Monday, July 25, 2011

Exodus 1:11-14 God Works Despite Pharaoh's Oppressive Measures

"So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor,
and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread;
so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly.
They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar
and with all kinds of work in the fields;
in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly."

Exodus 1:11-14 (NIV)

___________________________________

The new Pharaoh had made it quite clear what he feared the Israelites would do:  He believed that the Israelites would continue to become even more numerous, and eventually join Egypt's enemies and fight against Egypt.  (Exodus 1:10)  So he assigned slave masters over them and began to oppress them by forcing them to work in brick, mortar and all kinds of fieldwork.  Twice in the above passage it is stated that this was not just busy work; it was "hard labor". (v.11,14)  In two other verses, it says that the Egyptians worked the Israelites "ruthlessly". (v. 13,14)

God's promises can never be thwarted by men's devices, though.  He is always faithful to His covenants and promises, so the Israelites continued to thrive.  They were forced to build store cities for Pharaoh, but they continued to multiply.  God is the one who caused them to be fruitful, of course, but He often uses natural means.  All that hard work probably helped the Israelites to become physically stronger.  Though their enemies hoped their labor would diminish them, it may have actually made them more healthy and fit. 

The Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.  They must have felt a sense of panic as they saw that the Israelites continued to increase.  This caused the Pharaoh to consider even more drastic measures in his attempt to put an end to the Israelites' rapid growth.   
 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Averting Gridlock in Pharaohville

It seems to me that it has taken far too long to get past this question regarding "Who was the Pharaoh during the Exodus?"  I don't want to lose the flow of the Biblical commentary, but I think that it is important to deal with these issues, because inevitably, it seems to demonstrate the incredible accuracy of the Bible/Torah.

This case was no exception.  There are some extremely interesting aspects which arise as we study this issue.  Some of them are so unusual that I am still not quite willing to write about them here until I give the conclusions further study.

However, I can at least give you an idea of the kind of things which I am encountering along the way.

At first, I was a bit discouraged.  The lists of Pharaohs and when they ruled seemed to be contradictory, and I did not know enough to be able to sort it out.  The identities of some mummies of the pharaohs are still disputed to some extent.  Some new pharaohs would try to wipe out all traces of former rulers, especially if the new guy did not agree with his predecessor's policies or choice of 'gods'.  Loyal followers might move mummies in order to spare them from such desecration.  There were hints that certain women had either reigned as pharaoh for a time, or were co-regents with another pharaoh.

Also, I wasn't sure which researchers were reliable and which were less trustworthy.  It is no secret that sometimes researchers falsify data in order to obtain a result which would bolster their own theories (or the possibility of obtaining further grant money).    

I wondered if I was in a type of gridlock.  It seemed that each theory had other ramifications which needed to be verified and dealt with before moving forward. I felt bogged down in the details.

So I began with the Bible.

I realize that some people will say that I am just reverting to what I already believe.  However, it is not that at all.  Instead, I am starting with this firm foundation of the Bible (which I have said many times has never been proved to be wrong about anything which it states) in order to make some sense of the validity of the various theories.  It is not a blind leap of faith as much as it is trusting in rappelling gear as you navigate the face of a mountain.  (Sometimes you may be hanging out over a chasm, but you trust that your gear will hold you up.)  Interestingly, the Oxford American Dictionary (1980 by Oxford University Press, pg.744) defines 'rappel' as "the descent of a steep cliff by using a double rope fixed at a higher point."  The Bible is that 'higher point'.  It provides the stability as we move back and forth and up and down among the various theories that are presented as truth.

Even among Bible scholars there are disagreements about the date of the Exodus and the pharaoh who reigned at that time.  I intended to look at the facts and come up with the most plausible conclusion.

As I did so, I slowly began to see the gridlock disperse.  There is still a lot of traffic, but at least we are moving forward.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Skunk-Vader II: The Return of the Stink




It's been almost a year since I wrote about our dog Max's encounter with a skunk .  At that time I wrote about the whole adventure of cleansing him from the skunk smell after he had a too-close encounter of the worst kind.  I wrote that I hoped that Skunk Vader II:  The Return of the Stink would never have to be written.

Yet here we are.

The other night, the same son who had taken Max out to play last time started banging on the back door.  I thought I had accidentally locked him out, so I went to open the door.  However, I immediately could tell from his expression that something was wrong.  Through the glass windows he explained that Max had run into a skunk again.  Already it was quite obvious, even through the closed door.  No one could mistake that smell.

Did I mention that I had finally given Max a bath about a week ago?  It is a huge process to trick him into the bathroom so I can wrestle him into the tub.  I tried hard not to sulk.
 
Nooo...I screamed silently to myself.  Why did such things always happen at the end of the day, when I'm tired and just want to relax?  There was no getting out of it; I ran to see if we had all the ingredients for deskunking.  Actually, I ran praying that we had all the ingredients, because I sure didn't want to have to go to the store at that hour again, like last time, and then come back home to wash the dog.

First, it seemed that we didn't have enough of the 3% peroxide, for I could only find one bottle.  We needed two.  Then, thankfully, I spotted another bottle, which had fallen over and was hiding under a carton. [And, yes, inanimate objects are prone to hiding, especially late at night when one needs to de-skunk a dog.]

I breathed a silent thanks and hoped that we had enough baking soda.  We had just one cup, which was just enough.  Grabbing the bottle of dish detergent, I gave a huge squirt of blue liquid into my mix.  The recipe only called for one tablespoon, but I wasn't taking any chances.

Meanwhile, Max was running crazily in the backyard, rolling in the dirt and rubbing his face into it with the enthusiasm of a wild maniac.  My son retrieved the washtub as I sighed and cut up some rags to use as washcloths.

My son held the dog on his leash as I put on huge rubber gloves and scrubbed the mix of peroxide, baking soda and detergent all over Max's stinky self.  He lunged and struggled to get away, as usual (the dog, that is).  Later, we wrestled Max into the large galvanized tub for more scrubbing and rinsing.  I thought that we would be bombarded with mosquitoes, but even they did not want to get too close to the stink.

By now Max was starting to enjoy the process.  He hates baths, but he loves the hose.  I tried to rinse off all the mixture, while keeping it away from his mouth, as instructed.  Max, meanwhile, tried to drink as much of it as he could.  His chin (ground zero for the skunk's spray) had been all foamy, but now it was starting to resemble Max's usual contours.

Remarkably, the smell seemed to be mostly gone, as well.  I toweled Max off while my son held him via leash on a concrete sidewalk.  No way was I going to release him to run all over the backyard and rub himself in the dirt.  Then we wrestled him into the kitchen for more drying.  Max helped by shaking himself mightily every thirty seconds.

Locking Max into the kitchen with the baby-gate, I gave strict instructions that he was not to be allowed out until I returned from  the backyard, where I would be cleaning up after our escapade.  I did not want Max to run upstairs and roll all over our beds, even though the stink was 99% gone.

Less than ten minutes later, I returned to an empty kitchen.  "I told him not to let Max out of the kitchen!," I breathed in carefully restrained dragon-Mom-mode.  "He escaped..." came the reply.  I decided not to freak out.  It was too late for further scolding, anyway:  Max had already gone on his after-bath crazy run through the house.  I may have glared a bit, though.  In fact, I'm sure I did.




Like last time, Max was a bit subdued after his experience...and his fur is shiny, very shiny.  I know him, though.  If another skunk came through the yard, he would be the first one out there, willing to 'play' again with his striped buddies.

Now if I can just remember to get more 3% peroxide.  I always have baking soda and dish detergent anyway.

Dogs will be dogs, and skunks....well, you know that they will keep on stinking and insisting on meandering through our backyard between nine and ten at night, yea, even until heaven comes and their stinky smell is replaced with something a bit closer to the smell of roses.

Meanwhile, I will keep plenty of peroxide in the house....and try not to incinerate humans or canines or even skunks with dragon-Mom comments or piercing glares.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Complications

I had written that in my next post (this one), I would attempt to give an outline of who the possible candidates were for the position of Pharaoh during the time of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  I'm not really ready to do that yet.  These matters are a whole lot more complicated than they might seem, especially when one is only beginning to study Egyptology.  There are a lot of conflicting theories and I'm still getting a handle on the main ones.  Besides, these pharaohs sometimes had several names by which they were known, so that results in some confusion as I to make sense of which Pharaoh reigned during which period of time.  Things are coming along, slowly but steadily, but I don't have a final answer yet.

However, there are certainly some interesting theories out there, ranging from ones that look plausible and seem to take into account the Biblical passages regarding these events, to theories that are, to put it politely, bizarre.

I do have a basis from which to begin, though.  As I have stated before elsewhere in this blog, I have great confidence in the accuracy of the Bible.  I will do a post or series of posts on that topic sometime, because it is an important subject to deal with, and also because my readers deserve to know why I am willing to build my life upon what it says.  For now, in a nutshell, so we can continue, I just want you to think about one thing regarding the Bible:  in every place where the Bible speaks of what I would call "archaeological/geographic/social/political" matters, like:
  • geographical places,
  • names or locations of cities,
  • social customs,
  • names of government positions,
  • people groups,
  • kings/rulers and their decrees, 
                                                         
                                        the Bible has never been proven to be wrong.

That fact is quite amazing, if you think about it for a moment.  Sure there have been controversies, and at times it even looked as though the scoffers were right, but in the end (and it may have taken years for the proof to become known) the Bible is always found to be accurate in what it is saying about the matter at hand.

[I deliberately left out other matters of a more religious nature for the moment, although I do believe the Bible is accurate about those, too.]

As I begin to look into these matters about the pharaohs, I can confidently start by using what the Bible says about these matters, and eliminating those theories which blatantly contradict a biblical statement.  I am willing to consider all theories, but it is not a bad thing to be able to say that a certain theory just doesn't hold up under scrutiny.  I know that in our time it is not popular to say that someone else's cherished beliefs are wrong.  However, all theories can't be right, especially if they are directly opposed to each other.  For example, if I say that Pharaoh such-and-such was the one who reigned during the Exodus, and someone else has another pharaoh in mind for that position, both of us cannot be correct at the same time (unless, of course, they had some type of coregency --ha,ha).

This brings up one other point.  None of us knows all of the facts.  Even if we think we have worked out all of the problems which a certain theory might hold, tomorrow another article, or archaeological dig, or some other finding may shed more light upon a subject, and show that our own theory is wrong.  So, apart from matters which are clearly stated in the Bible, I hold my theories in an open hand.  Look at them, study them, and feel free to comment upon them or to add your own thoughts on these matters.

Now I will try to make some sense of the names and reigns of the pharaohs.  I think I need a large corkboard or wall, or something, to make a visual picture of it all and so I can reposition names as I find new information.  However, I also need to figure out what to make for dinner, so I will get back to this later.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Exodus 1:8-10 Pharaoh what's-his-name

"Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.  'Look,' he said to his people, 'the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.  Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.' "

Exodus 1:8-10 (NIV)
____________________________________

I have been spending much time trying to figure out which pharaoh reigned during the time of the Exodus.  Along the way I was amazed about how complicated things can become.  I don't really have a background in Egyptology, so I am starting practically from scratch, outside of various articles and books which I have read during the previous years.  At times I wondered if it really mattered for our purposes here.  Was I wasting my time?  Especially since even well-informed scholars can't seem to agree upon many of these matters.

However, I kept reading and researching, because along the way, I discovered a lot of fascinating information which could be helpful to us as we study the biblical text.  As long as you realize that this is a work in progress, I will share the things I have found or am thinking about as we travel through the book of Exodus.  Nearly every day I read of archaeological discoveries which confirm or at least shed light upon biblical texts, so it is like a puzzle which is constantly being updated.

First, I took a look at the text itself.  Just who was this "new king, who did not know about Joseph" who "came to power in Egypt"?  This seems to indicate an outsider, or at least a younger Egyptian, who did not know Joseph personally.  At first I thought it had to be someone from an outside culture, for otherwise, how could they be unaware of what Joseph, Pharaoh's prime minister, had accomplished for Egypt?  However, then I thought that even in our own times, it is not unusual for people to be ignorant of important figures even from as recently as their parents' or grandparents' times.

Next, I noted that this new king seemed to be somewhat familiar with the Israelites.  He is concerned that the Israelites might join forces with some opposing army, fight against Egypt and then later leave the country.  Geographically, the Israelites were in a good position to do this, for any army would probably have to sweep in from the north, passing through the Nile Delta area, where the people of Israel were living.

The fact that this king seems to be reluctant to let the Israelites leave the country shows me that even though they had not yet been enslaved, already there is some tension on the Egyptians' part, and a sense that the Israelites needed to stay in Egypt.  Perhaps this is only due to the fact that the Egyptians would be reluctant to lose this buffer zone of Israelites between themselves and any possible enemies.

This new king notes that the Israelites have become very numerous.  Perhaps you have heard about the concept of a hostile witness?  One aspect of this type of witness happens when someone who is not on the same side as the defendant nonetheless gives testimony which supports the defendant.  Well, probably without even realizing it, this king is giving clear testimony that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph is keeping His promise to grow Israel into a great nation during their time in Egypt.

In my next post, I will try to give an outline of some of the possible candidates for Pharaoh-during-the-Exodus.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Exodus 1:6-7 Life After Joseph

"Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
but the Israelites were fruitful
and multiplied greatly
and became exceedingly numerous,
so that the land was filled with them." 

Exodus 1:6-7 (NIV)
_________________________

One thought that struck me as I typed these verses was how the work of God went on even after the deaths of Joseph and his brothers.  God's plan had continued to unfold during the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, and now it keeps on progressing as God allows the Israelites to increase numerically.  True to His word, God was watching over the Israelites and making them into a great nation.

I think that we can learn several things from these simple verses.  The first thing is that although each person is unique and important to God, He is the only one who is God.  Sometimes we can get too self-centered and think that we (or our plans and causes) are the center of the universe.

Secondly, He will keep His Word.  There may be apparent setbacks and obstacles.  There may be those who mock Him or evildoers who seem to be temporarily 'winning' in this epic battle between good and evil.  God's plan goes on, quietly, forcefully, thoroughly.  He will keep His Word, and in the end we will marvel at the way He uses even the rebellious efforts of evildoers to advance His own purposes.  As Joseph confidently said to his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20 NIV)

Also, regarding God keeping His Word, we really should become familiar with what is in it.  After all, if it always comes true, we need to know what is in there, and what He wants us to do.  Many people seem to look at the Bible/Torah as merely the sacred writings of a particular set of beliefs, not much different from every other group's sacred texts -- important to those who believe that way, but not really relevant to everybody else.  The Bible is different...entirely Other.  We will explore that in other posts or pages on this blog eventually, and parts of this should become evident even as we go along and examine each passage.  Read His Word for yourself, and learn about Him.  Better yet, come to know Him as He reveals Himself through the Bible/Torah.

"You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart."
(Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

...and remember, He always keeps His Word.


 

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Exodus 1:1-5 Connecting Strands

"These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
                              Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
                                        Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
                                                Dan and Naphtali;
                                                       Gad and Asher.

The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt."  (Exodus 1:1-5 NIV)

 _____________________________________________

This may seem like a strange way to begin a book, but if we look closer, it begins to make more sense.  In Hebrew, the name of this book which we call Exodus means "These are the names of", which, as you may have noticed, are the first five words of the book.  Why is so much emphasis placed upon this fact?

The NIV Study Bible notes that these same words appear in Genesis 46:8, where it also lists the names of those who had gone down to Egypt with Jacob.  Earlier in Genesis 46, God assures Jacob that going to Egypt is the right move.  God also tells Jacob that He will be with him, and build his descendants into a great nation.  God also promises to bring Jacob (and, by implication, this nation) back to Canaan again. (Genesis 46:1-4)

The repetition of the words "these are the names of the sons of Israel" here in Exodus 1 neatly ties the story of the book of Exodus into the previous book, Genesis.  It also reminds us of God's promise to bring the Israelites back to Canaan, which helps set the stage for God's redemptive work in this book.  Exodus, therefore is not a separate entity, but a continuation of the story begun in Genesis.

When Jacob first came to Egypt, his descendants numbered seventy persons.  Joseph, as noted above, was already in Egypt.

 The word "Exodus" is a Latin word derived from the Greek "Exodos'', which means "exit" or "departure".  Many people have seen Cecil B. DeMille's movie ["The Ten Commandments" (1956)] where Charleton Heston plays the part of Moses, who leads the people of Israel across the miraculously dry bed of the Red Sea to freedom.  That image is what people often associate with this book of Exodus, and this is fine, as far as it goes.  However, the account of the exodus of the people of Israel is only one aspect of the message of the book of Exodus.  Besides freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt,  Exodus tells how God brings this nation into a special covenant relationship with Himself, and provides instructions for the tabernacle, which is God's kingly tent among the Israelites.

Further, these aspects of

                   redemption,
                         covenant relationship,
                                         and God dwelling with His people

reveal God's purposes for history as a whole.  In the working out of this plan, He chose to use the nation of Israel, from which also would come the Messiah.                                                                                                   
                                             

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Exodus Introduction

We are about to begin a study of the book of Exodus.  Previously we took a tour through Genesis, and part of me wants to remain there and continue to explore some of the things which we did not get to cover.  We did hit most of the main points, I believe, but there are plenty of areas which I would have loved to go into greater detail and study.

Part of the difficulty comes from the fact that the Scriptures are so marvelous, that one could never get to a point where you could say, 'There...I've uncovered all that there is to this portion of Scripture.'  Since we could never be 'finished' with Genesis, I've chosen to continue on in our story about the lives of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  One of the purposes of this blog is to sharpen my readers' desire to look more deeply into the Scriptures for themselves, so I hope you will continue to study the book of Genesis.  I also plan to publish further posts on Genesis as the need arises, or other interesting information comes to my attention.

OK, now on to Exodus.  I'm pretty excited to begin this book of the Bible/Torah.  I tried to think of some of the things which I hope to cover, as well as follow the narrative as it continues.  Here are some of the things which I plan to examine:

  • Who was the Pharaoh during the time when Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt? (the date of Exodus)
  • Who wrote the book of Exodus?  (the author of  Exodus)
  • What route did the Israelites take when they traveled out of Egypt?
  • The significance of the ten plagues upon Egypt, and the 'gods' which each plague discredited.
  • Evidence from science/archaeology concerning the Israelites' stay in Egypt and their travels out of Egypt.
  • Why is such detail given about the tabernacle and its furnishings?
  • What do we learn about the character of God from the book of Exodus? 
I do hope you will come with us on this journey.  As always, comments and questions are most welcome.  Feel free to let me know about other resources which you have found regarding this material, or other items (articles, pictures, models, maps, etc.) which you found interesting and which may help us in our study.