Graduate 86: Advent, Day 9
The Exodus
Exodus 12-14:31
Do you recall my saying, in the first Advent post, that Christmas is about celebrating that God did for us what we could not do for ourselves? In this passage, we see the inauguration of another celebration of God’s deliverance and salvation. The people of Israel, after spending four hundred years in Egypt—unable to leave because they had been enslaved—are finally released. And not just ‘released’—the Egyptians urge them to leave and give them gold and silver and clothing to such an extent that it is said of the Israelites that they ‘plundered’ the Egyptians. But, then, notice what happens.
At the Red Sea the Israelites are confronted, once again, with a situation that they cannot resolve by their own power. They face the sea on the one side and Pharaoh’s army on the other. What is their response to Moses? Did you catch it? “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?... For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Did they forget about the plagues? Did they forget about how they plundered the Egyptians? Did they forget about the Passover? And in such a short span of time? Did they forget about the pillars of cloud and fire that were leading them even up to that very moment on their journey?
It’s easy to deride the Israelites for their lack of faith. How could they not believe after all they had seen? But isn’t that often the way it is with us? I find that I have such a short memory for God’s action in my life. Oftentimes that becomes an issue around paper-writing time each semester or term. Hasn’t God provided in the past? Don’t you think He’ll take care of things this time around too?
Here we see God fulfilling a promise he made to Abraham back in Genesis 15: He is bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt and preparing to establish them as a nation. Yet again, God demonstrates His faithfulness, trustworthiness, and goodness. And He demonstrates them again in the Incarnation and in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The question is, Will we remember those—not just in this season, but throughout the entire year?
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
Exodus 12-14:31
Do you recall my saying, in the first Advent post, that Christmas is about celebrating that God did for us what we could not do for ourselves? In this passage, we see the inauguration of another celebration of God’s deliverance and salvation. The people of Israel, after spending four hundred years in Egypt—unable to leave because they had been enslaved—are finally released. And not just ‘released’—the Egyptians urge them to leave and give them gold and silver and clothing to such an extent that it is said of the Israelites that they ‘plundered’ the Egyptians. But, then, notice what happens.
At the Red Sea the Israelites are confronted, once again, with a situation that they cannot resolve by their own power. They face the sea on the one side and Pharaoh’s army on the other. What is their response to Moses? Did you catch it? “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?... For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Did they forget about the plagues? Did they forget about how they plundered the Egyptians? Did they forget about the Passover? And in such a short span of time? Did they forget about the pillars of cloud and fire that were leading them even up to that very moment on their journey?
It’s easy to deride the Israelites for their lack of faith. How could they not believe after all they had seen? But isn’t that often the way it is with us? I find that I have such a short memory for God’s action in my life. Oftentimes that becomes an issue around paper-writing time each semester or term. Hasn’t God provided in the past? Don’t you think He’ll take care of things this time around too?
Here we see God fulfilling a promise he made to Abraham back in Genesis 15: He is bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt and preparing to establish them as a nation. Yet again, God demonstrates His faithfulness, trustworthiness, and goodness. And He demonstrates them again in the Incarnation and in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The question is, Will we remember those—not just in this season, but throughout the entire year?
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 2:00 AM
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