Oppression vs. God's Deliverance
Central Verse: “Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” Exodus 14:31 NRSV
Central Truth: This is another story that is particularly difficult for many of us to fathom. We rejoice in the idea of God delivering his people from slavery into a new life. However, when we read the text closely we notice that not only does God deliver his people but God also kills, or “tossed the Egyptians into the sea.” (Ex 14:27b NRSV). This means that God killed an army. It’s easy to toss this idea about as no big deal, we are meant to be concentrating on the people of Israel and their deliverance. However, for many of us we have a theology that defines God as love, these actions beg the question about how can God be love if destruction and death are a part of that?
There are no easy answers to this situation we find ourselves in. We could focus on everything in the text but the life and death contained within. I think the better bet is to focus on the causes of those situations. The people of Israel step out in faith, albeit a faith that is constantly tested time and time again in the forty years after these events, but faith nonetheless. Not only do they step out in faith but the people of Israel are composed of the poor and disenfranchised. This distinction is important particularly because God is constantly call for us to take care of the poor throughout scripture.
On the opposite side with have the Pharaoh. His army is a sign of wealth and oppression completely at odds with God’s desires for his people. Not only are these emblems of wealth and oppression but Pharaoh is using them directly against God’s will as a further act of rebellion.
We are being called here to see a distinction between government and God’s kingdom. To follow God calls for us to become disentangled with the government. Historically the church hasn’t done a very good job at this. In fact, in the near future of Israel biblically they will ask for a king. A king will place his needs or the perceived needs of his state above the needs of the poor and the disenfranchised.
Food For Thought: (questions about the text)
Chariots – These are seen as power symbols repeatedly through scripture. When God moves against the army of Pharaoh God is also moving against Pharaoh’s wealth and status. There are multiple authors at work here in this story each with a slightly different view point and emphasis. When these authors work are put together we can see the themes they were aiming for which helps us to make sense of what’s going on. Perhaps in a greater way it encourages us to view the work and tensions together, realizing that the views presented are not either/or but both/and.
Two authors are
Yahwist (Y) – vs. 19-20, 24-25, 30-31 NRSV
“The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night. At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.” Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses”
Things to look out for under Y – God works to save both Egyptians and Israelites; God’s power intervenes to prevent war; no parting of the water; Moses is not mentioned – the primary actor is God; Y is more concerned with God being the center of the story
Priestly (P) – vs. 21-23, 26-27, 28-29 NRSV
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.”
Things to look out for under P – Moses is a great leader calling God to part the waters; Egyptians thrown into the waters/destroyed; emphasis on God’s power over/against Pharaoh’s power; Warrior God; connects with the creation story in Genesis; God is in control over the forces of chaos – represented by the water; Israel’s rebirth as a nation on the other side of the waters Red Sea vs. Sea of Reeds – earliest manuscripts translate as Sea of Reeds which is not a known location, Red sea is problematic to from a journey standpoint (1)
Connections: (time with our society)
Our society is constantly in a struggle between our ideals and what we do, this isn’t anything new, we struggled at the founding of our nation in regard to the standing of slaves. In very recent history it carries into the legal standings of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA. Historically many in the United States have seen this nation to be a Christian nation, founded on Christian principals. The problem here is that in scripture we are constantly reminded that God is the one we are to be putting our faith in and that ultimately God is who we follow. When as a people or a nation we take legal actions or start wars these are remedies for solutions that aren’t supported or encouraged by God.
In this text, the desires of Pharaoh and his kingdom are at complete odds with the desires of God. We have a tendency reading this story, and other stories in the bible, and see ourselves as the people of Israel. If we were to critically examine things we would find that we are more like the Egyptians, putting our faith in our government over and above God. We offer solutions based on our security and comfort rather than on doing what God tells us to do. We do not stand up for the poor, help the widows, provide for the orphans, and invite the stranger into our midst. All of these things are usually done with an eye towards protecting us, our way of life, or our things, with little or any basis in fact. For instance in relation to DACA it was quoted that it “denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same illegal aliens to take those jobs.” This statement lacks the evidence needed to fully claim it, all this statement really does is provide fear mongering as opposed to genuine understanding in a complex situation.(2)
A few years ago, the comedian Stephen Colbert put it this way “If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.” Jesus’s ministry is fully within the tradition of the Exodus story. The call to serve God’s kingdom supersedes our own safety and what we feel is best for our nation based on that.(3)
Application:
Questions:
Discussion:
How do you resolve the two different stories of the Exodus passage?
How do you hold intension seeking to follow God and what God wants with our national policies?
Close in prayer:
(1)Summation of the work done by https://www.pulpitfiction.com/notes/proper19a (2)http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/sep/05/fact-checking-attorney-general-jeff-sessions-remar/ (3)https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/327220-if-this-is-going-to-be-a-christian-nation-that
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