Humility Before God Almighty
-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
Introduction:
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard for some people to admit they are wrong? Pride has the power to blind even the most intelligent hearts. It can make someone deaf to God’s voice, resistant to truth, and unable to bow in humility before the One who gives life and breath.
Last week, Pharaoh and his people received another four plagues as part of God’s call for them to repent. He sent swarms, and the land of Egypt was corrupted, but Pharaoh still refused to let the children of Israel go. Next, the livestock of Egypt died, and God made a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, but Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. Boils and hail followed as the sixth and seventh plagues, and this time, Pharaoh admitted that he had sinned. He begged Moshe to tell God to remove the plague, and when it ceased, he sinned again—showing there was no real repentance.
Our parasha deals with the last three plagues that God sent to Pharaoh, reminding him not only to repent but to humble himself before Him. Although in verse 1 God told Moshe that He hardened Pharaoh’s heart and the hearts of his servants, it is undeniable that God also desired Pharaoh’s humility. That is why Moshe asked Pharaoh, “Thus says Adonai, the God of the Hebrews: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?” (Ex. 10:3).
Locusts – Before this plague, Pharaoh received two warnings. First, there was a delay; Moshe told Pharaoh that if he refused to let Israel go, the plague would come the next day. Pharaoh still had time to repent and humble himself. Second, his servants warned him that Egypt was already destroyed. Despite these two warnings, Pharaoh refused and insulted Moshe and Aaron. The locusts came over the land of Egypt and were very severe. The Egyptians feared locusts and prayed to their locust gods Isis and Set, who were believed to protect Egypt’s crops.
Darkness – The ninth plague came without warning and was connected to the locusts, which had also brought darkness (v.15). God again made a distinction: while there was thick darkness in all Egypt for three days, the children of Israel had light. The Egyptian god behind this plague was Ra, the all-powerful sun god, but he was powerless against the God of Israel—(Yeshua, the Light of the world) (John 8:12). Remember, during creation, God created light first because “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2 NKJV).
Death of the Firstborn – This final plague was warned about early, in Exodus 4:22–23, where God told Moshe, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says Adonai: Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.’” Why was this the final plague? Because killing every Hebrew son was the first act Pharaoh committed as king. Moreover, the death of Egypt’s firstborn declared that Israel was God’s firstborn. God said to Moshe, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and Egypt. Afterward, he will let you go from here” (Ex. 11:1). Truly, the God of Israel is omniscient—He knows all that will happen.
Why did Pharaoh refuse to humble himself before God?
Pride – During his first encounter with Moshe in Exodus 5, Pharaoh said, “Who is Adonai, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know Adonai, nor will I let Israel go.” Pride blinded Pharaoh, just as it caused Lucifer’s fall when he said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven… I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:12–15).
Position and Power – According to National Geographic, Pharaohs were both heads of state and religious leaders. His title, meaning “Great House,” referred to his palace. Pharaoh was considered a divine intermediary between the gods and the Egyptians. He made laws, waged wars, levied taxes, and owned all the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh commanded, it had to be obeyed. Because of his power and position, Pharaoh forgot to humble himself before God.
In our torah portion this week, we witness the devastating effects of pride and the redeeming beauty of humility. Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth at that time, refused to humble himself before the God of Israel. Despite warning after warning and plague after plague, he hardened his heart until judgment finally came upon his land and his people.
Meanwhile, the children of Israel learned that deliverance could only come through humble obedience—by applying the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and trusting in God’s word. Egypt was humbled by judgment, but Israel was raised up by submission.
Surprisingly, the instructions regarding the celebration of Pesach were included in this portion. Why?
- So the Israelites could hold a feast to God in the wilderness (Ex. 5:1).
- Because this marks the beginning of their new life as a nation.
- As a testimony and reminder to future generations of God’s faithfulness (Ex. 10:2).
- As a foreshadowing of Messiah Yeshua as the Paschal Lamb, through whose blood we (the Goyim) have hope and are freed from the bondage of sin.
Yeshua said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” And so we do—again and again.
Our Torah portion reminds us that if we refuse to humble ourselves before God, judgment will come upon us. But if we humble ourselves and obey Him, as the Israelites did by putting the lamb’s blood on their doorposts, we will receive deliverance, freedom, and blessing.
Pride locks the door to freedom, but humility opens it wide to deliverance.
Where in your life is God calling you to humble yourself so that His deliverance can enter your heart and home?
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
In the Haftarah, God proclaimed His judgment against Egypt through the prophet Isaiah. Verse 1 declares that Adonai will come riding on a swift cloud, and the idols of Egypt will tremble before Him. This image is not just poetic—it is prophetic. It reflects the same revelation that John later saw when Yeshua comes with the clouds (Rev. 1:7), to judge the nations and establish His kingdom of righteousness.
Isaiah 19 describes how Egypt’s false gods will fall, its leaders will lose wisdom, and its people will turn against each other. The once-mighty empire that relied on its power and intellect would discover that no human wisdom can stand against the counsel of Adonai. God humbles Egypt in three ways:
- Through internal division – the Egyptians will fight against one another.
- Through oppressive rule – a cruel master will reign over them.
- Through natural devastation – the Nile, their source of life and pride, will dry up.
The message is clear: Adonai alone is sovereign. No river, ruler, or religion can replace Him.
Yet Isaiah’s prophecy doesn’t end in despair. As we read further in the book, we find that God’s judgment always carries the seed of redemption. The same God who humbles also heals. Just as the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali were once humbled but later honored when Messiah brought His light to Galilee (Isa. 9:1–2; Matt. 4:13–16), so too Egypt’s humbling foreshadows a greater hope—the coming of the Light who pierces the darkness.
Isaiah 9 reminds us that even in times of distress and gloom, God promises light. The people walking in darkness have seen a great Light; those living in deep shadows have had a light dawn upon them. This Light is none other than Yeshua, the Sar Shalom, who dispels the darkness of judgment and replaces it with the hope of redemption. God’s discipline of Egypt was not for their destruction but for their awakening—to show that human pride leads only to despair, while humility before Him leads to life and peace.
Isaiah 19:22 reveals God’s ultimate purpose: “Adonai will strike Egypt, striking but healing; and they will return to Adonai, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.” Even Egypt, once a symbol of oppression, will one day cry out to the God of Israel. In that day, Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will be united in worship, and Adonai will declare, “Blessed be Egypt My people” (Isa. 19:25). What a powerful picture of redemption—God humbling the nations so that His light and peace may reign over all the earth.
The same principle applies to us today. When pride brings darkness, God allows the shaking not to destroy us, but to reveal the Light of His presence. It is in our humbling that we encounter His healing. Just as Egypt’s rivers dried up, sometimes God must dry up our false sources of strength so that we will thirst only for Him.
No throne stands forever when it refuses to bow before the Eternal King.
Every heart, home, and nation has its own throne. What part of your life still resists God’s rule? Will you choose to surrender that throne to the Eternal King before He has to bring it down?
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
In the Apostolic portion, John witnessed two great truths about Yeshua.
First, Yeshua is the Lamb of God. As the son of Zechariah the priest, John knew the sacrificial system well. Yet this time, it was Yeshua Himself who became the sacrifice to take away the sin of the world. This shows Yeshua’s humility—He came down from heaven and became flesh, not merely to cover our sins (atonement), but to pay for them fully (propitiation).
Second, Yeshua is the Son of God. John saw the Spirit descend from heaven and remain upon Yeshua, confirming that He is the Promised Messiah.
John’s own humility is also evident—he said, “I baptize with water, but He who comes after me will baptize with the Ruach HaKodesh.”
The lesson is clear: God reveals Himself to those who humble themselves before Him.
True greatness is not in being exalted, but in pointing others to the One who deserves all glory.
Do my words and actions reflect the meekness of the Lamb, or the self-will of the world?
After seeing how Pharaoh’s pride resisted every warning, and how his hardened heart led to the final and most devastating judgment, the death of the firstborn, we are reminded that pride always ends in loss.
When we read of the 10th plague, we are not only witnessing God’s power over Egypt, but His call for us to surrender before such power, to learn what Pharaoh refused to learn: that no throne, no heart, can stand against the Sovereign of all creation.
The connection of our Parasha is about humility. In the Torah, God asked Pharaoh “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?”. In the Haftarah, God humbled Egypt through His judgement. In Apostolic, John witnessed the humility of Yeshua as the Lamb and Son of God, who became flesh from heaven to take away our sins.
Returning to our opening question why is it so hard for people to admit they are wrong? The story of Pharaoh gives us the answer: pride blinds the heart and deafens the ears to God’s voice. Pharaoh saw the power of Adonai with his own eyes, yet refused to bow. Egypt’s wisdom failed, its gods fell silent, and its river of life dried up, all because its king would not humble himself before the King of kings.
But where Pharaoh hardened his heart, Israel learned humility through obedience. They applied the blood of the lamb on their doorposts in faith—and that simple act of surrender brought them life and freedom. Centuries later, John pointed to Yeshua, the true Lamb of God, who in perfect humility gave His own life so that we might be delivered from the bondage of sin and death.
The message of this parasha is clear: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
As we understand the cost of Pharaoh’s defiance, let us search our own hearts:
Where have we allowed pride to harden us to God’s correction?
Where have we resisted His call to yield and obey?
So let us not be like Pharaoh, whose stubbornness led to ruin, but like Yeshua, who “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a stake” (Phil. 2:8). When we admit our wrongs, surrender our will, and bow before Him, we experience the true freedom that only humility can bring.
Pride closes our hearts to God’s voice, but humility opens the way for His deliverance and light.
Philippians 2:8
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Before the Almighty humbles us, may we choose to humble ourselves. Let this be the time we tear down every “Pharaoh” within us, every pride, every stubbornness, so that Adonai may reign unhindered in our hearts.
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
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Sources:
The MacArthur Study Bible
biblereason.com
free.messianicbible.com
rts.edu
scenichillsblvd.wordpress.com
reasons.org
shema.com
oncedelivered.net
education.nationalgeographic.org
gospelteacher.org
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