Mitzraim – The meaning of slavery in Egypt

by with One Comment Biblical StudiesVideo Blog

We understand reality through polar opposites. We can say that something is bad because we compare it to the concept of what is good, we can think that someone is cruel because we know what compassion is…

One of the most prominent topics in the Scriptures is the subject of slavery. This is not because slavery itself is important, but because liberation from slavery is most significant.

All concepts in this existence are based on duality. As early as Genesis 1 with the concepts of heaven and earth, light and darkness, day and night… Adam himself was conditioned to understand reality based on duality when he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

To this day, no matter who you are or what background you come from, we understand reality through polar opposites. We can say that something is bad because we compare it to the concept of what is good, we can think that someone is cruel because we know what compassion is, we appreciate something as beautiful because we can conceive the concept of what is horrible.

In the same way, in the biblical story, we are taught about freedom, based on what slavery is and what it represents. The children of Israel understood freedom through slavery. There are those who say, especially those who have been deprived of their liberty, that one cannot know what liberty is at all unless he has been deprived of it first.

Mitzraim (מִצְרָיְם) was one of the sons of Ham (Gen 10:6), and is the Hebrew word for Egypt. However, this word has a deeper meaning that reveals the biblical understanding of what slavery means, as well as freedom.

Breaking down the Hebrew word, we see that the “im” at the end of Mitzraim indicates the plural form of the word. In the singular, it would be matzor (מָצוֹר). Interestingly, Egypt is referred to in this way in certain places, such as Isaiah 37:25:

“I dug wells and drank water. I dried up all the streams of Egypt (matzor- מָצוֹר) with the soles of my feet.”

A matzor in Hebrew is a siege when an army surrounds a town or city before attacking it – usually to prevent supplies from coming in.

Matzor, comes from the root tzar (צָר) which means narrow. The pressure that an army applies to a besieged people has to do with this idea. Tzar is also related to the suffering that can be experienced.

Tzorer is the word generally translated as enemy, but it also comes from this root and would be better translated as “one who causes tzar”, one who causes pain or suffering.

One of the Hebrew words for rock is tzur (צוּר). This word is used a lot in the Psalms when David says “Yehovah is my rock.” The word tzur, once again, comes from the same root as all of these words. In this case, the idea of ​​pressure or the concept of something narrow has to do with the conditions in which this stone was formed under the ground. 

Tzur in Hebrew has to do with a specific stone, although this detail is lost in translation. In English, it is called flint, which is one of the hardest stones in existence, used to make tools and weapons in the stone age.

With all this, we have enough material to meditate on the concept of where the children of Israel were when they suffered during the period of slavery in Mitzraim, Egypt.

Suffering is not necessarily physical, but mental. In this world, the strongest chains and limitations are in our mind. Emotions like worry or anxiety make us feel as if we are in a narrow place. In appearance, we have already left Egypt and were freed from physical slavery, but how many of us can say that we are free in our mind?

This is the truth that Yeshua preached, when he taught:

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls..” Matthew 11:28-29

How to Escape the System of the Beast

by with No Comment Video Blog

With regulations and government restrictions on the world’s population, increasingly resembling George Orwell’s dystopian nightmare of 1984, it’s hard to have hope that things will get better.

For those of us who believe in Bible prophecy, we know that the good guys win in the end, even though we forget it sometimes or aren’t fully aware of it. Another point to consider is exactly how long evil will have to reign; how long it will be night before the day comes; how long will we go through tribulations, until we reach that promised land, metaphorically speaking.

First, to put it in perspective: there is nothing new under the sun

For each of us, our own trials and challenges seem “the hardest.” We think about our own lives first and that makes our own problems the worst. This same distortion in perspective can be projected communally or globally. Therefore, we believe that the problems affecting us in the world today are the worst in the history of humanity: the most tyrannical governments, the most violent climate changes, the greatest depravities of the population, etc. But the truth is, there is nothing new under the sun. The evils that plague the world today have existed since the beginning of history!

As soon as two human beings existed, envy and jealousy were born. From the birth of the first communities, hierarchies of power arose, which were later corrupted by the carnal ambition for power and dominance, which later developed into the need for conquest and control over other communities. Nations and empires were founded and, in the last 250 years, we have the most familiar concept of the state which resembles the forms mentioned above – with the exception that we live in a democratic system, in which, in my opinion, there is an illusion of choice, in hopes that there will be a positive change one day.

There are three types of responses

When we are faced with any type of threat, there are three ways in which we respond. These are described in the reactions of fighting, fleeing or paralysis, which refer to involuntary physiological changes that occur in the body and the mind when a person feels threatened. These responses exist to keep people safe, preparing them to face, escape, or hide from danger.

Let’s analyze these three kinds of responses in relation to the threat in which we currently find ourselves.

Fighting. If we decide to fight the beast system, this would be a noble sentiment. Many in the past have fought physically to preserve freedom and rights, whether at the familial, communal, or national level. Many times, it is not about overthrowing an entire government, but simply preserving order, advocating for the poor and promoting justice in our own neighborhood.

An important point to keep in mind in this mode of reaction is that we must choose our battles wisely. Although there are many just causes, we must invest our time fighting where we can have a real impact and make a difference in a tangible way.

Fleeing. It is wise to realize when there are no more battles to fight, or when we are outnumbered, or simply when the war is lost. It would be sensible to begin thinking of a plan to change our circumstances, such as moving to another city, removing children from the public school system, etc. Meaning, in this case, “fleeing” would be the necessary thing to do at that moment. A family or individual can flee a country in which they feel threatened, searching for economic prosperity or simply to preserve their physical integrity. These are the main reasons people have migrated from one place to another throughout history.

I want to emphasize. These two types of responses, fighting and fleeing, are not mutually exclusive. Our response to a threat can change according to the circumstances. Yeshua instructed his disciples to buy a sword, but then scolded Peter for using it. There is a time for peace and there is a time for war.

Paralysis. This type of reaction to a threat is, essentially, the absence of a reaction. In the face of fear, confusion, surprise or lack of motivation, our nervous system can become paralyzed, leaving us immobile and defenseless against a threat. This is the reaction that those in power want to project on the population. That’s why the news transmits fear and uncertainty. That is why during the last two years of the pandemic the information that has come out from government sources has always been confusing or fatalistic, or both. And that is why, it is no coincidence that paralysis is the state in which the majority of the population finds itself.

Escaping the system

In the times when Yeshua walked through Judea and Galilee, the Roman Empire exercised control over the land. They collected taxes, controlled transportation and movement, imposed restrictions of all kinds and decided who lived and who died. It was in this same setting that Yeshua preached about the Kingdom of Heaven. But unlike the redemption that everyone expected at that very moment in order to be freed from the unbearable Roman oppression, through political change and the coronation of a Jew (Yeshua) over Israel, the Messiah was speaking of another Kingdom.

A Kingdom that was possible to access at that very moment; regardless of who the emperor or the president of a country was; a kingdom that could not be damaged by the hand of man nor does it age with the passage of time. A Kingdom that existed before Creation and will continue to exist when everything is finished; the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God.

To escape the system of the Beast, we must first realize that whatever happens around us on planet Earth, in this physical world, does not change in the slightest the power and sovereignty of the Creator over the entire Universe.

Second, it is imperative not to fear. This is a COMMANDMENT that appears in the Scriptures dozens of times, many of them accompanied by the tool that allows us to overcome fear; Courage. “Be strong and courageous!” the Creator told Joshua before entering the Promised Land.

Fear is a mechanism by which our brains help to protect us from danger. But there are times when overcoming that fear is the only way to overcome the obstacle. Overcoming fear and obstacles is precisely what makes us stronger, wiser, and more resilient.

Conclusion

Good times create weak men; weak men create hard times; hard times create strong men; strong men create good times.

What ails us is not only the system of the Beast, but our feeling of helplessness to fight it. Whether we choose to fight (by physical, legal, mental or spiritual means) or we choose to flee, it is important to take a good look at our circumstances and then make the appropriate decisions, based on prayer, good counsel and rational logic. And in other cases, all it will take to escape the system of the Beast, will be to simply turn the TV off, and restrict phone and social media use.