2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”
The Egyptians have seen the Lord do some powerful things. There is an understanding of the power of the Lord and the fact that His will gets accomplished. Now the Egyptians are given an opportunity to give to the Hebrews. The Lord has been working on their hearts and continues to incline them toward giving. And that is exactly what they do. They give. From the Egyptian perspective they might have felt pressure to give. After all, when the Lord spoke before, people died. So, maybe when the Hebrews ask for something, we had better give it. The text doesn’t really tell us the internal ponderings of the Egyptians. But, I can imagine some fear connected to their giving. There is also a boldness when the Hebrews begin asking. They are, after all, slaves in the land of Egypt. They have little or no standing in their society. They are making mud bricks for a living. They are the lowest class around. They probably are used to bowing their heads out of fear before Egyptians. Now they are to ask for silver and gold, the most valuable portable wealth in that society. And the Egyptians give it to them. They go from having little to nothing to carrying wealth that will go with them into the promised land. I was reading recently about the vast tracks of land that modern day Israel purchased from the Arabs, both collectively and as individual Jewish citizens. There was almost no land “seized” or “taken” apart from those lands taken following the invasive wars by the Muslim neighbors. Israel purchased its place in the Middle East, it did not steal it. Perhaps the wealth of Jews can be traced to this early event. God’s blessing on them as a people, despite their later rebellions, still resulted in their prosperity. Just a thought.
The Arnold Journey 