“The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD, our God.’”

Exodus 3:18

In the latter part of Exodus 3, the Lord reveals his plan to rescue the Israelites from Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. But then he instructs Moses to ask Pharaoh to allow them to take only a three-day journey into the wilderness in order to offer sacrifices. Was God telling Moses to be dishonest? Was this a ruse to help the Israelites escape from Egypt under the veil of falsehood?

Jewish and Christian commentators have puzzled over this text for centuries, with varying interpretations. St. Augustine, the brilliant fifth-century theologian, explained that God was treating Pharaoh graciously, giving him a relatively easy request at first, in preparation for the more difficult request yet to come. John Calvin, the sixteenth-century Protestant thinker, proposed that God was revealing Pharaoh’s obstinacy. If he rejected the request of Moses for a three-day worship retreat, then Pharaoh would be seen as an unjust tyrant deserving of the hardships yet to come. Both Augustine and Calvin, along with many interpreters, recognize that God instructed Moses not to tell the whole story. This was not dishonesty so much as carefully staged communication. Even as parents don’t tell their children truths that they are not ready to hear, so God moderates his communication with us.

When I was younger and came across this “problem passage” in the Bible, I worried that I was alone in my observation. I had never heard people at church raise questions like “Did God instruct Moses to be dishonest?” When I finally had the courage to share some of my worries with a mature Christian, I was relieved to learn that many others before me had wrestled with the same issues that perplexed me. From these wise believers I found helpful guidance as well as the freedom to ask my tough questions honestly. When it comes to interpreting Scripture, we are not alone. God has given us the community of his people to help us grapple with and discern his truth.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When you have questions about the Bible or doubts about its teaching, what do you do? Which Christian thinkers have helped you to sort out your faith and think through your doubts? In what ways do you read Scripture in the context of Christian community?

PRAYER: Gracious Lord, this is one of those biblical passages that I find perplexing. I know you are the God of truth, but, at first glance, it seems as if your truthfulness is being compromised in this story. I’m sure you know why this worries me.

I thank you, dear Lord, that you have not left me alone in my effort to understand your Word. Thank you for those who have labored with tirelessness and inspired wisdom in their effort to interpret the Scripture. In particular, I thank you today for Augustine and Calvin, whose biblical insights are truly astounding. Though I may not always agree with them, I am grateful for them, and for the way they give me courage to ask tough questions without fear.

Help me, Lord, and help all your people, to read your Word in community, so that we might grasp your truth more accurately and tightly. Amen.