Mallard : Nachshon’s Faith
This is a Mallard. These are quite common in this park, but this particular photo came at an interesting time and in an interesting place. I received this photo on the last day of Passover, which commemorates the crossing of the Reed Sea. And I received this photo standing on dry land - which had always previously been inaccessible. On prior visits, this was a small island just offshore, but today the waters had receded, and I could easily walk out onto what was now a connected promontory. Given the orientation of the sun and the duck, prior visits wouldn’t have provided the same scene depicted today. Only the piling up of the waters elsewhere and the consequent access to the “island” made it possible to share this offering.
Nachshon was the first of the Israelites to cross the Reed Sea during the Exodus. Tradition teaches that he first stepped into the waters, then waded in deeper, and it was only once he had gone far enough in that the waters reached his nose, that Moses drew on God’s strength and parted the waters. Everyone easily followed. Nachshon is renowned for his nobility and royal lineage. Doubtless he had a full and wonderful character, but what I notice most is his faith. While everyone else quailed at the shore, fearing Pharaoh’s approaching army, Nachshon trusted in the instruction he’d been given and strode into the sea. His leadership and courage in the water derived from his rock-solid faith and trust in God.
What will I see on my return visit to the park? Will the waters have returned and reestablished the island, or will there still be an easy walk on dry land? If the water has returned, will I maintain faith that it is shallow and safely navigable, or will I remain at the opaque edge unwilling to hazard the crossing? Is it any wonder that Nachshon of noble character, the father of kings, would also be the man of the greatest faith? Faith allows us to reach places we couldn’t otherwise. Faith provides courage, allowing us to transcend our typical ways of knowing, transporting us both spiritually and physically. I saw this Mallard on a unique day. Nachshon reminds us that faith provides enduring transcendent opportunities every single day.