We all know the story - the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God sent the plagues and Pharaoh let the people go. They escaped at night, to find the Egyptians coming after them! Moses assured the people that God would fight for them, they crossed through the sea on dry land, and the Egyptians were drowned. Victory! But I realized this story wasn't quite so simple.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?” So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him . . . The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly.
Exodus 14: 5-8
I read this story yesterday during my scripture study. When I first read these verses, I realized something. The text doesn't say that Pharaoh changed his mind and decided to go after the Israelites. It says the minds of Pharaoh and his officials "were changed" - passive voice. This was an external occurrence. Someone or something did this to them. Then it says, "The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh!"
What?? The Lord sent Pharaoh to chase the Israelites? I thought this whole time the Lord was trying to save the Israelites?
As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”
Exodus 14:10-14
Inspiring. But wrong. God replies:
“Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground."
Exodus 14:15-16
Then, God speaks an answer to my original question:
"Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself."
Exodus 14:17
GOD sent the Egyptians after the Israelites so GOD could show off GOD's power!
Sometimes, trials come upon us out of nowhere, and it's nobody's fault. "The minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed." Something happens, but the text there doesn't say what. Sometimes there are trials and we don't know why. "Life is suffering," as the Buddha taught (This isn't a pessimistic "life sucks" teachings, but a simple realization that true and full living in this world includes suffering).
Sometimes (bear with me) God sends trials - "The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh."
And in our trials we wonder, oh God, why did I trust you? I thought you were bringing me out of Egypt and here the Egyptians are chasing me again! I'm in the wilderness and the horrible circumstances just keep multiplying and I just might DIE out here and where even are you??
Then, like Moses and the rest of the Israelites, we might get hopeful. "Oh right. God is so big. I don't have to be afraid because God's gonna rescue me! And then I'll never see these Egyptians again! God will fight for me!" And then we plop down like a toddler who has given up and waits for a parent to solve all the problems.
But God comes in, with a gentle shake of the head and says, "No. Why do you think I'm going to do everything for you? Stand up and go forward. YOU lift up YOUR staff and YOU stretch out YOUR hand over the sea that you may go through on dry land Then I will send those trials chasing after you again so we can show my glory and power."
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. . . . Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea.
Exodus 14:21-27
God didn't pick the Israelites up out of their struggle and airlift them to the other side, and God won't do that for us, either. The only way out is through. So God gave Moses power to get through. God doesn't just pull us out the hard things, but gives power to part the sea and walk through on our own.
So Moses opened the sea, the Israelites passed through. Then, those trials just weren't done, so they pursued the Israelites. But God gave Moses power to close the sea and overcome them once and for all.
Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians . . . Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians.
Exodus 14:30
God gives us power to make a way through our trials. When they start coming towards us again, the Lord gives us power to over come them for good. Notice that the trials doesn't go away immediately, the first time the Israelites ask for help of see God's intervention. It takes time. First, God rescues them from Egypt. Then, God saves them from the pursuing Egyptians. (And even then, the story still isn't really over - the Egyptians will the tested and tried for many years, required to trust solely on God for their every need.) The Israelites have a long road getting over this particular trial. But God is constant and faithful through it all, giving the Israelites power to overcome.
And that is how "the Lord saved Israel from the Egyptians." By empowering them to overcome! "Israel saw the great work that the Lord did" in them against their trials.
The LDS church believes in a doctrine commonly called "eternal progression." This means that the Christian life doesn't end at death with entrance into heaven. Life, for Latter-day Saints, began long before this world, when our spirits were born to Heavenly Parents in the realms of glory. From thence we came to earth to learn and progress, with the goal of one day being like those Heavenly Parents. Those who pass the exam by being saved by the Lamb enter into eternal glory with God Almighty, where the growth and progression continue. The human race, beyond this life and raised bodily into heaven to be with God the Father and God the Mother will continue growing and progressing until they are like God, even gods themselves.
If this is the ultimate goal, why would God do everything for us?
Young children are taught through a process called "scaffolding." In this process, caregivers support the child in all that they cannot do, while allowing the child to do all that they can. When the child grows and can do more, the caregiver supports less and allows the child to use and develop new strengths.
This, I believe, is the same principle working in this story and in our spiritual lives. God, who yearns to see us grown up and exalted into glorious beings, does not do everything for us. God does, however, do all that we cannot do. Moses could part the sea, with God's help. Just like a child can climb the money bars, with help. So God gave that help and required that Moses and the Israelites do everything in their power.
And that is just how it works with us. There are things that we cannot do, and God will help with those. But for everything that we can do, for everything that God can give us power to do ourselves, God requires that we do ourselves.
So no, Moses, the Lord will not fight for you. Bu the Lord will equip you with power to fight for yourself.
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