I wrote this piece as an introduction to a syllabus on critical scholarship. I can’t recall very many instances in academia where the Bible and scripture are presented in a critical context so ‘d like to share one way I’m bringing my whole self to my work:

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when Joshua and the Israelites fight the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16). Read it if you like but, basically one day warriors of Amalek (or, Amalekites) attacked the Israelites. This was sometime after Moses gets all aggy and strikes the rock with his staff because the Israelites were annoying him about being thirsty in a desert. So everyone is tired, hangry, and weak. The Israelites are reconsidering the benefits and comforts of slavery and lowkey regretting following Moses out in the first place; despite the consistent miracles from God.

So the story goes – Moses sends his apprentice, Joshua, out with several men to fight off the Amalekites. Again these aren’t warriors, they’re just some guys. Meanwhile Moses, his older brother (Aaron), and his nephew (Hur) go to some hilltop with a view of the battle. With arms lifted, Moses raises the Staff of God above his head and the Israelites take the advantage in the battle. When Moses lowers his hands, the Amalekites take the advantage.

Now my arms get tired just washing my hair and that takes like 30 to 45 minutes of actual arm strength. The rest of that time is me wishing someone else would do it. I get tired. Depending on what text you read, this staff is either made of sapphire or wood from the Tree of Life (from Eden). Either way, it’s heavy. So again, if Moses puts his hands down, the Israelites will start to lose. So what did bro and nephew do? Folks got rock for Moses to sit on, and stand on each side of him holding his arms up until the sun set.

Let’s recap. God is only talking to Moses, and the Israelites are already feeling a way about that. Joshua is a young man and his success on the battlefield is dependent on some old guy’s upper body strength. Aaron’s dealing with some jealousy with his younger brother and Hur is caught between his mama (Miriam) and his Uncle Aaron. This family drama is a whole different story but it’s also fascinating. For HOURS everyone depended upon one another. Everyone is uncomfortable, stressed, and possibly about to die. Everyone had a different role to play and if anyone gave up, they would have lost the battle. No one was the hero of that story. The hero was the collective action. The hero was trust. The hero was faith.

I share this story with you, in this document, in this time-space, in this context for two reasons. (1) I want to share myself with you. I grew up on these stories. The same way I return to some of my favorite novels and movies, I return to scripture at different points in my life learning from them in new ways. When I was a child, I understood this as a story about Moses and all of the people who did what he said; like a parent commanding his children. Now I know that these people tried that man regularly! They questioned, negotiated, and at times flat out refused to even listen to the things Moses presented. There was constant agency among the Israelites. Everyone did the thing that made sense for them to do and they still chose to sustain each other. This fills my soul with awe. (2) There is a battle before you that is larger than yourself. I want to encourage you to fight the battle before you. I’m not talking about any issue in particular because there’s no way for me to know your battle or your role. Like in this story people were going through all sorts of personal things. They showed up for the battle anyway. And they sustained each other.

In community,
Shai