The long, narrow, scenic route through the Sea - Beshalach (Exodus 13:17 - 17:16)
Charlton Heston made it look easy... but the Israelites took the long way, and the way of no return... which is actually the best and only way when going anywhere worthwhile.
This week’s reading, Beshalach, takes us right through the Sea (historically mistranslated as the Red Sea, but actually the “Reed Sea”; it’s not necessarily clear which body of water is meant).
Following the last Plague, Pharaoh breaks, finally expelling the Hebrews from Egypt. But rather than put them on the Interstate to Canaan, God has them take the long way, into the desert, “Lest the people have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt” (13:17). But along the way, the Israelites nevertheless do see plenty of war; win some and lose some, inter alia because of respective changes of heart; and, express plenty of bitter regret at having left the creatively remembered comforts of Egyptian slavery… So maybe it’s not that simple? Still, this unusual peek into God’s thought process, as it were, is revealing: the Israelites cannot be exposed to the full extent of the challenge before them… just yet; it’s too early. They’re still basically just a rabble of barely-escaped chattel slaves, and none of them has ever been out of Egypt, much less fought a war or crossed a desert on foot… or a sea. Sink or swim, as it were, isn’t going to do the trick here, and so God chooses the scenic route.
In the meantime, Pharaoh regains his nerve, and sets out with a vengeful army to show everyone who’s king anyway. A week on, the Israelites reach the sea, and then… nothing. Just the sea in front, copious Egyptians with very negative intentions closing in behind, and open desert on both sides. One imagines the Israelites turning to Moses: “Uh… Moses? Say… Egyptians? Over there? What, uh… Maybe, do something?” (Exodus 14:11-12, only considerably less polite about it). Moses then turns to God, with something like “Uh, Boss… Egyptians? What’s the, like… plan?” And God answers (almost verbatim) “Stop whining. Tell them to get up and start moving.” Israelites are to move towards the Sea, before Moses has even been told how he’s supposed to signal for it to open! Tradition adds a story about tribal leader Nachshon Ben-Aminadav, who gets the idea, and actually walks into the waters – only when Nachshon’s just about to drown, do they finally open.
In other words, the Israelites had to trust in God, commit to what He asked, before they would see any action on His part.
But then again, that should be no surprise. That’s always been the pattern, from the very beginning and right down to our own lives, if we think about it.
God could have announced the Plagues, booming voice over Pharaoh’s palace, and done it all without ever needing a messenger – but Moses had to do his part, appear before Pharaoh, just a man in the king’s eyes. The Israelites had to paint blood onto their doorposts – a highly dangerous move there and then, surrounded by angry, fearful Egyptians. If God had not delivered… And then, into the desert with all its dangers, but only the vaguest notion of a Promised Land, what the journey would entail, or what charge would be theirs by its end – never mind basics like food and water. Neither was that Promised Land empty, waiting with open arms. It had to be conquered. With massive divine help, but also with boots (OK, sandals) on the ground. And the Temple had to be built (repeatedly), the old-fashioned way: contrary to later mystical readings, it’s never yet dropped straight from heaven in a great fiery storm. For that matter, Abraham had to get up and go, leave Dad’s tent, walk off towards a land he knew nothing about. Noah had to build an Ark with his own hands. In our times, the modern state of Israel, for all that it seemingly still enjoys Divine protection, did not suddenly appear on a clear day when God spoke at the UN; the Jews returned to their land on ships and planes, not literal eagles’ wings. It took the toil, blood, and tears of generations of pre-State pioneers, and the sacrifice of tens of thousands in repeated wars of survival, to make that possible…
Your next job may be the dream job, may change your life – you’ll still need to apply, show up to the interview (and every day after that). You may be meeting the love of your life today – but you’ll probably need to ask her out, show up at the date… and then make a real commitment, long before you can understand what life together will really be like. Your next business may be a wild success – but only if you open up shop, work hard, and take some real risk, put some real skin in the game. Nothing we do, nothing worthwhile anyway, comes without committing to it – first, even before we understand the full extent of that commitment across time.
The Sea itself adds weight, real and metaphoric, to that commitment: once the Israelites have crossed, the Sea closes once more – taking out the immediate danger, but also shutting the way back for good. No returning to Egypt now. Later in history, this will be called burning one’s bridges, or one’s ships. The Israelites are committed now – it’s Promised Land or bust. God is taking them this way, not so they’re not tempted to go back – but so they can’t. Real commitment is not something one takes back. It’s all in, and it’s for keeps.
The same goes for our relationship with God. The cartoonish version of “ask and you shall receive” painfully misses the point. Faith means willingness to trust in God, well before the first sign that this trust is warranted. Willingness to commit to what’s being asked of us, what we believe our calling or our purpose might be – well before we can know for sure we were right about that. A miraculous combination of accepting the very real risk of falling flat on our face, and believing the whole time that it will not happen – enough to let the Sea close the way back behind us.
Like a desert crossing that starts with a slender channel through the waters, the way God points us to is the only real alternative to just remaining in Egypt forever. No shortcuts actually exist. The way is long, and narrow, and difficult, and there’s really no turning back once we start. It demands action, hard work, and complete commitment. And it’s the only way worth taking. The only road that leads, through Sinai, to the Promised Land. Through taking on the burden of our calling, to becoming who we are meant to be.
God help us all.