There’s More to the Story

This past week in church, we continued our study of the first chapter of Exodus. In verses 8-22, it tells the story of how Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites because they were growing too large in number. He also ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill any Hebrew male baby they delivered. Of course, the midwives (at least two of them), fearing God more than man, refused to murder the newborn babies. Once Pharaoh found out they weren’t murdering the babies at birth, he ordered the Egyptians to kill the male babies by throwing them into the Nile.

As I thought about this story in light of the terrible situation in Afghanistan, I noticed similar themes: wicked rulers, slavery, and murder. Granted, the circumstances are extremely different, but there are some similarities. Everyday is a reminder of what an evil, fallen world we live in, and the shocking, heartbreaking stories coming from this region only emphasize it. People are being killed just for having a Bible app on their phone. Young women are now forced to marry or be sex slaves of these terrorists. Christians are being hunted and killed, along with anyone who helped America (or her allies) during the near 20-year war.

As I continued to think about the similarities between these verses and current events, something else occurred to me. The story of Pharaoh enslaving the Hebrews and ordering all male babies to be killed at birth occurs in the first chapter of Exodus, yet the book itself has 40 chapters. This means there’s more to the story.

There was definitely more to the story for the Israelites. There’s the story of Moses and how he became a member of the royal household despite being a male Hebrew baby. There’s the story of him murdering the taskmaster and fleeing to the desert. There’s the story of how God, through a burning bush, called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. There are plagues, locusts, and death. Finally, there’s the story of the actual Exodus out of Egypt and the many wonders the LORD performed to protect and lead His people.

It’s easy for hope to grow dim with each disheartening story told. I’ve read stories within the past few days of people escaping to the mountains to hide from their enemies. I’ve also read stories about Christians who can’t escape and know they are going to be killed and are at peace with it. It’s times like these where many questions arise, which is normal. I know I’ve been asking them. We must remember though that Christ told us the world would hate us and that we would be persecuted because He was persecuted (John 15:20). He also said we would face tribulation, but to “take heart” because He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

This is the difficult part of being a Christ-follower. This is also the part of the Bible I suspect many of us gloss over as we read it from the comfort of our homes, thinking it won’t happen to us because of where we live (I know I’ve been guilty of it). For our sisters and brothers in Afghanistan though (whether they are missionaries or members of the Afghan church), it has become real for them. They are specifically targeted by the enemy. Do not lose hope though. There will be more to this story. It’s time for us though, here in the west, to become part of the story and earnestly pray for them. Pray for their escape. Pray for their rescue. Pray the Lord stops this evil. We can also support organizations who are trying to rescue those who are stranded.

Knowing there’s more to the story is what keeps our hope alive. We already know how the overall story will end (read the book of Revelation, if you’re not sure). Genesis 50:20 says “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (ESV). Romans 8:28 says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” I imagine in the coming days and weeks, we will begin to hear stories of harrowing escapes and sadly, martyrdom. We may also hopefully hear stories of redemption and rescue. And though we may not understand why all of this has to happen or what will happen in the immediate future, we can put our hope in God because He knows the full story.