Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Book of Exodus, Chapter 14 verse 13, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today,” (NRSVB). The Israelites went to Egypt in the time of great famine and lived there peacefully amongst the Egyptians. As they grew greater in numbers and became a strong nation the Egyptians’ neighbourly attitude started to turn. Ultimately the Israelites were not treated as welcomed visitors, but as dreaded invaders, and thus their subjection began. Through years of servitude, Israel became enslaved. Finally, the groans of the Israelites under their heavy burden of slavery, could not be ignored any longer. Moses was chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from slavery and servanthood in Egypt. They were to become a strong and united nation again, a chosen nation to bring light to the world and to give witness to the One God, The God of Israel.
First, Moses approached the Pharaoh and asked him to allow the Israelites to go free to serve her Lord. The Pharaoh, after much deliberation, refused and plagues fell upon the land. After the plagues, the Israelites prepared to leave the middle of the night, as the Pharaoh told Moses to take the people of Israel and their flocks and possessions and leave the land immediately, for the destructions of the plagues were too heavy to bear. They left, a great many people and flocks, and found themselves in the desert facing the Red Sea. Then they saw in the distance the approaching army of the Pharaoh. The Israelites called out to Moses and asked if he brought them out of Egypt to die in the desert. For the heart of the Pharaoh was hardened and he wished to bring the Israelites back to serve the Egyptians, and was going to do so by force. Moses assured the Israelites that they must stand firm. They need not to do anything, but behold how God would fight for them.
The Angel of God, who led the Israelites, moved from being in front of the Israelites, to be behind them, and lit the way ahead for them, but a great cloud of darkness encompassed the Egyptians. Then the waters of the Red Sea went back at Moses’ command. The wind blew to dry the land, and the Israelites travelled through the waters on foot. Once they passed through the waters columned on their right and left, and were safely on the other side, the Egyptians caught up with them. They tried to pass through the Red Sea, but the waters return and the pathway became a muddied as the waters returned and swamped the enemy. The Israelites were totally overawed at God’s mighty work of deliverance and feared him and trusted Him to bring them to their desired haven, the Land of Promise. The narrative of Israel’s deliverance is written in scripture as an historic account of God’s redemptive power for his people, but it is also recorded for the people of every nation and every generation, as an account of God’s promise to deliver those who love him, when they are facing insurmountable obstacles and impossible situations. God does not ask of the people finding themselves in this trouble to make plans and save themselves, he devised and planned an outcome and calls on those to wait and see how he will miraculously come and perform the work of salvation and deliverance.
We face the Red Sea of disease before us, and the devastation of the hopes and dreams we are told to rely on, behind us. We experience how the hopes and dreams in the ever spiralling project of humanity, to improve the earth and the human condition, collapse. We are called to hope on God and wait for his miraculous deliverance. He has planned a path for the world and her people out of the situation of being enslaved to the plans and purposes of a world philosophy that devalues the life of people, and only place value on their ability to be productive in building earthly wealth and so-called progress. Man should not be in a race with machine, for should not machines serve humans, and not humans machines? We must not fear the tide of the wheels of progress and the change that leads to worship of the little creators of little machines. We must fear and trust the Great Creator, the Awesome God who made everything good, very good.
God beholds from heaven. He is not situated far from us for he is in our midst, but he has the ability to view the whole world and its path of the past and its direction of the future and follows through on the plans and purposes that he ordained before the creation of the universe. This is the God whom we serve, the One who commands us not to be afraid, but to await his work of deliverance. The writer of the Book to the Hebrews reminds us of God’s work for the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, and encourages us to hope beyond hope, as he writes in Chapter 10 verse 23, “Let us hold fast to our confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful,” (NRSVB). God will intervene in our situation and bring his miraculous promise to pass in his good time and we will yet praise him and behold his light of life and truth.
Father, we thank you for your word that inspires us with the accounts of your deliverance of your people. We thank you for your Son, the Living, Walking and Talking, life-giving Word whom dwells amongst us and assures us: Do not fear, it is I! Thank you that you walk with us as we encounter the waves and the storm. You call out to the storm to be quiet and the storm listens. We wait on you, O Lord, we wait on you, Amen.