Day 22, Saturday
Go Down, Moses
Go Down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land;
Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go.
When Israel was in Egypt's land,
Let my people go;
Oppressed so hard, they could not stand,
Let my people go.
The Lord told Moses what to do,
Let my people go;
To lead the children of Israel through,
Let my people go.
They journeyed on at his command,
Let my people go;
And came at length to Canaan's land,
Let my people go.
Oh let us all from bondage flee,
Let my people go;
And let us all in Christ be free,
Let my people go.
Traditional
It is difficult to argue with those who say that Moses is the central figure in the Old Testament. Moses encounters God, is transformed by God, leads the people out of Egypt, leads them through the desert, and receives the Ten Commandments. Whatever we say about Moses, he stands as one of the most obedient figures in the Bible.
But Moses' obedience was tested from the start. "Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land / Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go." When Moses heard words similar to this coming from a burning bush, his first response was fearful. Meeting God in prayer is one thing, but experiencing a fiery theophany of God is another thing. It took Moses a lot of serious courage to take up God's challenge to go back to Egypt to meet the Pharaoh on his turf. But Moses did it!
To hear God's word is the first step. We are called to carry it out. To hear the call for liberation is one thing. But if we do not stand before the powers of this world and proclaim it, we fail to seek God's justice.
We sometimes forget that the final release of the Israelites took a long time. Pharaoh did not want to let the Israelites go. Like Pharaoh, we find it difficult to let go of our trappings and possessions.
"Oh let us all from bondage flee," says the words of the song. What keeps you in bondage? How can we flee from the things that trap us? This spiritual lays out the choices. Will we be Moses? Will we be Pharaoh? Will we be the Israelites on the journey?
In Moses, we have a powerful reminder that we, too, stand on holy ground and are called to participate in the ongoing acts of redemption.
Spiritual Exercise
Take off your shoes and repeat these words: "This is holy ground, I am standing on holy ground. The Lord God is here." On the second repetition, open your hands to the heavens.
Make an attempt to repeat these lines at your work, church, or in the rooms throughout your house. Just take off your shoes and repeat the words.
What makes a place holy?
Where do you imagine God would send Moses today? Who in today's world is Moses? Who is Pharaoh?
Remember that the presence of God can make any ground a holy ground for you.
