Again, we jump ahead. And again, we skip some important stuff. Stuff like Jacob blessing Pharaoh to honour Pharaoh’s kindness. Stuff like Joseph negotiating a ‘land for lunch’ program that expands the territory of the Egyptian king. Or Joseph establishing an Egyptian income tax - all done in the name of Pharaoh - to ensure that the nation does not go hungry. The most disturbing thing - according to those who tell the story - is that Joseph eventually made slaves of the Egyptians… and the Egyptians welcomed their slavery, for it meant they could eat. There is a lot going on in Genesis 46-50...

You’ll have to see for yourselves what I’m talking about - go read the final chapters of Genesis, and see what you think. Because there is a bigger story to tell.

And we have moved along the timeline.

How far along we cannot say, but enough time has passed for those who chronicle the story to tell us (after a brief summing up of the family of Jacob) that there was a new king in Egypt - one who did not know Joseph.

Origin stories are funny things. Every nation has one - every culture focuses on different things. What is important for my people is insignificant to you. And when our needs are intertwined - when all is going well - maybe that’s not a big deal. But in Egypt, the mood is changing because of the forgetfulness of the current administration.

Where once there was a fruitful partnership - one that earned Jacob’s blessing, and saw the bulk of the population saved from ruinous starvation, there is now a cultural divide.

The new king uses ‘us-and-them’ language. There is an atmosphere of distrust. Fear-based claims begin to issue from the royal precincts. “There are more of them than there are of us.” “What if they rise up against us?”

“Let us deal shrewdly with them so they will not be able to overwhelm us and escape from the land.”

This is the first time that we see the suggestion of captivity. Could the Israelites not leave on their own? Were they no longer free people? The king doesn’t remember Joseph, but he has clearly not forgotten that there are ‘strangers’ amongst the Egyptians.

There is a familiar pattern here that should alarm us, for the story persists across countless generations of human history, and we cannot afford to forget Joseph.

For while Joseph’s behaviour was not always beyond reproach, the running theme in Scripture is that God seems comfortable using a strange assortment of people to bring justice (and healing - and relief from suffering) to a surprisingly wide variety of humans. We can debate another time whether slavery is better than starvation - and we ought to be uncomfortable about the way that these stories have been used to encourage oppression and misery even now -  but the development of an understanding of God’s grace is woven through the story of this fallible, fabulous, favourite son of Jacob. And the new Pharaoh first forgets the story, then twists it to serve his own need for power and control.

The part of the story that helps us root for the underdog Israelites is Pharaoh’s decree that the male children should be killed at birth.

This is just as bad as the story in the Gospel that sees Herod seeking the death of any infant that might grow up to become ‘king of the Jews.’ They are not the same story, but they are terrifyingly similar in both their intent and their critique of the human condition.

Now, I get that collectively the Bible describes God’s engagement with humanity - and this collection of books was written and curated by those who call themselves God’s people…hardly an objective account of things. And for this (and many other reasons) I have regular conversations with folks who want to know; “Why are we still reading this book?”

And the best reason I can offer is that the understanding of human nature - in spite of the vested interest of the authors, editors, curators and preservers - is eerily accurate.

We are watching this part of the Exodus story play out in real time - all over the planet. Governments trading in fear to rouse their citizens against immigrants. No matter how entrenched that immigrant population may be - no matter the role immigration has played in the national history - no matter the benefits (especially to western nations) of immigration through the years; suddenly fear is expressed, and drastic action is announced.

The false narrative of ‘our own culture’ is used as leverage to diminish and demean - to vilify and degrade any culture, language, customs, religion or traditions that ‘seem foreign.’

This move toward fear ignores the fact that cultures have always influenced each other - the myth of cultural purity ignores the reality of cultural appropriation. Human nature (reflected in Exodus) is to take what suits us and demonize what frightens us. And in this (and every) story in Scripture, God is described as standing with (or coming to the rescue of) the oppressed.

The midwives defy Pharaoh because they ‘fear God’ (a phrase that had nothing to do with being afraid.) The Israelites thrive. Pharaoh will - eventually - take a beating.

The problem - then and now - is that we cannot afford to wait for God to ‘sort things out.’ The lesson here is not ‘just wait - God will fix it.’ The lesson is more subtle. The Israelites thrive because they reacted in creative ways to the injustice of Pharaoh’s decree. ‘We can’t do what you asked because the situation is different - the women are vigorous in giving birth.’ They use Pharaoh’s ignorance against him. Their miraculous escape from royal judgement is seen as a reward from God. God works, slowly and radically, through the gentle resistance of the midwives.

The story needs a hero, and Moses will fit the bill. But we are called to remember the whole story. The forgetfulness that leads to fear. That God-at-work often looks like a boldly creative refusal to do the horrible thing.

Whether the Exodus account is ‘true’ or not, we must not forget the wider story as Pharaoh did. We need these stories to remind us of the universality of the abuse of power in pursuit of notoriety. The fearful ruler should not have the last word, and in the biblical account, there is always, eventually a path to liberation. It comes by faith, not fear. Pharaoh cannot (in the end) protect his people. God continues to guide the oppressed - over and over again - toward the promise of something better.