FROM PROMISE TO DELIVERANCE XV Moshe As Agent: It is proper to recognize the chief focus of the Exodus story in the saving activity of YAHweh, but we would be seriously remiss if we did not take note of His designation of Moshe (and secondarily Aharon) as the human agent through which YAHweh Himself works. Moshes role and influence towers over the events of Exodus and over the formative years in the wilderness after the departure from Egypt. It is significant that in the Exodus YAHwehs power does not operate in isolation from human agency. Side by side with the drama of Elohims wonder-working power is the story of Moshes call to the vocation of liberating-agent (Ex. 3 - 4), his face-to-face confrontation with a dreaded tyrant (Ex. 5 - 12), his abuse and rejection by his own oppressed people who were reluctant to believe in the possibilities of their own freedom (e.g., Ex. 5:20ff; 14:10-12), and His mediation of YAHwehs power in the decisive moment (Ex. 14:13ff). If the elements of YAHwehs wonders remind us of divine power available beyond our own rational hopes, then the role of Moshe reminds us of familiar human and social struggles necessary as we live toward, and in hope of, YAHwehs deliverance. It is important to note that Moshe is said to have been raised in an Egyptian context. The agent of YAHwehs deliverance is nourished in the bosom of the oppressor: This motif reflects a social phenomenon recognized by revolutionary theorists down to our time, namely, that the masses of an oppressed people often are too drained of energy and broken of spirit to effect their own means of escape. A human catalyst, somehow spared from the depths of oppression, is required. Thus Moshe, having benefited from a privileged upbringing,,and yet having been nurtured within the ethno-religious traditions of his kinsfolk by his nurse-mother, became the representative who stood firmly against both the grumbling skepticism of his broken people and the Pharaohs hard heart (Hanson, People Called, p. 18). To take seriously the role of Moshe is to abandon passive waiting for Elohims liberating action. Trust in YAHwehs promised future requires leadership in ways expressive of that trust and in confidence that YAHwehs purposes will be served. It requires involvement in the confrontations and struggles that lead to the freedom the Mighty One has planned. The role of Moshe also reminds us of struggles in mediating Elohims power to the liberated. Moshe as mediator often stood between YAH and a rebellious people, demanding faithfulness and obedience from the people, imploring forgiveness and mercy from Ha Qadosh. Thus Moshe becomes a role model for Elohims people. Moshe is transmitting to the Hebrew nation the call of an El Who is unsurpassed by any other in power; and Moshes access to that power without being destroyed by it makes him not only mediator but model for the formation of a people set apart, qodesh unto YAHweh. Elohim does not liberate without also calling us to the vocation of liberation. The Might One does not confront the powers without calling us to confront them in His Name. The roles of Elohim and Moshe are inextricably linked in the Exodus account. IsraEl saw the great work that YAHweh did against the Egyptians. So the people feared YAHweh and believed in YAHweh and in His servant Moshe (Ex. 14:31).
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 19:53:51 +0000
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