Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Is it possible to pray at the wrong time? We're taught to pray about everything before every decision, in every crisis, in every moment of fear. But what if prayer can actually be an obstacle to obedience? Not sure what I mean. Join me to explore this idea in this week's five Minute Torah.
[00:00:24] Shalom and blessings from Shalom Macon, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect and grow. I'm Darren, and before I get into the five minutes of my five Minute Torah commentary, let's cover a few quick facts about this week's Torah portion. This week we are studying the 16th Torah portion and the fourth Torah portion of the Book of Exodus. We are in the portion of Ba Exodus 13:17 17 and here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one Crossing the sea and Shirat Hayim When Pharaoh finally released the children of Israel, God intentionally led them away from the land of the Philistines so they wouldn't immediately be afraid and turn back. But they still found themselves in an impossible situation, trapped between Pharaoh's army and the Yom Suf, the Sea of reeds. With no visible escape, God intervened. Moses stretched out his staff, the water split, and the children of Israel crossed through the sea on dry land. Once safely on the other side, Moses led the people in a song declaring what the Lord had done for them. This song, Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, celebrates God's power and his faithfulness. Its 18 verses are still recited daily in the morning prayers. Number two Miracles and Jewish Legends Paul knows Midrash this week's Torah portion contains a series of what I call wet miracles. What do I mean by wet miracles? Well, in this week's Torah portion we have three different miracles that involve water.
[00:01:51] First, the splitting of the sea of reeds. Then the bitter water is made sweet when Moses throws a tree into them. Finally, the water flows from a rock when Moses strikes it, enough to sustain an entire nation for years. In fact, the Midrash claims that that very same rock followed the Israelites around in the desert, providing water for them until they reached Meribah on the border of the Promised Land. Does that seem far fetched? Like listen to what Paul told the congregation at Corinth. Our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. And all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them. And the rock was Messiah. This is 1 Corinthians 10:1 4 It's enough to make a person say, hmm, number three, manna from heaven. The Sabbath test. When the children of Israel complained about their hunger, God responded by raining bread from heaven, but with a purpose. The manna was a test to see whether Israel would walk in God's Torah specifically by trusting him enough to keep the Shabbat. They were instructed to gather and prepare manna for six days, but to cease from gathering on the seventh day. Some ignore these instructions and went out anyway, only to find nothing. The Lord rebuked them for their stubbornness and reminded them that they were to cease from their labors on the Sabbath and that he would be their provision. God reminded them that Sabbath rest wasn't about lack, but trust. He would be their provision even when they stopped working.
[00:03:32] What does it really mean to live by the Spirit of the Law and not the letter of the Law? For centuries, believers have been told that the law of God is a burden and something Yeshua to set us free from. But what if that's not what the Scriptures say at all? What if Paul's words about the letter of the law killing were never meant to pit God's Spirit against his own commandments? If you've ever struggled to reconcile law and grace, Spirit of the Law will open your eyes to a richer, more faithful understanding of both. It will challenge assumptions, bring clarity to misunderstood passages, and invite you into a deeper walk of obedience, one that's alive with the Spirit of God. Pick up your copy today and let the spirit of the law transform the way you see God's word and the way you live it. This week's Torah commentary is called Don't Just Obey and comes from my book, Five Minute Torah, Volume one.
[00:04:27] In the beginning of our Torah portion, the children of Israel are faced with a dilemma. Pharaoh realized what a terrible loss he had incurred by allowing the Israelites to leave Egypt. So he begins pursuing them with with a massive army. When he and his army catch up with the children of Israel, they are in a particularly strategic position. They have the Israelites cornered. There's nowhere to go but into the sea. The Torah records the reaction of the Israelites when Pharaoh drew near. The people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. This is Exodus 14:10. The children of Israel were trapped, and they cried out to the Lord. And although the text isn't explicit, it appears that Moses follows their lead. The Lord said to Moses, why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. This is chapter 14, verse 15. What? Why does the Lord rebuke Moses because he prayed? Isn't this the response God desires? Aren't we supposed to pray about everything? And before doing anything, doesn't he want us to seek Him? In times like these, isn't this the very purpose of prayer? Rabbi Yehudah recognized the problem most people would associate with this passage and therefore explain the situation. At that time, Moses was prolonging his prayer. The Holy One, blessed be he, said to him, my beloved ones are drowning in the sea, and you prolong your prayer to me. Moses said before him, master of the universe, but what can I do? God said to him, speak to the children of Israel that they go forward. And you who lift up your rod and stretch out your hand. This is Soteh 37a from the Talmud, commenting on Exodus 14:15, 16. In other words, Moses didn't need to spend time praying about the situation when he could use that time to do just what the Lord had already instructed him to do. The apostle John says something similar. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life. To those who commit sins that do not lead to death, there is sin that leads to death. I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin. But there is sin that does not lead to death. This is First John, chapter 5, verses 16 and 17. John tells his disciples, there is sin that leads to death. I do not say that one should pray for that. In other words, if we know that a certain person is struggling with a minor sin or we should pray for him. However, if a person is involved in a serious sin that leads to death, we don't want to waste our time praying for him, but should intervene in order to save him from destruction. James, the brother of our Master, extends this principle to our daily choices as well. He says, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him, it is sin. This is James 4:17. Some people who have followed Yeshua their entire lives still don't understand this point. We don't need to pray about the things God has already told us to do, particularly the things he has told us in His Word. If we are continually praying about what to do when God has already given us his instructions, then we are wasting both our time and His. So if you're in a situation that requires action and the right response has already been given to you through the scriptures or godly counsel, don't pray, just obey. If you like this video, please take a second to like it and to subscribe to the channel so that you won't miss what's next. At the end of this video, you'll see a recommended teaching. Go ahead and watch it and keep building your faith and please help us spread the message. Share these videos on your social media networks. The more people who watch, the better they'll understand Yeshua from a Messianic Jewish perspective and together we can begin transforming the world. And hey, join us live at Shalom Macon every Shabbat every Saturday at 9am and 11am Eastern. We would love to grow with you.
