Squirrels

FOCUS READING

Exodus 14:19-27 (NRSV)

The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.’ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea.

DAILY BYTE

My great aunt is a spunky dame. She is in her eighties, a tutor at an under-privileged kindergarten on the rough side of Philadelphia, a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother, a community leader, and a world-class gardener who is serious about her rhododendrons. So much so that there is even a bush named after her... This passion for gardening, however, also throughout the years has made her a mortal enemy of the squirrel.

Now, I know South Africans think they are the cutest little bushy-tailed creatures, far preferable to monkeys in your garden, but for a gardener like my aunt, the digging, nibbling, annoying and insatiable squirrel is the enemy.

My aunt tried catch and release traps, taking them out to release them in far off places, where they could chew someone else’s garden. There are ultra-sonic squirrel pest deterrents that you can plug in to make an annoying noise that supposedly only squirrels can hear. There are water jet squirrel spray-away contraptions, and there is natural squirrel repellent that you spray on your plants so that when the sweet little things take a bite, the plants taste terrible, and they go looking for someone else’s delicious plants to munch.

But unfortunately for the squirrels in my great-aunt’s yard, none of these humane remedies seemed to do the trick. She had had enough. The squirrels would have to drown. The humane catch and release cage proved to be quite useful. The process of drowning went something like this. Set out catch and release trap to gather squirrels from the yard. Once gathered, fill rubbish bin full of water. Dunk cage with squirrel into bin full of water, and close lid. Leave until dead.

I squirm just thinking about my loving, hug-filled aunt doing this. It seems so out of character, and yet, strangely to her, somehow necessary. I am not advocating the drowning of monkeys. But this story leapt to mind when I read the story from Exodus for this week - because this story makes me squirm, too. I’ve always wondered how I could believe in a God who drowned the Egyptians – after all – they’re people, too! Surely God must have loved them, as well. Surely there must have been another way – a humane trap, a distraction, a deterrent, something that would keep them from coming to that fate.

Have you ever wondered the same thing? In this popular story where the Israelites are led through the waters of the Red Sea out of Egypt, have you ever questioned why this was seemingly necessary and how it fits with the idea of God you hold? Read again tomorrow...