When there is nothing more to achieve, a person gets up and leaves his home, a society abandons its center, a nation leaves its land, an empire abandons its cities. Why defend something that has lost its value?
The Maya abandoned their cities. The Ashurai abandoned Nineveh. Nero burned down Rome. There was nothing left to defend, nothing left to achieve.
Typically, anxiety sets in. Even in a powerful empire, as at the time of the Pharaohs in Egypt, there was growing repression, too much control by the state, too much suffering. In a highly structured system, there is little freedom left. Ultimately there is nothing left fighting for or dying for.
An individual who has achieved all his goals will abandon everything and go out into the wilderness.
Thus the exodus from Egypt can be viewed as God's way of renewing everything for the House of Israel. Of course, in the Scriptures this renewal is to be followed by the Coming of the Messiah and the mission of saving the world from sin.
In the life of an individual also this exodus takes place, and it can happen to everyone if they get their priorities mixed up. It can be a good thing to "shake loose the dust from your feet" sometimes and head out into a new direction, to preach freedom, prayer and reliance on the Lord.
Jan. 29, 2008