ARTIST NOTES

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Week 10        5/1/2016

Title of drawing:  "A Nation's Choice" (Exodus 3-13)

Artist thoughts:

I had a lot of options for this week's drawing: the burning bush, ten plagues, or the Passover. Whether the first images we think of belong to the movie industry or Sunday school curriculum, today's study of scripture is full of imagery we may already have mental images for. This was a tribe on the verge of becoming a nation. Here is my humble attempt to shed some light on what could be considered their first collective catalytic decision toward freedom. God gave instructions for each household in the entire community of Israel to publicly slaughter a year-old male sheep or goat and paint it's blood on the two posts and lintel of the houses where they eat them. Obedience was a public declaration of Israel's choice to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob instead of the gods of Egypt. This would've been offensive to the people of Egypt because one of their gods, Khnum, who they believed was responsible for the birth of children was represented as a human body with the head of a ram. For hundreds of thousands of people to publicly slaughter the image of one of Egypt's gods at twilight prior to God killing the first-born son and male livestock throughout Egypt would not have gone unnoticed. After witnessing the first nine plagues this was Israel's opportunity to profess allegiance with the God of their ancestors and it required faith that God would save them because it would certainly have sealed their fate with the Egyptians. With this drawing I'm trying to imagine the hesitant or anxious feeling that may have accompanied this choice. Would anyone come out of their homes during what must have been a horrible noise of thousands of animals being slaughtered? Wouldn't you be watching your back for any retaliations? With the rest of the story in mind I rejoice in this morning's key point.

Because of the Lord's faithful love
we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23, HCSB)

View the time lapse video HERE. 
​Listen to the sermon HERE.

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