I did not find Exodus, the second book in the Bible, easy to read. I was familiar with the parts I learned from attending service and listening to readings. I knew about Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt, about the Ten Commandments and plagues. I was familiar, but I found myself reading and wondering who this God was because He didn’t seem to be the one I knew. However, as tedious as I found this chapter, I realized that it is an integral part of the history of God and Jesus that I know today. Though the world was created in God’s image in 6 days, the people are still a work in progress many years later, and perhaps God continues to adapt how he speaks to and walks with us.
I am not a Bible scholar, just a mom who has a couple of education degrees and is now disabled and cannot work and is trying to understand more about God and faith with whom I feel such a genuine and robust connection. I am reading and reflecting on the Bible chapter by chapter in the context I understand, and I genuinely hope to engage in meaningful conversations about it!
At the beginning of Exodus, Moses kills an Egyptian and hides him in the sand, thinking no one saw him commit the act. He was wrong, people knew, and suddenly, Pharoah wanted Moses dead. Moses ran, and poof, the angel of the Lord, appeared in the burning bush – a story I was familiar with. God calls to Moses from within the blazing bush that was not consumed by fire and ultimately gives him the mission to free the Israelites, making sure Moses knew it wouldn’t be easy! Throughout this, Moses receives powers, such as turning his staff into a snake, to prove his connection to the Lord. While having these powers, Moses still refuses to speak to the public, and God allows him to tell his brother everything, making his brother his servant and mouthpiece.
We get the famous line, or maybe famous because of my music background, “Let my people go,” in this book as Moses perpetually fights with Pharoah to free the Israelites. God promised to make it a difficult task, perhaps a penance for Moses, but he unleashed ten plagues upon the Egyptians that Moses could cure if he persuaded Pharoah to free the people. Pharoah continually denies Moses’s power and looks to his healers, turning a blind eye to what Moses is saying.
At this point, I was already spinning in the chapter. Still, then we came to the Passover, the death of the firstborn, the crossing of the Red Sea, and more fighting because Pharoah had decided to let the Israelites go, which he then decided was a mistake, and he sent his people after them. It isn’t until the Israelites make it to the Mount that they are free from Pharoah. This is where the Ten Commandments are delivered from Moses, though I was reminded here and from a Father Amjad sermon that the Lord delivered them as covenants. There is a significant difference between the two words! The Lord gave agreements, and Moses delivered laws.
I’ll admit the next part of Exodus leaves me a bit befuddled. There are so many laws written. Are they all God’s laws? Are they Moses’s laws or another high-ranking reporter? From the laws of the land to exact laws on how to build a worship place, I lost some interest. I’m not going to lie. I cannot find a reason why it is essential to know how many nails, pieces of wood, or strings of yarn are used to build a sacred place when I genuinely believe God lives inside of us and enters every space where we are open to hearing Him. So I guess when I say we have no rules at The Table, what I’m saying is I strongly disagree with parts of Exodus, realizing that I am a neophyte and at a very early chapter of a very long book.
It’s funny how things that make us think are more challenging to like and often offer more questions than answers. Exodus was long, but there were some really important and memorable parts. Summing it up in just over one page probably doesn’t do it justice, but I want to give just my reflection, not a book report.
One section I marked while reading was Exodus 34:6-7:
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
“The Lord, the Lord,
a God merciful and gracious
Slow to anger
And abounding in steadfast
Love and faithfulness.
Keeping steadfast love for the
Thousandth generation,
Forgiving iniquity and
Transgression and sin,
Yet, by no means clearing the guilt,
But visiting the iniquity
Of the parents
Upon the children
And the children’s children,
To the third and fourth
Generation”
We used to speak of the Old Testament God as vengeful, but I’m starting to see Him as a new parent or teacher, finding His way. He knows what is right, He is right, and He is the way, but working out how to balance the free will of earthly people with his spiritual goodness is a problematic concept for me to wrap my brain around. In the early chapters, I think God is learning when to hold on and let people make their decisions, knowing that he cannot control every situation. He can only show people how to live earthly lives in order to continue by His side in eternity.
Have you read through Exodus? What are your thoughts?