Hashkama: The Dread of Israel
The more the Egyptians sought to persecute the Israelites, and to weaken them, the more the Israelites continued to multiply in increasing measure. The king of Egypt said, ‘lest they multiply’ (pen-yirbe); but the King of the Universe said, ‘the more they shall multiply’ (kēn-yirbe). The anxiety of the Egyptians also increased in like measure: And they were in dread of the children of Israel. This expression is similar to that used of Moab: ‘and Moab was overcome with dread of the people of Israel’ (Numbers22:3). It appears the parallelism between the two narratives is intended by Scripture. Isn’t this also what is happening today? Although there is the “Abrahamic Accords” in place and there is the appearance of the prospect of peace in our time, there are still Islamic nations and those allied with them, that want to weaken Israel to the point of destruction. We will see more of this under the new administration in America[i] and the muscle flexing in the Eastern world. As the world says, ‘lest they grow stronger,’ or words to that affect, God blesses Israel and increases her in population and prosperity.
The Egyptians made the Israelite’s yoke heavier by forcing them into servitude. The Israelites were made to work with rigour (bᵉphārekh); that means, with toil that breaks (mᵉphārekheth, signifying ‘to crush small’) the body and embitters one’s life. The use of the words, and made their lives bitter, serves to prepare us for the subsequent statement in connection with the ceremony of the feast of liberation (Exodus 12:8): ‘with bitter herbs they shall eat it.’ Are we seeing in the story of the Exodus, something of, ‘when I am weak, then I am strong’ as Israel leaves Egypt? And conversely, those who considered themselves to be strong, were shown to be weak as they were washed away to their deaths in the Red Sea. In the story of Esther, Haman felt supremely strong and secure in his position to do as he liked with the Jews, but the tables turned on him. Our strength is, when we are weak then we are strong – God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Paul said: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). There are many instances in Scripture and world history where those that sought the destruction of Israel, were themselves destroyed. We are recalling the time of the Holocaust now, and Hitler’s maniacal efforts to destroy the Jews. Having murdered millions, Hitler failed to complete his mission.
I am not a prophet; God knows the future but I don’t. As I see it, America’s weakness will allow other nations to feel strong and secure. Their confidence, I suggest, will eventually lead them into coming against Israel. We see in the battle of Armageddon, a massive army comes against tiny Israel, only to be destroyed by the Lord. The lessons of history have not been learned. What was spoken concerning the time of Jesus is happening again in our time, as the world leaders feel supremely strong in their determination to rid the world of the Living God – “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the Lord and against His Anointed One: “Let us break their chains and cast away their cords.” (Psalm 2:2-3; Acts 4:26) “Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16). The Book of Daniel speaks of the arrogance of the coming Antichrist. In the future lies the battle of Armageddon – “When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth-Gog and Magog-and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them” (Revelation 20:7-9). When tiny, comparatively weak, Israel looks certain to be annihilated, God’s power is made manifest, and it is the armies that are annihilated.
Back to the present day, Global Warming/Climate Change is a scam and a deception, and is part of the conspiracy by world leaders to make way for the Antichrist, whether they realise that or not. Then we have the Covid Pandemic causing havoc. If constraints continue it will cause financial collapse, not only for individuals, but nations too. If that were to happen, then the moral and spirit of those nations will be broken too – Lockdown, whether we agree with that course of action or not, causes collateral damage. Will it lead to the place where the Globalists have us hand over all that we own, lock stock and barrel? The Israelites in our text were made to be slaves; is it that world citizens will become slaves to a ruling elite? When we look at the United States and see how fallen that one world leading nation is, and how Godless it will yet become, we know the world is going downhill fast. There are rebellious leaders wanting to split apart the United Kingdom; former Prime Minister Tony Blair was the prime architect of devolution. Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon has taken up the baton, and is attempting to further what Blair, the assassin of Great Britain, began. Britain could eventually become something like the sorry state of the lion that had its wings torn off in Daniel 7:2-8. The British Lion is often depicted as standing on its hind legs. Lance Lambert’s prophecy of August 2011 might reference the time we are heading into now[ii]. Likewise, the rulers and new administration in America, whose symbol is the eagle, are leading that nation to destruction. Both nations are morally and spiritually bankrupt; weak and vulnerable. Civilisation in the 21st Century is in deep decline. To use the analogy of the thorn in Paul’s flesh in a different way, Israel is a thorn in the flesh of this world; and world leaders plan to remove Israel and the God of Israel. World events are falling into place for the world leaders to attempt to deal with God and His chosen ones once and for all – It is the final “Final Solution” (or, Final Solution to the Jewish Question). Those with the Haman mentality never learn.
Another sign of the times. I suggest, is that of abortion. Millions of unborn children are sacrificed. My thoughts are that this is the spirit of Antichrist that is already in the world (1 John 4:30). The world is obeying its king, as in the days of Pharaoh’s Egypt. Unelected individuals with money and power are claiming today that there are too many people in the world. That concept did not come from the God of Israel. It smells of Egypt where Pharaoh feared that the Israelites were becoming too many. In order to weaken Israel, he instructed the midwives to slay the male children of Israel. They were to kill them secretly, making it look as though they had died from natural causes, and that they had died before or during birth. We are much more blasé about killing the unborn today, even though, like the midwives of Egypt were instructed to do, it is carried out as a medical procedure. To our shame it is almost standard practice. The Egyptians revered the great king as a god – Antichrist will be revered and worshipped likewise. Killing is becoming a popular choice, with the vulnerable of any age being placed in danger of being snuffed out. The attitudes of doctors are changing dramatically – A survey by the BMA revealed that 40% of respondents indicated support for a change in the BMA’s stance to allow doctor-assisted suicide[iii]. Unlike the abortion clinics today that are only too keen to kill, the midwives in Egypt did not do as Pharaoh commanded. Because they feared the King of the Universe and not the human monarch, they let the male children live, and the Hebrew people multiplied and grew very mighty. There is no such fear of God in our present world. The Hebrews grew increasingly in numbers and in strength. The world today is obsessed with the idea that Israel wants to rule the world. It is a false charge, but like Pharaoh they are fearful of Israel’s increasing power and influence. There was Pharaoh working himself up into a state, letting his imagination run away with itself thinking how numerous the Hebrews were becoming. Realising his plan to secretly kill the male children had failed, Pharaoh decided to command all his people, no longer clandestinely but openly, to cast into the Nile every son born to the Israelites. It was out in the open now. Antichrist, for the first part of his reign will deceive the people, and in the last part of his reign he will come out and show his true colours, and blood will run.
God raised up a Redeemer
In Exodus Ch.2 we have the birth of the saviour and his rescue from the river Nile. The woman conceived and bore a son. She became pregnant and gave birth to a male child, at the same time as Pharaoh made his decree that all Israelite male children should be killed. The birth of the Redeemer of all mankind, and the killing of the children by Herod is written in the Gospels. After a few months of keeping him in hiding, when it became more dangerous to hold on the child, his mother decided she would trust the Lord to keep him. She took for him an ark made from bulrushes; it was similar to a chest made of interwoven papyrus stems. It was then coated with bitumen and pitch, reminiscent of the Ark of Noah. She placed the ark among the reeds at the river’s edge. The word ark (tēbhā) occurs in only two sections of the Bible: here and in the section of the Flood. This is not an accident, but Scripture intends to draw attention to the thematic analogy. In the Flood section the salvation of humanity is involved. Here it is the salvation of the chosen people. In both cases one worthy of being saved and destined to bring salvation to others is to be rescued from death by drowning.
Pharaoh’s daughter called the child’s name Moses (Mōše), for she said, Because I drew him out of the water. It is possible the Bible intends to indicate by inference at least, that the child was destined to be ‘the deliverer (Mōše) of his people’ (Isaiah 63:11) from the sea of servitude. Moses was to lead the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea. While the people of God crossed to the other side on dry ground, the Egyptian army that was in pursuit, was washed away to their deaths. Jesus, the Deliverer will deliver His people out of destruction at the end of this age.
The end of Antichrist
“Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 2:16; Daniel 17:26; Daniel 7:11; Revelation 19:20)
“Behold, I am coming soon!” (Revelation 22:7a). “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).
Blessings and shalom
Malcolm [28.01.2021]
[i] https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-taps-anti-israel-bds-activist-for-top-white-house-intel-job
[ii] https://www.lancelambert.org/prophetic-word-for-great-britain-saturday-6-august/
[iii] https://www.carenotkilling.org.uk/
