"Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become far too numerous for us." – Exodus 1:9

Today's Scripture Reading (September 18, 2021): Exodus 1

Growing up, it was just the "okay sign" or "okay gesture." Traditionally, in English-speaking countries, it is a sign of affirmation. The gesture is formed by making an "O" with your thumb and first finger and holding the other three fingers straight up or slightly curved. It simultaneously makes a statement and asks a question. "I'm okay. Are you okay?" No words have to be spoken. The gesture itself says, "I understand what it is that you need, and I am on it."

But as is true with so many things, what is positive can quickly become negative, and words and gestures often come to have more than one meaning. Today you have to be careful with the "okay gesture" because White Supremacists have co-opted it. Again, looking at the "okay gesture," the three fingers that you hold up could form a "W." And the "O" that you make with your thumb and forefinger could be the head of a "P," and the result is a gesture that symbolizes "White Power." We live in a time when White Supremacy seems to be on the rise, which is maybe not surprising as the minorities among us continue to grow. And if your personal identity and worth are found in the concept of race and you have never embraced the idea of loving the other, even the other that is significantly different from you, then the merging of the races is a threat to you, and maybe you begin to co-opt affirmative gestures, like the "okay sign."

Ancient Egypt was notorious for believing that they were racially superior. During the days of Joseph, it was different. It wasn't a race or a nationality; it was a family. And it seems likely, as happened with other important foreigners, that Egypt never knew Joseph under that name. The Pharaoh would have given him an Egyptian name under which to rule over the nation. (This would also explain why his brothers didn't recognize Joseph, they weren't meeting with Joseph, they were meeting with an Egyptian official who had an Egyptian name.)

But as a new King, one who does not know Joseph and who believes that Egyptians are superior, looks out over his nation and sees the Israelites, he is threatened by this minority that seems to be becoming, at the very least, more equal in their representation with the Egyptians. And he wants to do something to "put these upstarts in their place."

In my culture, this new Pharaoh would have echoed the demands of White Supremacists and other racially biased groups that dot the planet. And rather than stressing the things that unite us, these groups look to separate us, thinking that we are more different from each other than we really are.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 2