God’s Mission in Exodus

Beloved People of God,

Have you ever watched someone work a loom? For thousands of years, diverse peoples and cultures have created clothing and tapestries using looms. These looms make it possible to weave vertical warp and horizontal weft threads. It’s mesmerizing to watch. And it doesn’t even have to be fast to be impressive. All it takes is one attempt to work a loom—like a novice musician attempting their first chords—to realize how impressive a skilled artisan truly is.

 When we view the Torah as a single tapestry, we recognize the designs of the exodus already woven in from the beginning. Long before we arrived at the first chapters of Exodus, we foresaw the pain and persecution of Israel interlaced with the compassionate character of God (Genesis 15). This, of course, flies in the face of our preferred view of life. We struggle to see the love of God in the midst of our suffering. We knot up trying to see how the warp of our experiences—good and bad—are sewn into place by the weft of God’s presence. When we read the book of Exodus with Genesis in mind, as we see the warp of Israel’s suffering our eyes should immediately start anticipating the weft of God’s redeeming power for His people. 

The tapestry of time and space reveals our loving God who compassionately moves toward His image bearers. This is not a utopian, unrealistic revelation. On this loom, we see the reality of human suffering and the Red Sea parted (Exodus 14). On this loom, we see the firepot of God’s presence making a covenant with Abram and the burning bush before Moses (Genesis 15; Exodus 3).

Friend, looking at this Torah tapestry, we begin to recognize the patterns present in our own lives. Today, where does God want you to see the weft of His presence passing through the warp of your experience?

For His Name’s Sake,

Brett