Parshat Bo

        Parashat BO

Exodus 10:1 – 13:16

Please pray this prayer

before reading

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah, (Jesus Christ)

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

 The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parashat

This Torah portion is the fifteen in the cycle, it is called Bo, which means to come referring to the first verse: Then יהוה said to Moses, come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart.

The Torah says that when the CREATOR made this request of Moses, the two of them were in Egypt, which means that even in the midst of our darkness Yahweh is there. No matter how deeply involve we are in our own Egypt, our source of restriction, according to the Esh Kodesh, a unique channel opens up each year on the Sabbath of Bo thanks to Messiyah Yahushua who act as a conduits for the CREATOR. By offering insights into the nature of revelation and by providing the service as Messiyah Yahushua our High Priest who sits at the Right Hand of ABBA YAHVEH. The Torah portion of Bo and the Sabbath gives us access to Light when we most need it.

This portion like all the others, the CREATOR will revealed to us the Light of the Word only according to our level of Spiritual Maturity or what I called our days of Creation. Which means that the CREATOR’S role in our lives is limited only by our ability to accept it or come to Him?

The CREATOR is revealing HIMSELF to us at all times. Moses knew this, Jerimiyah knew this, which is why they sought out the Thorn Bush on the mountain, and Jeremyah saw the rod of an almond tree. Because Jeremiyah saw well, YAHVEH hasten HIS Word to perform it.

When we truly believe the CREATOR is being revealed to us right where we are, HE will revealed HIMSELF  to us, much the same way HE hasten to revealed to Moses and Jeremiyah.

Now that we understand our limitation, why do we continue to ignore our limitation? The reason is simple, through our selfish ego, our self-serving actions stand in the way, creating a stumbling block between our me first mentality and a shift in spiritual consciousness. We can see the trees but not the forest, we cannot see through the darkned-glass. Instead of seeing the CREATOR in all things we see ourselves.

As believer who are experiencing the sixth days of Creation, on the first day we learn the all important lesson, to recognize light from darkness, meaning that the recognizing of falsehood is as crucial as seeing the Truth. We must also remember that everything in the spiritual realm is a revelation of the Light of the CREATOR, which remind us that we need to make an all important distinction between physical desire and spiritual desire.

As human we are a network of desires. Our desires for pleasure and acceptance for example are physical. When we feel the desire to be accepted by our piers, we rightly think of this as our own desire. The error most believers make is applying the same to understanding to spiritual desires; we believe that when the desire to pray or fast that this is our own desire. It is not! Our desires are the manifestation of the dominant program of our mind. Is it the program of the selfish desires of the flesh or is it the bestowing desire of the Holy Spirit.

The fulfilling of any physical desires involves three steps: one, the desire, two we act on the desire, three we succeed in satisfying the desire. In Spiritual matters steps one in never ours. It always come from the CREATOR. Just like Moses and Jeremiyah the desire comes from the CREATOR, the burning bush and the Almond tree.

Our desires comes to us in the form of feelings. For those of us who are not yet mature, it is not HIS Word HE put in our mouth, it is HIS Desire that HE place within our mind, through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

One of the lessons of this portion is that even though the CREATOR can be found in all things, the decision to seek HIM lies exclusively with us. To accomplish this, we have to make a change in our spiritual consciousness. We achieve this when we acknowledge that every thought, every situation hold a potential revelation from the CREATOR.

In this Parasha, the climax of Moses’ mission is impending. The last three plague, the desire to sanctify the New Moon which establish the Spiritual calendar, the light governing Passover, and the sanctification of the first born are about to be revealed to Moses.

The first plague in this Parasha, that of Locusts, introduces a new element; EL YAHVEH tells Moses that He intends to make a mockery of Egypt by putting to rest the pride, the presumptuousness of Pharaoh and his cohorts, so that not only Egypt, but even the Children of Yisrael would know that EL YAHVEH, is MELECK in all the World.

The inclusion of the Children of Yisrael in this Parasha is to prove that even believers are often not perfect in their faith.

Exo 10:1  And יהוה  said to Mosheh, ‘Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, so that I show these signs of Mine before him, - Moses was to come to Pharaoh with the eight finger of the Mighty Hand of YAHVEH and warned him of the impending eight plague. This message was also to Pharaoh Cabinet, those who advise him, those who had not yet turn away from him, those who still support his hardness of heart.

                                                                                        

Exo 10:2 and that you relate in the hearing of your son and your son’s son what I have done in Mitsrayim, and My signs which I have done among them. And you shall know that I am יהוה .” – This incident became a text book lesson for humanity that EL YAHVEH is not an alof Creator, but the Master of the Universe every day. This verse encapsulates the very essence of that concept, for it tells Yisrael that the miracle of the exodus; and to teach future generation that EL YAHVEH can toy with the most powerful kingdom at will, by making a mockery of them.

Exo 10:3 And Mosheh and Aharon came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus said יהוה  Elohim of the Heḇrews, ‘Till when shall you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they serve Me. – Over and over again the same lesson is been taught to us. That when one of the Mighty Hand, the Fivefold ministry speaks they must say “thus said EL YAHVEH.” This will always force us to speak the truth.

You Pharaoh have seen My total control of the elements and the atmosphere, upon which your very life is dependent, but you maintain your obstinacy. Reason apparently has no effect on you. Consequently, the way to break your stubbornness may be through attrition, by subjecting you to a succession of plague.

The key to repentance and righteousness is submissiveness before EL YAHVEH. Because Pharaoh was pridefull, he could not see the truth and would not bow to the Divine Will. He paid the price for his arrogance by having his country devastated and his army eventually drowned in the Red Sea.

The CREATOR revealed HIMSELF to us according to how much we are aware that HE is being revealed to us, which means that יהוה  role in our lives is limited only by or ignorance or faith. In truth, HE is revealing to us all the time. Moses was mature enough to know this, that is why he sought out the burning bush on the mountain. If we truly believe ABBA YAHVEH is being revealed to us right now, much the same way HE revealed HIMSELF to Moses.

Then why don’t we just put aside our ignorant, now that we know it is our unbelief? The reason is simple, though deeply rooted: Our ego stand in the way as a stumbling block between us and this life change paradise. We cannot replace ignorance with the certainty of the CREATOR because we cannot see through the darkness we draw to ourselves through our will to receive for selfish egotistical reasons.   Instead of seeing the CREATOR in all things, we see how can I be gratified myself in it.

How can we develop this vital aspect of our spiritual eyes. First, there are only two existences: Light and darkness, meaning that recognizing falsehood is as crucial as seeing the truth. Secondly, we must realize that everything is of a spiritual nature is a revelation of the light of the CREATOR, which reminds us that we need to make an all important distinction between physical desire and a spiritual desire.

Our desire for food for example is physical. When we feel the urge to eat an apple, that desire was created in our mind by our five senses. The mistake we often make is applying this same principle to our spiritual desire; we believe that when we have the desire to pray or to share that this desire is our own. Fulfilling any desire involves a three step process: first, the desire is awakened within us, then we act on it, and finally we succeed in accomplishing whatever satisfies that desire. We need to be aware that when it comes to spiritual desire, the first step is not ours; it comes from the Holy Spirit. I woke up this morning and wanted to pray, not because I desire it but because the Holy Spirit came to me this morning, just as He did to the prophets of old and just as He is doing to you and me today.

Although most of us do not have visions like those of the prophets of old, eventually with the help of the Holy Spirit, we may. In the meantime, our vision comes in the form of feelings. To the prophets, the CREATOR said, “I will put my Words in your mouth.” For those of us who are not prophets, it is not יהוה who place his words in our mouth, it is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that will led us into all truth, even of things to come.

Daniel the prophet acknowledges this when he said, “I saw the vision, and those who were with me did not, yet suddenly they became afraid.” Emotion is a lower level of revelation, which is why it was the experience of those around Daniel, who were not as spiritually mature as he was.

When we become aware of this truth and own it, we see that not one morning goes by without the Spirit of the Creators coming to us and saying here is MY Desire for you today; your job is to pat attention so we do not miss the Creators manifestation. The true secrets of the Torah are the personal revelation the Spirit of the Creators awakens in each of us each day. Every individual has a different revelation of the Light of the Creators while reading or studying the Torah under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, depending on the level of spiritual maturity.

After every spiritual exercise, we should take a moment or two to ask ourselves whether we grasp all of the spiritual benefits associated with that experience. This allows the awareness that everything is from the Spirit of the Creators, and it is there to bring us to maturity. When I ask what the Spirit of Understand has to say about the Torah portion Bo, this is not my thought, it is the Spirit of the Creators asking me to focus on the Spirit of Understand as I read HIS Words.

One of the lessons of this Torah Portion is that although the CREATOR can be found in all things, the decision to look for HIM lies in our mind. To do so, we have to make a shift in consciousness. When we learn to acknowledge that every thought has a spiritual nature, it is a direct revelation from ABBA YAHVEH, we will begin to rise to the level of the prophets.

How we think about our feelings or desires also affect how much certainty we have, which in turn determines if those feelings reveals the Light of the Creator. If we have a feeling and act on it, but we are not sure whether this is the CREATOR’S impulse or our own, darkness can enter our lives. If we are not sure, we can still choose to awaken the power of certainty, for if we realize that every feeling of awakening comes directly from the Soirit of the Creators, and then there is no opening for doubt. We can encourage this awakening consciousness within ourselves, not only for our own good, but for the good of others.

In any situation that the Holy Spirit is in, we have the ability to reveal and receive Light beyond our ordinary capacity, even when that capacity is enhanced by our awareness of the presence of the CREATOR. We have already seen an example of this: When we study Torah on our own, we can receive a certain revelation of the Light, but when we study together with others in unity, we can experience a new level of awakening, well beyond our individual understanding. When we teach others for the purpose of releasing the Light of the Word in them, the Holy Spirit cement that word in us.

The revelation of given to a teacher come in three level. First is the teacher Understanding, second is the teacher Knowledge and third is the teacher wisdom. Understand is first of all personal. Knowledge is the impartation of understanding, and wisdom is the exercise of knowledge. If we think that we are the one doing the teaching, we are in darkness, robbing the student and ourselves of the chance at additional light.

Torah teaches us in Malachi 2:7  for the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of YAHVEH of TSEBAOTE. This verse tells us that when we take on the task of teaching spiritual lessons, that YAHVEH reveals HIS Wisdom through us. We can become angels, messengers, if we have the correct spirit when we teach, at least for the time that we are teaching. We can elevate ourselves this way because what we are doing is not for ourselves. In the Torah portion of Shemot, ABBA YAHVEH gave Moses the ability to speak clearly while giving voice to prophecy, but when Moses was not speaking on ABBA YAHVEH’S behalf, his speech impediment returned.

Exo 10:4 ‘Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, see, tomorrow I am bringing locusts within your borders. -  We also see an example of Deuteronomy here 28:15 “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of YAHVEH thy EL, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16 Cursed sall you be in the city, and cursed sall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and thy store. 18  Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy family, and the flocks of your sheep. 19 Cursed sall you be when you come in, and cursed sall you be when you goes out. ”

Exo 10:5 ‘And they shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one is able to see the land. And they shall eat the rest of what has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. – The progressive nature of the Plague is been described in this verse. What the first plague target is not the same as the objective of the eight plagues. The Egyptian gods that was been destroyed by the first plague is not the same god that is now been made to submit to EL YAHVEH. The systematic destruction of the deity’s in our lives is not a one-day activity; it depends on the different level of infestation.

This verse also describes the various steps spiritual warfare should take. After every booth of counseling, the counselor should go back to the counselee as Moses did to Pharaoh and say thus says YAHVEH, this is what is left to be done. Sometime the counselee might even harden their heart against the process, but a wise counselor like Moses, would know what to do.

Exo 10:6 ‘And they shall fill your houses, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Mitsrites, which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh. – From a counseling point of view, the infestation of one person in a family will have dire consequence on the entire family or organization. What Pharaoh is been told here that the spirit over him will affect the whole country of Egypt? There is a spiritual hierarchy as there are physical levels of authority.

Exo 10:7 And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “Till when would this one be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they serve יהוה  their Elohim. Do you not yet know that Mitsrayim is destroyed?” – If we continue to hang on to our sins, to our bad habits, there will be consequence to our action. Sometime the mirror to our soul is those who are right beside us. Yet too often we get upset if someone would dare to mention that we have a blemish on our character. Yet the best feedback is from those who are closest to us. I make it a policy to ask my friends to tell me about me, good or bad. I would sit down and objectively listen, then I would go to my Heavenly Father and ask Him is there any truth to this. This is the process of sacrificing my animal nature, objectively. When we learn to judge ourselves, we cannot be judge by anyone else.

Exo 10:8 And Mosheh and Aharon were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve יהוה  your Elohim. Who are the ones that are going? – From a counseling point of view, the counselee may want to know which one of their character flaw the counselor wants to deal with. Which one do you want to remove! For too long that person would have lived and even feel comfortable with those demons. It is time to let them go, in order for the unsaved person to receive their blessings. But like Pharaoh many want to continue holding on to that which have served them for so long.

Exo 10:9 And Mosheh said, “We are going with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we are going, for we have a festival to יהוה .” – Passover is around the corner, the world do not celebrate it. As believer we must insist that everyone in our household celebrate this very important event. It is EL YAHVEH Festival not ours!

Exo 10:10 And he said to them, “Let יהוה  be with you as I let you and your little ones go! Watch, for evil is before your face! -  Pharaoh answers them sarcastically, your evil intent will follow you, you are not telling me the truth, you are not planning on returning. This is the old ploy of blaiming the victime. A good defense is a strong offense.

Exo 10:11 “Not so! You men go now, and serve יהוה , for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from the presence of Pharaoh. – You want the opportunity to worship, then go! However, you have no reason to take your children that is why you will not be returning.

Exo 10:12 And יהוה  said to Mosheh, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Mitsrayim for the locusts to come upon the land of Mitsrayim, and eat every plant of the land – all that the hail has left.” – From a counseling perspective, it is the Mighty Hand of EL YAHVEH the office of: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher that will help the individual come to maturity. It is our purpose to go into all the world, that what it mean to stretch our your hand.

When we stretch forth our hand there will be a consequence. When we go tell the world about our Lord and Savior, and they do not accept Him, some form of plague wills befalls those who refused. Trials cannot take place until the Word goes out. One of the reason why the world is not been judge is because believers refused to do their jobs, yet still they pray. Let thy kingdom come.

Exo 10:13 And Mosheh stretched out his rod over the land of Mitsrayim, and יהוה  brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. Morning came, and the east wind brought the locusts. – Notice after Moses stretch out the Mighty Hand of EL YAHVEH that the plague come, not before. The wind which is a represent of the Holy Spirit in Genesis, carries the locusts, it was not the Locus! It is the Holy Spirit that establishes the boundaries sets by EL YAHVEH in every thing that He does. It is the Spirit of the Word that governs every situation. It is the constitution of the Heavenly that determine what happens in every given situation. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Word.

Exo 10:14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Mitsrayim and settled within all the borders of Mitsrayim, very grievous. There had never been locusts like them before, nor would there again be like them. – The total control the Holy Spirit has over ever facet of live. When we opposed Him we are been rebellious, and we are admonish not to grief the Holy Spirit.

Exo 10:15 And they covered the surface of all the land, so that the land was darkened. And they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left, and no greenness was left on the trees or on the plants of the field, in all the land of Mitsrayim. – As a member of the Mighty Hand when we allow the Holy Spirit to come into a situation, it will take total control, nothing will be miss by Him. He will remove any trees that does not bear fruit and prune those that bear fruit that they may bear more abundant fruits.

Exo 10:16 Pharaoh then called for Mosheh and Aharon in haste, and said, “I have sinned against יהוה  your Elohim and against you. – The Word of Elohim works both ways, it cut and it heals. It separates and it mends. Those who are being cut will find it very uncomfortable, very unnerving. They will send quickly for the Mighty Hand to stop the process, while those who are among the redeemed community will welcome the surgery, welcome the pruning, and welcome the correction.

Exo 10:17 “And now, please forgive my sin only this once, and pray to יהוה  your Elohim, that He would only turn away this death from me.” – Pharaoh’s request for forgiveness was in the singular, whereas his request for a prayer was in the plural. He apology was directed to Moses who he had come to venerate as his master. His plea that they prayed was addressed to both as a matter of courtesy, for Moses was the one who did the praying.

A Moses type ministry will always encourage people to go to EL YAHVEH with their prayers, however there are a large number of people who require a spiritual leader to pray for them. Even thought the prayer of a righteous man availed much. It is the duty of every believer to develop that prayer life by daily exercising it.

Exo 10:18 And he went out from Pharaoh and prayed to יהוה . - Mature believer when we are doing spiritual warfare, we need to do it in isolation. It is not for the ears of the general public. Even Messiyah Yahushua who took the Blind man into an isolated place and prayed for him, Matt 8:23.