19: A Strengthened Heart

BEMA Episode Link: 19: A Strengthened Heart
Episode Length: 47:07
Published Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2017 01:00:00 -0800
Session 1
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings dive into the story of the Passover and its plagues, God’s interaction with Pharaoh, and the call of God’s rescued people.

The Exodus You Almost Passed Over by Rabbi David Fohrman

Tefillin — Wikipedia

History of Monopoly — Wikipedia

kavad — Blue Letter Bible

chazak — Blue Letter Bible

Study Tools

Legacy Episode Content

Episode updated 12 May 2025
Original audio from 16 February 2017
Transcript for BEMA 19 of 16 February 2017

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 19: A Strengthened Heart - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 19: A Strengthened Heart (E19v24)
Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings
Primary Source: “The Exodus You Almost Passed Over” by Rabbi David Fohrman

This episode explores the deeper meaning behind the Passover story, examining God’s pursuit of both the Israelites and Pharaoh’s heart through the ten plagues. The discussion reveals how the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart demonstrates God’s relentless love and desire for all people to choose relationship with Him.

Key Takeaways

God pursues not only His people but also their enemies, including Pharaoh
The ten plagues were not just about rescuing Israel but also about giving Pharaoh opportunities to choose God
There are two distinct Hebrew words for “hardening” the heart, each with different meanings
God’s name reveals His character: from El Shaddai (restraint) to YHWH (active presence)
Israel is called to be God’s firstborn (bechor) - a partner in spreading His values to the world
The Passover represents a spiritual rebirth, with Israel leaving Egypt through a “bloody door”
Monotheism differs from polytheism in offering precision and personal relationship, not just power

Main Concepts & Theories

The Two Names of God

El Shaddai - The name known to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob)

Rabbinically interpreted as “the one who said to his world enough”
Represents God’s restraint and knowing when to stop
The God who knows boundaries in creation and destruction

YHWH (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh) - The new name revealed to Moses

Emphasizes God’s timelessness and active presence
Represents not what God doesn’t do, but what He does do
Shows God’s intimate involvement in creation rather than distant observation

The Two Types of Heart Hardening

Kavod (Heavy/Weighty)

When someone cannot see the truth clearly
The heart becomes heavy, stubborn, blinded
Like being “stupid-ed” - unable to perceive what’s right in front of you

Chazak (Strong/Strengthened)

When someone sees clearly but chooses to resist
The heart is strengthened in resolve to oppose
A conscious decision to power through despite understanding

Monotheism vs. Polytheism

Polytheistic Worldview (Pharaoh’s perspective)

Gods are disconnected from creation
Power without precision or personal involvement
People are observers of divine activity, not participants
Gods are generally angry and unpredictable

Monotheistic Worldview (Moses’ message)

One God intimately involved with creation
Precision demonstrates personal relationship
God can be loved and loves in return
Partnership between God and His people is possible

The Bechor (Firstborn) Concept

Individual Level

Double portion of inheritance
Double portion of responsibility
Carries on the father’s legacy and values
Spreads the father’s influence to siblings

National Level (Israel as God’s Firstborn)

Called to be a “kingdom of priests”
Tasked with spreading God’s values to all nations
Not just having a message, but being the message
Partnership with God in world redemption

Examples & Applications

The Monopoly Board Analogy

Rabbi Fohrman uses the game Monopoly to explain God’s relationship to creation. Just as Parker Brothers exists outside the game board and creates it, God exists outside His creation. The game pieces (humanity) cannot fully comprehend the game maker using only the language and concepts available within the game.

Moses’ Two Speeches Strategy

First Speech: “Let us go worship YHWH in the wilderness”

Uses the intimate, relational name of God
Speaks of love and worship
Foreign concept to Pharaoh’s polytheistic worldview

Second Speech: “The God of the Hebrews might strike us if we don’t go”

Meets Pharaoh at his level of understanding
Uses familiar concepts of angry, punitive gods
Strategic accommodation to begin dialogue

The Broken-Neck Donkey Law

This obscure law about consecrating unclean animals appears in the tefillin (phylacteries) alongside the Shema. It connects to the firstborn theme throughout Exodus, showing how seemingly random details often have deeper theological significance in Hebrew thought.

The Birth Canal Imagery

Rabbinical interpretation sees the Red Sea as a birth canal, with Israel being “born again” as they pass through. The bloody doorpost of Passover becomes a birth image - leaving Egypt in haste through blood, symbolizing spiritual rebirth into partnership with God.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Detailed analysis of each plague and the specific Hebrew words used for hardening
The significance of timing and precision in the plagues (Pharaoh’s strange requests for delay)
Connection between Passover imagery and later Christian concepts of being “born again”
The role of tefillin in Jewish prayer and its connection to the firstborn laws
Rabbi Fohrman’s complete teaching on why Moses might have expected Pharaoh to change
The theological implications of God actively pursuing enemies rather than just rescuing friends
How the bechor calling applies to modern believers and communities
The relationship between the Exodus narrative and Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus about water and spirit

Comprehension Questions

Analysis: How do the two Hebrew words for hardening (kavod and chazak) change your understanding of the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility in Pharaoh’s story?
Application: What does it mean practically for a modern community to function as God’s “firstborn” (bechor) in their local context, and how might this differ from simply having a religious message to share?
Synthesis: How does Moses’ two-speech strategy demonstrate the importance of meeting people within their existing worldview while gradually introducing new concepts about God’s character?
Evaluation: Why might God choose to pursue Pharaoh’s heart through ten plagues rather than simply rescuing Israel immediately, and what does this reveal about divine priorities and methods?
Connection: How does the transition from knowing God as “El Shaddai” (restraint) to “YHWH” (active presence) reflect the broader narrative arc from Genesis through Exodus, and what might this suggest about God’s evolving relationship with humanity?

Personal Summary

This episode fundamentally transforms the traditional understanding of the Exodus story from a simple rescue narrative to a complex demonstration of God’s pursuit of all hearts - both friend and enemy. The revelation that God actively worked to give Pharaoh genuine opportunities to choose relationship challenges common assumptions about divine judgment and election.

The distinction between the two types of heart hardening reveals a God who respects human agency while also working within it. When hearts are “heavy” (kavod) with inability to see, God provides clarity. When hearts are “strengthened” (chazak) in conscious resistance, God honors that choice while continuing to work toward His ultimate purposes.

Perhaps most significantly, the calling of Israel to be God’s firstborn reframes the entire purpose of divine election. Rather than being chosen for privilege, Israel is chosen for partnership - to embody and spread God’s values to the world. This calling extends beyond having correct beliefs to actually becoming the living message of God’s character and heart.

The episode’s emphasis on God’s relentless love, even for enemies like Pharaoh, provides a powerful model for how believers might approach those who oppose or misunderstand their faith. Rather than writing off opposition, the God of Exodus pursues every heart to the very end, hoping for transformation while respecting the ultimate freedom to choose.

BEMA Episode 19: A Strengthened Heart - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 19 - A Strengthened Heart (2017)
Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings
Primary Source: “The Exodus You Almost Passed Over” by Rabbi David Fohrman

This episode explores the deeper meaning behind the Exodus story, examining why it’s called “Passover,” the significance of the firstborn, God’s interaction with Pharaoh through the ten plagues, and Israel’s calling as God’s chosen people. The discussion challenges surface-level readings of the Exodus narrative to reveal profound theological truths about God’s character, monotheism versus polytheism, and the nature of divine-human relationship.

Key Takeaways

The Exodus story is fundamentally about God pursuing hearts, not just demonstrating power
God’s name reveals His timeless nature transcending all creation (“I was, I am, I will be”)
The ten plagues were a systematic dismantling of Egyptian polytheistic worldview
Pharaoh’s concern with precision over power reveals the difference between polytheistic and monotheistic understanding
Israel is called to be God’s “bechor” (firstborn) - not by birthright but by choice and mission
The Passover represents spiritual rebirth, paralleling physical birth imagery
Monotheism demands direct relationship with God, while polytheism creates indirect relationships
Free will involves both understanding truth and choosing to act upon it with resolve

Main Concepts & Theories

The Nature of God’s Names

El Shaddai vs. Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh:

El Shaddai - Interpreted by rabbis as “The One Who Said to His World Enough,” emphasizing God’s restraint and wisdom rather than unlimited power
Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh - The tetragrammaton combining “I was,” “I am,” and “I will be,” representing God’s timeless nature that transcends human understanding
The Monopoly board illustration: Humans trying to understand God are like game pieces trying to comprehend the game maker - we can only describe using limited earthly concepts

Monotheism vs. Polytheism Worldviews

Polytheistic Framework:

Multiple gods representing natural forces in constant conflict
Humans have indirect relationship with gods
Power is expected but precision is impossible due to divine chaos
Gods work against each other (fire god vs. ice god)

Monotheistic Framework:

One Creator demands direct personal relationship
Humans are part of God’s unified divine plan
Both power and precision are possible under one sovereign will
Explains miraculous precision like fire within hail

The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

Two Hebrew Concepts:

Kavod - To make stubborn/heavy; refusing to see or understand truth
Hazak - To strengthen; acting with resolve despite understanding

The Process:

Early plagues: Pharaoh “stubborns” his heart (doesn’t understand)
Middle plagues: God sometimes “stubborns” Pharaoh’s heart to give him more opportunities
Later plagues: Pharaoh finally understands but chooses to “strengthen” his heart in defiance
God’s goal: Genuine heart transformation, not mere compliance

Israel as God’s Bechor (Firstborn)

Firstborn Responsibilities:

Lead siblings in honoring the father
Carry on the father’s legacy and values
Care for the entire household
Receive double inheritance with double responsibility

Israel’s Calling:

Not firstborn by birth order but by choice and mission
Called to be the message, not just carry the message
Demonstrate God’s character to the world
Lead other nations toward understanding God

The Passover as Spiritual Birth

Birth Imagery:

Blood on all four sides of door frames (threshold, lintel, doorposts)
Leaving “in haste through a bloody door” parallels physical birth
Red Sea as birth canal according to rabbinic interpretation
Represents Israel’s rebirth as God’s chosen people
Connects to Jesus’ teaching about being “born again” (John 3)

Examples & Applications

Modern Apologetics and Worldview Engagement

Like Moses offering two different arguments to Pharaoh (relational invitation vs. consequence-based), modern believers must understand different worldviews to communicate effectively. When speaking to secular audiences, we might emphasize different aspects of faith than when speaking within religious communities.

Leadership and Influence

The bechor concept applies to Christian leadership - those called to influence others carry the responsibility to model the Father’s character authentically, not just communicate religious information.

Understanding Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

The Pharaoh narrative provides a framework for understanding how God can be sovereign while humans remain truly responsible. God provides opportunities for genuine understanding and choice, even strengthening people’s resolve when they choose poorly.

Prayer and Relationship with God

The shift from El Shaddai to Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh represents moving from seeing God primarily as the powerful restrainer to experiencing Him as the eternal, personal presence who transcends time but engages intimately with creation.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Jewish-Christian Dialogue

Compare rabbinic interpretations of Exodus with Christian theological perspectives
Explore how Jewish understanding of Torah enhances Christian reading of Scripture
Study the connection between Passover and communion/Eucharist

Comparative Religion Studies

Analyze how ancient Near Eastern polytheistic systems compare to modern secular worldviews
Examine how monotheistic principles challenge contemporary pluralistic assumptions
Study the historical development from polytheism to monotheism in ancient cultures

Biblical Theology

Trace the firstborn theme throughout Scripture (Abel, Isaac, Jacob, David, Jesus)
Explore birth and rebirth imagery across biblical narratives
Study the progression of divine revelation through various names of God

Philosophy of Religion

Investigate the relationship between divine sovereignty and human freedom
Examine the nature of authentic choice versus mere compliance
Study how worldview shapes interpretation of evidence and experience

Practical Theology

Develop principles for cross-cultural evangelism based on Moses’ approach to Pharaoh
Create frameworks for discipleship that emphasize being the message
Design worship practices that reflect both God’s transcendence and immanence

Comprehension Questions

Analysis Question: How do the two Hebrew words for hardening Pharaoh’s heart (kavod and hazak) help us understand the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility? What does this suggest about the nature of authentic choice?
Application Question: Moses presented two different arguments to Pharaoh based on different worldviews (relational vs. consequence-based). How might this approach inform how Christians communicate with people from different cultural or philosophical backgrounds today?
Synthesis Question: How does understanding Israel’s calling as God’s bechor (firstborn by choice rather than birth) reshape our understanding of what it means to be “chosen people” in both Jewish and Christian contexts?
Evaluation Question: Rabbi Fohrman argues that God’s fundamental character is revealed in the name El Shaddai (“The One Who Said Enough”) rather than unlimited power. How does this perspective challenge or confirm common assumptions about God’s nature, and what implications does this have for how we understand divine justice?
Creative Question: The Passover narrative uses extensive birth imagery to describe Israel’s exodus from Egypt. How might this metaphor of spiritual birth help us understand other biblical concepts like regeneration, baptism, or conversion, and what practical implications might this have for how we approach spiritual formation?

Personal Summary

Episode 19 of BEMA presents the Exodus not merely as a historical liberation story, but as a profound theological narrative about God’s pursuit of human hearts and the establishment of a new kind of relationship between the divine and humanity. Through Rabbi Fohrman’s careful analysis, we see that every element of the story - from the seemingly inefficient ten plagues to Moses’ apparently deceptive three-day request - serves a deeper purpose in God’s plan to transform worldviews and invite people into authentic relationship.

The episode’s central insight revolves around God’s character as revealed through His names. Moving from El Shaddai (the God of restraint and wisdom) to Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh (the eternal, timeless presence), we see God revealing Himself as fundamentally relational rather than merely powerful. This challenges both ancient polytheistic thinking and modern secular assumptions about divine nature.

Perhaps most significantly, the discussion reframes Israel’s chosenness not as ethnic privilege but as missional calling. Like a firstborn son who must lead siblings in honoring their father, Israel (and by extension, the church) is called to be the message of God’s character to the world. This transforms our understanding of election from exclusive benefit to inclusive responsibility.

The episode concludes with the powerful image of Passover as spiritual birth, connecting the Exodus experience to Jesus’ teaching about being born again. This metaphor enriches our understanding of salvation as not merely legal transaction but transformative rebirth into a new identity and mission as God’s representatives in the world.

Original Notes

Rabbis like to start by asking a lot of questions.
- Fohrman does that in his book and then answers them in reverse.
- First: Passover. Why name it Passover?
  - Isn’t the whole story of Passover about liberation and freedom? Why focus on one of the plagues where G-d saves the Israelites from the plague of the firstborn.
  - Tefillin: Write them to your hearts, bind them to your forehead.
    - In them they put:
      - the Shema
      - Love the Lord your G-d with all your hear…
      - The law of the first born donkey.
        
        Why this law? Why the obsession with the first born?
        
        When Moshe gets to Pharaoh, G-d says, “if you won’t give me your firstborn, I’ll take yours.”
        
        But the Israelites aren’t G-d’s first born… what is that about?
- Second: If you were all powerful, would it take you ten plagues to rescue the Israelites from Egypt? Is it a sick game?
- Third: When Moshe finally gets the Pharaoh, he asks Pharaoh to let his people go for three days? Why ask for three when he should be asking for all time?
- Fourth: There is an issue with Pharaoh changing his mind, is it Pharaoh hardening his own heart or is G-d doing it?
  - How does this play into Arminianism and Calvinism?
- Fifth: Why does he seem to be so concerned about the wrong things?
  - Plague 2, frogs: When do you want the frogs gone? Pharaoh says, tomorrow, not yesterday. Why?
  - Livestock Plague: He doesn’t seem to care about his own livestock, merely where or not the livestock of the Israelites are also affected.
  - Pharaoh seems to be unphased by power: The power of the plague.
    - I would be concerned about how powerful these plagues are.
    - Pharaoh seems to be concerned by precision. He wants to know can you really control when the frogs go away and not whether the livestock go away but if WHICH livestock go away.
    - Two speeches Moshe gives to Pharaoh: [Exodus 5:1]
      - “Who is Adonai that I should listen to his voice? I don’t know Adonai.”
      - It would make sense to Moshe to either retreat or up the ante.
      - However, Moshe does something different that doesn’t make any sense. He basically says, Pharaoh, we’re afraid of our G-d and what he might do to us.
- Sixth: G-d has never seemed to care about the names used to refer to him.
  - In Exodus, he seems to start caring about this.
  - Why does G-d start caring now?
  - It seems like G-d gives himself a new name but if we look closely, it’s not a new name and in fact, it’s been there all throughout Genesis.
Answers
- Sixth
  - El was a common name for G-d.
  - The Patriarchs new him as El Shaddai, which doesn’t seem to mean anything but if you were to take the consonants from the name and create a sentence from them, his name would be, “Mi she’Amar Dai L’olamo” (מי שאמר די לעולמו) or “The One Who Said To His World Enough”
  - G-d’s fundamental posture is not about power. It’s about something else.
  - I used to be known as El Shaddai but I want to be known as something else, “YHWH”.
    - Overlaying the Hebrew for, I was, I am, I Will Be, you get YHWH.
      - It implies to the Rabbis and the Sages that G-d is timeless.
    - Fohrman Illustration: Monopoly pieces attempting to describe Parker, the company that created the game. It’s impossible for the pieces to explain “Parker” using anything but language related to the game.
      - G-d is doing something similar with Moshe. I was, am, will be is about as good as it’s going to get.
      - Fohrman explains this is the problem with pagan polytheism. We have created gods in the image of the things on the board game. Why does it rain? because the rain god is doing its thing. Pagan gods are limited.
        
        This is why Pharaoh is so concerned about precision instead of power.
        
        All of the gods are powerful but they are chaotic. None of them are precise.
        
        Hail Plague: Hail had fire in it. The fire god and the ice god do NOT work together. That is unique.
      - Monotheism DEMANDS direct relationship. If there is one god, that means, there is only one god in charge of everything and I have to be part of his divine plan. Monotheism demands direct relationship.
      - Polytheism demands INDIRECT relationship. Moshe goes to Pharaoh saying they have to go to the desert to be with their G-d and Pharaoh says, “No thanks”. Moshe then rephrases the request according this Pharaoh’s world view, “Our G-d will be angry”
        
        Pharaoh says no and G-d begins to pursue Pharaoh’s heart.
  - There are TWO words used for hardening Pharaoh’s heart.
    - kavad — Blue Letter Bible
      - Hebrew: כָּבַד
      - Transliteration: kāḇaḏ
      - Pronounciation: kaw-bad’
      - Biblical Usage: I. to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honorable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honored
      - Times where his hard is stubborned where Pharaoh just doesn’t get it. Sometimes G-d will do this, sometimes Pharaoh will do this.
    - hazak — Blue Letter Bible
      - Hebrew: חָזַק
      - Transliteration: ḥāzaq
      - Pronounciation: khaw-zak’
      - Biblical Usage: I. to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore
      - Sometimes Pharaoh will see “it” and will decide, with resolve, to push through. Sometimes G-d will do this, sometimes Pharaoh will do this.
  - What is free will?
    - G-d is trying very hard to make Pharaoh make a choice which explains why G-d takes so long. Ten plagues? Yes. G-d wants to make sure that even Pharaoh will understand and make the right choice.
    - “I do this so that Pharaoh might know that I am G-d.”
      - G-d is at war with the Egyptian WORLDVIEW.
    - Pharaoh finally let’s them go but still doesn’t get it.
      - G-d says, I don’t just want you to let my people go, I want you to get it. I want to know if you’ll actually bow the knee. Not just in submission but give yourself to a worldview that is going to make a bigger difference in this world. Until I know that is the choice you’re making, we’re not done yet. It’s at this point that G-d “hazak”s Pharaoh’s heart.
      - At some point in the midst of the plagues, Pharaoh is going to get it.
        
        “I get it. I understand what it is and I am CHOOSING to hazak my own heart… I see it and I just say no.”
        
        G-d responds with, ok, we’ll finish in a way that everyone else understands what’s really going on.
  - We come back to the first question, “Why ‘Passover’?”
    - Because it’s not that Israel IS their firstborn, G-d is looking for a people who WANT to be his firstborn, his bechor.
      - If you are truly trying to honor your father AS his bechor, you would try to convince your siblings to also honor your father’s legacy.
      - A Kingdom of Priests: G-d started with Moshe, a man who would go and BE the message, not just BRING the message.
      - Now he’s inviting all of Israel to not just bring a message but to BE the message.
      - That will mean that they will have to be BORN AGAIN AS G-D’S bechor”
        
        Marty uses this language intentionally because he argues that this is what the conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 is all about. “Water and Spirit” is all about the Exodus.
        
        He’s inviting Nicodemus to join G-d and his great project just as G-d invited the Israelites in the passover story.
        
        Rabbi Akiva pointed out that when the Israelites left, they put blood on their “thresholds” (the bottom and the top and the sides) they would have left in haste through a bloody door, as a newborn child enters the world through a bloody door.
        
        Rabbis always spoke of the Red Sea as a birth canal. This was their chance to be born again and be born as G-d’s bechor; To go and show the world what G-d is like.
        
        So we end up with this mission.
  - Part Four of Fohrman’s book, The Exodus You Almost Passed Over covers “The Exodus That Might Have Been. He goes all the way back to Joseph.
    - He answers the question, “Why does Moshe say three days and not forever.”
    - Fohrman says, if you know your Joseph story, you know that if Pharaoh is supposed to say yes and if he says yes, they wouldn’t have left.

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