PARASHAT SHEMOT - שְׁמוֹת – 'Names’

PARASHAT SHEMOT  -  שְׁמוֹת – 'Names’

Torah: Exodus 1:1-6:1, Prophets: Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23, Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Summary:

The Israelites multiply in Egypt, which Egypt takes as a threat. Pharaoh commands the midwives to kill Hebrew boys. When they refuse, he orders his people to do so. Moses is born, hidden, and raised in Pharaoh’s house before fleeing to Midian. He encounters HaShem at the burning bush, where he receives his divine mission. Despite doubts, Moses returns to Egypt with Aaron. They confront Pharaoh, who increases Israel’s burden. Israel cries out anew, and HaShem promises their deliverance.

GOD OF THE FATHERS

Moses realized he stood in the presence of a deity. He just didn’t know which one.

The LORD did not introduce Himself by saying, “I am God most high, creator of heaven and earth.” Moses lived in a world that revered many gods, several of which might have claimed that title. Raised in all the wisdom of Egypt, Moses was familiar with the gods of the Egyptian pantheon. After forty years in the household of a Midianite priest, he had become familiar with the gods of Midian. “God” was a pretty broad term then just as it is now.

God identified Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. That narrowed the field down significantly. By identifying Himself as the God of the patriarchs, the LORD distinguished Himself from the pantheons of clamoring fakes and would-be-gods of the world.

Moses had been nursed by his mother and had lived among his people. He was well-versed in the lore of his fathers, the stories of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From boyhood he knew the stories of the God who appeared to Abraham and made a covenant with him, but the stories only became a reality in his life as the voice from the bush declared, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” “He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6)

The holy martyr Stephen says that when he heard these words, “Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look” (Acts 7:32). This was not some local deity or mountain god, it was the God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth. Moses immediately concealed his face lest, in seeing God, he die.

 ________________________________

My comment:

So too, should we not presume upon HaShem’s grace and mercy, for “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).