Welcome to the One Great Story!. George B. Thompson
God’s help and that God observed their condition. More specifically, the story says that God’s memory was jogged, that God recalled something from an earlier generation. What was it? Well, it was that promise, that pledge, that pact with those characters with whom The Story began—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exod 2:23–25). This reference to these three figures will occur again and again throughout The Story. Here, it signals to the listener that something significant is about to take place. God is going to act.
Moses named his first child “Gershom,” or “alien.”
Reluctant
I can imagine—can’t you?—that the last thing on a fugitive’s mind is to return to the place where he is wanted. Moses now was a family man, working for his father-in-law, sheltered by the breadth of a forbidding desert from any consequences for his youthful aggression (Exod 3:1). And then one day, . . .
Pause to Reflect Whom do you know (or about whom have you heard) who at some time in their life escaped truly harrowing circumstances? What is their story? How do they talk about it—if at all? How does their story affect you?
A number of the Bible’s most well-known scenes occur early in the Old Testament, and “the burning bush” surely is one of them. Moses was out in the boonies, far from any signs of civilization, minding his flock and his own business, when something happened that would change his life and that of his people forever. The story suggests that it took Moses completely by surprise. After all, encounters with the divine are not an everyday occurrence! When God saw that the bush (which “was burning, yet it was not consumed” [Exod 3:2c]) got Moses’ attention, God called out his name. Without hesitation, Moses answered, and the words that he used—“Here I am”—also will appear a number of times on the lips of characters in later episodes (Exod 3:2–4).
God then kicked into high gear, calling the place “holy,” ordering Moses to take off his footwear, and identifying the divine voice as that of the God of Moses’ ancestors. Next, God issued a call to Moses, expressing concern for the enslaved Israelites, announcing the divine intention of freeing them and getting them “to a good and broad land.” Oh, and by the way, God told Moses that he was to go to Pharaoh and secure their release (Exod 3:7–10).
Now the stalling began. Moses came up with one excuse after another: “Who am I that I should go. . .?” (Exod 3:11b); “What shall I say to them (about your name)?” (Exod 3:13cd); “But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me. . .” (Exod 4:1); “O my lord, I have never been eloquent,” (Exod 4:10b); and the clincher, “O my Lord, please send someone else” (Exod 4:13). How ironic and fascinating, that a character who comes to play such a central role in The One Great Story is shown to hesitate at the call! I find some comfort in that—don’t you? God did not accept any of Moses’ excuses, instead telling him to get his brother Aaron to speak on Moses’ behalf. In the final part of this scene, God gave Moses a staff which he will use to demonstrate the power of Israel’s God (Exod 4:17).
How ironic that a character so central to The Story actually hesitated at the call!
Confrontations—and Escape!
Before Moses and Aaron visited the (new) Pharaoh, they gathered all the Israelite elders and told them of God’s intentions. The people must have been impressed with the “signs” that the staff from God made possible: they showed their trust in the men’s story by worshipping the LORD (Exod 5:29–31). Then it was time to face Pharaoh.
The specific story line leading up to the eventual release of the Israelite slaves is long, sometimes complicated, and often ghastly by today’s Western standards. As with all of the first five books of the Bible, this sequence can seem a little confusing, with evidence of two or three versions woven together in providing accounts of the tradition. From Sunday school days, some of us remember strange images referring to one or more of the “plagues” sent upon Egypt. Before these appear, however, Moses and Aaron fumbled ineffectively through their first clash with Pharaoh. The latter refused to allow the Israelites to leave for a religious observance, instead taking away one of the key ingredients that the slaves needed for making bricks (Exod 5). Moses complained to God about it, and God (“the LORD”) reassured him again that, as the God who appeared to the ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God will rescue them and take them to the land of promise (Exod 6:1–8).
Not long afterward, the plagues began. In order, they were:
•the Nile River turned to blood (Exod 7:14–25);
•frogs throughout the land (Exod 8:1–15);
•gnats flying on people and animals (Exod 8:16–19);
•swarms of flies (Exod 8:20–31);
•deadly pestilence on Egyptian (only) livestock (Exod 9:1–7);
•boils on humans and animals (Exod 9:8–12);
•damaging thunder and hail (Exod 9:13–35);
•swarms of locusts eating all plants and fruits (Exod 10:1–20);
•three days of total darkness (Exod 10:21–29);
•and the final plague, death of all firstborn humans and animals (Exod 11:1–10, 12:29–32)
Each time the next plague arrived, Pharaoh would not let the people go, even though sometimes he said that he would do so—and then go back on his word. Plague number ten, death itself, indeed struck all the Egyptian households, but since the Israelites were instructed ahead of time to mark their doorposts with lamb’s blood, the plague of death would not enter their homes (Exod 12:3–13, 21–23). Instead, the Israelites had prepared to leave quickly, and—once Pharaoh said the word—they did so. At last, they were free!
Pause to Reflect What is the longest journey that you ever took? What were its high moments and low times? When it was over, how did you think and feel about it?
Escape from oppression. The Story says that the Israelites left Egypt with their possessions, including their animals, and unleavened dough for bread in slings on their backs. Not only that, but the Egyptians were so glad to get the Israelites out of their land, they gave them jewelry made of silver and gold (Exod 12:30–36)! As Pharaoh gave Moses and Aaron his sudden permission for the people to leave, he referred to their earlier request for a religious celebration. Now, perhaps with storytelling irony, Pharaoh urged them to worship—not Egyptian gods, but the LORD God (the one who is rescuing them). Even more ironic is Pharaoh’s parting request—perhaps beseeching them—to seek favor from Israel’s God for Pharaoh himself (Exod 12:32)! Thus, as will be the case many times throughout it, The Story reveals characters from a different, often oppressive, society almost begrudgingly acknowledging the God of the chosen people.
The Story includes characters outside of the Promise who acknowledge the LORD.
It’s Not Over
Tradition named this central part of The Story “the Exodus,” from the Greek words that mean “a way out.” The second book of the Hebrew Bible gets its name from this episode, and the Passover traditions in Judaism originate here (instructions for these traditions appear in the text, interrupting the flow of one dramatic escape episode to another). Yet we have not finished following the Israelites out of immediate danger. God’s presence led the people as they began their journey away from Egypt: it was known as a pillar of cloud during the daytime and a pillar of fire in the darkness of night (Exod 13:21–22).
Meanwhile, Pharaoh and his court had a change of heart. They decided that they did not like the fact that their slaves had left, lock, stock, and barrel, so they went after the Israelites with everything they had. When the Israelites saw the chariots and army approaching, they panicked and complained mightily to Moses about their impending fate. Moses told the people not to be afraid, that the LORD, their god, would deliver them. First, the pillar of cloud protected them from Egypt’s army. Then, after the Israelites passed through the sea that God divided with a strong wind, the Egyptian army got stuck in the mud as they pursued Israel. Finally, at the LORD’s command,