THE CALLING OF MOSES...from Torah portion Shemot (Ex 1:1 - 6:1)

"When the LORD saw that [Moses] had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!'
And Moses said, 'Here I am.'"
Exodus 3:4

Have you ever noticed that many of the men God called were shepherds? Think about this with me for just a moment. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all shepherds. Before David became king he too was a shepherd. And in reading Exodus 3:1 we see that Moses was tending the sheep of his father-in-law. It was during one of these times that Moses was leading the flock to the far side of the desert that he came to the mountain of God, Mount Horeb. He saw there a bush that was on fire but not consumed. With curiosity, he approached this strange sight.
Moses was being called out, not because he was any better than anyone else, not because he was holier, stronger, smarter, or more eloquent with words. Moses was being called out because he was ordinary, and God uses the ordinary. God uses the ordinary, and transforms them into the extra-ordinary. Moses didn’t see himself as anything special, and who knows that perhaps he was still dealing with the guilt of his sins while in Egypt. But his view of himself made him the perfect candidate for God to use and do something beyond his own thinking. Moses may have been just a shepherd, but God was purposing in him the ability to care for the sheep. God was using one who maybe even in some aspects had given up on himself, and He was about to use him to bring His people out of Egypt.
What beckoned Moses to the bush? Was it uncommon to think with the heat and dried up vegetation that a bush could not be on fire? Probably not in a desert. But what grabbed his attention was that the bush was on fire yet not consumed. So Moses approached the sight, as to investigate this rare occurrence.
From out of this fiery bush a voice called, “Moses, Moses.” Moses responded, perhaps with fear or timidity, “Here I am.” This response in the Hebrew is HINENI, translated literally as “Here I am, ready to listen, ready to respond, and ready to obey.” This same word is used in Genesis 22:1 when Abraham is paused from sacrificing Isaac. It is also used in Isaiah 6:8, when Isaiah responds to the question of who will be sent. Moses heard the voice from the unconsumed bush and replied “Hineni!” With this response, the voice continued, “Don’t come any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” I can almost picture Moses recklessly and speedily working to get his sandals off. Continuing on, the voice spoke. ”I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Notice that while God claims himself as the God of Moses’ forefathers, he also notes Himself as the God of Moses’ father, Amram, in saying He is the God of your [Moses’] father. Moses now covered his eyes as best he could, for he was standing in the presence of the one true God, and reverence for Him overtook him. God spoke, “I have seen how my people are being oppressed in Egypt and heard their cry for release from their slavemasters, because I know their pain.”
As God continued in His introduction and purpose, He called Moses out as the one who would go before Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Now I know for myself, if I was to hear these words, I would have a few questions. The first would be are you sure, and the second would be are you really sure? Maybe Moses handled it a little better than I would have in asking, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Isra’el out of Egypt?” But to this, God announced that He would be with Moses on this mission. Although that was welcomed, it didn’t answer all the questions. The Egyptians had many gods, all with their own supposed strengths. If Moses walked into this battlefield of redeeming God’s people, he needed to know more about God. To this Moses questioned, “Who should I tell them has sent me?” The answer was clear, “God said to Moses, ‘Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.’ God said further to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Isra’el: ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [ADONAI], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’”
So here is the question, the pondering moment of this devotional. When God calls us, how do we answer? Do we answer with a flippant "here," as if God is taking roll call? Or do we answer with "Hineni God! I am ready to listen, ready to respond, and ready to obey!" The rest may or may not come based on our response to His calling, but what exactly is your response?

VAYIGASH

“Then Ya’akov called for his sons and said, ‘Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the acharit-hayamim (last days).’”
Genesis 49:1

In Genesis 49, Jacob now calls for all his sons, and adopted sons, so that he may give his final blessings before passing away. This was a special time. This was the time when the father would give the double blessing out to the men in his clan, when he would pass the baton, and when the next generation would rise up. So with expectancy, Jacob’s sons came to his side to hear his final will and learn what would happen to them concerning the acharit-hayamim, the end of days.
While with each son a depth of their lineage can be traced and proved, I will only hit on key aspects. And so we begin with Reuben. Reuben was the firstborn son, and it was expected that he would receive the double portion. As Jacob had twelve sons, the tradition would be to split all the father’s possessions into thirteen segments in this case, and give Reuben two segments. Yet Reuben’s actions caused him to miss out on this blessing. Instead, Jacob addressed the fact of what he had done with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine and mother of Dan and Naphtali. This defilement so angered Jacob that he spoke of him being as unstable as water, poetically meaning that he lacked self-control. Let us then be warned of the dangers of sin when we recall the life of Reuben. So how did these words come to pass? In Numbers 16 it was Reuben’s tribe that joined in the rebellion of Korah the Levite, questioning the leadership of Moses and being swallowed by the earth. It was this same tribe that chose to not move forward but take land on the east side of the Jordan in Numbers 32. And it was this tribe who was sung about in Judges 5 as searching their hearts instead of engaging in the battle against Sisera. This single act of sleeping with his father’s concubine led the line of Reuben to not only miss the double portion, but live in instability. In R. H. Charles work titled, The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, according to the Book of Reuben 4:6-7, Reuben states while on his deathbed, “The sin of promiscuity is the pitfall of life, separating man from God and leading on toward idolatry, because it is the deceiver of the mind and the perceptions, and leads youths down to hell before their time. For promiscuity has destroyed many. Whether a man is old, well born, rich, or poor, he brings on himself disgrace among mankind and provides [the devil] with an opportunity to cause him to stumble.”
Next Jacob addressed Simeon and Levi, stating they were brothers. This is true, as they were both also born of Leah. But in this context what is meant is that they were two peas in a pod. They were always getting in trouble together, always seen together, and always hanging around each other. They thought like brothers. It was this mutual thinking that they would not be commended for as Jacob recalled the sin of murder they performed against the men of Shechem. These partners in crime received the word of being divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel. When later they received their inheritance in the Promise Land, Simeon received pockets of arid and barren land within Judah’s piece. Additionally, the numbers of this tribe decreased in each censes from 59,300 in Numbers 1, to 22,200 in Numbers 26. The leading cause is thought to be idolatry and plague as recorded in Numbers 25. Of Levi we also read of scattering as it was the Levities who would not be given specific land, but would rather have a portion of each to live off of as instructed by God. While having certain allotments and benefits may be a plus for the Levities, the tribe of Levi never had a place all their own, nor does even still today. But anger was their downfall, and of anger Paul warns us that we accomplish the deeds of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21), and James writes that anger does not achieve God’s righteousness (Jms 1:20).
To Judah the double portion is given, while not the birthright. I Chronicles 5:2 records that while Judah became the leader, Joseph received the birthright. As was custom, along with the additional blessing came the respect of all the brothers as leader. Since this was taken from the first three brothers based on their actions, the title of leader rested on Judah and was spoken of in stating, “Your brothers will acknowledge you” (Gen 49:8). Contrasting to the words of doom spoken to the first three brothers, the words to Judah are of blessing. Judah means praise, and here he was in essence being praised. It is also where we see the shortened version Jew, also giving way to leadership as the entire race was named after him. The greatest claim to fame for Judah, however, is seen in the words of the scepter not passing from him, for it is from this line that first King David rose and later our Savior, Yeshua himself. It was in Judah that people would obey, but this fact would be seen in all his descendants for it would be a kingly line. Yet let us not overlook the final words in this blessing over Judah that speak of his robes, his eyes, and his teeth, for they too depict for us an illustration of our savior.
Zebulun would live at the seashore. Four hundred plus years later this prophecy would be seen truthful as Joshua would allot to this tribe the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. This allowed for trading routes, in which Zebulun was heavily involved, and as was also declared on them by Moses in Deuteronomy 33:19, stating they shall take the abundance of the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand. It is awesome to see, though, all the pieces come together. Jacob spoke also that the border of Zebulun’s territory would be at Sidon. When Joshua divided the land, Sidon was not included in the piece given to Zebulun. In fact, it was not theirs until the tribe of Asher was unable to defeat remaining Canaanities and the tribe of Zebulun began attacking and defeating the Canaanities. This victory allowed them the land.
Of Issachar it is said he was a strong donkey. I am not sure we would read that as a complement these days, but the truth in these words in that Issachar was valuable, as were donkeys at this time. It was the donkey that carried the burden, and it was the donkey that would later carry the Messiah. But it was said that this donkey would bend his back to the burden and submit to forced labor (Gen 49:15). The idea here is that the tribe would be one to fight for what it had, preventing evil from coming in and stealing from it. This is seen in the account of the judge Tola in Judges 10 who led for twenty-three years as a brave leader. We see this idea again in I Chronicles 7 where the tribe was said to be valiant men of might in their families and generations. They were laborious, but also invincible in war, burden bearing, and valiant. Perhaps the best compliment for this tribe comes in I Chronicles 12:32 where they were spoken of as men understanding the times, knowing what Israel must do.
The name Daniel means ‘God is my judge’. The name Dan, however, means judgment. Who was the most famous descendant of this line? None other than the judge named Samson. It was through the Danites that the Philistines would find judgment. However, the tribe of Dan also shows a heavy reverting to idolatry, thus the spoken reference to the snake in Genesis 49:17. History shows in Judges 18 that the tribe of Dan grew tired of its allotted land and went looking for some place new. Scouts found the town of Laish and decided to conquer it. Six hundred men and one Levite from Ephraim, who brought with him a graven image, marched to Laish and defeated the town with ease. They named the town Dan and set up an image for themselves. In time, Dan became the cult center for idol worship. The final words over Dan by Jacob, however, are a prayer. “I wait for your deliverance, Adonai.” The idol worship of Dan would continue until its capture and only then, when the people were humbled, would things change. In time, true salvation would be found in the Messiah, but until then Jacob would wait in prayer for his son to see the way and stand as a strong pillar. Again looking at R. H. Charles’ fictitious work, The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, according to the Book of Dan 6:1-4, Dan admits, “and now fear the Lord, my children, be on guard against Satan and his spirits…The enemy is eager to trip up all who call on the Lord because he knows that on the day in which Israel trusts, the enemy’s kingdom will be brought to an end.”
Genesis 49:19 is concerning Gad, and Jacob jumps right to the point with one sentence. “Gad – a troop will troop on him, but he will troop on their heel.” This verse doesn’t seem to make sense, yet four of the six words in the Hebrew for this blessing are variants of Gad’s name. Gad means troop. So a troop will troop? Although written with the same words in English, in Hebrew it reads that a GADUWD (army) will GUWD (invade) him. In the end, however, Gad would GUWD them back. In this we piece together that Gad would be attacked but in the end would find victory. In Judges 10 we see this truth as for eighteen years the Philistines vexed the children of Israel before finally having their justice served. It was this constant state and declaration of war that kept the men of God ready with the faces of lions. Even Moses blessed the tribe of Gad, stating that they dwelled like a lion and tore the arm with the crown of the head (Dt 33:20). Although no one famous person in the Bible is shown to derive from the tribe of Gad, one main theme is. As stated in I Peter 5:8, we are to be ready at any moment for the enemy to attack us. He may indeed guwd us, but in the end we will be victorious and guwd his heel. The men of Gad acquired a warrior reputation just as the prophecy of Jacob suggested.
To Asher also Jacob is quick and to the point, stating that Asher’s food is rich, fit for a king. In saying little Jacob was stating that Asher would enjoy the rich products of the fertile land, teeming with items to sustain life, and find himself serving his food before royalty. While the sign for this tribe is a jewel, we should not also rule out that the richness may not be food, but also mining. The tribe of Asher failed to remove the Canaanite/Phoenican inhabitants once in their Promised section, though, and perhaps forewent their military capability. There is thought that based on the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 33:24, oil was present with the land of Asher, be this an idea of an oil such as olive oil or in the manner of Texas tea. In the end we read that Asher will be blessed, despite the precious form.
To finish Jacob’s list of one-liners we find Naphtali. The words from his father again are to the point, declaring Naphtali as a doe set free, bearing beautiful fawns. The term ‘doe set free’ is also translated as hind. In Psalm 18:33, David speaks of having hind’s feet when escaping his enemy. As David ran from his pursuers, so Naphtali would run from his hunters, but run also with the word of God. Beautiful fawns seem to be symbolism for beautiful words. And consider this. The region of Naphtali’s inheritance included Galilee, where in Matthew 4:13-15 Yeshua picks out a few of His disciples. Could it be that these men sharing the good news were in some way related to Naphtali’s tribe? These feet, or hind, are beautiful according to Romans 10:15, for with them comes the Good News.
The final two sons to be blessed are the sons of Rachel, with Joseph receiving the lengthier of the two. Joseph is a fruitful plant by a spring with growth climbing over the wall. What is being said here is that Joseph is fruitful, and living with excess in all he does. When evil comes it is no concern to Joseph as he has already learned to follow God. Writers have found that some words spoken over Joseph are parallel with those spoken concerning the Messiah. The first parallel is in Joseph being his father’s favorite. Other parallels consist of being sold for money, withstanding temptation, and rebirthing as Joseph was raised to life after prison while Yeshua was brought to life after the grave. Still, Jacob goes on to say that although Joseph was attacked, his bow is taut and arms are nimble because of God’s hand. In other words, the harm his brothers and Potiphar’s wife meant were for God’s glory. In verses 25-26 the word bless/blessing is found six times, showing us that God did have more in store for Joseph. And as we have already reviewed, the double portion reserved for the firstborn was split up between Judah and Joseph, giving Judah the leadership and Joseph the two spots of land for Ephraim and Manasseh. If nothing else can be learned from Joseph, let us leave with the truth that with a life of humility God is able to promote us.
Lastly, let us look at the son named Benjamin. Of this son Jacob stated he was a ravenous wolf, devouring his prey in the morning and dividing the spoil in the evening. Benjamin would go forward with the characteristic of a vicious warrior. One instance of this warrior wolf-like character is found in Judges 3. Ehud, a Benjamite, was a fearless warrior who alone assassinated Eglon the Moabite king for oppressing Israel. Other warriors would rise and carry on in the declaration made by Jacob. And finally we know of King Saul coming from the tribe of Benjamin. He too would rise up with his army to attack as a wolf those who opposed the people of God.
So now, after looking at all the sons of Jacob, you may wonder why it is so. I beg you to keep in mind that the word of God always comes to pass. These blessings and rebukes were passed from God, to Jacob, then spoken over the sons. These words held within them life or death. And each one of these words came to pass. So then, the question comes to mind. What has been spoken by God over you? His word for you will come about, and His blessing or rebuke will follow you and your line. Let it be true of us that we found favor in His eyes and as such, received His blessing

VAYIGASH...Genesis 47:28 - 50:26