Title: I Am Yahweh, February 27
Exodus 6:2-8
I am Yahweh
Moses' vocation
The story of Moses being called by God is not the first in today's text, but already in Chapter 3. Although the stories of Exodus 3 and 6 are different, they are basically similar in that they are God's calling. First of all, the difference is the point of view of this story. Chapter 3 is the story of God's first call to Moses while shepherding the sheep in the wilderness of Midian, but Chapter 6 is the story after Moses, who had already answered the call, tried to make a negotiation with Pharaoh but failed. While Moses in Chapter 3 stayed in his daily life, Moses in Chapter 6 had already begun God's work. However, in both chapters 3 and 6, Moses was mentally difficult.
In chapter 3, Moses could not find what he had to do and was spending his years as a shepherd. We can't pinpoint exactly what the Bible says about his state of mind, but it's clear to me how Moses must have felt at the time, even with common sense. Moses, who was a Jew, but grew up as a prince in Egypt, went into exile at the age of 40 and spent 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian. It must have been a time of despair, frustration, anger and self-blame. The fact that Moses, who knows the reality of his people better than anyone else, couldn't find a job to do and was just focusing on surviving, meant that he was mentally exhausted. On the other hand, the fact that he discovered a burning thorn on Mount Horeb might not be just a shepherd's curiosity, but rather a result of his self-reflection and his endless interest in God amidst mental difficulties. Only a person with a kind of seeker attitude can respond to God's call, although this may not be apparent on the outside.
Following God's call, he returned to Egypt and went to visit Pharaoh with his brother Aaron. He and his people went out into the wilderness for three days and asked to offer sacrifices to the Lord God. Pharaoh saw through their intentions, and not only denied their requests, but made the working conditions of the Jews even worse. When I tried to take it off, it ended up sticking. The Jewish delegates then complained to Moses and Aaron. In the face of such a difficult situation, Moses had no choice but to be demoralized. Although it is a difficult battle even with the help of their own people, they have been divided among themselves from the beginning, so you can guess how Moses felt. Just like when he stood in front of a burning thorny tree on Mount Horeb, Moses now had no choice but to be anxious in front of the wall of reality with only his heart longing.
Moses appealed to God. Chapter 5:22 is the content. “Lord, why are you tormenting this people so much? Why did you send me here? Since I went to Pharaoh and spoke in your name, the people have become more and more troubled. And yet you show no sign of delivering your people.” Hearing this appeal, God spoke encouraging words in verse 6:1, followed by a relatively large amount of words in the text we read today. These statements mean that through the biography of Moses, the Jews came to know God much more accurately. What answer did God give Moses?
From El Shaddai to Yahweh!
God of Exodus
The name Yahweh God is fundamentally related to the Exodus event. The entire text today explains this very fact. God had already promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, their descendants were reduced to slavery in Egypt. Hearing the groans of the people of Israel who were being abused in Egypt, God remembered this promise and called Moses. Now Yahweh God said to Moses again, He will bring this nation out of slavery in Egypt and deliver them from their torment. Section 6b reads: “Stretch out my arms and bring down a terrible judgment to your rescue.” The name Yahweh refers to the God who brings about historical salvation.
Israel, the people of the Old Testament, were people who recognized God through their history. Although God recognized God in human existence and the mysteries of the universe, it was history, as can be seen in today's text. They have always experienced a crisis of survival in the midst of empires such as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. Except for the brief reigns of David and Solomon, they must have depended only on God because they had been under colonial rule as a small country. In the course of such history, they came to understand how God intervenes in history. Today's text is one passage, or perhaps the most decisive, part of that process.
After 400 years of living in Egypt as a minority, almost like slaves, the Israelites had no hope. They thought that only God could save them. The spiritual leaders, centered on Moses, tried to lead the people who are going to and fro in reality to know and believe in God. The people did not always follow Moses' words, but historical experience eventually led them to accept Moses' teachings. And in fact, that's how history went. Their descendants preserved and preserved these stories of Moses and their ancestors in the form of folktales. After considerable time, such folktales were written down and supplemented with religious significance. They soon developed the belief that Yahweh was the One who freed their ancestors from Egypt. The name of this God was Yahweh.
What is today's Exodus? What is today's historical salvation? How is God fulfilling the Exodus from Egypt today? Servitude is a life in which the dignity of a human being created in the image of God is lost. If today's material civilization enslaves us, it is an evil force that destroys the image of God. These evil forces have never disappeared from human history. In particular, modern people, who have no choice but to live within a much more structural framework than in the past, seem to have no way out of this evil force. It means that the oppressive life that the Israelites experienced in Egypt 3,500 years ago is still present today. But our God is Yahweh. He is the God who rescues us from distorted history.
scary referee
However, when we look at history only on the surface, it seems that God's salvation does not occur very much. Rather, it seems that powerful countries and corporations like Egypt at the time were spreading their power even more. When you look at the US military dominance over Iraq for the past few years, history doesn't seem to run righteously. After the fall of real socialism, as the global structure of free competition takes root, God's historical salvation seems increasingly distant. In a world where poor countries are getting poorer and rich countries are getting richer and richer, our country is struggling not to fall behind. At first glance, it seems that this world's history has nothing to do with Yahweh in the Exodus. Then, were Yahweh's promises valid only 3,500 years ago?
Moses engraved the voice of God like this. “Stretch out my arms and bring a terrible judgment to your rescue” (6b). Yahweh, the God of the Exodus, is the one who judges. His judgment was terrifying. What does terrifying mean? Scary doesn't just mean severe, it means that judgment comes in a way we never expected. The judgment that came upon Pharaoh was ten plagues. Especially the last plague was the death of the firstborn of every Egyptian family and the firstborn of the beast. Through an event that no one expected, God judged Egypt and rescued the Israelites from their slaves.
Today's history will look gorgeous. A powerful nation and such people are abusing its power without knowing that it is high in the sky. More fundamentally, modern man enslaves nature through his intellect and reason. God judges the world in ways we do not know. Whether it will be the widespread nihilism and depression caused by materialism, or the catastrophe of the ecosystem, God does not tolerate such a history of enslaving humans as it is. This kind of God was called ‘Yahweh’ by the Israelites, and we Christians today believe in the same way.