Torah Portion: Exodus 1:1-6:1

Sh'mot (‘Names’)

God made a covenant with Abraham that was stated in exact terms. Among its promises was that Abraham's descendants would inherit the Land of Canaan. Canaan was Noah's grandson whom Noah had cursed for the sin of his son, Ham (Gen 9:22-25). Living under this curse, the Canaanites and other tribes who descended from Canaan fell into all manner of sin and idolatry, but in Abraham's day their decline was not sufficient for them to be displaced from their land.

Abraham was to live in faith for the future of his descendants but die before he saw the fulfilment of God's promise. 400 years of affliction would pass during which the descendants of his grandson Jacob would be enslaved in a foreign land before being released to occupy the Promised Land (Gen 15:13). The nation who afflicted them would then be judged (Gen 15:14).

Promises Fulfilled

True to His Word, both in the detail and the timing, we begin this week to consider how God fulfilled His promise of deliverance. Moses, a prophet, arose to be the agent of this fulfilment.

As we follow the Torah portions schedule and read the Book of Exodus, we will be able to consider the detail and also see how new aspects of God's covenant plan emerge. We will see that the story is not complete, but points forward to further stages of covenant history. Later in Scripture come new prophecies, also with exact timing for their fulfilments, such as when Judah went into Babylonian captivity for exactly 70 years.

As further stages of covenant history proceed, we see that everything points to the sacrifice of Yeshua, to His return and to times of judgment on the entire earth prior to a release from a different captivity (sin and a sinful world) for all those who are saved, through the same faith as Abraham's, for all eternity.

Preparing for the Future

What does this mean? Throughout the Bible there are prophecies that point to our own day and the days preceding the Lord's return. They can be hard to understand, especially since the detail of their fulfilment is yet to be seen (just as the detail of the prophecy given to Abraham was not fully understood until it was seen in the context of Moses' day).

Nevertheless, we have sufficient information to know broadly what to expect, to recognise the signs and, at some time to come, to expect exact timing on the very last things.

An Antichrist will arise, just as a Pharaoh did. There will be difficult times for God's people (both believers in Yeshua the Messiah and unbelieving Israel), just as there were for ancient Israel. But God's promises are sure and will be fulfilled exactly as prophesied. Should we not be preparing for these days - which may be sooner than many Christians want to think? God will keep His Word, just as He did at the time of Moses.

Author: Clifford Denton