"And you have chosen us from among every People and Tongue"

Shemot {33:19} He said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the Name of HaShem before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show chesed (mercy) on whom I will show chesed." {33:20} He said, "You cannot see my face, for ish (man) may not see me and live."

Shemot 33 is a special reading for this Shabbat, it is not our normal reading and that is because this week, Shabbat falls on the Pesach (Passover). The Parsha has a special message and I have found two very important principles in this passage of Scripture.

Some people question the sovereignty of G-d. They try to second guess Him as to why He chose the nation of Yisrael (Israel) and the Jewish people to call, “Am segula” “His special treasure.” It bothers these people that HaShem chose one nation over all the others. So they rationalize their jealousy and the insecurity of their own relationship with G-d by espousing doctrines such as Replacement Theology, the Ephraimite Theory, also know as the Two House Theory, or by teaching that the way G-d worked in the “Old” Covenant is not how He is working in the “New” Covenant. But the truth of the matter is, these are all forms of second guessing HaShem and His sovereignty, they are also to one level or another types of anti-Semitism.

However in our above Scripture HaShem answers this important question of why He calls Yisrael His special treasure for us when He says; “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show chesed on whom I will show chesed." G-d’s sovereignty is indisputable; therefore His choices can not be questioned. We are not told in the Book of Bereshit (Genesis) why HaShem chose Avraham (Abraham). Why from among all the people on the face of the earth He chose him to be the lineage through whom He will create a special nation of people. So the answer we need to refer back to is G-d’s sovereignty. He will be gracious to whom he will be gracious and He will show mercy to whom He will show mercy. It is not our place to question G-d’s wisdom nor is it our place to question His sovereignty by inventing man conceived theologies or theories.

I once read a sign on an office wall, its heading was “OFFICE RULES.” This heading was then followed by two very simple rules: RULE #1 – The boss is always right. RULE #2 – If ever you feel the boss is wrong refer to Rule #1.

Yeshua said, and I paraphrase (Luke 16.18), “The children of the world are wiser than the children of light.” Well these office rules are a good example of that. We should not try to rationalize G-d’s sovereignty so as to make ourselves feel important. It is not our feelings that HaShem is concerned with; it is His glory and our benefit.

HaShem did not elevate one nation in order to downgrading all other nations. Rather HaShem created a model nation and asked the other nations to join in with them. He did this not so that they should become Isarel but rather that they should become like Israel. How? In their observance of the Torah, in their worship, their reverence for HaShem and their revelation of the saving work of Yeshua HaMashiach. Yes, Yisrael as a whole did not fulfill her responsibility of being a light to the nations (Or LaGoyim), however HaShem always had a remnant of Yisrael who were faithful. Scripture testifies to this because it is from this remnant (enter the talmidim [apostles]), that the nations learned of the One True G-d.

Have you ever wondered why man cannot look on the face of G-d and live? Well I have, and I would like to offer what I believe to be the reason. In the Scripture passage I chose from this week’s Parsha, Moshe (Moses) asked to see HaShem’s face. Taking this request in the context of the whole conversation they were having, it appears that Moshe, in asking HaShem to see His face, was actually asking for a greater revelation of G-d then G-d was willing to give him. Not that HaShem wanted to keep Moshe in the dark, not that He had some secrets which He did not want Moshe to know, but because as a man (human) Moshe could not survive a full revelation of HaShem. It is interesting to note that soon after this conversation, HaShem did give Moshe what he could handle and that was the revelation of Torah. By doing this I believe that G-d showed Moshe and us as well, a piece of Himself but not all of Himself.

Rav Shaul (Rabbi Paul) mimics this exact concept in essentially the same way and basically in the same context when he writes:

Korintim Alef/1 Corinthians {13.12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Moshe did not know his limitations as a human, he wanted to know more, more than HaShem knew he could handle. Shaul obviously understood this conversation between HaShem and Moshe and accepted the fact that he too does not have total revelation at this time, however he also knew that one day he will. Look at the words he used to describe that future revelation; “then shall I know even as also I am known.” Now compare it to what HaShem said to Moshe: “{33:17} HaSHEM said to Moshe, "I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." But then He adds: "You cannot see my face, for ish may not see me and live." It was not time yet for Moshe to know Him as he was known.

We are not meant to understand everything. We are not meant to know everything. That is because we could not handle the full revelation of G-d as human beings, however one day we will and we will know HaShem as He knows us:

Yochanan Alef ( 1 John) {3.2} Beloved, now are we the sons of G-d, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as he is.

So what does this all have to do with Pesach? HaShem did not take bnei Yisrael (the children of Israel) out of Mitzrayim (Egypt) to build a great religious system. He took them out of Mitzrayim to build a model nation, a model nation that would become a Commonwealth of Nations who will follow His commandment. This Commonwealth of Nations we are told by Rav. Shaul is comprised of a remnant from among the nation of Yisrael and a remnant from among the Goyim (Nations), (Romim [Romans] 11.17; Efesim [Ephesians] 2.12-13). Together this Commonwealth of Nations will form the Goof HaMashiach (Body of Messiah). You cannot have a Commonwealth without people and you cannot have a model nation unless those people apply the blood of the Lamb (Yeshua HaMashiach) to their hearts and come out from under the bondage of sin. That is what Pesach is all about! Would you like to join HaShem’s Commonwealth this Pesach?

Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber is the spiritual leader of Congregation Melech Yisrael in Toronto, Canada.

Copyright 2004