Parashat Beshalach 5765/2005
EJD
The weekly reading for the week of 12 Shevat, 5765 - January 22, 2005 Parashah: Beshalach Exodus 13:18 to 17:16; Haftarah: Judges 4:4 to 5:31 (Ashkenazi) Judges 5:1-31 (Sephardi); Mei Kituvim: Daniel 3:1-30; Brit Chadashah: Luke 1:39-55; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
The Bagel: Griping about the future or praising in the present. Someone may complain that they have no money now. That means they can't buy whatever now. But the whatever is really for something in the future. Sometimes this can be the very immediate future. Whereas praise tends to either be connected with the past, something wonderful happened. Or with the present, G-d is good now. There are exceptions to these general principles, of course. There is Jehoshaphat, for example, who sent out his choir to praise Adonay before the battle, rather than afterwards in 2 Chronicles 20. G-d fought for Judah in that instance, the soldiers went along "for the ride" as it were. But the principles hold true normally. The readings share traits of these two principles.
Torah: Exodus 13:17 to 17:16 In Parashat Beshelach we have several instances of Israel gripping about situations. From the edge of the Red Sea to the places of Massah and Meribah, Israel's concern was about the future. It impacted their view of the present: "Is Adonay with us or not?" Griping empties the present and doubts the future. But there was also praise. Israel praised Adonay for their safety at the Red Sea. They crossed over on dry ground, while the Egyptian army drowned in the returning waters of the Red Sea. The reading concludes with the battle of Amalek. There Moses raised the rod and the battle favored Israel. When the rod lowered Amalek prevailed. It was like a form of praise. The rod was like an offering to G-d, a vehicle of prayer. Moses, Aaron, and Hur persisted at it and Joshua was able to rout the enemy. Praise changes things for the better. The present was transformed by the activity of praise.
Haftarah: Judges 4:4 to 5:31 In the Haftarah reading only praise is found. There was weakness, for Barak lacked courage to fight Sisera alone. He needed the added confidence of Deborah. Perhaps, there was griping in the background that is not evident in the text. "This Barak fellow is chicken hearted!" or "He's a Mama's boy!" The reading does say that the honor of victory would not go to Barak. If there was griping, could that have pushed Barak's temerity over the brink into a lack of confidence? Griping is about the future: "Barak will cause Israel to lose against the Canaanites if we let him lead us!" might have been the complaint of some.
The Song of Deborah is the song of praise in that battle. It was sung after the victory. In it was recounted the features of the battle that showed where Adonay intervened to bring about the victory. The recent past was emphasized, G-d used ordinary humans to accomplish a great victory. G-d was behind the scenes, but the cause for praise is the same: "There they shall recount the righteous deeds of the Lord" (Judges 5:11 NASB).
Mei Kituvim: Daniel 3:1-30 In the reading of the Kituvim, is an example of a gripe turned into a rage. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon decreed universal worship of that which is no god. When the three Hebrew children only worshipped the True G-d and refused to comply with the decree, the king flew into a rage. Their defiance was like sedition. But why should an earthly king rail against the King of Heaven? Remember, griping is about the future. The future was threatened by a breakup of the empire caused by loss of confidence in the false gods by true worship. It was either bow or burn.
Perhaps, this situation was from a long-standing gripe. Many centuries before, there was fellowship with the Creator G-d in Ancient Babylon, but a lack of faith caused a loss of confidence in the Creator. Such could be the thinking: "What happened to the Creator?" "This Creator is not as good and these local deities." Was this an ancient gripe about the goodness G-d? We do know that in Nebuchadnezzar's day idolatry was well established. The ancient gripe turned to a corrupted future. It could be argued that idolatry is a form of gripe against G-d.
But G-d is G-d of Chesed or mercy and in spite of this long-standing history and idolatry, G-d granted a situation for praise. The three Hebrew children weren't harmed by the intensity of the flames. Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth individual in the midst of the furnace. That person was like the son of G-d to the king. When the three children emerged from the burning furnace unscathed, Nebuchadnezzar decreed true worship as a matter of state policy. He expressed praise to the Living G-d for the miracle that just had happened. It was praise for G-d's activity in the past that impacted the present.
Brit Chadashah: Luke 1:39-55; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 When we get to the Brit Chadashah, is an antidote for the gripes of all time. It is the praise for the One who brought redemption for all humankind. It should true in the lives of every human being that what G-d accomplished in the act of bringing the Redeemer into the world and this Redeemer-Messiah completing the work of atonement should be the basis for praise for the rest of time.
Miriam's (Mary's) act of praise becomes an example of how to do this. As she put it: " His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation" (Luke 1:50 NIV). Miriam's conception was an accomplished fact. It was a miracle in the past. But she was praising G-d for its effect on the present and in the future that this Redeemer-in-process (gestating in her womb) would have.
She could have griped about the Roman oppression, or the harsh living conditions. But instead she focused on the miracle that was presently at work, even though it commenced in her past. We too can get into the complaining mode: "The government is cheating us! The economy is failing! Kids are stupider today! You can't trust anybody anymore!" Get out of the rut! Focus on the fact of accomplished atonement. Yeshua can turn the gripes into grip in prayer and praise.
Cream Cheese If you grip G-d now, you won't gripe about the future.
Unless noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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