Who would do such a thing? That’s the underlying question in our reading from Deuteronomy for today. Or rather, what god has done such a thing? “…(H)as any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself,” we read, “from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?” (Deuteronomy 4:34). Obviously it’s a rhetorical question, but we know the answer. First of all, what other god is there? And while our God, the God, could have accomplished the divine will in all sorts of ways, why God chose this particular path is unknown and unknowable.
But what we call the Exodus is an event unparalleled in human history. A weak people, enslaved to a mighty nation, were led to freedom by a stammering messenger. Throughout, God used whatever means were necessary to accomplish the task. Was it really necessary to do things this way? Only God could say, but through the events surrounding the Exodus God became known to the Hebrew people and ultimately made covenant with them to be their God as they were God’s people. To this day, Jews and Christians point to this series of events as a turning point in God’s relationship with humanity; the weak have seen a promise of strength; the oppressed have seen hope of justice; the poor and hungry, the homeless and naked have heard the word of God and rejoiced.
My, but don’t we worship an odd God, one who cannot be second-guessed or fully anticipated, one who reveals only as much as God wishes to reveal, one who acts with mighty power one time but in subtlety and gentleness the next? The Exodus was a moment of revelation and of release. It has led to an ongoing relationship of great importance to us all. But don’t try to fully understand it. It can’t be done.
Prayer: Lord, help us to receive your gift of grace without trying to understand or to critique it, so that we may live faithfully as your people. Amen.
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