God is not in a hurry to lead them out of liminal space and into the land he promised to give them. They’re not ready yet.
The Israelites have been liberated from slavery in Egypt, but they have not yet arrived at their final destination. Everything they know about who they are, how to survive, and what is expected of them is stripped away on that fateful night when they make their escape, leaving them vulnerable and uncertain. They don’t know how to live under these new arrangements. But God is not in a hurry to lead them out of liminal space and into the land he promised to give them. They’re not ready yet. Into this vacuum, Yahweh speaks. He answers the basic questions of human existence in surprising new ways, offering himself as the solution to their needs for leadership, guidance, protection, and provision, and revealing his name as the key to their identity and vocation as his people. Yahweh invites them to begin walking in a new direction by trusting him. Sinai is part of their liminal experience. In the wilderness of Sinai they are free from the mind-numbing distractions of Egypt and Canaan. In their isolation, they can hear the voice of God. Having lost their old identity, they are ready to become what they are meant to be.
ARE WE SAFE? FINDING SECURITY
We may be long centuries removed from Israel’s wilderness wanderings, but we share many of the same basic human instincts. Like the Israelites, we want to know if we can close our eyes at night and fall asleep in safety. Uncertainty breeds anxiety.
As I read the wilderness narratives with students, the question I’m asked more than any other is this: “How can the Israelites so quickly forget God’s power to deliver them?” The people who’ve seen ten dramatic plagues on Egypt, whose own households were spared devastation, whose neighbors have willingly given them silver and gold and clothes for their journey, who’ve heard Pharaoh’s command to “Get out!”—these are the same people who quickly change their tune as Pharaoh chases them in hot pursuit. The Hebrews are terrified. They cry out:
Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?’ It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert! (Exodus 14:11-12)
If this response surprises us, it’s because we underestimate the disorienting effect of liminal spaces and because we overestimate our own stability. Perhaps a thought experiment would help. Imagine you are a college student. One day your professor ends class with a special announcement: “Attention Students! I have fantastic news. A generous donor has arranged to cover the rest of your tuition payments this year as well as all the school loans you have accumulated so far.”
Incredulity melts into celebration as you all realize she is dead serious. The classroom erupts with cheers of joy and (for some) tears of relief. When the commotion dies down, your professor gives some instructions. “All who would like to take advantage of the donor’s offer need to gather up their belongings and follow me.” Of course, you pack your bag and follow. How could you pass up the opportunity? But you’re not sure where she’s taking you. The class files out into the hallway, down a back staircase, and down the sidewalk behind the cafeteria to the parking lot.
“Wait here,” she says. “I’ll be back.”
She disappears into the administration building and she’s gone . . . for a long time. For the first few minutes everyone is jovial and curious, wondering where she’s gone and how long the wait will be. But as the minutes stretch on and the sun gets higher, your stomach reminds you that it’s lunchtime. The longer you wait, the more you begin to wonder if this is some sort of practical joke. You crane your neck to see if there’s a video camera set up somewhere, capturing your gullibility on film.
What if this happened to you? How long would you wait in the parking lot for your professor to reappear? How quickly would you begin to doubt the sincerity of her announcement? A wonderful promise becomes much harder to believe when we are tired and hungry, or when we can’t imagine how things will play out. Abraham Maslow claimed as much in his 1943 essay, which popularized a hierarchy of needs.8 He posited that certain needs are fundamental, such as physiological needs (food, water, air, sleep) and the need for safety. Without these in place, people are less motivated to focus on higher-level needs, such as love, esteem, and self-actualization. Some criticize Maslow’s hierarchy as reflecting an individualist, rather than collective, society, making it potentially less pertinent for understanding Israel’s wilderness wanderings. We could also disagree with Maslow’s humanist perspective. He insists on the essential goodness of any human desire, failing to recognize how our inclination toward those desires may be corrupted by sin. Contrary to Maslow’s assumption, we do not become who we are meant to be by seeking to fulfill every felt need. Still, his overall idea is helpful—without fulfillment of basic needs such as food, water, and a safe place to live, people will very quickly lose interest in promises relating to higher-order thinking about values or beliefs or opportunities. Remember when Moses delivered God’s great promise of deliverance to the Hebrews in Egypt? “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor” (Exodus 6:9). The promise was glorious, but they weren’t buying it.
Hunger, thirst, and fear are powerful masters. (These days, so is the lack of internet access.) Yahweh knows this. Remarkably, he does not chide the Israelites when they complain or panic as they travel toward Sinai. He simply provides for their needs. He utilizes this trek to demonstrate to them his trustworthiness. Here are a few examples of Yahweh’s care from these chapters:
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. (Exodus 13:17-18)
Yahweh first ensures Israel’s safety.
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. (Exodus 13:21)
In the hot and dusty desert, traveling in the cool hours of night may be preferable. God provides unmistakable guidance day and night. He has thought of everything.
[God said to Moses,] “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. (Exodus 14:16-20)
Two things are worth noting: First, God provides the Israelites a way of escape. He does not choose the easiest route, but rather the one that will demonstrate his power and bring him the most glory. Second, God provides safety all night long, even lighting their camp to dispel the fear of attack in the darkness.
Trust is not automatic, and God does not expect it to be. He patiently works on Israel’s behalf until they can see that he is worthy of their confidence.
Trust is not automatic, and God does not expect it to be. He patiently works on Israel’s behalf until they can see that he is worthy of their confidence. God’s guidance and protection of the Israelites cultivate their trust in him and in Moses (see Exodus 14:31). The wilderness is his classroom. He has work to do in the Israelites that can only be done in a state of dislocation, in liminal space.
WHAT’S ON THE MENU? LEARNING TO TRUST
The Is
raelites haven’t traveled far—three days, in fact—when they become desperate for water (Exodus 15:22). I think Maslow would agree that it doesn’t matter how dramatic last week’s breakthrough when your throat is parched today. And so they begin to grumble against Moses. The right response would have been to pray and ask God for help. This is what Moses does, and God provides. The incident is even more striking when read against the plague narratives. In Egypt, the outcome of the first plague, when the Nile turns to blood, is “water they cannot drink” (Exodus 7:24)—a judgment against Egypt. When the Hebrews arrive at Marah, they find “water they cannot drink,” but Yahweh shows Moses how to transform it from bitter to sweet (Exodus 15:23-25)—a blessing for his people.9
Six weeks later, they run out of food. Despondency sets in. “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (Exodus 16:3). Again, God’s response is full of mercy. He announces his plan to provide bread from heaven. In Egypt, God had “rained hail” (Exodus 9:18, 23), but here he “rains bread” (Exodus 16:4). In Egypt, locusts “came up” and “covered” the ground, devouring all the produce (Exodus 10:14-15), but now God provides meat for the people to eat in the form of quail that “comes up” and “covers” the ground (Exodus 16:13).10
The bread God provides is not just any bread, however. It doubles as a “test to see whether they will follow his instructions” (Exodus 16:4). Rather than filling their pantries to bank against future famine (this is a road trip, after all!), God invites them into an exercise of daily trust. Each morning, he provides a day’s worth of food, as much as each one needs. In this way, they learn how to depend on him daily. Those who disregard his instructions find maggots the next morning in the extra food they’ve collected.
On the sixth day of every week, God provides twice as much. In this way, Israel also learns the rhythm of Sabbath observance—six days of work, one day of rest, repeat. Like a parent with a toddler, patiently teaching obedience and reward, Yahweh trains an entire nation. His provision of food demonstrates his glory and cultivates habits of obedience and trust for forty years straight! Their need in the wilderness supplies the opportunity for a greater display of Yahweh’s character. God has things to teach that can only be learned in a state of dislocation. On the way to Sinai, the Hebrews find out what sort of God he is and how to live in dependence on him.
God taught me a similar lesson in the first few months of marriage. Never having lived on my own off campus, I was nervous about money. I was still getting the hang of grocery shopping, paying rent, and living by a budget. One day, I went shopping for food to make a spaghetti dinner. I remember standing by the rack of French bread in the bakery department. Garlic bread sounded tasty, but a whole loaf for one meal? Was that wise? It seems strange now that I wrestled so hard over this one 99-cent item. In the end, I left the store without bread, feeling poor. Not long after I arrived home, I heard a knock on our back door. Our next-door neighbor stood there with a loaf of French bread. “I bought too much bread. Can you use this?” Never before or since has someone brought me French bread. On that day, God sent me a message loud and clear: “I am your provider. I’ve got this.” That bread was more than manna for my stomach. It was manna for my soul. Like Israel, I was learning to trust God to provide.
WHO’S IN CHARGE? APPOINTING LEADERS
Another question that rises to the surface in liminal places is “Who’s in charge?” Anyone who has tried to do a group project for school can relate. Nothing gets done until somebody takes the lead. A similar leadership vacuum results whenever an elementary school teacher is absent and requires a substitute. The children face a measure of uncertainty about how the day will go. What is this substitute like? What will be expected of me? Will he be a harsh taskmaster or will he be funny and kind? Inevitably, a student or two steps into the vacuum and asserts their own authority, attempting to control the substitute.
Ultimately Yahweh calls the shots. It is he who appointed Moses to a leadership role. He inevitably bears the brunt of Israel’s complaints. But he recognizes that their protest is actually resentment against God himself, merely deflected toward him (Exodus 16:8). Still, it’s not easy being the target of their grumbling. Moses reaches a breaking point at Rephidim, where the Israelites complain again about thirst: “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me!” (Exodus 17:4). On this occasion, God answers the people’s prayer directly through the hand of Moses, telling him to strike the rock at Horeb. Water flows in the sight of the elders. The same staff used to strike the Nile, making Egypt’s water unfit to drink, now supplies liquid grace for the Israelites.11
Up next is the battle against the Amalekites, for which Moses and Joshua both receive credit. Joshua fights the battle on the ground, but he only prevails as long as Moses’ hands are raised on the mountain (Exodus 17). Both of these incidents publicly underscore Moses’ God-given authority to lead.
Moses consistently shoulders the burden of responsibility for the people, bringing their requests to Yahweh and announcing his response. When his father-in-law, Jethro, stops by for a visit, he is alarmed that Moses serves as judge for the people from morning until night (Exodus 18). They come to him whenever they want to know God’s will. Jethro advises Moses to delegate the bulk of these responsibilities to trained officials, reserving his energy for the most difficult cases.
With divine approval for Moses’ leadership and a structural hierarchy in place, the people’s basic question “Who’s in charge?” is answered. Moses’ authority is vindicated by God and supported by a network of leaders serving under him. The resulting clarity provides security for the people, helping them as they learn to trust God and his appointed leaders. It’s a lesson they’ll revisit later, when jealousy sets in.
But now, we arrive at Sinai.
DIGGING DEEPER
Resources with an asterisk (*) are accessible to a broad audience. Resources without an asterisk are written for scholars.
*Peter Enns. Exodus. NIVAC. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
*Terence E. Fretheim. Exodus. Interpretation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010.
*Jeff Manion. The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.
Mark S. Smith. The Pilgrimage Pattern in Exodus. JSOTSup 239. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1997.
Related video from The Bible Project: “Torah: Exodus 1–18.”
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SURPRISED AT SINAI
Law as Gift
DIVINE APPOINTMENT
After three months of walking through the wilderness and following the cloud, the Israelites arrive at Sinai, sweaty, dirty, and tired (Exodus 19:1). I wonder if the people had any idea what was in store for them. Had Moses told them about the bush-in-flames? Had he told them about the audacious promise God had made to him on those slopes?
Let’s recap the story. Moses was a Hebrew, but he had grown up in the royal palace in Egypt, thanks to a fortunate series of events in which the household that was trying to kill Hebrew babies rescued him instead. However, when Moses was grown, he had an altercation with an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew. Moses killed the man, hid him in the sand, and immediately became “Pharaoh’s Most Wanted.” He fled for his life, crossed the Sinai Peninsula, joined a Midianite family, and became a shepherd. He stayed away from Egypt for forty long years.
One day, while Moses was herding sheep in an area known as Horeb, God showed up as fiery flames from within a bush that did not burn up. Moses was surprised, intrigued. He approached the bush, and Yahweh called Moses by name. Not only did God know his name, but he knew the names of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. (Talk about a long-time family friend!) To announce that he’s the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob instantly brings to mind the promises God made to Abraham and reaffirmed to his descendants—promises that had not yet come tr
ue. The Hebrews were not out-of-sight, out-of-mind in Egypt. God was still at work bringing his promises of land, descendants, and blessing to fruition. It was time to announce his plan of deliverance.
This divine appointment had two sides to it. Not only did God show up to meet Moses. He also asked Moses to step up and take responsibility. Moses was God’s designated special agent for this rescue operation. But Moses was not buying it. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11). After forty years as a fugitive, he thought God was making a mistake. Yahweh’s response sidestepped the question. “I will be with you,” he said, teaching him an important lesson. It doesn’t matter who Moses is. It matters only that God is with him. At that moment, in that sacred encounter, God gives the awestruck shepherd a promise: “This will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12).
It doesn’t matter who Moses is. It matters only that God is with him.
And that’s not all. At the burning bush, God also revealed his personal name to Moses. This is a big deal. Most gods were known by a pseudonym that kept others at arm’s length. Knowing the proper divine name offered access to power. For example, in an ancient Egyptian myth called “The Legend of Isis and Re,” one god is trying to get control of another, but he can’t get the upper hand without knowing the other’s real name.1 But Yahweh, rather than hiding his name and maintaining a measure of distance, invites Moses into his counsel. He and the Hebrews are welcome to address Yahweh directly. They’re on a first-name basis.
Bearing God's Name Page 3
