Exodus: A Bible Study The appropriation of the Scriptures from the perspective of the poor and ex: ploited is central to the theology of liber. ation. The Scriptures reveal the presence of God ‘in the midst of political struggles. When coupled with an analysis of current reality and a search for faith, the biblical record asists many persons in developing a titerion for placing oneself in oF under. standing oneself in current struggles for liberation. The following bible study is rmeant to be a group exercise for studying the Exodus story. It is designed to bring to it the kinds of questions persons inserted in struggles for liberation bring. Group: 12-18 persons, 1 leader. Materials: Newsprint, markers, tape, Times 1-1 brs Begin the exercise by briefly stating the following: In Latin America, those Christians in- volved in popular struggles have develop. ced new ways for approaching theie current historical situation, their search for faith and biblical material. Meeting in small ‘groups, these Christians read bible stories and discuss them within the context of their own exploitation and struggle for liberation, The Exodus story is basic for these Christians as they see God active in history through the struggles of the poor and exploited. The following exercise is designed to use the methodology they use in an effort to understand the theology of liberation and its vitality amoug the poor and exploited, Continue by dividing your seminar into three groups. Assign persons to be either Pharaohs, Couriers and Friends of the He. brews and Hebrews. Read the following passages aloud from the Exodus asking participants to pay particular attention to their roles in the story. ORE CR CORTESE RCSA SRT SAMAR SNORE CNRS SESE The Hebrews Oppresied ‘Then there came to power in Egypt @ new king who knew nothing of Joseph. “Look,” he suid to his subjects ‘these people, the sons of Israel, have become so numer- cus and strong that they are a threat to us. ‘We must be prudent and take steps asainst their increasing any further, or if war should break out, they might add to the number of our enemies. They might take arms against us and so escape oat of the country” Accordingly they put slavesdriv. cers over the Israclites to wear them down tunder heavy loads. In this way they built the store-cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. But the more they were crushed, ihe more they increased and spread, and men came to dread the sons of Israel. The Egyptians forced the sons of Israel into sinvery and made thelr lives unbearable with hard labour, work with clay and brick, all kinds of work in the fields; they forced fon them every kind of labour. ‘The king of Egypt then spoke to the He- brew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other Puah, "When you midwives attend Hebrew women’ he said ‘watch the two stones carefully. Tf itis « boy. kill him: if a girl let her live’ But the siidwives were God-fearing: they disobey- ‘ed the command of the king of Egypt and let the boys live. So the king of Enypt sum- smoned the midwives. ‘Why’ he asked them “have you done this and spared the boys?” “The Hebrew women are not like Eeyptian women,’ they answered Pharaoh ‘they are hardy, and they give bith before the mid- wife teaches them.’ God was kind to the midwives. The people went on increasing and grew very powerful; since the mid- wives reverenced God he granted them de- seendants Pharaoh then gave his subjects this com. ‘mand: "Throw all the boys born to the He- brews into the river, but let all the girls live God Remembers Lirael During this long period the king of Egypt died. The sons of Istael, groaning in thei slavery, cied out for help and from the depths of their slavery their cry came up to God, God heard their groaning and he called to mind his covenant with Abra- ham, Issac and Jacob. God looked down upon the sons of Israel, and he knew The Mission of Moses erable stte of my people in Egypt. I have heard their appeal to be free oftheir slave- drivers. Yes, Tam well aware of theit suf- ferings. I mean to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and bring them up out ofthat land toa land rich and broad, a land where milk and honey flow. the home of the Canaanite. the Hittes. the Amorites, the Periztites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. ‘And now the cry of the sons of Israel has ‘ome to me. and I have witnessed the way in which the Egyptians oppress them, $0 ‘come, I send you to Pharaoh to brine the sons of Israel, my people, out of Eeype. ‘Moses said to God. ‘Who am Ito no to Pharaoh and brine the sons of Istael out of Egypt?’ ‘T shall be with you,’ was the an- swer ‘and this isthe sign by which you shall know that itis Twho have sent you... Af- ter you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain’ Instructions tothe Slave-drivers ‘That same day, Pharaoh gave this com- mand to the people's slave-drivers and to the overseers. ‘Up to the present, you have provided these people with straw for brick ‘making, Do so no longer; let them go and ‘gather straw for themselves. All the same, you are to get from them the sume number of bricks as before, not reducing it at al. ‘Thay are lazy, and that is why thei cry is, “Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God” ‘Make these men work harder than ever, so that they do not have time to stop and listen to glib speeches. ‘The people's slave-drivers went out with the overseers to speak to the people. ‘Phar. oh has given orders’ they said: * “T will ‘not provide you with straw. Go out and collect straw for yourselves wherever you ‘an find it. But your output is not to be any Jess." So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to eather stubble for making chopped straw. The slave-drivers harassed them. ‘Every day you must complete your daily quota,’ they said ‘ust as you did when straw was provided for you.” And the fore- men who had been appointed for the sons of Israel by Pharaoh's slave-divers were flogged, and they were asked, “Why have you not produced your full amount of bricks as before, ether yesterday or today? The Hebrew Foremen Complain ‘The foremen for the sons of Israel went to Pharaoh and complained. ‘Why do you {teat your servants so? they sad, 'No stxaw is provided for your servants and sill the «ry is, "Make bricks!” And now your ser- vants have been fogged! ..'"You are lazy, aay’ he answered ‘that is why you say, “Let us go and offer sacrifice to Yahweh’, GetPret back to your work at once. You shall not get any straw, but you must deliver the ‘umber of bricks due from you.” Following the Seventh Plagne Some of Pharaoh's courtiers, terrified by ‘Yahweh's threat, brought their slaves and livestock indoors, but those who disregard. ed Yahweh's threat left their slaves and livestock in the fields. And Pharaoh's coustiets said to him, “How much longer is this man to be the cause of our trouble? Let the people go to offer worship to Yahweh their God, Do you rot understand that Egypt is now on the brink of ruin?” The Tenth Plague ‘And it was night when Pharaoh sum- rmoned Moses and Aaron. ‘Get up, he said “you and the sons of Israel and get away from my people. Go and offer worship to ‘Yahweh as you have asked and, as vou have asked, take your flocks and herds, and go. ‘And also ask a blessing on me.” The Egyp- PMA SARA SBN HR REARS Have the three groups break for twenty. {five minutes and discuss the questions listed below for their particalar group. Have the ‘questions prepared abead of time on news. print or on typed sheets of paper. Each ‘group should alto be asked to assign a re- order who can report back to the group ab large their group's discussion of each ques- tion. The Pharaobs should answer only for ‘the Pharaoh: the Hebrews only those of the Hebrews; and the Courtiers only the Cou: siers Pharaoh 1, Why do Pharaoh and the. Egypt need the Hebrew people? 2. How do you define the problem you are having with the Hebrews? 3. What do you do? What role do you play? 4. What solutions do you give as Pharaoh? 3. What do you think of Moses? 6. What do you do on the day of the Exodus? ourtiers and Egyptian Friends of Hebrews in Pharaob!s Court 1, Where are you in the biblical story? 2. What do you do? What role do you play? 3. What do you think about the strugate between the Egyptians and the Hebrews? 4. What solutions do you give? * 5. What do you think of Moses? 6. What did you do on the day of the Exodus? Hebrew People 1. Describe who you ate in the story. tians urged the people to huery up and leave the land because, they sid, ‘Otherwise we shall ll be dead. So the people carried off their dough, still unleavened, on theie shoulders, theie kneading bowls weapped in their cloaks The Passover Should a stranger be staying with you and wish to celebrate the Passover in hon- cour of Yahweh, all the males of his house- hold must be circumcised: he may then be admitted tothe celebration, for he becomes as it were a native-born, But no uncircum- cised person may take part. The sume law will sun forthe native and for the stranger resident amoung you.” The sons of Istael all obeyed. They carried out the orders Yahweh had given to Moses and Aaron. ‘And that sume day Yahweh brousht the sons of Israel in their armies out of Egypt. The Departure ofthe Israelites ‘When Pharaoh had let the people po, God did not let them take the road to the mee ee os 2. Why are you oppressed? 3. What do you do about your oppression? 4 What does Yahweh and your faith mean for you asa people? 5. What do you think about Moses? {6 What did you do on the day of the Exodus? When twenty-five minutes have passed, call the entire group back together. Have the recorder report his/her gronp's respon set while you write them on the newsprint 40 that all can 100 it. Fist, bear the report of the Pharaohs, then the Hebrews and fin- ally the Conrters. When each group bas fished reporting, lead a general discussion ‘around the material on the newsprint, not- ing contradictions, the manner in which ‘each group understands the politcal, eco- nomic, and socal realities surrounding the Exodus, Feel free to draw from orber se tions of the Exodus story to supplement the pastages read. Some questions t0 keep in mind: 1, Did the Pharaohs understand their eco nomic need for keeping the Hebrews in slavery? Did the Hebrews understand why it was eccnomically necessary for them to be slaves in Pharaoh's court? Which group best understood in politcal and economic terms the reasons for the current social order? 2. Was the Exodus something the He- brews made happen? or was it something that happened to them? Was the Exodus an “active” or a “passive” event? 3. What role did religion play for the He- 7 land of the Philistines, although that was the nearest way. God thought that the pro- spect of fighting would make the people lose heatt and turn back to Egypt. Instead, God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds. The sons of Iseael went out from Exypt fully armed. Moses took with him the bones of Joseph who had put the sons of Israel on Solemn oath. ‘I is sure that God will visit you,” he had std ‘and when that day comes you must take my bones from here with you’ ‘Strech out your hand over the sea,’ Yah- weh said to Moses thatthe waters may Pw back on the Egyptians and their chetiots and theit horsemen.” ‘That day, Yahweh rescued Israet from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. Istael witnessed the great act that Yahweh hed performed against the Egyptians, and the people ven: cated Yahweh: they put thet faith in Yah wweh and in Moses, his servant. SABES SMES SNORE SEE ome: bews? Did it.eep them passive? provide the motive for organization ? Did it enable them to spititualize their poverty? Or did it provide the vision for another alternative? ‘Was the alternative historically based? 4, Examine the role of the courtiers. With whom are they ultimately alligned? the Pharaohs? the Hebrews? 5. What social sectors are represented by “Pharaohs,” “Couctiers" and “He- brews” that correspond to our realty? ‘Where are you in the Exodus story? Where is the Church? Where is God active in his- tory? Which group best understands in political and economic terms the reasons for the current social order? 6. Moses is an interestine finure, He is a Hebrew, yet raised in Pharaoh's court What events in his life enabled him to make an option for the poor and the ex- piloited? What does his story say to us « bout choosing our places in history? Yow may choose to close by reading selec. sionr from Peal 78, 103, 114 or Exodus 151-21 Selections from the Exodus taken from ‘THE JERUSALEM BIBLE. For persons wishing to do further study in this anproach to understanding the Exo: dus and the interpretive method used, send one dollar to the CFS National Officeand ask for the atile: The Search for God in the Political Struggle for Liberation, by Pablo Richard Exercise designed by New York CIRC! October, 1980. ‘Reprised by permision from LUCHA 4:8.