That feeling, that impossible tension, isn’t new. The Israelites felt it acutely during their enslavement in Egypt, and their frustration boiled over in a truly heartbreaking way.
Imagine this: Egypt is at the height of its power, and the Israelites are enduring a horrific period of intensified suffering. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, this lasted a full six months. Moses, thinking he was doing the right thing, leaves Aaron in Egypt and heads to Midian. When Moses finally returns – at the tail end of this reign of terror – he and Aaron are confronted by two Israelite officers. And these men aren't exactly offering a heroes' welcome.
They lash out, blaming Moses and Aaron for making things worse, not better. Can you feel their desperation? Their words are like a punch to the gut. "If ye are truly the ambassadors of God," they say, "then may He judge between us and Pharaoh." But then comes the real sting: "But if you are seeking to bring about the redemption of Israel on your own account, then may God judge between you and Israel!"
Ouch.
They accuse Moses and Aaron of being responsible for the unbearable stench of death, of Israelite corpses used as bricks when their work quotas couldn't be met. It’s a gruesome image, and it underscores the absolute despair of the situation. Before Moses and Aaron arrived, the Egyptians only suspected the Israelites were yearning for freedom. Now, as these officers bitterly point out, the Egyptians are fully aware of it. And their response is brutal.
The officers then deliver a devastating analogy. They describe Israel as a "poor sheep that has been dragged away by a wolf." Pharaoh is the wolf, of course. But here’s the twist: Moses and Aaron, the would-be shepherds, aren't necessarily helping. "The shepherd pursues the robber, catches up with him, and tries to snatch the sheep from his jaws, and the wretched victim, pulled this way by the wolf and that way by the shepherd, is torn to pieces. Thus Israel fares between you and Pharaoh."
Think about that image for a moment. The well-intentioned shepherd, trying to rescue the sheep, actually exacerbates the animal's suffering. The sheep is torn apart by the competing forces. It's a brutal assessment, born of profound pain and a sense of utter powerlessness.
What do you do when the very people trying to help you are, in your eyes, making things worse? It's a question that resonates far beyond the ancient story of the Exodus. It speaks to the complexities of leadership, the unintended consequences of even the noblest intentions, and the agonizing reality that sometimes, the path to freedom is paved with unimaginable suffering. It reminds us that even faith, even hope, can be tested to its breaking point.