Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the LORD” – Exodus 10:9 

Each week in synagogue, Jews read through the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy. The Torah portion for this week is Bo, which means “come,” from Exodus 10:1–13:16. 

Whenever I have the opportunity to walk in the Old City of Jerusalem, I find myself filled with awe at the greatness of God’s plan for history. The simple fact that we live at a time when we see prophecies in the Bible fulfilled just never gets old.  

But there’s one place that is very special to me. It’s a courtyard in the Jewish Quarter. On one side of the courtyard is a small school. In the centre of courtyard there is a playground and some park benches. On a short wall next to the playground, the following verses are engraved in large Hebrew letters. 

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” – Zechariah 8:4-5 

I was there one day when the children in the school came out to play during recess. Sure enough, there were a few elderly people sitting on the park benches watching the children play. I was stunned. Zechariah’s words literally came to life right before my eyes. 

God’s Redemption Includes All 

I thought about these words, and how Zechariah specifically described children and the elderly in his vision of God’s redemption of Israel. I thought to myself, “This is what it’s all about. There is no redemption without the young and the old.” God’s redemption includes all. The past and the future. 

In this week’s Torah portion, we see Moses emphasize this point to Pharaoh, “We will go out with our young and old, our sons and daughters …”  No one was to be left out of God’s plan for redemption. 

We cannot rejoice in God’s salvation without appreciation for those who came before us. And our redemption is meaningless without the children, the future of the Jewish nation. 

Your turn: Take a moment to offer gratitude to those who came before us and pray for the children who will lead us into the future.