The Cry of Our Hearts: Exodus 1–2
Reading for Wednesday 3.2–Friday 3.4
The book of Exodus begins as a story about slaves. An uncomfortable beginning, but an important one. This is where all of our stories begin. It’s where the story of you and God begins, in ashes.
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Read Exodus 1 & 2
“They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.”
Exodus 2:23b–25 (NLT)
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The Cry of Our Hearts
We begin in ashes, and to ashes we will return. This simple fact reminds us of the state of things. As if we needed much reminding these days. The reign of the day is the reign of sin. We know this because we see its effect all around, death.
We are born in bondage under this regime—captives to the mechanism of decay, of un-creation, that drives a world of violence, injustice, exploitation, and hate. Like Jacob's sons and daughters born in Egypt, we are trapped, unable to get out. No matter what we do, where we turn, how much we resist, the reign persists, and the world remains a world of ashes.
This is the world the Exodus introduces us to—a world where the meteoric rise of the people of Israel, God's little family, erodes and decays. In the first few short verses of our reading, we see a family once considered one of the most privileged families in all of Egypt (see the story of Joseph, Genesis 37 ff.) deteriorate into a nameless, faceless, Godless threat to the empire it once propped up. Lost to who they were created to serve, they now exist to serve the empire.
The world of Exodus gives this empire of terror we all experience a face. Standing as the manifestation of the oppressive regime of sin and death is Pharaoh. Likely rooted in one or more historical figures, Exodus portrays Pharaoh as a larger-than-life representation of the forces attempting to take the seat of God in the world, a personification of the empire of empires. Defiance of Pharaoh is defiance of the empire.
Exodus opens with several of these acts of defiance. These small acts of justice undermine the rule of Pharaoh and, in most instances, serve as small pictures of God's breaking into the story. Shiprah and Puah (Ex. 1:15-21), Moses' mother and sister (Ex. 2:1-4; 7-9), Pharaoh's own daughter (2:5-10), and Moses himself (Ex. 3:11-12), all serve as pictures of what it looks like to stand against the empire of evil.
Yet, the empire continues its reign relatively unphased. In the face of these courageous and costly acts of justice, injustice remained firmly in place. Pharaoh continued to rule and oppression with him. Israel, stripped of their identity as the chosen people of Yahweh, were helplessly enslaved, left with nothing but their groans of suffering (Ex. 2:23).
But God hears their groans and moves to intervene (Ex. 2:24-25).
And so Exodus prepares us for her lesson. We, like Israel, groan under the weight and burden of oppression. Weary and worn down by a world that does nothing but undue. We find ourselves enslaved to the empire of sin, all at once victim and perpetrator, oppressor and oppressed. Though meaningful and difference-making, our acts of justice cannot thwart the empire of chaos and darkness, not entirely.
We need help from outside ourselves. We need divine intervention. We need grace. We need divine justice to pour from the heavens and free us from oppression, injustice, and death. We need God to act.
We need resurrection.
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Reflect with a friend
Is it easy or difficult for you to see yourself as oppressed/enslaved? Why do you think this is? Does Ash Wednesday help in any way?
In what ways do you find yourself complicit with the regime opposed to God? Does this make you run to Jesus or away from Him? Why do you think that is?
What opportunities to stand in defiance of the regime opposed to God and live into the mission of justice (big or small) do you have right now? Do you feel like doing so makes a difference? In what ways does it discourage you?
Spend a moment in confession with Jesus and with one another.
Spend a moment reminding one another of this truth, “God has decided to act on your behalf, and God’s grace is sufficient for you.”
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Next Reading
Sat 3.5 – Tues 3.8
Exodus 3–4
“The God Who Acts”
