The title is from verse 2 of the 100 book of Psalms. The actual sermon; however, draws from Leviticus 24:10-14. I was inspired by God, always, but recently my pastor made a brief statement that I thought was cool. When you are reading Leviticus 24 and you think that it is intense then you will have a deeper appreciation for what I’m about to say. During Bible study, and I’m paraphrasing, my pastor mentioned something like not everything is all sweet with God. Sometimes you have to digest the bitter as well. But when you eat both, there is a different flavor altogether both fighting for your attention which makes for a unique experience for your taste buds. So, in keeping with his theme, I have some bittersweet spiritual food for you, eat well and enjoy!
In verse 10 of Leviticus 24 the Bible tells the story of the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father. The interesting thing about this story is that the Bible is very general about the son. But the fact that the son was mixed Egyptian and Israelite gives my imagination plenty to play with. For instance, we know that the Egyptians were slave masters of the Israelites and we also know that this transition from power is pretty recent as the children of Israel (at this point in the story) have made it beyond the Red Sea but had not yet made it to the Promised Land. So it is safe to say that the children of Israel ‘s experiences with slavery would still be fresh in their minds.
However, to put it in perspective, blacks were the slaves of whites some 200+ years ago and the sting of slavery along with its residual impact is still fresh as well. As I remember well into the 1980s and 1990s it was still difficult for some to see a black person and a white person in a romantic relationship. Therefore, I’m sure it was difficult for the Israelites to see a son of an Egyptian man among them. It would have probably been just as hard for this son to adjust to being the outsider as well.
Another experience of a mixed relationship, I remember, is Hagar who was the Egyptian maid and had a son by Abraham the grandfather of Jacob (who was renamed Israel by God). The child from this union was Ishmael. Sarah (Abraham’s wife) couldn't deal with the fact that her husband had a child by someone else that as soon as she had a child of her own she kicked Hagar and Ishmael out. This experience demonstrates the raw emotion that is bred by having a child outside of the confines of a sacred union blessed by God.
The issues and possibilities that stemmed from the relationship of an Egyptian father and Israelite mother are endless. In order for a slave to remain a slave, the slave master would have had to employ strategies that would breed a slave mentality from the Israelites. They would have been very aggressive in their tactics and nothing would have been withheld with regards to insuring subjection to the slave master’s rules. We know this because the Bible stated that Moses killed an Egyptian that he witnessed beating an Israelite (Exodus 2:12). Therefore, within this adversarial type relationship they had, it would not be irrational to think of several possibilities that could have happened. She could have been raped, they could have legitimately been in love and had a child, she could have seduced him and used that to manipulate favors during her time as a slave, or they could have had a one night stand. But I don’t believe that they would have had a healthy marital relationship under the circumstances of slavery.
In addition to the complications surrounding their relationship, I also believe it would have been tough for the Egyptian father to take an active role in his son’s life. Their relationship would have caused a significant amount of uncomfortableness within the Israelite community. It would have also been possible that the father could have died in the Red Sea along with the other members of Pharaoh’s army or simply stayed behind (giving up his parental rights) while his mother left with the rest of the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. With regard to all this it is probably a safe assumption that the son would have had some difficulty fitting into with the Israelite community.
The other interesting thing is the Bible does not mention the son’s name. One of the things that I know about God is that he knows the names of his children. The people that he really knew, for emphasis their names were mentioned twice in one setting. (Abraham in Genesis 22:11, Martha in Luke 10:41, Simon in Luke 22:31, and Saul in Acts 9:4). The worst thing one can do to leave this earth and stand before God and have him say depart from me I know you not. Therefore, if there is any doubt, you may want to begin introductions today.
Knowing a little of the background and inferring things about the son’s parents and the possibilities of the relationship between the Egyptians and the Israelites, the Father and the son, and the community and family we probably can tell that the son would have had some behavioral issues. Additionally, there probably would not have been a nurturing type environment and it would be understandable to believe that the son would have had some social issues as well. The Bible confirms this by mentioning the son Strove (Genesis 26:20,Exodus 21:18) with an Israelite man. And because of this he lost control of his emotions and “blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed (verse 11).”
There was such a lack of respect on the son’s behalf. He didn’t appear to respect man or God. The Lord responded accordingly by instructing Moses to stone him. Immediately our hearts would probably want to be with the son but in this instance the best way to do justice is to train our children. Let them know that it doesn’t matter where you are from, what side of the tracks you may be on, or even who your father and mother are you still have to have a relationship with God for yourself. And, God still has set the expectation of respect. There isn’t an excuse good enough to disrespect God in this way and God does not obligate himself to be merciful in this instance.
We know that when things don’t work out for us right now and we have those bad days, as we sometimes tend to have, it is better not to focus on this trouble but focus on God. It is how we respond to those bad days that make the difference. If the son would have been focused on God and took the advice that his leader Moses provided he would have been able to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” He would have been able to pass the tests that were before him. He would have been able to know the God that I know, one who is full of grace and mercy. He would have known a God that would fight battles for you. But for some reason that son didn’t know to call on that God. We have the opportunity to get to know that God and learn from the son’s mistakes. Once you do, it won’t be a problem to “Serve the Lord with Gladness.”
