The Art of Speculation? Shemot

Before Exodus’ desert wandering, there was readers’ wondering.

Prior to Moses’ Burning Bush encounter in which he was conscripted by Israelite Deity to stage a national liberation, the Torah Portion Shemot delivers one of scripture’s most perplexing passages. This enigmatic passage, however, when viewed through Decalogue- themed lenses, unlocks enlightenment. Speculation, in the instance, is required.

This puzzling passage addresses humanity’s crying out and God’s response. Theologians have struggled to reconcile the passage in light of historic tragedies. Thus, this analysis will tackle whether God hears human suffering and what is the nature of his response.

The passage of interest is as follows:

“And the Children of Israel groaned from the work, and they cried out, and their wail went up to God from the work. And God heard their moaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God saw the Children of Israel. And God knew!” Exodus 2:23-25

The Analysis

This passage begs the question: “What took so long?” The scripture then begs the next question “What “what” took so long?”

Thus, this passage’s analysis must be framed as two questions. First, “what took the Children of Israel so long to express such a level of displeasure?” Second, “what did God act upon?”

The Cry Out

The timing of the Children of Israel’s collectively crying out requires some background. Immediately before the above-noted passage, the Torah tells that the Pharoah- the one who had instituted both the Israelite harsh labor and neonaticide-had died.

Further text analysis reveals that the Torah is absent and prior collective crying despite the pre-existing pharaonic imposed cruelty.

Thus, something must have initiated this great upset. What precipitated the Children of Israel’s tears? Was it the Pharaoh’s death?

The Pharaoh’s death, for even a short period of time, created a power vacuum. The Children of Israel perhaps had a moment of contemplation as to who would be their future ruler. If so, did this moment evoked the memory of their Deity’s ancestral covenants?

This Israelite dream of an alternative ruler may have coincided with the realization of their future. A younger and meaner new Pharoah was coming their way. One could appreciate that this pharaonic change would have inspired more building projects and increased Israelite labor participation. The future in Egypt was bleak.

The Listen

The question of “what was God listening to?” can now be tackled. Taking our query, we accept the premise that the Children of Israel’s upset involved the uncertainty in Egyptian leadership. Thus, God essentially heard the Children of Israel cry out at the moment of a power vacuum.

With this notion, God realized that it was the opportune time to intervene for his people. The Children of Israel were ready for him to step in and allow him to fulfill his covenantal promises. The ancestral covenants to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, however, were to be brought up to date. This time, the covenant would not be renewed with either a Patriarch or Matriarch. Rather, it would be with the nation that emerged from the prior covenants.

Does This Argument Make Sense?

The Torah goes on tell of Moses and Aaron’s first meeting with the Children of Israel’s Elders. The passage goes: “When Moses and Aaron went to the elders and made their presentation, it was reported “And the people believed, and they heart that the Lord had taken account of the Children of Israel and that He had seen their degradation. And they knelt and bowed.” Exodus 4:31. This message, per the instructions, included that God was to bring them up from the degradation of Egypt to the land… flowing with milk and honey. Exodus 3:17.

Arguably, the Elders embraced the concept of a new ruler. The message was to be sent to Pharaoh was to be “let my people go.” The message was that the Children of Israel did not want to re-negotiate their labor contract with the new Egyptian management.

Further support on the timing of the notion of the collective tears is that the Torah provides evidence that that the Children of Israel had some fondness towards the Egyptian society and its amenities. Even during the Exodus they reminisced as to the various comforts they enjoyed under their Pharaonic oppression, i.e. the fleshpot and the other foods. See Walzer Exodus and Revolution. Thus, while their may have been individual discord, the collectiveness only occurred upon the Pharaoh’s death.

In Genesis, another particular passage bears comparison. In that instance, Abraham sends both Hagar and her son Ishmael away at Sarah’s request. While in their exile, in a moment of distress concerning the lack of water, the Torah notes “And God heard the boy’s voice. And an angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What trouble do you have, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. Because God heard the boy’s voice where he is. Get up. Carry the boy and hold him up in your hand, because I will make him into a big nation. Genesis 21: 17-18

This incident, as well, displays God’s response to the distress addresses a covenantal concern. This action relates back to the Abrahamic covenant in that Abraham’s progeny is preserved to become a nation. Likewise, the Torah includes instances of fertility pleas. Again, these children constituted covenantal matters.

Conclusion

With speculation, it appears that God’s intervention was frequently tied to covenantal matters. This observation raises the question as to whether the Ten Commandments’s deliverance further reshaped prior notions of human distress and the Deity’s response.

Be well!!

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