SUMMARY
If Israel begins to oppress the vulnerable members of its society, it will face the same destiny as the Egyptians.
ANALYSIS
God’s hearing is not sentimental empathy. God’s compassion is not divine indulgence. Rather, it has social ramifications. It restructures hierarchies. It defeats exploitation. The poor are not dependent on the largesse of the wealthy. The hope of the poor does not reside in waiting for the self-transformation of the wealthy. This text is not a call for charity. The wealthy should fear their own exploiting behavior because God stands against it for the sake of the poor. In fact, in this text God not only stands against it in principle but actively works against it. To defend the widowA widow is a woman whose spouse has died, often plunging her into poverty and putting her in a vulnerable position in society. Jesus, in his concern for the poor, regards widows with compassion and concern. More and orphan God threatens to kill those who exploit, thus producing more widows and orphans! Is it fair that the children of the exploiters should become orphans because of the deeds of their fathers? That question will inevitably need to be considered by interpreters, but the question should not be used to mute the aggressiveness of the divine”No!” to exploitation of the vulnerable.
Here we find early in the canonA canon is a general law or principle by which something is judged. The body of literature in the Old and New Testaments is accepted by most Christians as being canonical (that is, authentic and authoritative) for them. More what will be of deep prophetic concern. The prophets repeatedly indict Israel and Judah for its exploitation of widows and orphans (for example, Isaiah 1:23; Jeremiah 5:28). The command is repeated throughout the prophetic witness. The threat that God will act against those who exploit extends into postexilic preaching where idolatry and exploitation are seen as working together in defiance of God (Malachi 3:5). Even here in Exodus the prohibition is preceded by a command against sacrificing to other gods (22:20) and followed by a command not revile God (22:28).
Finally, up to this point in Exodus, God has been working for Israel. Israel is understood as the exploited one, but in this section the possibility that Israel could be the exploiter is clearly envisaged. Israel has within itself a capacity to fill the role of Pharaoh. An echo of Exodus 2:23-25 can be heard here. God hearkens to the cry of the oppressed and moves against the oppressor. If the chosen people become Pharaoh, God will operate against them. God has fought for Israel (14:14), but God can fight against Israel as well (compare Jeremiah 21:5). God’s graceGrace is the unmerited gift of God's love and acceptance. In Martin Luther's favorite expression from the Apostle Paul, we are saved by grace through faith, which means that God showers grace upon us even though we do not deserve it. More cannot be used as a cover for exploitation.
