Footsteps of Messiah
The Feasts, Pharaoh, and the Foxes
In last week's newsletter, we studied Song of Songs 2:15, which continues the thread of the vineyard Israel: "Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom."
The vineyard is Israel. The blossoms of the vineyard are promises of repentance. Not yet mature fruits of repentance, but beginning the journey. "Catch" is echaz, which implies holding on to something for safekeeping:
אָחַז ʼâchaz; to seize (often with the accessory idea of holding in possession).
The Egyptians decided to deal shrewdly with Israelites. They targeted the infants, the most helpless members of society. They watched the Israelite women closely for signs of pregnancy in order to seize the infants from the birthing stools.
The Hebrew word for fox is shual:
שׁוּעָל shûwʻâl or שֻׁעָל shuʻâl; from the same as H8168; (as a burrower):—fox.
The essence of a fox is its burrowing, hollowing out, and establishing a home base. It is a wise observer.
H8168 is the shoresh, or root, of shual:
שֹׁעַל shôʻal from an unused root meaning to hollow out; the palm; by extension, a handful:—handful, hollow of the hand.
Pharaoh thought to “deal wisely” with Moses and Aaron, and by extension, the Holy One: “Come on, let us deal wisely [נִֽתְחַכְּמָה]with them” (Ex 1:10)
This is the first Spirit of Adonai, wisdom, chokhmah. It separated light from darkness on the First Day of Creation and led to the separation of the waters from the waters with binah (understanding) on the Second Day. Although the Second Day was not declared good, it was declared good on the Third Day when the waters were gathered and dry land appeared with etzah, counsel. Pharaoh thought to challenge the Creator, wisdom-for-wisdom.
Because the Egyptian foxes decided to “seize” the children shrewdly, their fate was to be dealt with shrewdly. They were lured into the Sea of Reeds on dry land, yet it was not good, for it was in defiance of the Holy One.
Naturally, the foxes should have been terrified to pursue the Israelites. After all, they’d just been on the receiving end of ten terrible plagues. Instead, they plunged ahead to the “dry bed” of the Sea. By the measure of death they had sought to destroy Israel, they died. Water to water. The fox was outfoxed.
The Midrash speculates that when they hesitated, their horses galloped ahead, and the Egyptians were drawn after them in the chariots. It is believed that the soldiers who drowned in the Sea of Reeds were the ones who sought Hebrew boys for drowning in the Nile (middah k’neged middah, or “measure against measure”). The measure of punishment was from the time of Creation when the waters were measured in the hollow of the Creator’s hand. This particular measure-for-measure is connected with the measuring of the sea by the “palm” of Adonai on the third day of Creation:
- Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
- In His arm He will gather the lambs
- And carry them in the fold of His robe;
- He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
- Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
- מִֽי־מָדַד בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ מַיִם
- And measured the heavens with a span,
- And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure,
- And weighed the mountains in a balance
- And the hills in a pair of scales? (Is 40:11-12)
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow (sha-al) of His hand”
מִֽי־מָדַד בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ מַיִם
Sha-al = palm or hollow of hand
In older manuscripts, the first use of foxes in Shir 2:15 “shualim” is written in its full form, with a vav after the shin. The second use of foxes is an abbreviated form, without a vav. Break apart the second spelling, and you have sha-al yam, "the fox went down to the palm of the sea," that which the Holy One had already measured out for their destruction.
No matter what the plans of the foxes who observe our every keystroke, they will be drawn into their own snares. Their punishment has already been measured out. The destruction of the third of the ships as prophesied in Revelation, which we'll take a look at later, may be related to the destruction of the foxes. More important than trying to pin a natural event to every prophecy in Revelation, though, is pinning down what Israel must do to prepare for the journey ahead.
The sticking point between Moses and Pharaoh was Moses' repeated request to lead the Israelites into the wilderness to celebrate a chag, a feast unto YHVH. Pharaoh wanted to piecemeal the permission, but Moses knew that if the whole congregation and their livestock didn't journey to worship, the power of the fox would not be severed. Pharaoh's observation system extended to the whole family.
This may explain Pharaoh’s refusal to let the Hebrews go worship in the wilderness plague after plague. Because he had initiated a “feast contest,” to concede to Moses’ request would be a loss in the wisdom challenge. Egypt had already sunk Israel into a depth of abominable idol worship (Ezekiel 20). As long as Pharaoh could hold them away from the feasts of YHVH, he still “seized” and controlled them. The slavery of Israel would be broken with the first feast, Pesach.
How does an otherwise weak predator cunningly maintain power?
He controls the “doorway” of his prey. In Revelation, Yeshua is standing at the door, telling us that he controls the coming and going from the Garden above, that the power of life and death is in his hand. Pharaoh maintained the power of death over Israel with idolatry, which placed an obstacle between them and keeping the feasts of YHVH. The blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorpost broke the power of death, becoming a “mezuzah.” The mezuzah today is made with either a symbolic Hebrew letter shin for El Shaddai, or the full name Shaddai spelled out, which is an acrostic for Shomer Daltot Yisrael, or Guardian of the Doors of Israel.
When Israel returns to her feasts, she partners with the Holy One in breaking the power of the fox. From Passover, she must enter another type of wilderness for the national acceptance of the covenant at Mount Horeb. In this Shavuot encounter, she is tested for living entry to the Promised Land.
Due to continued illness, the newsletter is bare bones this week. Please keep us in prayer for a complete recovery. See below for Shabbat live stream information.
SHABBAT SHALOM!
