Va'era - The Appearing of God

Va’Era - Ex 6:2 - 9:35

 The Appearing of God

When I first saw this week’s passage I was determined I’d be writing something around the usual queries concerning the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. If nothing else, I had a desire to share the description I remember hearing at college to describe this hardening as the same as chasing a cat into the corner with a vacuum cleaner and forcing a decision! Thankfully my reading and dwelling on the passage has led us elsewhere, but I offer this picture as a tribute to the Rev Dr Peter Francis’ best efforts to sear his OT301 illustrations into my mind.

In last week’s narrative, God appeared in the desert to call Moses and deal with his reluctance. The Lord then appears again to seek his death during the move back to Egypt, with our author narrowly avoiding divine judgment via a foot-rub with his son’s foreskin (4:24-26)! Aaron and Moses then appear before the Israelites to reveal God’s plan. The people believe, bow their heads and worship (4:29-31).

Moses and Aaron then appear before Pharaoh to request freedom of religious expression, and receive a rebuff and an increased burden for the people (without even offering of a plebiscite or a non-binding postal vote). The Israeli shop-stewards complain to Pharaoh and then appear before Moses and Aaron to blame them for their hardship. Finally, Moses complains to the Lord for the people’s suffering, his mission, and God’s failure to deliver. And then ‘the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do…”’.

And we now arrive at our portion Va’Era or “and I (Yahweh) appeared…” In light of the unfolding drama, the Lord reminds Moses that this plan is His plan - still unfolding, in His timing. When He appeared to the patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - He had not given them a full appreciation of the character that His name implies. But God, having made himself known to Moses, is about to reveal a greater understanding of who he is by appearing in a serious way to the Egyptians, and to the Israelites. To the Egyptians to secure release for the Israelites and to secure a relationship with them. Any doubts should be cast away with a reminder that He was the same unchangeable Lord (Ex 6:2) who appeared to Abraham. It was the Lord who in his original appearance established the covenant of future redemption, and it is the same Lord now who is appearing in response to the suffering of His people to remind them He has not forgotten His promise.

He will deliver them - providing redemption (v6). He will take them, and be their God - providing relationship (v7). He will bring them into a new land, and give them possession - providing royal estate (v8). And He seals these statements with His unchanging authority - ‘I am the Lord’ (v8). “As I appeared to the patriarchs, I appear to you. I haven’t changed, neither have my promises. My appearance to you in my actions will be my proof to you, my people, that I am the Lord your God” (v7).

Yet despite these truths, because of their circumstances, the people cannot be reassured. They are crushed, broken in spirit, to the point that they cannot see beyond their immediate suffering to a promised future hope. The Israelites are living out of a fear of circumstances, and cannot acknowledge God. And despite the appearance of the Lord to bring about the deliverance and redemption of His people, the history of Israel will show they would continually return to being held by fear, to being captive to their surrounding circumstances. Yet God would be faithful in continuing to appear to Israel. His covenant would remain unchanged, just as His appearance, His reaching into the human narrative, remained unchanged. Until His earthly appearances culminated in the incarnation of the promised Messiah, who would deliver the ultimate action of deliverance and redemption.

I am currently reading No Front Line by Chris Masters, which details the intense combat environment experienced in the conflict in Afghanistan since 2001. In September 2005 a six vehicle Special Forces patrol was ambushed and subsequently had to fight for six hours to survive and extract itself from overwhelming enemy assault. The account is heart-stopping, but can only convey a shadowy sense of the intense circumstances in which the soldiers found themselves. But it is the comment from one of the officers back in the command post monitoring the fight via the radio traffic that is instructive. He heard the “chit chat indicating (the fight) was swinging in our favour. I knew they had to let the fight develop and that the boys had the upper hand.” Undefeated by overwhelming circumstance, they had to ‘let the fight develop.’ Not fear, but an understanding of the need for the situation to develop was required. So to for the Israelites. The Lord had appeared, they had to trust his covenant and let ‘the fight develop’.

In contrast to the Israelites, the Egyptians who would not live in fear of God, will only acknowledge Him when eventually forced by circumstances. The plagues, the first seven of which are detailed in the rest of our passage, are faithfully delivered until the Egyptians are destroyed for refusing to acknowledge the Lord’s appearing. At His final appearing, this same destruction is promised to all who refuse to acknowledge His present appearance (Rev 20:11-15).

The nascent nation of Israel is reminded in Exodus 6 that the Lord had appeared, the Lord was appearing, and the Lord promised that He would continue to appear in fulfilling the covenant laid down for them. So to for us who are now promised the blessings of Abraham and have entered into the same covenant through our faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:8-9). Just as the Lord called for Israel to respond in hope, we too are called to respond to our hope built upon the Lord’s appearing, His very real presence, rather than letting us be broken in spirit and crushed by our circumstance. We are to trust in the past and present appearances of our Lord that have brought us our salvation, and be looking forward to ‘our blessed hope, the glorious appearance of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13).