Two major characteristics of the covenant narrative is the calling and commitment. Unlikely heroes, known as ordinary people, have a specific task and purpose given to them by God; they choose whether they commit to His Words or not. A good example of how the calling is enacted is through which God tells Moses, “So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Ex. 3:10) The commitment comes after through Moses, “So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt; and Moses carried the staff of God in his hand.” (Ex. 4:20) It beautifully shows how there is a relationship between God and the people He calls upon.
Two characteristics of a Theophany Narrative is the assertion of divine presence, and the use of terrifying nature. The assertion of the divine presence, God, is illustrated during the encounter with the Pharaoh. God directly asserts himself to bring destruction on the first born sons of the land, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the god of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord.” (Ex. 12:12) Natural storms and disasters are also demonstrated to show the authority and power of God; “Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire came down on the earth.” (Ex. 9: 23)
I found that understanding the characteristics of these narratives helped me make better connections of my relationship with God. It’s amazing how he calls upon people for certain tasks. He calls upon ordinary people and they don’t always feel worthy enough for it. I can relate to how Moses felt when he said, “O my Lord, please send someone else.” (Ex. 4: 13) Sometimes we are called upon to do something we don’t feel good enough for, and I absolutely feel that I wouldn’t be good enough for the Lord. When in the presence of the Lord, characters have also fallen on their face, and that was something I had thought about it, if putting myself in the characters shoes. If I were to be in the presence of the Lord, I would fall on face, in honor, in fear, in awe, and respect.
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