Exodus 1:8-11 ESV
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land."
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses.
I am going to make this short and to the point. If anyone wants to contribute to the conversation we can discuss it more. I would love your input, especially from leaders!
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph: By not knowing Joseph he does not know the people of Israel. Whether this is merely an ignorance of historical events I don't know, but it is certainly an ignorance resulting from a lack of relationship. You have a king that assumes a position over a people that he does not know, neither seeks to know. He is a king who is only concerned with POSITION and not PEOPLE; RULE and not RELATIONSHIP. It will always lead to disaster when we seek to lead those with whom we have no relationship.
And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us: Secondly, this king becomes intimidated by the strength of his subjects. When leadership is motivated by position or power and not people, it always becomes intimidated by the strength of those it seeks to lead.
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land": Thirdly, leadership becomes suspicious of people and their motives. This too is a by product of the lack of relationship. If the king of Egypt really knew the people of Israel, he would have been comforted by their strength and not intimidated by it. And if he and really known them he would not have been suspicious of their motives. Both the intimidation and the suspicion were born out of a lack of relationship.
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses: When a leader becomes intimidated and suspicious of his subjects, he will eventually begin to oppress them. Ironically, the reason that the king of Egypt began to oppress them was fear that they would "escape from the land." The very thing that he sought to prevent by oppression, he caused by oppression. The king of Egypt began to oppress a peaceable and profitable people, because of intimidation and suspicion, and as result unrest rose and profitability decreased.
CONCLUSION: This more a note to myself, than a message to anyone else. I am reading through Exodus for my daily devotions and this is some thoughts that are in my head.
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ReplyDeleteVery Good, Buddy.
ReplyDeleteI think the lack of relationship is fundamental to the way Pharaoh reacted to the perceived threat of the Israelites. You are insightful. I think the key to why he so reacted is that there must be a space filled when relationship is on Leave Of Absence. The heart that can not form relationships invents its own responses to the void formed by where they are not. Pharaoh was naturally suspicious of others, it seems, so he invented worries to replace relationships.
I hate to think that anyone would wish to be my leader and refuse to understand me, or not understand that their role is to better my life, not their own.
Perhaps there is additional insight into Pharaoh's mind. He says, "Let us deal shrewdly with them . . ." I think Pharaoh was that type of leader who used people to further his own agenda. People are the means to an end, and not really folks at all. Empire building, church building, name building, meaning more than it ought, and soon we are the building materials of a goal. This is the nastiest kind of materialism, even in a so-called Spiritual environment.
Pharaoh was a user who needed to justify his manipulative methods. Cunningly he groomed his cohorts, and ultimately even those helping him were used to further his agenda.
Like the old saying, "To know me is to love me", there is an unfortunate truth in it for loners like me.
Love Ya,
Uncle C
Uncle C: Thank you so much for your points. I am going to use them in my notes when I put this in lesson form. It was an exciting point in my devotions this morning reading and having the scriptures speak to me.
ReplyDeletePowerful, very true and extremely thought provoking brother!!!! Keep writing!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you gentlemen. Sorry CT I accidentally deleted your comment. Feel free to repost, or not. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I noticed. Ha! Some friend you are...however, you blog some great material!
ReplyDeleteCT: :)
ReplyDelete