In Psalm 136:10-16 God is praised as the one who intervened on behalf of the people of Israel
who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
From a historical point of view it is important to determine, as best we can, what happened when a group of people under the leadership of Moses left Egypt in a quest for freedom that would come to be known as the Exodus. There is a natural and understandable desire to get behind the biblical narrative to the facts. How are we to deal with the fact that an event that loomed so large for the people of Israel is not even mentioned in Egyptian sources? One one level the issue is one of whether the biblical narrative can be trusted or not as historically accurate. But there are other considerations as well, and these concern the ways in which events of national significance were recorded in the Ancient Near East at that time, and the ways in which original events were then reinterpreted and used as a means of shaping the religious and national identity of the people of Israel. In some ways we are on firmer ground when our focus shifts from what happened, to what it came to mean. The Exodus was a moment that shaped Israel's national consciousness, and its understanding of God acting in history.
A contemporary example may be be helpful here. The Gallipoli landing in the first world war and the events that followed have shaped three nations: Australia, New Zealand and Turkey. For Australian and New Zealand troops it was a baptism of fire and, despite great courage and fortitude, a defeat. For Modern Turks it was the birth of a new nation and a victory in the face of almost overwhelming odds. One of the great ironies of history is that all these nations have great respect for one another, and the annual remembrance services that take place at Gallipoli have served to unify rather that divide! It has become a sacred place for all three nations. It is not that what happened and the subsequent understanding of these events are at odds with one another, so much a matter that the meaning and significance have grown with the passage of time in ways that the participants would never have expected. From a Christian perspective it is easy to find a parallel in the brutal and shameful death of Jesus that came to be interpreted as an act of love, the definitive moment of God's saving activity, and as a model for Christian life. Yes, Jesus died on a Cross, but what it means for Christians is something that continues to grow and develop.
The portrayal of God as remembering the covenant and acting for the people of Israel is a powerful and moving one that comes through the narrative of the Exodus, but there are other disturbing elements from a Christian perspective, in particular, the way in which God hardens the heart of Pharaoh that leads to the suffering of the people of Egypt. What kind of God is portrayed here, and what might help us understand why God is depicted in this way? It is important to remember the function of these traditions for a wounded and often powerless people. Make no mistake, the people of Israel were often in the situation of being a powerless or subject people under the power of the Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Seleucids or Romans. Part of the agenda in the theme of hardening the heart of Pharaoh was that showing Pharaoh, or any other foreign ruler for that matter, who really had the power of life and death.
The links below provide two contrasting views about what archaeology can confirm regarding some of the details of the Exodus narrative.
Egyptologists and the Exodus
Prof Dever speaks about memory, tradition and archeology
