To Hear Moshe's Words

They could not hear Moshe’s words

Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. (Shemot/Exodus 6:9)

We live in a world of communication. In fact, according to the Bible, the universe began with communication: “And God said…” and there was! Our first parents were then instructed on how to fulfill their very reason for being. Despite their failure to adhere to God’s word sufficiently, God has continued to speak. His communication is chiefly called “torah,” which is best understood as “teaching” or “direction.” While the standard translation “law” isn’t wrong on its own, it doesn’t capture torah’s essence as God’s equipment for effective, godly living (see 2 Timothy 3:16–17).

It might be difficult to fathom that God would create a world in which his representative creatures would not automatically obey his instructions. Not only that, but our lack of adherence has resulted in all sorts of terrible things. We could lament this tragedy, or instead do our best to understand it for what it is and discover how best to recover from, or at least cope with, such misguided, destructive behaviour.

So many of those who rightfully emphasize God’s sovereign oversight of the universe may be slow to fully appreciate the dynamic of human interaction with God, both positive and negative. We know that God didn’t make robots, but we struggle to grasp how autonomous beings could live under the rule of such a divine being, however autonomous we may be. But the sooner we accept the realities of life through God’s perspective as revealed through his Word, the sooner we can learn to live life according to his design.

In this week’s parsha (Torah reading portion), we see how the people of Israel suffered under a tyrannical regime for many long years before God sent Moses to rescue them. When Moses first explained God’s rescue plan to them, we read:

And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. (Shemot/Exodus 4:31)

However, it wouldn’t be too long before their hopes were dashed. Pharaoh’s response to Moses' demand for release was to make their work more onerous than before. When Moses confronted God over this unexpected, adverse reaction, God assured Moses that everything would work out. God's reassurance was satisfactory to Moses, but not to the people. In fact, according to Shemot/Exodus 6:10, they wouldn’t even listen to him, “because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”

Have you ever been there, be it in relationship to God or to others? Have you ever been at a place in your life where you could no longer receive a word of encouragement? Have you ever been so crushed in spirit that hope seemed like nothing more than a fantasy? As you tried to look ahead, there was only darkness.

So, can we blame these people for shutting down, when so many of us have been in that exact same place? And let’s ask the question, when it is that we can no longer hear words of encouragement from God or others, is it because we can’t or won’t? Is it our suffering that has deafened us, or do we have our fingers in our ears?

King Solomon wisely said: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Mishlei/Proverbs 13:12). Certainly, long-term disappointment has a debilitating effect on the core of our being, but does that excuse us from stubbornly refusing to receive good news when it finally reaches us?

Will we allow resentment and anger to keep us in bondage forever, or will we avail ourselves of the offer of help? Are you listening?