The time of Passover and the Feast of Matzot is often called the season of Deliverance, a time to remember the 400 years of slavery that the Hebrews endured in Egypt. We recount the plagues, remember the Passover lamb, and eat unleavened bread as a way to differentiate this time from the rest of the year. But in the midst of that, we can forget that this event wasn't a "one and done" thing. It took miracle after miracle, proving after proving, to get the children of Israel out of Egypt.
In serving the Creator of the Universe, it would be easy for us to look at the Exodus with a small amount of exasperation. We know that our God is all powerful, both loving and strong. Stronger than other gods. Loving us enough to send Himself into time and space as atonement for sin. But if we put ourselves into the middle of Bnei-Yisrael's reality, we might get a sense of how much upheaval they were trying to navigate. After 400 years of being subject to the whims of others, following the God of Abraham in the middle of a poly-theistic culture, and having little to no rights, the children of Israel were both desperate and accustomed to that desperation.
When you're in the middle of something hard, survival becomes your top priority. Just making it through the day, waking up the next, keeping your family together as best you can - that's the goal. Hundreds of years of this way of living can lead to generational traditions and traumas that then dictate how people respond to their circumstances. Which is why it's no surprise that at every turn, the children of Israel went back to Moses and asked to be allowed to return to Egypt. For many, the known is better than the unknown - even if the known is deadly.
But God wouldn't let the children of Israel succumb to their fears.
They said to Moses, “Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness because there were no graves in Egypt? Why have you dealt this way with us, to bring us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone, so that we may serve the Egyptians?’ It was better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”
But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still, and see the salvation of Adonai, which He will perform for you today. You have seen the Egyptians today, but you will never see them again, ever! Adonai will fight for you, while you hold your peace.”
- Exodus 14:11-14
Over the course of the ten plagues, Adonai made it abundantly clear that He had dominion over the gods of Egypt. But it took the absolute desolation of the plagues to make Pharoah let Israel go. And even after that, Bnei-Yisrael couldn't come to grips with their newfound freedom.
It took another huge display of supernatural power to get Bnei-Yisrael to finally understand that there was no going back.
Which begs the question: What has God delivered you from this season and what will it take to make you realize that there's no going back?
All too often, we regress to the lowest common denominator of our experiences. So if all we can recall is enslavement, it's easy to return to it. If all we can relate to is survival mode, then that's what we'll resort to in the face of tough situations. But God wants more than survival for us. He wants us to thrive.
So, just like God told the children of Israel to hold their peace so He could fight for them, God wants to show Himself powerful in your life. TODAY.
Ask yourself what it will take to hold your peace. What show of strength will it take for you to know that God has freedom ahead of you? What miracle, big or small, will convince you that God has a hope and a future for you?
Make sure you write your answers down so that you can look back and rejoice!
