In this week’s Torah Portion we read about how Yitro brings Moshe’s sons and wife to meet him in the wilderness (Shemot / Exodus 18:1-12), Moshe takes Yitro’s advice, and Yitro departs to his own country. (Shemot / Exodus 18:13-27) Israel arrives at Sinai and the Lord calls to Moshe to speak to the people about His Mitzvot (Commands, Shemot / Exodus 19:1-17). The people consecrate themselves and the Lord visits Sinai. (Shemot / Exodus 19:18-25) Then Moshe received the Ten Commandments (Shemot / Exodus 20:1-22). The Masotetic text states the following according to Shemot / Exodus 18:8-11, ח וַיְסַפֵּר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמִצְרַיִם עַל אוֹדֹת יִשְֹרָאֵל אֵת כָּל-הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵם יְהוָֹה: ט וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל-הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְיִשְֹרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם: י וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶת-הָעָם מִתַּחַת יַד-מִצְרָיִם: יא עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-גָדוֹל יְהוָֹה מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם: 18:8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how the Lord had delivered them. 18:9 Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians. 18:10 So Jethro said, ‘Blessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 18:11 ‘Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.’ (NASB) When Yitro (יִתְרוֹ) heard all the Lord had done, praise welled up within him and it says that he blessed the Lord. Ibn Ezra believed that Moshe explained all that had happened, not just the final result.
Ibn Ezra on Shemot /Exodus 18.8 Part 1
2) Moshe explained to Yitro not only the final result (Yetziat Mitzrayim), but the challenges that the Jewish people face along the way.
Now we note that the Torah states, Shemot / Exodus 18:1, א וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְֹרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי-הוֹצִיא יְהוָֹה אֶת-יִשְֹרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם: 18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. (NASB) Here the Scriptures state that Yitro had heard all that the Lord had done. Although the Torah tells us that Yitro had heard all that God had done, there may have been some detail that he had not yet heard of, so Moshe proceeded to speak of the glory of God and all of his deeds on behalf of the people. Or HaChaim on Shemot / Exodus 18.8 Part 1 states that Yitro may have thought Israel was still vassals of the Egyptians and were not totally free. So Moshe proceeded to speak to Yitro about the Spiritual battle they had to overcome and not just the physical battle. Or HaChaim states the following concerning the purpose of Moshe telling Yitro all that God had done included the destruction of Egypt’s gods.
Or HaChaim on Shemot / Exodus 18.8 Part 2
ואולי כי זה הוא שרמז הכתוב באומרו את כל התלאה אשר מצאתם בדרך ויצילם וגו’ שהודיעו מרדיפת השר כי יתרו כהן מדין היה ומן הסתם הם יבחינו וידעו כי יש שרי מעלה על כל אומה וספר לו כי רדף אותם הוא בעצמו דכתיב (לעיל י’’ד י’) והנה מצרים נוסע אחריהם ומזה רעשו ופחדו ישראל וכמו שפירשנו שם, וכששמע יתרו כן אמר ברוך וגו’ מתחת יד מצרים שהוא השר שמצרים שמו ונכון:
Perhaps the Torah itself alludes to this with the words אֵת כָּל-הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵם השם, “all the travail that had come upon them on the way from which G’d had saved them.” Seeing Yitro had been a religious leader he would be familiar with the fact that different nations had guardian angels in the celestial regions; Moses told Yitro about the personal pursuit by that guardian angel and how the Israelites had been very frightened of that guardian angel. When Yitro heard about all this he exclaimed: “blessed be the Lord who has delivered this nation from the hand of Mitzrayim (the guardian angel).”
We note the rabbinic approach to these verses, including those verses related to the crossing of the Red Sea, as having a spiritual component to war. Similar to what we learned last week (Parashat Beshalach), the rabbis interpret Moshe’s telling Yitro about all of the work of God was primarily concerning God’s protection and defeat of the guardian angel of Mitzrayim (Egypt). The Scriptures tell us that we are all at war today with the forces of darkness that are at work behind the scenes working to both deceive and destroy men! (Ephesians 6) Here the rabbis suggest that Yitro, being a religious leader, was aware of the fact that different nations had different guardian angels in the celestial regions. It may have been in this way that Yitro when he heard the things God had done he blessed the Lord God in heaven for delivering Israel from the hand of the evil angel who oversees Egypt. We search history and can see and understand the horrific evil that was done to the Jewish people under slavery in Egypt. We are told however that it is our Creator, the God of Heaven, the God of Israel, who sustains all things by the power of his Word. (Devarim / Deuteronomy 32:4, Tehillim / Psalms 33:4, Colossians 1:16-17, and Hebrew 1:3) These things teach us that it is in the Lord God Almighty who we are to trust in because the Lord God always wants to produce the best outcome for His people.
In this week’s Torah portion we are looking at Shemot / Exodus 18:1-12.
ספר שמות פרק יח
א וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְֹרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי-הוֹצִיא יְהוָֹה אֶת-יִשְֹרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם: ב וַיִּקַּח יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֶת-צִפֹּרָה אֵשֶׁת מֹשֶׁה אַחַר שִׁלּוּחֶיהָ: ג וְאֵת שְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר שֵׁם הָאֶחָד גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה: ד וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד אֱלִיעֶזֶר כִּי-אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי וַיַּצִּלֵנִי מֵחֶרֶב פַּרְעֹה: ה וַיָּבֹא יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ אֶל-מֹשֶׁה אֶל-הַמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר-הוּא חֹנֶה שָׁם הַר הָאֱלֹהִים: ו וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-מֹשֶׁה אֲנִי חֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרוֹ בָּא אֵלֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּשְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ עִמָּהּ: ז וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה לִקְרַאת חֹתְנוֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיִּשַּׁק-לוֹ וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ-לְרֵעֵהוּ לְשָׁלוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֹהֱלָה: ח וַיְסַפֵּר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנוֹ אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמִצְרַיִם עַל אוֹדֹת יִשְֹרָאֵל אֵת כָּל-הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵם יְהוָֹה: ט וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל-הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר-עָשָֹה יְהוָֹה לְיִשְֹרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם: י וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶת-הָעָם מִתַּחַת יַד-מִצְרָיִם: יא עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי-גָדוֹל יְהוָֹה מִכָּל-הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם: יב וַיִּקַּח יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה עֹלָה וּזְבָחִים לֵאלֹהִים וַיָּבֹא אַהֲרֹן וְכֹל | זִקְנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל לֶאֱכָל-לֶחֶם עִם-חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים:
Shemot / Exodus 18:1-12
18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 18:2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away, 18:3 and her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom, for Moses said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.’ 18:4 The other was named Eliezer, for he said, ‘The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.’ 18:5 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped, at the mount of God. 18:6 He sent word to Moses, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.’ 18:7 Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 18:8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how the Lord had delivered them. 18:9 Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians. 18:10 So Jethro said, ‘Blessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 18:11 ‘Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.’ 18:12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God. (NASB)
What this week’s Torah portion reveals to us today, especially the take away from the rabbis, is how we are in a battle in this world, and more specifically a spiritual battle. We may not see directly the spiritual forces that are at work, but God’s word speaks explicitly about the underlying spiritual forces that are at work in the life of those who join themselves with this world’s system, culture, mind-set, and lifestyles, etc. The enemy would love nothing more than to fill our minds with sin, discouragement, defeat, and even doubt that we are wrestling not against flesh and blood. The Torah reveals these things, especially in the life of Moshe. Take one example from Shemot / Exodus 7:8-13.
ספר שמות פרק ז
ח וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן לֵאמֹר: ט כִּי יְדַבֵּר אֲלֵכֶם פַּרְעֹה לֵאמֹר תְּנוּ לָכֶם מוֹפֵת וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל-אַהֲרֹן קַח אֶת-מַטְּךָ וְהַשְׁלֵךְ לִפְנֵי-פַרְעֹה יְהִי לְתַנִּין: י וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶל-פַּרְעֹה וַיַּעֲשֹוּ-כֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָֹה וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אַהֲרֹן אֶת-מַטֵּהוּ לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה וְלִפְנֵי עֲבָדָיו וַיְהִי לְתַנִּין: יא וַיִּקְרָא גַּם-פַּרְעֹה לַחֲכָמִים וְלַמְכַשְּׁפִים וַיַּעֲשֹוּ גַם-הֵם חַרְטֻמֵּי מִצְרַיִם בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶם כֵּן: יב וַיַּשְׁלִיכוּ אִישׁ מַטֵּהוּ וַיִּהְיוּ לְתַנִּינִם וַיִּבְלַע מַטֵּה-אַהֲרֹן אֶת-מַטֹּתָם: יג וַיֶּחֱזַק לֵב פַּרְעֹה וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֲלֵהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָֹה:
Shemot / Exodus 7:8-13
7:8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 7:9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 7:11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 7:12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 7:13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. (NIV)
We note how Moshe went before Pharaoh and worked a miracle turning the staff into a snake. The Egyptians by their black magic did the same. What this story reveals to us are the underlying “spiritual forces of evil” that are at work in the lives of the Egyptian leadership and people is very real. These things tell us the real battle is the spiritual war between good versus evil. Note how Moshe’s staff as a snake consumed the Egyptian staffs which were also snakes. We note also what this led to as hardening Pharaoh’s heart, because of the manifestation of demonic power being able to perform similar things, he Hardened his heart. This again reveals to us there is a spiritual war ongoing for the hearts of men, as the forces of evil want to turn us away from God and separate us from Him. Believe it or not, most sexual sin, for example pornography, has demonic / spiritual activity that is involved. All forms of sexual sin, especially that of pedophilia have underlying demonic spiritual influences. The demonic or satanic influences in a person’s life who is a pedophile is very real and no joking matter! I have recently watched a Newsmax news anchor laughing about the idea that pedophiles are connected to some sort of satanic activity. This is no laughing matter! If you feel trapped in pornography or some kind of sexual sin and feel as if you cannot get out or resist the temptations of sex, this is because there absolutely is demonic activity involved! Such a person needs to begin seeking help from the Lord for deliverance from the demonic influences that are at work! The reason this is such a serious issue is because sexual perversion in society is without a doubt a measure of demonic activity, and look at our society today being obsessed with LGBTQ.
When we consider what the Scriptures say it is interesting how the most severe judgments in scripture were preceded by homosexual perversions, sexual assaults, and sex involving idolatry (Bereshit / Genesis 18-19, 2 Kings 17:9-12, Jeremiah 3:6) and even incest (David’s son Absalom raped his sister Tamar, 2 Samuel 13, and this led to rebellion against the kingdom and David. Remember how all of this was preceded by David’s sin with Batsheva and killing her husband Uriah, 2 Samuel 11). Another example is of Lot and his daughters, there was incest which is clearly due to the city (Sodom) and people in which they had lived with previously. Note also that sexual sin itself is a form of idolatry. The Tanakh also identifies the idolatry of cult prostitution and describes this by three Hebrew words, zanah (זָנָה), qedeshim (וַיִּתֹּץ֙ אֶת־בָּתֵּ֣י הַקְּדֵשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר הַנָּשִׁ֗ים אֹרְג֥וֹת שָׁ֛ם בָּתִּ֖ים לָאֲשֵׁרָֽה׃ , 2 Kings 23:7), and kedeshah (קְדֵשָׁ֖ה, Devarim / Deuteronomy 23:17). This type of idolatry is one of the major themes in the history of Israel which are mentioned again and again as זֹנָה zō·nā(h) meaning harlot, acting as a harlot, committing adultery, or to be a cult prostitute. God’s judgment did not come just because of sexual perversion alone. On an individual basis, there is an active acceptance to both the burning desire and the want to look at the images, the physical response (adrenaline), there are physical and spiritual components to this and these are all connected to the underlying spiritual forces that are at work. Unclean spirits are the root cause of the burning desire for sex, and then the desire for more and more of it! Deliverance from these spiritual forces will set you free from this! Sexual perversion and the moral state of our society is an indicator of the demonic activity that is at work. Take for example, it has been reported the level of pedophilia in our government amongst congressmen and senators, and in governments around the world is absolutely staggering! The percentage of those involved with this is at 75% of the politicians have been involved in this and are being blackmailed due to their sins. There is no doubt in my mind that this is true! The reason being, during the last presidential administration in the USA there were more than 180,000 indictments that were issued against people who were involved in sex and human trafficking alone! Notice how this is no laughing matter as news anchors make light of such things. The way the rabbis speak of Egypt and her guardian angel, there appears to be a very powerful demon at work over the leadership and the people of Egypt. The Scriptures say that God also defeated these false gods and demonic powers that were at work. This again is illustrated in the way in which Moshe’s staff consumed those of the Egyptians. The Scriptures tell us how it is our Creator, the God of Heaven, the God of Israel, who sustains all things by the power of his Word (Devarim / Deuteronomy 32:4, Tehillim / Psalms 33:4, Colossians 1:16-17, and Hebrew 1:3) and He is able to deliver everyone who asks! These things reveal to us that the Lord God Almighty is the one who wants the best for us! We can trust in the promises and delivering power of God because the Scriptures say so, and also because the Lord God always wants to produce the best outcome for His people and that is especially true for deliverance from demonic oppression.
When studying Torah, an example may be found by reading about Sodom and Gomorrah in Bereshit / Genesis 18-19, the level of sexual deviance was significant. Even after the men were struck blind, they groped about looking for the front door to Lot’s house so they could have sex with angels. Sexual sin is never satisfied and always leads one down a spiral to more deviant activity. This again is because the demonic activity that was involved is specifically directed to the burning desire for more! Like the example of pornography, the one who is involved with this is never satisfied. There is always something more perverted to see or lust after. This is why pornography is one of the biggest industries in the world. In addition to this, there are certain individuals who also must act out their vile lusts and become predictors on the innocent, such as pedophiles. Again, these unnatural lusts are not simply the result of human desire. These lusts and burning desires are generated by unclean spirits (demons) that are influencing the mind and the body of the individuals involved. The reason the most severe judgments in scripture are related to sexual sin is because God knows when sexual sin rules a society, demons are enslaving men and women and they may not even realize what is going on in their lives. This results in people being under the influence of demonic forces, and they go through life struggling to separate themselves from this behavior without success.
What we are learning according to this week’s Torah Portion, is that our God, the God of Israel, is powerful to defeat and destroy the spiritual forces that are at work! It is not just a matter of prayer or asking the Lord to deliver you from these things. One must also dedicate his or her life to the Lord, to submit and humble one’s life to God and His Holy Word, and doing so by getting God’s Word into the heart through study and prayer asking the Lord to help to live one’s life for His glory! Revelation 12 lays out some key fundamentals in the spiritual war we are in.
Revelation 12:10-11, 17
12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 12:11 ‘And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
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12:17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Notice how the book of Revelation speaks of those who are God’s children, they overcame because of the blood of the Messiah (the Lamb) and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even when faced with death. Notice how these people do not love sin. Revelation 12 goes on to say that the dragon, Satan, went forth to make war against God’s people who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Yeshua. What revelation is teaching us is how these people put their faith into action. When one keeps God’s commands, one is not sinning, and this requires the Spirit of God in our lives in order to even live for the Lord and to have faith. The connection being made here is that these people were not just giving lip service to the Lord by calling upon His name to be set free. They also wanted all of God, His Word and His ways to be an integral part of their lives. This is what is required for deliverance! There must be a lifestyle change, old habits are destroyed and new habits are formed that bring glory to God! This is the word of their testimony, that speaks to the power of God in their lives to overcome this world and its ways! Ever wonder why pornography runs so unchecked in the lives of Christians today? This is because of the demonic theologies (dispensationalism, replacement, etc) that are being taught which put a stumbling block teaching the Torah is passed away, or has no relevance for our lives today or how the power of God to heal and deliver is not for us today. In order to find true victory in one’s life, one must utterly submit his or her life to the Lord God Almighty and His Word! I have heard many sermons preached that state for example when one submits his life to the Lord by eating kosher, he is not submitting his life, but taking his life into his own hands. This is very counter intuitive, and is not what the scriptures state. Kosher isn’t the only example from the Torah, but is a good example because it speaks to a change in lifestyle that speaks to “watching what you eat” and how our appetite is analogous to many things according to the Scriptures, including that of the appetite of our lusts, etc. The key to understanding this is we live our lives according to God’s Word because of the Spirit of God in our lives causing us to love God and His ways giving us a desire to apply God’s Word to our lives! There is so little victory in the lives of many Christians today because of these heretical doctrines that are being taught at the pulpit which put limits on the power of God! Paul wrote of these days saying there will be men “having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:5) When a preacher speaks against the Torah, we know that (i) he is a false prophet (Devarim / Deuteronomy 18) and (ii) he is teaching only a theology, and not what is written in the living Word of God! It is my belief, that most all preachers in the church, all they do is teach a theology as opposed to what the Word of God actually states. This is why there is so much defeat in the lives of believers today in matters of pornography and sexual sin!
According to the Torah, when Israel was initially put in bondage, the Pharaoh was worried of war and of Israel joining their foes in war, the text states that explicitly. Pharaoh would most likely have been fine if Israel had just got up and left. The Spiritual forces however devised another plan to have the people put under hard labor and bondage. We are told 400 years later the people cried out to God for help and deliverance. Our literally crying out to our Father in heaven in the name of Yeshua in prayer is absolutely important for deliverance from spiritual attack! Yeshua told Peter according to Luke 22 saying, “Peter, Satan has sought to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you.” When we pray, these evil forces have no power over our lives! Paul wrote that it was in the death and resurrection of God’s Son Yeshua that the Lord “‘disarmed’ spiritual forces of evil and ‘made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.’” (Colossians 2:15). Evil spirits have no power over you as a child of the Almighty God. We are told the name of Yeshua is the name above all names (Acts 4:12) and we can command the unclean spirits to leave. We are also told it is at the name of Yeshua every knee must bow and every tongue confess that Yeshua is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11), and that includes all the evil spirits and spiritual forces that are at work. In fact, as the children of God, we are promised power and strength when we call upon our father God in heaven in the name of Yeshua to deliver us from spiritual attacks and Satan’s schemes to bind us. These are the things this week’s Torah portion are revealing to us. The Lord God Almighty, in the name of Yeshua the Messiah, is powerful to deliver us regardless of what one struggles with, an addiction, emotion, thought, relationship, finances, or any other stronghold in ones life! This is why John writes what he does saying, 1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (NIV) Truly, the one who is in us is greater than he who is in the world! This week’s Torah portion reveals to us the great power of God to deliver His people! That power of God is also available for us today, we only have to seek and ask Because the Lord God Almighty wants us to be free for all forms of bondage. In John 8:36 Yeshua makes a powerful statement of victory. He says, “So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.” These are powerful truths that we can believe in! Now, we must take the time to seriously consider these truths and not brush them off like some people do. The only way to be free is to have faith believing in these truths, and seeking our Father God in heaven in the name of Yeshua to help us live out these things according to the Torah! We serve a powerful God who loves us, and wants us to be free from all bondage in our lives, especially those things involving unclean spirits! Something to note, everywhere Yeshua went the NT tells us there were unclean spirits involved in the lives of men! Yeshua cast them out by the power of God! We can cast them out too, all we need to do is cry out to the Lord our Father in heaven in the name of Yeshua to be set free! Then ask the Lord to help us to live our lives according to His Word for His glory, and to help create new habits to replace the old!
