TORAH: Exodus 13:17-17:16
HAFTARAH: Judges 4:4-5:31
GOSPEL: Matt 14:22-33
Portion Summary
The sixteenth reading from the Torah is named Beshalach (בשלח), which means “When he sent.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which can be literally translated to say, “And it happened when Pharaoh sent out the people.” The reading tells the adventures of the Israelites as they leave Egypt, cross the Red Sea, receive miraculous provision in the wilderness and face their first battle.
Torah
Exodus 13:17 | The Pillars of Cloud and Fire
Exodus 14:1 | Crossing the Red Sea
Exodus 14:26 | The Pursuers Drowned
Exodus 15:1 | The Song of Moses
Exodus 15:20 | The Song of Miriam
Exodus 15:22 | Bitter Water Made Sweet
Exodus 16:1 | Bread from Heaven
Exodus 17:1 | Water from the Rock
Exodus 17:8 | Amalek Attacks Israel and Is Defeated
Prophets
Jdg 4:1 | Deborah and Barak
Jdg 5:1 | The Song of Deborah
Portion Commentary:
Believe in God, Believe also in Me
Believing in God is one thing. Lots of people believe in God. The real question is, “Do you believe in Moses?” That’s a different matter altogether.
Israel’s moment of personal faith occurred on the shore of the Red Sea. After they saw Pharaoh’s army destroyed and the deliverance God gave them through Moses, they fully placed their faith in God, and in His servant Moses.
The Torah says that “they feared the LORD,” meaning they understood that He punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. It says “they believed in the LORD,” meaning they had faith in His saving power. It also says that they believed “in His servant Moses,” meaning that they now had faith in Moses as the agent sent by God. These statements summarize the Torah’s prescription for saving faith.
Belief in Moses implies more than simple theism. To believe in God is one thing, but to believe in Moses requires believing in God as He revealed Himself through the Torah of Moses. Many people believe in God, but not so many believe the Torah. Not many people believe in God as He is revealed through Moses. This is why the Mechilta, an ancient commentary on Exodus, says, “One who believes in Moses believes in God.” One who believes in the Torah believes in more than just a vague sense of higher power; he believes in the God of the Bible.
Yeshua made a similar statement to His disciples, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). Just as they had previously placed their faith in God, they need also to place their faith in Him as God’s agent of salvation. Just as Israel believed in Moses, the disciples needed to believe in Yeshua, the prophet like Moses. This faith in Yeshua is the critical distinction of a believer’s life. We find that many people today are willing to confess faith in God, but they seem embarrassed to confess faith in Yeshua. We are called “believers” because we believe in Yeshua. We find salvation in Him because we place our faith in Him. We believe in God as He is revealed through the teaching and person of Yeshua.
Moses saved the children of Israel from Egypt, from Pharaoh, and from the Red Sea. Yeshua saves us from sin, from Satan, and from death, and He will bring us into the redemption and the kingdom.
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
