Israel had labored
under Egypt’s oppression, enriching Egypt at their expense, just as Jacob had
done for Laban (at least initially). Israel yearned to be free from
Egypt’s yoke, just as Jacob would eventually come to yearn to leave what had
become the insufferable employ of Laban. As Jacob is said to have received
a message from his Lord to “Return to the land of your fathers and to your
relatives” (31:3), so too would Israel hear the voice of their God through
Moses.
When Israel left
Egypt it is said that “The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the
Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered
Egypt” (Exodus 12:36). Though it comes in a slightly different order,
this is not at all dissimilar to the record of Jacob becoming “extremely
prosperous” (30:43), which generated the complaint from his brothers-in-law
that “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has
gotten rich at our expense!” (Genesis 31:1b) Rachel’s taking of her
father’s household gods would fit right into this milieu (while also
demonstrating, in something of a correlation to the coming story of Israel’s
exodus, that Laban, and therefore Egypt, was powerless to change what was
happening).
In continuing this
comparison, it is worthwhile to back up to the thirtieth chapter of Genesis and
find a precursor to Moses’ repeated requests to Pharaoh to free Israel, as
“Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me on my way so that I can go home to my own
country. Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by
working for you. Then I’ll depart, because you know how hard I’ve worked
for you.’” (30:25b-26) Laban’s response is mildly Pharaoh-esque
(remember, this narrative is part of a compilation for a post-exodus people),
as he does not accede to Jacob’s request. He sends Jacob back to the
fields with a new deal (much like Israel’s work is made more difficult after
Moses’ first reported encounter with Pharaoh upon his return to Egypt).
Of course, much as it would eventually be true for Israel in Egypt, it will not
be long at all until Jacob has plundered all of the wealth of Laban and
departs.
As the Exodus
narrative is heard, and as it is allowed to cast light on the Genesis
narrative (as the Exodus narrative is likely to have been more important to
Israel than the Genesis narrative, especially when it comes to their
self-understanding and the interpretive model of their God’s interaction with
them and with the world in the ongoing theme of exile to exodus that dominates
their historical narrative), one finds that “When it was reported to the king
of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was
turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, ‘What in the
world have we done? For we have released the people of Israel from
serving us!’ Then he prepared his chariots and took his army with
him. He took six hundred select chariots, and all the rest of the
chariots of Egypt, and officers on all of them” (Exodus 14:5-7). It is at
this point that the results of the two stories of Jacob and Israel radically
diverge, as the armies of Egypt are said to have been destroyed at the Lord’s
hand, whereas Laban, after overtaking and confronting Jacob, ends up kissing
his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye, blessing them and returning to his
home (31:55).
It is important to
draw out these Scriptural connections, as past is almost always prelude to
present. The words of the prophets, when
they would come, draw on a collective understanding that is structured upon the
history of Israel---a history which stretches back to Abraham. If one
recognizes the importance of Israel’s foundational narrative (the
Torah/Pentateuch), then one is in a position to gain deeper insights and
appreciation of such things as the parables of Jesus. Thus, as stated
earlier, one gains deeper insights into the character of, and appreciation for the
Creator God that chose out a people to uniquely bear His image and accomplish
His purposes in and for His creation.
No comments:
Post a Comment