November 30, 2024 – Saint of the Day – Saint Andrew

He was a native of Bethsaida in Galilee, a fisherman by trade, and a former disciple of John the Baptist. He was the one who introduced his brother Peter to Jesus, saying, “We have found the Messiah.”

“It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn’t lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, “If the people encounter war, they’ll change their minds and go back to Egypt.” So God led the people on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt in military formation.Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear to do it, saying, “God will surely hold you accountable, so make sure you bring my bones from here with you.” They moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.” Exodus 13:17-22

 “The Third theme of the Exodus: God won a great victory over Pharoah and his people. This took the form of divine judgment, beginning with a sequence of plagues and reaching its decisive climax when the Red Sea, which had parted to let the Israelites through, rushed back and drowned the Egyptian army. This divine victory was celebrated in a great song: YHWH will reign forever and ever.” (“Re-Living the Exodus”,  Simply Jesus,  N. T. Wright, p. 64)

The divine victory that Moses achieved in his battle with Pharaoh is truly unique—at least as we understand epic battles between good and evil. The plagues are not just a random series of weird cosmic and ecological disturbances. They show Israel’s G-d marching into the home turf of the superpower of the day, and, basically, beating up their gods. Now, this may sound silly to us, but this is how the Israelites understood the supremacy of their G-d in an ancient polytheistic world. This supremacy is one reason why the Israelites declared Yahweh as worthy of worship. He redeemed them from Egypt by putting Pharaoh and the gods in their place. And this was to be a reminder to them not to follow the Canaanite gods once settled in the land.

Where do we see divine battles happening in our day? Let me suggest that you and I are on the frontlines of battle between good and evil every day. When we see injustices in the world, or in our community, we are called to act. When churches are desecrated, or our brothers and sisters in a synagogue are gunned down in cold blood, we are called to stand in solidarity against religious persecution. When we do, we tell the world that we also believe that YHWH will reign forever and ever.

Pastor Dave