“I have heard the groaning of the Israelites … and I have remembered my covenant.”
Exodus 6:5
Dear members and friends,
After four hundred years of living in Egypt, the situation changed for the Israelites. Now the Israelites were living under the Egyptians as forced laborers and their suffering had reached a point where they had little hope. Thus, the Bible describes, “They would not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.” (Exodus 6:9).
God in Exodus not only called upon Moses but expressed caring concern for the Israelites by saying, “I have heard the groaning of the Israelites … and I have remembered my covenant.” For Swedenborg these words are deeply spiritual. In Secrets of Heaven §7190, he explains that the groaning of Israel represents grief arising from spiritual conflict, while Egypt represents falsities that seek to bring the mind into subjugation. Most importantly, in §7200, Swedenborg explains that “remembering the covenant” signifies release from these afflictions through conjunction with the Lord.
This gives us a beautiful way of understanding God’s “remembering.” God does not remember because God has forgotten like we do. Rather, Divine remembrance means that the covenant is now being brought into action. When we are in spiritual struggle, the Divine is still present, working toward our liberation by means of a deeper conjunction with the Lord. The remarkable thing is that the Israelites themselves could not yet perceive any of this. Their “broken spirit” blocked them from hearing the promise. However, their inability to hear did not mean that God could not hear them either.
The comforting truth is that even when we cannot hear God, God still hears us. When we cannot see the way forward, Divine Providence is still at work gently guiding us. God hears our groaning. God remembers the covenant. And through that covenant, the Lord continually works to lead us from spiritual bondage toward freedom and conjunction with Him.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment to reflect deeply. Let us acknowledge the challenges we face in the world as they are. Then, let us take a deeper step into our mind, and find that Divine is present and carrying us through these challenges.
Blessings,
Rev. Junchol Lee