Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17-17:16 (Beshalach)

For the past 400 years Israel had been living in the midst of Egyptian gods who were cruel and selfish, who had to be appeased, who gave aid only on a whim but had to be fed in order to prevent them bringing harm on you.

Yahweh in the light of experience would have seemed too good to be true, probably just a bigger and more powerful version of the Egyptian gods. That’s how He managed to beat them with all those plagues. Yes, there was the 400-year-old promise of a home in Canaan, but the descendants of Israel didn’t know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

So how could they trust Yahweh? Where had He been all this time? And why hadn’t He taken them straight to the land of milk and honey? At the sea with the Egyptian army almost upon them the Israelites had thought that they were about to die or be taken back to Egypt in chains. Had it all been one enormous charade for a bigger god’s amusement? In total panic they cried to Adonai and to Moses who calmed them down.

They then found out that this God indeed had His plan. He saved them in a most outstanding way, taking them through the sea but destroying Pharaoh’s army when it tried to follow.

So maybe Yahweh was trustworthy? Or was it with evil intentions that He was leading them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth (Ex 32:12)?

Testing

The pillar of cloud and fire now led the people into the Shur desert; three days with no water. They arrived at an oasis but couldn’t drink the water because it was bitter. Here it is: Yahweh’s going to poison us all to death! And so the grumbling started. But God showed Moses how to purify the water. It was at this oasis of Marah (‘bitterness’), over the water issue, that God tested the people and started to give them rules for living (15:25). Then the pillar of cloud and fire led the people to lovely Elim with good water and palm trees.

Next they were led into the Sin desert but by this time their food had run out. Here it is: Yahweh’s going to starve us all to death! Hence the grumbling again. But God used this to continue teaching. He gave the people meat and bread (quails and manna), using it to teach them to keep His Sabbaths and to know Him better.

They now travelled in stages as directed by Adonai and camped at Rephidim (later named Massah – ‘testing’ and Meribah – ‘quarrelling’). No water. Here it is: Yahweh’s going to leave us to die of thirst! This time the people quarrelled with Moses demanding “Give us water to drink!” (17:2) and tested Adonai by asking “Is Adonai with us or not?” God responded by instructing Moses to strike a rock from which water then flowed out.

Trusting

Ezekiel 23 talks about Northern Israel and Southern Judah as two women who as young girls were whores in Egypt. Hosea pictures Israel as a young whore that God brought out of Egypt. There are many prostitute slaves in the world today. Do any of us know how difficult it is for someone brought up in such an environment to believe that anyone would give them a new life as part of a royal family, with no ulterior motives? Isn’t the Cinderella story just a fairy tale?

I think God knew how hard it would be for such a people to trust Him: hence the time and trouble He went to in the desert to gain their trust. How many times have you and I messed up in our lives, expected a severe rebuke from God and been astonished to receive instead His love and mercy?

It was only at this point in the story, after several tests and trials, when Israel had grown to have a measure of trust in Yahweh, that they were faced with the first battle that they had to fight (17:8). The fledgling nation showed themselves ready for the first of many battles, knowing “Adonai is my banner” (17:15)!

Author: John Quinlan