Worrying about the material world

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as we discover new insights and new perspectives from a very old book.

EXODUS 17

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

It's interesting that in Verse 5 the YLT refers to "the River" whereas the NRSV calls it the Nile. It's apparently referring back to Exodus 7:20. Perhaps the NRSV calls it the Nile for clarity, knowing that people jump back and forth between the Biblical chapters and verses and might not know the reference if the word is "River" instead. I'm still  uncomfortable with taking such liberties with the original texts.

Anyway, I remember when being taught Exodus by others, that the Israelites were foolish to complain and lose faith in the LORD after all the wonders they had seen and celebrated.

I no longer see it this way. To the Israelites, it just seems like one damned thing after another. Of all things of vital importance in life, water is the most vital. But Moses and/or that special cloud/pillar of fire keeps leading them to places where there wasn't any. 

It's one thing to be shown the mighty works of the LORD, and to believe the LORD is capable of mighty works in the future. But that doesn't explain why the LORD would also put us in places where we are worse off than before. The Israelites were right to be angry, were right to wonder what Moses was up to.

Moses was therefore wise to make sure the elders of Israel saw him strike the rock with his magic rod. When fresh water came out, Moses was able to keep their support.

Moses then re-asserted his authority and demonstrated his seemingly special connection with God by showing that the outcome of a battle with Amalek depended not on the fighting ability of the Israelites or the generalship of Joshua, but on Moses keeping his hand held high. 

The nation of Amalek would have been descended from the person Amalek. Amalek was grandson of Esau, who preferred the ways of the Cananites to the LORD, and his Canaanite wife. (Genesis 36.) As several hundreds of years have passed since Esau, who was just one ancestor, it's safe to say that the Amalek which Moses encountered were a thoroughly Canaanite tribe. Canaanites, like Egyptians, are descendants of Ham, who is metaphorically the slave to the material world.

Those Genesis genealogies apparently have metaphysical importance!

The Israelites had a very materialistic crisis on their hands - water - which was followed by an attack by the materialistic Canaanite tribe. The LORD prevailed through Moses and Joshua.

If you worry about your physical needs, then your worries (here represented as Amalek) can easily conquer you.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)