7 {p} Water from the rock at Massah and Meribah
17:8-13 {p} Amalek fought with Israel, but Joshua defeated Amalek
17:14-16 {p} YHVH will have war with Amalek from generation to generation
There are two amazing prophecies of Messiah Yeshua in this small section of Scripture.
“Behold, I will stand before you there upon the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exo 17:6
First, YHVH says, that He “will stand before you there upon the rock.” YHVH’s presence was there on the rock when Moses struck it so that water would come forth for the people. Could this be why Paul singled out this incident to say,
Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Messiah. 1 Cor 10:1-4
The history that happened was the provision of natural drink, the application Paul makes is the provision of spiritual drink. The message of the miracle is that it is the presence of YHVH Himself which gives living water to His people, just as Yeshua also said,
Yeshua answered and said unto her, “Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Joh 4:13-14
The second has to do with Israel’s war with Amalek.
Because YHVH has sworn, that YHVH will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Exo 17:16
Amalek’s territory was not close by the wilderness in which Israel was camping. They weren’t in any imminent threat of being attacked by Israel. They had to travel some distance to get to Israel to attack them.
Furthermore, we see from our passage that Amalek did not confront the men of war head on. Rather, he laid in wait to ambush the most vulnerable of the children of Israel, the young, old, or weak among them that were straggling at the rear.
This is always the tactic of God’s enemy Satan. He goes after the most vulnerable, the youngest or weakest in a family or community. He lies in wait to strike, and sets traps and snares. He does not confront the men of war head on. As we go through Scripture, we see that God cares for the weak, vulnerable, and oppressed. Amalek, on the other hand, lies in wait to kill the weak, vulnerable and oppressed.
Amalek shows up prominently in another place in the Scriptures. Haman, in the book of Esther, who worked to have the entire race of the Jews destroyed in Persia, is a descendant of Amalek!
We have seen from the beginning, that of the two brothers, Cain and Abel, Cain was counted as unrighteous and Abel as righteous. Of the two brothers, Ishmael and Isaac, Ishmael was not chosen heir to Abraham’s promise and covenant with God, while Isaac was. Of the two brothers, Esau and Jacob, Esau was hated, and Jacob loved—by election, Paul teaches us, for God favored Jacob over Esau from their mother’s womb.
And not only this; but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him who calls;) it was said unto her, ‘The elder shall serve the younger.’ Rom 9:10-12
In fact, of Esau, YHVH said, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau I hated;” Mal 1:2-3.
What is it about Esau that YHVH hates? He is the continuation of the line of those who have refused YHVH as their God. He despised his birthright, which was the inheritance of Abraham, including his promise and covenant with God. His desire was to kill his favored and righteous brother Jacob, just as Cain killed his favored and righteous brother Abel. Now Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Gen 36:12).
Because God says He will have war with Amalek from generation to generation, we can conclude that Amalek is the spiritual heir of Cain, Ishmael, and Esau. All who do not fear God from generation to generation, all who, like God’s enemy, lie in wait to ambush the vulnerable and weak, are Amalek’s seed, upon whom YHVH will make war until his remembrance is utterly blotted out from under heaven.
Joshua, which is the Anglicized form of his Hebrew name, Yeshua, defeated Amalek—this is history that prophecies of Messiah.
EXODUS 13:17-17:16 ANNUAL BESHALACH “WHEN HE LET GO” OUTLINE | EXODUS in CHIASTIC STRUCTURE
FINDING MESSIAH in TORAH: A MESSIANIC DISCOVERY THROUGH the TORAH PORTIONS
THE LAW of LOVE: THE GOSPEL of GRACE REVEALED in the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
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