The book of Exodus never ceases to amaze me. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite Old Testament books. It’s claim to fame is the dividing of the Red Sea as the climactic event in which the people of Israel walk out of slavery without ever having to raise a sword.
Isn’t that wonderful? Just like Israel, our own deliverance comes not because of our own efforts, but because of the faithfulness of God.
Another interesting feature of the book is its opening. The first word of the book of Exodus is “and”. Most modern translations just go ahead and jump over this word which is why if you look for it you won’t see it. Why do translators leave it out? There are several reasons, but to identify just one, it is rather awkward to start a story with a conjunction like “and”.
Okay, but is this little word important? Absolutely! This critical “and” tells us that this story is a continuation of a previous story. The writer of Exodus is telling us that this story is the continuation of the stories about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that we read about in the book of Genesis.
What is fascinating is the following the initial “and” is a long list of the family of Jacob. This is fascinating when we remember that this is Abraham and Sarah’s family! Abraham and Sarah, who couldn’t have children. This means that the difficulties that the Israelites face are to be of no issue, if they remember where they came from.
If the Israelites remember that their very existence is the result of the faithfulness of God to this father, Abraham. If the Israelites remember that it is their special heritage to face difficulties with the presence of God on their side. To face challenge is to be the people of God, however, it is to face that challenge looking back at all the previous challenges overcome by the faithfulness of God.
Let’s move into the future remembering.
