Parashat Vaera
28 Tevet 5786 / Jan 17, 2026
By Aaron K.
This Week’s Readings:
Torah: Exodus 6:2 - 9:35
Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:25 – 29:21
Brit Chadashah: Revelation 20:11 – 21:7
This section of reading – as well as the Bible as a whole – is a testament to the sovereignty of G-d. It is He who declares the end from the beginning and with it every middle detail is known to Him. His enduring mercy grants us precious time to know Him and His great love allows those who choose Him to walk on water in faith, while He is always there to catch us when we stumble. Through the reading of His word, we are able to better know our heavenly Father and are blessed with the fundamental concept of reality that as we draw nearer to Him, He draws nearer to us.
In the Torah reading G-d makes a clear distinction between those who are His and those who are not. The very actions of the rebellious are used for His own glory, while the victories of His people add to the altar of His sovereignty. The reason for the elevation of His servants is for the exaltation of the L-RD and His ability to execute His perfect will through imperfect vessels is seen time and time again. He declares that His people are to serve Him and not Pharoah to fulfill the promise to Abraham for all the nations to be blessed through him culminating in the King of Kings stepping down from His heavenly throne to sacrifice Himself and die for you and me. The L-RD’s faithfulness in the face of man’s faithlessness reveals His character as a covenant keeping G-d.
The Haftarah portion is a lesson in the timing of G-d. It begins with the L-RD’s formulaic statement of ‘when this is accomplished, then I will fulfill my promise to do that’ as the L-RD operates in faith and obedience, not need. The L-RD’s promise of an outstretched arm of great judgments is a certainty that we are called to respond in patient endurance to as vengeance is His. The Israelites lived and died in slavery for over 400 years before G-d released them from their generational bondage. Ezekiel’s writing is a reminder that the L-RD is outside of time and His judgements and sovereignty direct peoples' destinies towards the end that He authored from the beginning. And what an end it is.
The Brit Chadashah passage is taken from the penultimate chapter of the Bible and it details the literal end of human history and the ushering in of eternity. The end, the last event in history is the white throne judgement. He is waiting there. For us. In His enduring mercy, G-d has limited Himself, He has not yet inhabited the new heaven and new earth. Just as G-d existed before the heavens and the earth, He exists before the new heaven and new earth. He has prepared a place for Himself and His Son, and us to be cohabitators as we have chosen to be one with Yeshua and Him as the Father and Son are one. The perfect state of existence in the new heaven and new earth cannot be overstated or over anticipated.
While our Lord walked the earth He told His disciples the parable of the wheats and the tares, that they should not be concerned of how something looks in this present moment, but trust in the L-RD to execute ultimate and true judgement. Second Peter three is a tremendous epistle on the patient faith that is required of Messiah’s disciples. Peter instructs believers to not mistake G-d’s mercy for slackness. Wickedness is allowed to exist only until G-d calls all into judgement. G-d does not change, He changes. He is the great refiner, the master potter, the careful pruner and yes, He is even the carpenter. We are the subjects of his work, and due to His perfect goodness, He seeks to commune with us. As we prayerfully reflect on His perfect work, how are we actively pursuing change in our own habits and character to be more aligned with G-d’s purpose and intentions for our lives?