A Study on Exodus chapter 1: 1-14

Hubris of Human Vs the Power of God’s Blessing

A Study on Exodus chapter 1: 1-14

Memory and Genealogy: Markers of God’s faithful presence

The book of Exodus opens its narratives with a report of the memory and genealogy of the community. Who are the ancestors of these people, who claim themselves to be the people of God? To whom should they ascribe the glory for the blessings and sustenance of the community through centuries into the present? It’s interesting to note that the people of Israel are genuine to mark the origin of their community from slavery in Egypt. Their honesty in depicting this past in the most truthful way is an attempt to give God the glory for all the happenings in their nation's history. What guided history for the benefit of the Israelites and for the whole creation is God’s faithfulness in remembering His promises to the people’s forefathers and foremothers time and again.

Trust in Human Vs Trust in God

Exodus narratives begin by remembering Jacob’s and his extended family's journey to Egypt. Jacob journeys with his large entourage which consists of 70 members and wealth in terms of cattle and sheep. He is described by the biblical narrator as affluent, dignified, and even as someone honoured by Pharaoh. Joseph is deliberately not listed along with his brothers. He is mentioned separately from other brothers. This may be an attempt to signify the vulnerability and fragility of the migrants. Joseph unlike the fragile brothers bespeaks power. His name derives from the Hebrew word “yasap” means “one who adds. Thus Joseph represents the Egyptian royal power. The power of surplus that shrewdly and coercively accumulates.

But the book tells us about the mortal reality of Joseph not lasting longer (v.6). He dies like all other powerful people in history. Thereby the favoured status of Hebrews in Egypt, which was derived from the special royal status of Joseph in Egypt is seen collapsing. An abrupt change of fortunes happens for the Hebrews in the empire of Egypt. A new king arose, who is said to be not knowing Joseph and his contributions to the empire (v.9). The ignorance may not be a chance incident but deliberate dementia. That will help the new emperor to deal shrewdly and oppressively with the Hebrews (v.10). A memory that inspires gratitude is not helpful in dealing oppressively with the people. The ritual separation (they were assigned Goshen as their land to keep them separate and away from polluting the ritual life of the Egyptians-Refer Gen. 46:34) that was in place from the very time of the immigration of the Hebrews now crystalizes into racial discrimination.

God’s blessing Vs Empire’s ruthless dealings

But the book tells us about the continuing faithfulness of God in their lives through the narration of the increase of the people in number. The Bible once again affirms the truth that God’s faithfulness to His people is transgenerational or that transcends time and also space. “Fruitful,” “multiply,” and “prolific” are the words the text uses to describe the blessedness of the Hebrew community because of this blessing of God on them (v.7). The blessing of God on people is characterized by the teeming life-the power of blessing expressed in creation through their power to multiply (Gen. 1:28). But the new king tries to counteract the power of blessing that comes from God with his death-dealing interventions in their life.

Slavery as a means to defy people the right to imagination

King is worried about the increasing strength of the slaves in his kingdom. He anticipates an exodus of the slaves from his kingdom as they may one day defy his orders and overcome his oppressive state machinery (v.10). His reaction to this fear is to impose more severe oppression on people. Therefore, now there is a new policy of forced labour that will help the king to oppress them more ruthlessly. Slavery was the strategy many imperial forces in history had used against people and communities to control, oppress, and manipulate them for the economic and political advantage of the former. Pharaoh had brought necessary changes in the structure of his bureaucracy to have continuous monitoring of the Hebrew slaves. Continuous surveillance and monitoring are to deny freedom that promotes creativity. The labour should only be directed to increase the pomp of the kingdom. The forceful labour and the ruthless dealings will steal them of their physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Bible tells us that the emperor made their life in Egypt bitter.

Empire's programs to have a monopoly over food production and distribution

The text speaks about the state initiating new building programs to keep the people continuously at work. The king wants to build gigantic storehouses in Pithom and Rameses. It is nothing but a programmatic strategy to keep the slaves oppressed forever. There are archaeological pieces of evidence of such humongous constructions from the 19^th Egyptian dynasty, especially during the reign of Ramses II and Ramses III. The storehouses are not simply provisions for the storage of grains for people. But they are symbols of the state policy of coercion and accumulation. These are also shreds of evidence of elitist control of economic surplus in the empire. The surplus is not to be distributed among the subjects of the kingdom but to be used as a reserve to maintain the luxury of the palace and its paraphernalia. There are many pieces of evidence in Genesis about a monopoly of food grains by Egypt in the ancient West Asian territories. But the question that the narrator of the book of Exodus poses here is, can such hubris of a man even though he is an emperor challenge the power of blessing that comes into the lives of Hebrews?