Contemplative Bible Reading

Exodus 1:11-12 (New Living Translation)

11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, until the Egyptians began to live in dread of them.

The time of Joseph the ruler of Egypt is gone. Folks have forgotten Joseph and the famine and all those things. That’s something that we people do—forget. The Israelites or descendants of Jacob have prospered, had lots of babies, and grown as a large minority in Egypt. What do you do with such a growing minority? Well, you want them to diminish. And the Egyptians do what people often do.

Choose a course that accomplishes the opposition of what you want.

Huh? Yes. We often do this. We want an outcome. We look at the options. We choose one that accomplishes the opposite of the desired outcome. This is especially true when God is blessing a group of people we want to crush.

The Egyptian plan worked the opposite of the desired so well that the Egyptians came to live in dread of the Israelites.

If you work against God, you’re gonna’ fail. If you use the best human expert advice, you’re gonna’ fail. Perhaps one day we will learn. Perhaps not.