In today’s video presentation of the Book of Exodus, Rudy Ross and Whispering Danny discuss the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12.14-16). Danny and Rudy bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the subject.
I hope you will take 10 minutes to listen to the video on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
The way the Scripture passages are aligned with our videos, today is a good day to share with you some notes and my reactions from an excellent book by Walter Brueggemann, “Delivered Out of Empire.”
Below are my summary notes from the chapter, “Narrative as Curriculum (Exodus 10.1-2).”
The Egyptian official knew early in the plagues that they were no match for Jehovah. In Exodus 8.18 Pharaoh’s magicians declare defeat with the words, “We cannot.”
It takes several more events until Pharaoh admits defeat at the end of Exodus 12. Before that devastating moment, Pharaoh attempted to negotiate with Moses and Aaron.
“Go, sacrifice to your God within the land” (Exodus 8.25).
“Go, serve the Lord your God! But which ones are to go?” (Exodus 10.8).
“Go, serve the Lord. Only your flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even your little ones may go with you” (Exodus 10.24).
Moses knew he didn’t need to negotiate with Pharaoh. In each instance, he repeated God’s instructions to the king.
The plagues that Egypt experienced were called signs or wonders (miracles). As signs, they pointed to something greater than the individual event.
All of the signs pointed to the absolute extent of God’s powerful rule. Once the Exodus was completed, the signs were used to tell the next generation of Hebrews the story of God’s activity.
The Story as a Curriculum
The signs were a lesson plan to exhibit Jehovah’s transformational power. Chapters 12-13 revolve around the question that a child asks.
“And when your children ask you, ‘What does this observance mean to you?’” (Exodus 12.26).
“You shall tell your child on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt'” (Exodus 13.8).
“When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ (Exodus 13.14).
To each question, the parent answered:
“You shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses’” (Exodus 12.27).
“With a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt” (Exodus 13.9).
“‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery'” (Exodus 13.14).
Rudy points out in videos this week that the Passover Celebration is the oldest festival in existence. Hebrew children have been instructed in God’s gracious intervention in human history for centuries.
We have no existing memory of the Philistines, Hittites, Amorites, and other ancient Middle Eastern people. Jewish people exist today in part because they continue to tell the story of God’s activity in the world.
Don’t Forget
The Psalm writer knew the value of telling the story so that future generations don’t forget the character and nature of God.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
Things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might
and the wonders that he has done. (Psalm 78.2-4)
The glorious deeds of God’s intervention in human affairs are a message that our children need to know. The wonders of God’s activity point to a loving God who sets people free from slavery to sin and self.
The purpose of God’s festivals is to allow parents an opportunity to pass down the glorious story of God’s love. Notice that the purpose of the stories is to set our hope in God and not forget his gracious work.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children,
That the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
So that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
And that they should not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Psalm 78.5-8).
“The alternative to remembering is forgetting. To forget is to live in a world without signs and wonders, to become stubborn and rebellious, to lose the capacity for steadfastness and faith” (Brueggemann).
Forgetting is a great risk, especially when a person or nation becomes prosperous and secure.
“When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them . . . then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery . . .
“Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth‘
“But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today” (Deuteronomy 8.12-14 and 17-18).
If we don’t remember the story, we tend to congratulate ourselves, disregard God, and show indifference to our neighbor.
Becoming Fools
If we fail to remember that God intervenes on behalf of the oppressed, we run the risk of becoming the “fool” of the Psalms.
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good. (Psalm 14.1)
When we believe there will be no accountability for our actions, the people of God take on Pharaoh-like attributes.
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord? (Psalm 14.4)
Hosea spoke for God and described the state of people who “have no knowledge.” He wrote, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge!” (Hosea 4.6).
The first step in knowing God is to tell each other about the mighty deeds he has done in history and for us.
The next and extremely important step is to know God personally and intimately through worship, prayer, and obedience.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and Whispering Danny join me to discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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