Only have to keep still

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still”. (Exodus 14). This passage from the Book of Exodus in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today touches many aspects of our understanding of God which are contradictory and in tension. The passages of Exodus which are proclaimed at the Easter Vigil which detail how the chariots and chariot drivers of the Pharaoh are caught in the waters of the sea are difficult to reconcile with the mercy and forgiveness we know of in our relationship with the Divine. An area for particular reflection is the contrast between our acceptance that the “hard hearts” of the Egyptians led to their demise and the explanation in Exodus that God would harden the hearts of the chariot drivers. The sign sought by the Israelites fleeing Egypt was their freedom from oppression by Mighty Hand and Outstretched Arm as they obeyed as sheep. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus laments the lack of trust we have as we continue to keep still and look for signs. He tells those who beseech Him, like Moses, for the sign of Presence how incredibly blind they have been to the opportunity to relate here and now in intimate union with the Son who still requests that we only have to keep still.