Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.” ’ God also said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”: This is my name for ever, and this my title for all generations.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, October 3, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God remembers, even when we forget.
The Pharaoh ruling 400 years after the Pharaoh of Joseph’s time did not remember that Joseph had saved Egypt from a famine. He did not remember that Joseph had risen in the ranks to rule as Pharaoh’s second in command. He did not know that the Israelites were God’s chosen people. He did not know that his reign over God’s people would soon come to an end.
The Egyptians had slowly and methodically enslaved the Israelites over a period of 400 years. The Israelites did not know that God had heard their cries. They had no idea their lives were about to change forever. They did not remember the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or bring to mind what their God was about to accomplish.
Moses had been born an Israelite and raised in the palaces of Pharaoh. Who better to become a champion for the people than one who shared blood with the oppressed, and the lifestyle (education, language, access) of the oppressors? Moses was perfectly positioned to lead the Israelites out of Egypt toward the land promised by God centuries before. He did not remember that God had made such a promise.
But God remembered. Only God could have orchestrated such a convergence of events and people. The Exodus event was the first time God claimed an entire nation as God’s own. Until now, God had claimed individuals and families, but never an entire nation.
How would God reintroduce God’s self to a broken and distrustful people? First, by showing them that God exists. This is not only a God of doing, but also a God of being. “I Am.” God exists, and that is a great start.
Next, God reminded them of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is not only a God of being, but also a God of doing. God is about to do a miraculous thing – free an entire nation of slaves and deliver on a promise over 400 years old. It’s a good thing God has a long memory.