So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. – Exodus 1:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 20, 2012): Exodus 1

In the movie “Amazing Grace” there is a couple of scenes that have stuck with me. One is the image of William Wilberforce as he speaks to a group of gentile British citizens from a slave ship. He describes the smell of death that hangs around the ship and asks the aristocrats to breathe deeply the foul air. A second scene is the tearful encouragement of John Newton of Wilberforce as he remembers the slave ships that he had commanded – to remember the lives that were thrown away for no other reason than that they were not valued.

In the modern world one of the worst things that we can imagine is life as a slave. To lose the freedom that is associated with the living of life, especially in the west, is a nightmare that is hard for us to understand – the value of all life is something that is at the core of everything that we believe. And to realize that slavery still exists in the twenty-first century is something that is hard to stomach.

But the ancient idea of slavery was a bit different than the modern version. When Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son, as the son thinks of returning home to dad he thinks about coming home as a hired man. To the modern reader, the idea of a worker is higher than that of a slave. But for the son, a slave was a valued member of the family. He was highly regarded and treated with respect – more respect than a worker would ever receive. But a slave was a position that the son no longer thought himself eligible to obtain.

The fear that the Pharaoh felt over the nation is highlighted by the way that he treated his slaves. While they were possessions (and we do and should feel the offense of that), they should have been a valued possession. But instead he sets slave master over the people of Israel for the sole purpose of destroying them - all because of fear. Israel should have at least been a valued possession – but instead fear had made them an obstacle to be destroyed.

Fear has that effect on us. One of fear’s effects is that it drives us to destroy what we should value. And the first step in stopping fear, is simply to recognize what it is that it is driving us to destroy.

     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 2

Personal Note: Happy Birthday Michelle.