John Worgul
A Meditation on the “Personality” of YHWH
The LORD said to Moses: “On your return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. So you will say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: Israel is my son, my firstborn. I said … Read more
Taking the Cobra by the Tail
But [Moses] said, “Oh my Lord, send, I pray, some other person.” Then the anger of the Lord kindled against Moses …” Exodus 4:13f. As we reflect on the unfolding dialogue, it begins to dawn on us how casual the negotiation flows between mortal man and divine transcendence. As we have seen in the last … Read more
Who am I? Who are you?
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask … Read more
I have Seen the Affliction of My People …
Then the Lord said, “I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their task masters; I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to … Read more
Gazing into Divine Fire
Meanwhile Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock beyond the wilderness, he came to the mountain of God, Horeb. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him as fire flaming out of a bush. When he looked, although the bush was on fire, it was not being … Read more
Unleashing Chaos on Chaos
The angel of God, who had been leading Israel’s army, now moved and went around behind them. And the column of cloud, moving from in front of them, took up its place behind them, so that it came between the Egyptian army and that of Israel. And when it became dark, the cloud illumined the night; … Read more
History, Memory, and Liturgy
And on that day you will explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ It will be like a sign* on your hand and a reminder on your forehead, so that the teaching of the LORD will be on your lips: with a strong hand the LORD brought … Read more
Israel as Firstborn Priest
“When the LORD, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, just as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you, you will dedicate to the LORD every newborn that opens the womb; and every firstborn male of your animals will belong to the LORD. Every firstborn of a … Read more
Life: A Drama of Inescapable Terror
And so at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn of the animals. Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians; … Read more