Beshalach - Sacrifice & Atonement
The Torah portion of Beshalach has a few significant connections to the Messiah. The first is with the Jewish tradition of the story of Nahshon at the Red Sea. The second is the possible reason why Israel was able to cross through the Red Sea and not the Egyptians. The third is how the people of Israel are able to believe in Moshe, and in turn believe in the God Moshe believed in.
Jewish tradition holds an extra detail to the story of the crossing of the Red Sea. This detail is Nahshon ben Amminadab, prince over the tribe of Yehudah. The Torah mentions Nahshon six times, calling him the prince, giving his genealogy, and relating that Nahshon is the brother in law of Aharon. In the Talmud, Sotah 37a, the story of Nahshon is told:
“Rabbi Yehudah said, ‘None of the tribes were willing to go first into the sea. Then Nahshon the son of Amminadab leapt forth descended into the sea ...’ Regarding [his struggle in the sea] the Scriptures say [in Psalm 69], ‘Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life. I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. May the flood of water not overflow me nor the deep swallow me up, nor the pit shut its mouth on me.’ Meanwhile, Moshe was busy making long petitions of prayer. The Holy One, blessed be He, scolded him, ‘My beloved ones are about to drown in the sea and you are making long prayers before Me!’ Moshe asked him, ‘Master of the universe, what can I possibly do?’ He answered [in Exodus 14:15], ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.’ [Because of Nahshon’s faith and bravery] the tribe of Yehudah was worthy to be given dominion over Israel, as it is said [in Psalms 114:2], ‘Yehudah became his sanctuary, Israel, His dominion.’ Why did Yehudah become His sanctuary and Israel his dominion? Because [as it says in the next verse], ‘The sea looked [at Nahshon] and fled.’”
The rabbis compared Nahshon’s leap into the sea with the willing sacrifice made by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they stepped into the fiery furnace. Nahshon acted like a holy martyr in sacrificing himself to glorify God.
It says in the Mechilta:
“What did Israel say at the sea? They said (in Exodus 15:18), ‘The Lord shall reign forever and ever.’ The Holy One, blessed be He therefore said, ‘I will make him king because He was the reason they proclaimed me as king at the sea.’”
Like Nahshon, Yeshua willingly laid down his life in order that his people be saved. Like Nahshon, Yeshua was a prince of Yehudah. Like Nahshon, Yeshua led his people from slavery to atonement.
In the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, God spares the people of Israel and lets them cross safely, but he drowns the Egyptians. But why did the people of Israel deserve to cross safely? They were also sinners, and they had worshipped idols in Egypt just like the Egyptians. Tying in the story Job, the Midrash gives us an explanation:
“[The crossing of the Red Sea] can be compared to a shepherd who was leading his sheep across a river when a wolf came and attacked the sheep. What did the shepherd do? He took a large he-goat and threw it to the wolf, saying to himself, ‘Let him struggle with this until we cross the river, and then I will return to bring the goat back.’ So too, when Israel departed from Egypt, the angel Sama’el [i.e., Satan] arose to accuse them, pleading before the Almighty, ‘Master of the universe! Up until now Israel has been worshipping idols, and now you are going to divide the sea for them?’ What did God do? He delivered into his hands Job, of whom it is written [in Job 1:1], ‘And that man was blameless, upright.’ He said, ‘Behold, he is in your power.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, reckoned, ‘While Sata is busily occupied with Job, Israel will go through the sea! Afterwards, I will deliver Job’ ... He delivered Job into the hands of Sata in order that Israel may not emerge guilty from trial.”
The story portrays Job’s suffering as an atonement for the children of Israel, just as Yeshua’s suffering atones for us.
In Exodus 14:31 it says:
“And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moshe.”
Israel’s moment of personal faith occurred on the shore of the Red Sea. After they saw that Pharaoh’s army had been destroyed and that God had used Moshe to deliver them, they faithfully placed their Faith in God and in His servant Moshe. Each part of this verse has a special meaning. It says first that they “feared the LORD”, meaning that they understood that God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. It says second that they “believed in the LORD”, meaning that they believed in his power to save. Third, they believed “in His servant Moshe”, meaning that they believed that Moshe was sent by God to serve them. These three things summarize what we need in order to have faith.
Belief in Moshe requires more than simple theism. Believing in God is one thing, but to believe in Moshe requires believing in God as he is revealed through the Torah of Moshe. Many people believe in God, but not many believe in the Torah. Not many people believe in God as the God Moshe believed in. This is why the Mechilta, an ancient commentary on Exodus, says, “One who believes in Moshe believes in God.” Someone that believes in the Torah believes in more than just a vague sense of a higher power, he believes in the God of the Bible.
Yeshua made a similar statement in John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Just as Israel believed in Moshe, we need to believe in Yeshua.
Moshe saved the people of Israel from Egypt, from Pharaoh, and from the Red Sea. Yeshua saves us from sin, from Satan, and from death.
Both Nahshon and Job give us stories of sacrifice and atonement that point towards Yeshua. The belief in Moshe when Israel was at the other side of the Red Sea is akin to the belief in Yeshua, who will atone for us and bring us to the side of redemption.
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