The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. – Exodus 14:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 1, 2021): Exodus 14

On January 22, 1905, the Russian Peasants decided that the time had come for a rebellion. At the time, Russia was fighting a failing war with the Japanese, among other national problems. The people wanted more input on the societal situation, including a move toward a more democratic society, just as other European nations had done before them. The revolution lasted two and a half years and likely caused the premature end of the Russo-Japanese War. On June 16, 1907, the revolution ended, and the Russian people received only the illusion of change. In actuality, the 1905 Russian Revolution was a failed attempt to change Russia.  A little more than a decade later, Vladimir Lenin would call the 1905 Revolution "The Great Dress Rehearsal" without which the "victory of the October Revolution in 1917 would have been impossible."

But historians often like to play a "what if" game about the 1905 Russian Revolution. The question is, "what if the 1905 Revolution had not been a failure? What if it had succeeded?" If a Russian Democracy had been established in 1905, Russia would likely have stayed out of the First World War. That might not have had a significant effect on the War, but it would have probably meant that the October Revolution of 1917 would not have happened. It also seems likely that the Romanov family would not have been brutally murdered as they were in 1917, although they would have suffered a severe loss of power. A democratic Russia would have meant that the Soviet Union might never have existed, with all of the evils that it brought with it. If the First Russian Revolution of 1905 had not died in 1907, the history of the world would have been significantly different from the one that we know.

The New International Version of Exodus remarks that Israelites "were marching out boldly." The King James Version comments that they "went out with a high hand." The phrase both translations are struggling with is "rum yad" (pronounced "room yawd"). And the term carries the idea of rebellion or revolution. The phrase indicates that the Egyptians were in pursuit of the Israelites, who were in full revolt.

Sometimes, revolution can be a good thing. But revolt itself is a neutral concept. It could be argued that the Russian Revolution of 1905 might have been a good thing, although not for those in power. It could have been the prelude to a culture that could have been a healthy footing in which to move into the future, a future run with democratic principles. But the October Revolution of 1917 rebelled against wrong things and only exchanged one tyrant for another. As far as the peasants were concerned, very little had changed.

The rebellion of Israel against Egypt was a good revolution, maybe even for both the Egyptians and the Israelites. But it also set an example for a rebellion that seemed to persist throughout Israel's history, and often, the Israelites went "marching out boldly" against the things of God. And in those moments, they threatened to destroy everything that God was trying to build in their midst.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 15