Reflection - Next

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071721.cfm
Exodus 12:37-42
Matthew 12:14-21

Numbers in Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, are something of a mystery to me. It’s not that I don’t believe in the author’s ability to count or do the math. Neither would I accuse him of hyperbole or intentional misdirection. The fact is that numbers were sometimes used symbolically in those days and I’m not enough of a scholar to discern the intentions of the one writing. Nevertheless, it must have been a very large number that departed the land of Pharoahs and pyramids, heading south toward the city of Succoth.

The text tells us that “a crowd of mixed ancestry” went with the “children of Israel.” One would suppose that they were taking advantage of the consequences that the signs of God had produced in the land of Egypt and were themselves desirous of escaping slavery. It is doubtful that they were aware of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But then, you also must wonder about the mindfulness of the children of Israel regarding those same promises. After all, there is a tendency within humanity to simply follow the mob as well as a tendency to cherish the past only insofar as it benefits us. But suddenly, that past gained in importance. Still, even with ancestral promises and present day wonders, there remained a lot to be learned.

When God spoke to the Patriarchs of what would one day be Israel, his words did not speak of a mutual or transactional arrangement. It was all one sided. God spoke of what he was doing and of what he was going to do.

“I will make of you a great nation.
I will bless you, and make your name great.
You will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you.
Him who curses you I will curse.
By you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."
(Genesis 12:2-3)

“All the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants for ever.
I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth.
If one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted.”
(Genesis 13:15-16)

"Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be."
(Genesis 15:5)

Although the Lord directed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to live in righteousness, he did not enter into the intimate covenant relationship that would later be established at Mt Sinai. But at this time, the time of departure from Egypt, the one-sided arrangements of the past began to evolve and an element of reciprocity was introduced. The first hint at this spiritual evolution we heard today:

“This was a night of vigil for the LORD,
as he led them out of the land of Egypt;
so on this same night
all the children of Israel must keep a vigil for the LORD
throughout their generations.”

In other words: The Lord has watched over you through the night, keeping you safe from your enemies. You must remember this night now and forever; you must watch for the Lord. In common parlance: I have done this so you must do that.

Eventually we will see this relationship achieve greater depth in the Covenant established at Sinai. Unlike the scene in Genesis 15:8-18, where God commits himself to Abraham and his posterity, the Sinai Covenant is entered into by both parties - signified by the sprinkling of the sacrificial blood on the altar (representative of God) and the sprinkling of the sacrificial blood on the people.

Now, what is of particular interest is the slow, steady, methodical way the Lord deals with both his chosen individuals and his chosen people. Not more than they can embrace. Not more than they can tolerate. Not more than they can concur in. Yet . . . Always on the edge.

It would seem that our God understands the intricacies of spiritual development — even if we don’t.

I have heard it said — and I have so said myself — that listening too close to God’s spoken word may lead in a direction I am uncomfortable with. After all, I don’t want to be a missionary in Africa. I don’t want to be a modern Christian martyr among Islamic militants. I don’t want to take a prisoner’s place in the Nazi death camps. I don’t want to take care of the poor and diseased in the slums of Calcutta. I don’t even want the stigmata even if it means I can also bi-locate. And I certainly would be upset if I were crucified.

I am comfortable in my present life with my growing family and my church community. I’ve learned what I need to know about church, faith and God. Obviously my name is not Jacques Berthieu, Isaac Jogues, Maximilian Kolbe, Sister Teresa of Calcutta, or Padre Pio.

The lives of the saints can be inspiring; but they can also be frightening. Their deprivations and sufferings are well known. Maintaining one’s faith in the face of such extreme circumstances as they endured can seem impossible. For most of us, however, that is not what we are called to do or to be. But neither are we called to rest, resting in self satisfaction with the life with which we are blessed. God understands the intricacies of spiritual development — even if we don’t. Like the people in today’s Scripture our Spiritual lives are always on the edge, the edge of something more. We’ve never arrived as long as we’re on earth. It’s always, always a matter of “what’s next?”

If only we would open our eyes and see! If only we were moved to take the next step. It’s just over the horizon.

"No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."
(1 Corinthians 2:9)