Parashat Beshalach ~ After he had let go

Parashat Beshalach ~ After he had let go                            by Shelley Wood Gauld
Ex 13:17~17:16, Judges 4:4 ~5:31, Rev 19:1~20:6

After Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not guide them to the highway that goes through the land of the P’lishtim [Philistines], because it was close by ~ God thought that the people, upon seeing war, might change their minds and return to Egypt. Rather, God led the people by a roundabout route, through the desert by the Sea of Suf. The people went up from the land of Egypt fully armed.”  Ex 13:17~18
The slave nation of Israel was finally released from ‘The Narrow Place’ (Mitzrayim).

The Egyptians had showered wealth on them, they were fully armed and there was certainly ‘strength in numbers’. They appeared to be a force to be reckoned with…
But this nation on the move was wounded and fearful; a slave nation at heart. As one reads the Scriptures it soon becomes apparent that they were vulnerable: psychologically weak, disoriented and emotionally volatile. Their years of slavery had honed their survival skills and made them as resilient and alert as hunted deer, but life lived in ‘survival mode’ for extended periods of time leaves deep wounds, indelible scars. It erodes the wealth of the human spirit, it disillusions and hardens hearts. It engenders distrust and hopelessness from which it is difficult to emerge.

The suppression of ‘joie de vivre’, the crushing of the human spirit, the robbing of personal dignity, the degradation… Having been subjected to that kind of trauma, having adjusted to that kind of abuse, even the prospect of ‘freedom’ must have been daunting… The resources to cope with any additional challenges, demands and responsibilities, even positive ones, were simply not there. How appropriate is this theme during the week marking the 70th Holocaust Memorial Day… A stark reminder of the theme of suffering that has been the lot of HaShem’s ‘am segulah’ down the ages.

After the Exodus, although ‘wealthy’, armed for war and powerful in numbers, the nation of Israel needed time to heal, and to adjust to their newfound freedom… For those who are spent and heavy of heart, this is a slow process… To make the necessary adjustments to ‘normality’, to come up with new and appropriate decisions, is simply another form of stress… While reading through the book of Exodus, one wonders if this was not a nation suffering from what we would today term ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’.

They were a disconsolate nation and certainly in no fit state to have taken the most direct route into the Promised Land and taken on its inhabitants… No. there was much work to be done in hearts and minds before they would be ready for such a task. The 40 year delay and detour was absolutely necessary for the recovery and rebuilding of this nation and for the implementation of the next phase of the Divine plan. Out of the trials of Egypt ~ and of the wilderness period ~ came possession of the Promised Land. Out of the ashes of the Holocaust came the establishment of the State of Israel. The rebuilding and transformation of a soul, of a nation, takes time… and it is the journey itself that is of paramount importance. The time taken for this to be accomplished is of far less importance.

HaShem told Abraham that his descendants would be in bondage for 400 years. Joseph was sold into slavery and served as the catalyst for bringing about the fulfilment of this prophecy. They came out as shattered vessels….. Although we cannot humanly understand such things, the Scriptures are full of allusions to the blessedness of ‘brokenness’ ~ and the resulting gentle, humble and contrite spirit… Despite the deep sorrow there is hope. 
 

Something extraordinary comes with Divine shattering…. Through the cracks of our brokenness the Spirit of Mashiach (Messiah) shines, becomes evident… His ways are higher than ours…

One who desires to follow me must disown himself, pick up his cross, and follow me. Because whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake and the sake of the good news will save it. (Matt 8:34)

Has the potter no right to make from a given lump of clay this pot for honourable use and that one for dishonourable?  ..... What if He did this in order to make known the riches of his glory to those who are the objects of His mercy, whom he prepared in advance for his glory ~ that is, to us whom he called not only from amongst the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?
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