Did you know that East Africa is currently struggling with a locust plague? Or that South and Central American countries not only have Covid-19 to deal with, but also Dengue? How about refugee crises in South-East Asia, Central Africa, and the Middle East? It can be hard to focus on other problems in the world when we are faced with a daunting reality here at home. Certainly, it is no small deal what we have here. Unemployment is escalating, people are suffering, and emotional strain is peaking. The situation seems quite dire and despairing. I don’t mean to dishearten you. It just reminds me of a story of another people group that struggled under the weight of their circumstances. These people had little capability to change their outlook, great need, and little representation…except for one important figure…Moses.
The parallels between the plight of the Hebrews and ourselves are apparent but not exact. For example, we are not enslaved by tyrannical overlords, nor are we moving to Canaan any time soon. We do, however, search and hope for answers to our problems…more on that later, but first, a bit of history.
I find fascinating, in the Exodus account, the narrative of the Egyptian sorcerers. The sorcerers desperately tried to replicate and explain the wonders, which God performed through Moses and Aaron, to show the Pharaoh that what the Egyptians were experiencing was controllable, false, and certainly not a reason to free his precious slave population. It is also fascinating because they were attempting to protect the integrity of their Egyptian religion. To the Egyptians, everything around them was a representation of the divine: the Nile was a god, and a nurturer; the cows were sacred and holy; light was a gift from the gods, the sky was a representation of power and supremacy, and funerary rites were a key part of the concept of life and death. These plagues attacked at the very heart of Egyptian beliefs about the divine. The Nile was turned to blood, desecrating their vital source of fresh water. Their livestock, a symbol of fertility, were struck down. The light of day, which symbolized life, was removed. The sky which was revered brought them a thunderstorm of hail and fire. And their firstborn sons were taken from them, without warning and without time to prepare their bodies for burial and transition to the “afterlife”. The sorcerers were struck to their core; everything they believed in was falling apart.
America too is facing a similar dilemma. The aspects of “American” life most dear are being thrashed. Our economy is in tatters, our social connections crippled. Frustration levels are skyrocketing and…meat production is down! And just before the 4th of July! God…how could you let this happen!? Could it be that we are meant to learn something from this? The question that continues to come to my mind in this time is “Who are we turning to for answers?” The Egyptians turned solely to their knowledge, believing that everything was explainable. And today too, with science and international communication, it can be easy to say that the locust plague is because of unseasonably high rain and that Covid-19 is so prevalent because China didn’t do enough or because our health care system isn’t capable. We can easily fall into the same boat the Egyptians did and feel attacked at our most basic level and forget what is really happening.
“My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:2 We must, must, must remember that our help comes from the Lord, and it is He who we turn to for answers. Public health officials, politicians, and economists certainly have their place in the world, and their advice is not worthless. But take this lesson from this time of distress: Whose advice on life trajectory, on financial decisions, on what is right and wrong, will you take in the future? This time of chaos will end, if not next week, or next year, then eventually. But even in these next few weeks, who will you turn to when you feel so cooped up that you are just bursting for a hug? Or when your savings run dry and you are still on furlough? “So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68 say to trust God, not man, to deliver you from this Egypt, and He will lead you to your promised land.
Brad Burchell, Lakeview Wesleyan Church Member