Recent events on the international scene - in the Philippines, Haiti, China, Romania, the former Soviet Union, and so on - remind us of people's thirst for freedom, and of the high price they are willing to pay for it. They show that the process of achieving freedom is a long and passionate venture filled with many pitfalls and challenges.
You will find a similar venture in the Book of Exodus and in the traditions that flow from it (Numbers and Deuteronomy, for example). This is the story of the Israelites' long journey toward freedom - a journey that started when God heard the cry of the enslaved Israelites (Exodus 2:23-25). God led them to the gates of the promised land through the courage of Moses and those who helped him: these leaders knew how to touch, over and over again, the people's desire for freedom. The Israelites' journey has become a symbol and a guide for every generation of believers - Jews and Christians - who have experienced the liberating presence of God in their lives and have heard the call to walk toward freedom.
Freedom denied
The situation at the beginning of the Book of Exodus is familiar to all people who are dominated by an unjust ruler or who live in a society where liberty is denied or destroyed. The Israelites are extremely depressed and oppressed; this takes away their basic human dignity and their right to freedom (Exodus 1:13-15).
Reduced to slavery, with no one to help them, Israel could only turn to God. In order to reach God, they had nothing to offer as a prayer but their suffering (Exodus 2:23-25). But human suffering touches the heart of God (Psalm 34:17). The God of the Exodus is a God who takes the side of the poor and defends their right to freedom.
Fear of freedom
For Moses, the leader who was chosen by God, great difficulty lay ahead. He not only had to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt, but also he had to persuade the people to follow God's plan. Moses dreaded their reaction (Exodus 4:1). He knew that the people would hesitate to follow him, because freedom is frightening.
In fact, the people did hesitate to follow Moses. From the first negotiations with Pharaoh, the Israelites were so upset that the scribes complained (0 Moses in an attempt to end the plan of bringing the people out of Egypt (Exodus 5:20-21). The Lord had to support Moses in his mission so that he could deal with the resistance of the people and lead them toward the land God offered them.
Even when they were about to cross the Red Sea, the Israelites were overcome by fear, and wondered if it would not have been better to have stayed in Egypt (Exodus 14:10-12). Freedom is frightening and the temptation to settle for what you've got, even if this means slavery, is strong.
The real miracle: the birth of a people
When we read the story of the Exodus it is easy to be impressed by the marvellous aspects of the story: the skill of the “magician” Moses when he competes with the Egyptian magicians, the plagues of Egypt, the dividing of the waters of the Red Sea, the miracle of the manna, and so on. Nevertheless, what is most marvellous and most important