As the German Old Testament scholar, Claus Westermann stated that if the Exodus had not occurred, the Hebrew Scriptures would never have been written (Claus Westermann, Handbook of the Old Testament, 1967). Also, Lawrence Boadt, the professor of Sacred Scripture noted that without the Exodus, no one would have recognized the God who is merciful and powerful who saves and delivers (Lawrence Boadt, Reading the Old Testament, 169).
The Exodus of Israel from the slavery and oppression in Egypt is considered as the central event in the Hebrew Scriptures. Although the date of the Exodus is much debated, it could have happened around either ca. 1240 or ca. 1440 BC. According to some Biblical authors, it would have most probably happened ca. 1285 B.C. Also, it may be hard to tell how many years that the Jews were oppressed in slavery in Egypt. However, the Exodus is one of the most important periods in all of sacred history of the people of Israel. The importance of the Exodus to the religious faith of the people of Israel can hardly be ignored.
The term “Exodus” comes from a Greek word, meaning “a going out” or “a way out” or the departure of the Jews from Egypt. Then, the event of Exodus is the dramatic story of how God rescued the people of Israel from slavery and oppression in Egypt and their subsequent journey to Canaan. Exodus reveals the great work of God who delivers and saves His own people and His commitment to His chosen people. This saving action of God is forever remembered as the event that revealed the saving love, compassion, and power of God. When Jews observe Passover annually, they are commemorating the most important event of all time, which is the Exodus from Egypt. The Passover of the modern Jews shows the power of the ancient symbols to make alive an event of the distant past for our own day (Lawrence Boadt, Reading the Old Testament, 169). In memory of the Exodus, at every Passover celebration, the Jews recite a narrative from the Haggadah (telling), which is a Jewish text that has the order of the Passover. The second century collection of Jewish Rabbinic literature, The Mishnah, a written collection of the Jewish Oral tradition, states, “In each generation, everyone must think of himself as though he personally had gone forth from Egypt.” (Mishnah Pesachim 10:5).
From the Exodus we come to know about God who is actively involved in history. It has remained the inspiration not only for Jews, but also for all those who seek liberation from persecution and oppressive situations. God still hears the cry of the poor and helpless and answers their prayers according to His own way and in His own time. The story of Exodus teaches us what we should expect from God. Also, it helps us to understand why we are still called to trust in God in difficult times. It shows us how God is at work to save us from suffering, oppression, and sin.
When we study the story of Exodus reflectively and prayerfully, we come to know that the leaving from Egypt for the Israelites was not simply a physical journey that led them to a new geographical settlement. Rather, it was mostly coming to realize about a spiritual journey with God that led them to a spiritual destiny planned by God. This is very evident in the first letter of St. Paul to Corinthians.
“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:1ff)
— Fr. Niranjan Rodrigo, Ph.D.
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