Keep Still: Exodus 13–15:21
Reading for Saturday 3.18 – Tuesday 3.21
The Redemption and continued preservation of the newly emancipated band depend entirely on Yahweh. The final act of their emancipation makes this clear. Israel and Egypt have been repeatedly shown who Yahweh is. Now Isreal enters the desert, wandering into a brave new world where Yahweh reigns, and the oppressive empire is behind them at last.
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Read Exodus 13–15:21
“The LORD will fight for you.
You just keep still.”Exodus 14:14 (CEB)
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Keep Still
In a striking turn of events, Pharaoh has a change of heart (at the behest of Yahweh, it seems (14:1)) and pursues Israel to re-enslave them. The response of Israel is disappointing but to be expected. In the face of the greatest military on the planet, they fear. Fear leads to lament, regret, and finally despair (v.11). Yet Moses assures them with a commanding utterance (14:13-14).
The order to "fear not" does not claim there is nothing worth fearing but instead reminds Israel that Yahweh fights for them. This results in a counter fear of Yahweh (14:31) as Israel rightly recognizes the might and rule of Yahweh above all else.
Fear has no place in a world where Yahweh is actively engaged. There are plenty of dreadful things but none capable of overpowering Yahweh. This fear betrays distrust that either Yahweh isn't truly active or present, or that his presence isn't enough, concluding He is either powerless or unreliable. When Yahweh is feared, it is because we have come to see and know the God who fights for us. When Yahweh is feared, nothing else need be.
Israel now exists in a radically new world where Yahweh's rule is effective, and Pharaoh's has been exposed, proven impotent.
This is what we proclaim when we proclaim Jesus. The governance of God has prevailed, and no other governance threatens to shake it. The announcement of God's alternative governance leads to freedom from bondage, freedom from empire, freedom from threat and coercion, and empty promises.
Moses' utterance (14:13-14) reaches forward into the alternative future assured by God, voiding the unbearable present, nullifying the threat of Pharaoh and his empire. The one’s you fear, the oppressive power that threatens you, will soon vanish because the LORD fights for you. The chariots and their threat were very real, but so was Yahweh's impending rule.
And this new administration of God is ushered in by God and for God. There is no doubt it is always and only Yahweh who stands in as the agent of deliverance (14:31). Moses appeals to God for precisely this reason, it is God’s outstretched arm that frees the captives (15:4). This divine agency makes us uncomfortable, as we are powerless to influence, coerce, or summon it. We simply have to “keep still.”
This is the message of grace. One that assures us that while we are no match for the oppressive empires of the world, we believe there is a God who is. In the face of this, we can do nothing but keep still and see the salvation of Yahweh, knowing that it is the LORD who fights for us.
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Reflect with a friend
In Michael Walzer’s classic Exodus and Revolution he writes, “Wherever you live it is probably Egypt.” In what ways to find this to be true in your context? How does the empire “Egypt” threaten and oppress you? In what ways do you contribute to the empire’s reign and oppression?
What does it mean for you to fear “Egypt” given your above response? What might it mean for you to fear Yahweh instead? How might this practically take shape in your life and in your faith?
Is the command to “keep still” comforting or unbearable for you? Where does this come from (pride, doubt, past hurt, etc.)? What might “keeping still” look like for you today?
The archetype of liberation from “Egypt” (and particularly Pharaoh) is played out through the remainder of the scriptures (a thread stretching to the end of the book of Revelation). Spend a moment reflecting and sharing your reflections on all that Egypt and Pharaoh symbolize, and what Yahweh’s divine self-disclosure reveals about the nature of your current reality.
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Next Reading
Wed 3.23 – Fri 3.25
Exodus 15:22–18
