Torah Teachings

1. TORAH: Exodus 13:17-17:16
HAFTARAH: Judges 5:1-31
B’RIT CHADASHAH: John 6:25-35, Revelation 15:1-4
All references: The Scripture 1998+ unless otherwise noted

3. And it came to be, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that
Elohim did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines,
though that was nearer, for Elohim said, “Lest the people regret
when they see fighting, and return to Mitsrayim.” (Exodus 13:17)
 B‟shalach or to “let go” also “sending away” or “expelling”.
After the death of Mitzrayim’s first-born, this is what Pharaoh
actually did. He “sent them out”.
 Now, “b‟shalach” is spelled “beit-shin-lamed-chet”.
 the numeric value is 340, = the word “natzar” means to “keep
the Covenant” or “observe the Covenant”.
 So, in essence, YHVH caused Pharaoh to send B’nei Yisra’el
out from Mitzrayim so that they could “observe” or “keep the
Covenant”.

4. Moshe kept telling Pharaoh ...“Let My people go, so that they
serve Me in the wilderness,” but see, until now you have not
listened! (Exodus 7:16)
340 is also the numeric value of the word “netzar” which
means the “branch” or “offspring”.
Branch is used many times for Mashiach in Scripture.
So this speaks of Mashiach’s presence in the wilderness with
the Children of Yisra’el.
This also speaks of the “offspring” of B’nei Yisra’el, as well as
the sojourners with them (the mixed multitude), who were
counted as present with our forefathers at Sinai for the giving
of the Torah.

5.  Moshe reminded the people
“All of you are standing today before ‫יהוה‬ your Elohim: your
leaders, your tribes, your elders and your officers, all the men of
Yisra’ĕl, your little ones, your wives, and your sojourner who is in
the midst of your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the
one who draws your water, so that you should enter into
covenant with ‫יהוה‬ your Elohim...as He has sworn to your fathers,
to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ. “And not with you alone
I am making this covenant and this oath, but with him who
stands here with us today before ‫יהוה‬ our Elohim, as well as with
him who is not here with us today. (Deuteronomy 29:10-15)

6.  Was ‫יהוה‬ perfect plan to enter the desert?
 NO.
 It was the plan of Yah for the Sons of Israel to repent of their
idolatry before the Exodus even began?
 Ezekiel wrote: (Ezekiel 20:5-10)
“And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Master ‫..יהוה‬ “On that
day I lifted My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the
land of Mitsrayim into a land that I had searched out for them,
flowing with milk and honey, the splendour of all lands. “And I
said to them, ‘Each one of you, throw away the abominations
which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the
idols of Mitsrayim! I am ‫יהוה‬ your Elohim.’

7. “But they rebelled against Me, and would not obey Me. ... So I
resolved to pour out My wrath on them to complete My
displeasure against them in the midst of the land of Mitsrayim.
“But I acted for My Name’s sake, that it should not be profaned
before the eyes of the gentiles among whom they were – before
whose eyes I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out
of the land of Mitsrayim. “So I took them out of the land of
Mitsrayim, and I brought them into the wilderness.
(Ezekiel 20:5-10)
 Character is also moulded by the change of daily routines.
How about the change in routine when you began to keep the
Sabbath? All of these things affect your behaviour and
transform your character.
 The commandments are an avenue the Father has chosen to
mould your character into what He wants you to be.

8. And it came to be, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that
Elohim did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines,
though that was nearer, for Elohim said, “Lest the people regret
when they see fighting, and return to Mitsrayim.” (Exodus 13:17 )
 The phrase used here for the “way of the land of the
Philistines” is “derech eretz Philist‟im”.
 “Derech” (dalet-reish-kaf) is literally the “path” or “way”.
 “derech” is the “path” in which you walk your life’s journey.
 Now, “eretz” (aleph-reish-tzadee) means “land” and also can
refer to the “earth” or “world”.
 Then “Philist‟im” (Fey-lamed-shin-tav-yud-mem) means literally
“sojourners”, “immigrants” or “wanderers”. It’s interesting to
note that the “Philistines” were ancient Egyptians that were
“sojourners” and “immigrants” into Kena’an.

10.  Elohim could have brought them “by the way of the world,
the immigrants, the nations”, He didn’t, even though it was
closer.
 Why? The way of the world is usually the shortcut. But, YHVH
said that the people would “regret when they see fighting, and
return to Mitsrayim.”
 Regret in the Hebrew, it’s “nach‟am” (nun-chet-mem) which
is “to regret” or “to be sorry”. This is nearly the opposite of the
word “nachum” (spelled exactly the same), which is the
Hebrew word for “comfort”.
 Hebrew word translated here as “fighting” is in fact
“milchamah”. The literal translation of this word is “war”. This
all about spiritual warfare and they weren’t ready.
 YHVH carefully orchestrated when, how and with whom
B’nei Yisra’el would make war.

11. So Elohim led the people around by way of the wilderness of
the Sea of Reeds. And the children of Yisra’el went up armed
from the land of Mitsrayim. (Exodus 13:18 )
 “derech ha midbar Yam Suf”
 “derech” or “the path”
 “midbar”, = “wilderness” or “deserted place”, also
means the “mouth” or “instrument of speech”.
 It shares the same root as “debar” or “the word”.
“And He humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and fed
you with manna which you did not know nor did your
fathers know, to make you know that man does not live by
bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth
of ‫יהוה‬ (Deu 8:3)

12. And Mosheh took the bones of Yosĕph with him, for he certainly
made the children of Yisra’ĕl swear, saying, “Elohim shall
certainly visit you, and you shall bring my bones from here with
you.” (Exodus 13:19)
 Why were these bones important, because of what they held
within them,
 Joseph’s DNA. A person’s DNA represents their identity.
 Joseph’s bones are a picture of the House of Israel, the
“lost” ten tribes, and are therefore prophetic of the return of
not just Judah and Benjamin, the two tribes currently living in
the land, but of all twelve tribes returned and living in the land.
Joseph’s bones represent a continuous heritage promised to
Abraham’s descendants generations ago.
 Another reason Joseph’s bones had to be carried back to the
land of Israel was because Joseph’s brothers had tried to kill
him (Genesis 37:18). Without his DNA, or identity, it could be
alleged that Joseph was not “alive” and that his ancestors no
longer existed, even to this day.
12

15. And they departed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham at the
edge of the wilderness. (Exodus 13:20)
 “Sukkoth”, or “Tabernacles” was their first stop on the way
out of bondage.
 This was the Bedouin city, of approx. 250,000 people, that
was always on the move. It was here that the Israelites (city
dwellers) bought tents and learned how to be campers.

16.  This too represents leaving the “tabernacles”, “tents” or
“worship” of Mitzrayim.
 “Dwelling in tents” is a Scriptural metaphor for “learning”
their ways.
 “Etham” is an Egyptian word which means “border of the
sea”. Its importance is that it bordered the Yam Suf, the Sea of
Reeds, the instrument of ‫’יהוה‬s Deliverance.

17. And ‫יהוה‬ went before them by day in a column of cloud to lead
the way, and by night in a column of fire to give them light, so as
to go by day and night. The column of cloud did not cease by day,
nor the column of fire by night, before the people.
(Exodus 13:21-22)

18.  This is important to remember as we’re going to be seeing
this picture throughout the rest of Torah.
 As we begin to study the first “exodus”, it will help us
understand the “second greater exodus”.
 The Hebrew word for “column” or “pillar” (depending on
your translation) is “awmood” (ayin-mem-vav-dalet) which is
from the root “amad”, meaning to “stand firm” or “establish”.
 The numeric value of “awmood” is 120 which equals “ami” or
“my people”, “Masada” or “the foundation” and “va‟eef d‟noo”
or “did redeem you”. And, 120 also equals “va‟a latah” or “thick
darkness”.
 So ‫יהוה‬ went before them in this “pillar” TO ESTABLISH HIS
PEOPLE ON THE FOUNDATION OF REDEMPTION.

19.  The column of cloud suggests that the heaven and ‫יהוה‬ are
veiled and can’t be seen.
 This is the picture we see in Rosh Chodesh, when the moon is
veiled, and is then revealed.
 There are times when ‫יהוה‬ is obscured, hidden to us.
 Then, in the night, in our darkest hour, the Light breaks through
and we know He’s there.
 He was there all along. In the Hekal (House of Elohim), ‫יהוה‬ was
obscured behind the veil.
 But, in the kingdom of Mashiach, when the Hekal is built,
there will be no veil.
 Whenever our faith, our trust, is tested, we need to
remember that it’s still His leading that we follow.

20. And it shall be that he who is left in Tsiyon and he who remains in
Yerushalayim is called set-apart, everyone who is written among
the living in Yerushalayim. When ‫יהוה‬ has washed away the filth
of the daughters of Tsiyon, and rinsed away the blood of
Yerushalayim from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by
the spirit of burning, then ‫יהוה‬ shall create above every dwelling
place of Mount Tsiyon, and above her assemblies, a cloud and
smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for over
all the esteem shall be a covering, (Isaiah 4:3-5)

21.  How deep is the water? The Gulf of Aqaba is very deep: in
places over a mile (1,600m) deep. Even with the sea dried up,
walking across would be difficult due to the steep grade down
the sides. But there is one spot where if the water were
removed, it would be an easy descent for people and animals.
This is the line between Nuweiba and the opposite shore in
Saudi Arabia.

22.  Depth-sounding expeditions have revealed a smooth, gentle
slope descending from Nuweiba out into the Gulf. This shows
up almost like a pathway on depth-recording equipment,
confirming it's Biblical description,
'...a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.'
(Isaiah 43:16).
 The distance between Nuweiba and where artifacts have
been found on Saudi coast is about 18 km (11 miles). Along this
line, the deepest point is about 800m (2,600 feet).
 the Bible described it as the mighty waters and that not a
single Egyptian survived when the water collapsed in upon
them.

25. And it came to be, in the morning watch, that ‫יהוה‬ looked
down upon the army of the Mitsrites through the column of
fire and cloud, and He brought the army of the Mitsrites into
confusion. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they
drove them with difficulty. And the Mitsrites said, “Let us
flee from the face of Yisra’ĕl, for ‫יהוה‬ fights for them against
the Mitsrites.” Then ‫יהוה‬ said to Mosheh, “Stretch out your
hand over the sea, and let the waters come back upon the
Mitsrites, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” And
Mosheh stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea
returned to its usual flow, at the break of day, with the
Mitsrites fleeing into it. Thus ‫יהוה‬ overthrew the Mitsrites in
the midst of the sea, and the waters returned and covered
the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh
that came into the sea after them, and not even one was
left of them. (Exodus 14:24-28)

27. Exo 14:13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand
firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you
today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.“
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me?
Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out
your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites
can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts
of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain
glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and
his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord
when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his
horsemen.“

28. 19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of
Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of
cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20
coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the
night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the
other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that
night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and
turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the
Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of
water on their right and on their left.

29.  The divided sea reminds us of the ancient ceremony of
covenant making, known as the “cutting of a covenant.” In the
ceremony animals are divided and the parties to the covenant
walk between them.
Genesis 15:9 -18 ..And it came to pass, when the sun went down
and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and
a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same
day ‫יהוה‬ cut a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your
descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the
great river, the River Euphrates –

30.  At the Red Sea, the Israelites passed “between the pieces”
(the waters, instead of the halves of the animals) in a renewing
of the covenant made with Abram.
 The rabbis teach that Israel entered into covenant with ‫יהוה‬
by three rites – circumcision, immersion, and sacrifice.
 In 1 Corinthians 10 we also see how their passage related to
the mikveh (baptism):
For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and
all were immersed into Mosheh in the cloud and in the sea, (1
Corinthians 10:1-2)

31. Then Mosheh and the children of Yisra’ĕl sang this song to ‫,יהוה‬
and spoke, saying, “I sing to ‫,יהוה‬ for He is highly exalted! The
horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! “Yah is my
strength and song, and He has become my deliverance. He is my
Ěl, and I praise Him – Elohim of my father, and I exalt Him.
(Exodus 15:1-2)

32.  The Song of Moses is prophetic for the people who revere
Yahweh’s commandments and walk in His ways will sing the
true Song of Moses.
And I saw another sign in the heaven, ..for the wrath of Elohim
was ended .. those overcoming the beast and his image and his
mark ,,holding harps of Elohim. And they sing the song of
Mosheh the servant of Elohim, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and marvellous are Your works, ‫יהוה‬ Ěl Shaddai!
Righteous and true are Your ways, O Sovereign of the set-apart
ones! “Who shall not fear You, O ‫,יהוה‬ and esteem Your Name?
Because You alone are kind. Because all nations shall come and
worship before You, for Your righteousnesses have been made
manifest.” (Revelation 15:1-4)

33. And Mosheh brought Yisra’?l from the Sea of Reeds, and they
went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days
in the wilderness and found no water. And they came to Marah,
and they were unable to drink the waters of Marah, for they
were bitter. So the name of it was called Marah. And the people
grumbled against Mosheh, saying, “What are we to
drink?”(Exodus 15:22-24)
 Water represents the Spirit Life of Torah, Y’shua. Y’shua is
the Living Word. He is the author of the Word (Genesis 1:1;
John 1:1, 14).
 If we look deeply into the Word of Yahweh for the Living
Water we will find abundant life. But when the soul goes
without water, it is that much easier for it to be influenced by a
spirit of grumbling.

34. Then he cried out to ‫,יהוה‬ and ‫יהוה‬ showed him a tree. And when
he threw it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There
He made a law and a right-ruling for them, and there He tried
them. And He said, “If you diligently obey the voice of ‫יהוה‬ your
Elohim and do what is right in His eyes, and shall listen to His
commands and shall guard all His laws, I shall bring on you none
of the diseases I brought on the Mitsrites, for I am ‫יהוה‬ who heals
you.” (Exodus 15:25-26)

35.  The spring at Marah still exists and the water is still bitter.
The water contains minerals that kill parasites. The Egyptian
today charge money for this water.
 Elohim brought them to a place of healing from the diseases
of the Mitzrites. But, the cure was bitter. Sometimes, the
waters of healing taste bitter.
 The “tree” (that is taught) that sweetens the bitterness of
life, is the Torah, the Tree of Life.

36. And they came to Ělim, where there were twelve fountains of
water and seventy palm trees. And they camped there by the
waters. (Exodus 15:27)

37.  Both of the two tests that occur after the deliverance at the
Yam Suf involve water, which refers to Torah. Moshe leads the
Children of Yisra’el to “Eylim” (Aleph-yud-lamed-mem).
• “Eylim” means “palms” or “upright trees” referring to the
70 palm trees (tamar‟im).
• “Eylim” also means “rams”, as in the rams of the offerings.
Since the rams were used as offerings (korban‟ot) for
drawing near, ascension and as sin offerings, etc.; we can
see that this was a very special place of drawing near and
ascending to ‫יהוה‬ for B’nei Yisra’el.
• “Eylim” means “mighty ones” or “the mighty”.
 The 12 fountains, (ayin‟ot), are the 12 Tribes of Israel,
possessing the water (Torah) that comes from beneath by
revelation. The 70 palms (tamar‟im) represent the 70 nations
(goyim) of the world.

38.  This oasis at Elim is a beautiful picture of the provision by
Yeshua that will be there for ALL the nations (70) who identify
with Israel and leave Egypt.
 This is not the Kingdom, but a respite on the way to the
Promised Land.
 So why is this spot a test? Elim becomes a place of
accountability.
 We are able to drink deeply here of the water of the Word. We
can rest here. But we must continue on from here toward the
Promised Land.
 If we pollute the water here, or refuse to move on we have
failed the TEST

39.  As the whole Israelite community set out from Elim they
came to the Desert of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. On the
fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of
Egypt they again grumbled to Moses.
• This manna appeared on the fourth week of their leaving
Egypt.
• prophetic of the time when the Messiah would come to
appear in bodily form to the Israelites in the four
thousandth year.
 The Children of Israel were quick to forget their God/Elohim
and in their grumbling spoke of how abundant the food was back
in Egypt.

40.  Then Yahweh said to Moses,
“I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to
go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will
test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On
the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is
to be twice as much as they gather on the other days”
(Exodus 16:4-5).
 Keeping the Sabbath is a test of our faithfulness to Yahweh.
 Shabbat is referred to as the wedding ring of the Bride of
Yeshua.

41. Exodus 16:20 “However, some of them paid no attention to
Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of
maggots and began to smell.”
 Maggots form in dead, decomposing FLESH. This manna that
fell in the desert, that sustained the Israelites for forty years, was
flesh–
 Yeshua’s body, made as an offering of life for us.
John 6:51 Yeshua said, “I am the living bread that came down
from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world.”

42.  “You will not find any of it on the ground today” is a reference
to the Messiah Yeshua and that He would not be found in the
ground (grave) on the Sabbath.
 This passage is prophetic of Yeshua’s death and resurrection.
His flesh did not see decay, as He did not die–He is alive!
Yeshua is the living eternal word (John 1:1; 14).
Acts 1:3 “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and
gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to
them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of
God.” He is alive…
 The Israelites ate manna for forty years. Yehushua showed
another sign that He was the living manna that was with the
Israelites in the Desert (Exodus 16:35).

43.  Manna is Hebrew for “what is it?”
 After feeding the four thousand, “Yeshua and his disciples
went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way
he asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’ (“What is it?”)
 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah;
and still others, one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about
you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’
 Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah [the Living Manna]’
” (Mark 8:27-30).

44.  The key to the Messianic Kingdom is to enter and keep the
Sabbath. As is the wedding ring of Messiah’s Bride and is a sign
and symbol of their love for each other. The Bride of Yeshua is
the one who is faithful to walk in His words and faithful to keep
her wedding ring on.
 The Hebrew word ‫שבת‬shabbat (Strong’s H7676) comes from
the verb ‫ת‬ ‫שב‬shavat (Strong’s H7673) meaning to cease or
stop. Shabbat is a time of ceasing from business. It is a day to
sanctify, set apart as in prophetic, to be holy, betroth, dwell in
His people, and the Day of the Lord (Hebrew understanding).

45.  Those who are called Israel are following the law of the
firstborn at Passover. They left Egypt, cross over the Red Sea and
walk into the desert in obedience to Yahweh’s invitation, “to
hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.”
 The feast Israel was to celebrate is called Pentecost or in
Hebrew Shavuot. Shavuot is fifty days after Passover and the
Feast of Unleavened Bread
 At the Feast of Unleavened Bread the Israelites were
commanded to eat only unleavened flat bread for seven days.
This is likened to a personal consecration time for those who
obeyed the Passover.

46.  Shavuot is the confirmation and formal ceremony of Yahweh’s
Wedding Covenant (called ketubah in Hebrew) to His Bride
Israel,.
 The Covenant was for the first time will formally be written
down for the bride.
 This is the Bridegroom’s gift to His Bride so that if she were
ever in a compromised situation or in the wilderness she would
always be able to find her way back to Him through the
instructions contained within her Betrothal (ketubah)
Covenant.

47.  On the Feast of Shavuot, at Mount Sinai, Yahweh will give His
Bride her ketubah containing the promises of their wedding
pledge.
 It is at this betrothal stage that Yahweh and His Bride Israel are
called husband and wife.
 They are legally “married” but do not live together or
consummate the marriage until their wedding day.
 It is during this betrothal time that if there were any
uncleanliness found in the Bride, the husband could legally
divorce her. Divorce was only legally applicable in the
betrothal stage but not after the wedding ceremony

48.  Yahweh illustrated the Covenant to His Bride using many
signs and wonders.
 This story of the Exodus is a living prophetic parable for
believers.
 Today, we are approaching the Passover season.
 This is the time Yahweh offers believers an opportunity to
separate themselves from any unclean dishonoring ways (olam
hazeh) before entering so she can draw near to her Bridegroom
when He calls for her.

49. TORAH: Exodus 13:17-17:16