True fact: Almost never do I find that a movie does justice to the written word. Harry Potter? First two were okay, the rest not so much. Lord of the Rings? Again, the first was pretty good, but the variations from the text became more and more pathetic as the movies went on. (Really? Arwen's life-force tied to the ring and she'll die if it isn't destroyed? How did THAT happen since she never carried it (and that she's immortal)? Come on.) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief? Laughable. The most notable exceptions I would say are The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (loved it better than the book), and the BBC Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version of Pride and Prejudice. Oh, and Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility. But, seriously, that's it.
What does this review on movie adaptations have to do with the Exodus? Just this: I just don't think movies can do justice to what you can read. They almost, almost always fall short. So, it is impressive that one of my favorite movie moments is an adaptation, and an adaptation of the Bible, no less. And yes, it is the parting of the Red Sea in The Prince of Egypt. There are many things about that movie that I find quite off (though I really did enjoy it). But the Burning Bush and the Parting of the Red Sea were fantastic. I still feel that little trill of awe inside me when I think of the lightning flashing so that you see the outline of a whale just beyond the surface of the water (which, I know, is highly unlikely in that part of the world, but it brings home the point that they're walking between two walls of water). It really put me in the moment of what it might have been like to walk on dry ground with the walls of sea rising above you. Yes, I can imagine that they had to carry torches to see in the depths of the sea bed. Imagine the force of the water as it came crashing back down behind them! The majesty of it rising as it pushed away from a path for them to pass!
Yes, I do like to imagine myself, or put myself in the narrative of the text. It helps me to understand and visualize it better. What would it have been like to be one of the Israelites? To be standing on the shore, with the mountains and wilderness you've just passed through behind you, and Pharaoh and his armies hot on your heels? Terrifying! And then Moses tells you to shut up and have faith! How humbling, how extraordinary, how awe-striking it must have been! What a wonderful picture of God's love and provision.
And to know He did it on purpose. Yes, He did it on purpose. I did a study called One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer (it's really good, check it out!) this past spring. It was challenging and it was good (and so relevant to my life those several months!). If I took nothing else away from that study, I understood what Shirer highlighted for those studying along with her: that God purposely turned the Israelites from the easy way and led them along a long, difficult road that ended at the sea. Why? To protect them: if they'd gone through the land of the Philistines they would have been frightened by war and fled back to Egypt. They would have missed the destiny God had waiting for them. And also, to show them, again, His might and His power and His love for them. He led them purposely on the hard road to bless them. And that is what God did for me.
Oh, there's so much more I could say about this passage: what about the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire? (HOW COOL would that have been to see?) Pharaoh's about-face. The evidence for the Red Sea crossing (it's out there). But, really, I think it's an amazing story. An amazing true story. About how God loves and protects and provides. And He just wants us to trust Him. "The Lord will fight for you; you only have to be silent."
Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 15:1-27
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