Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.'" – Exodus 5:10-11

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 22, 2021): Exodus 5

According to the saying, corn grows downward before it can grow upward. I admit that I am not much a farmer. During the summer months, I enjoy eating the corn on the cob that graces the dinner table without thinking much about how it got there. But I have seen corn fields standing tall beside the highway. And I have enjoyed the adventure of trying to find my way through a corn maze. And the truth is that it is because corn stands tall that it works so well as a medium for a maze. But for the stalk to grow tall, first it has to sink its roots down into the ground. If that didn't happen, then the mildest wind would knock the corn stocks down. If the stalk is going to be healthy and stay standing throughout the growing season, it has to put down strong roots that will support the plant through the summer and into the fall.

The immediate effect of Moses's entrance back into Egyptian life was that it made things worse for the Israelites. The Pharaoh instructed those in charge of the slaves to lessen the help given to the slaves. Up until this point, the Israelite slaves were given the task of making bricks. But the Egyptians would provide the straw needed for that process. Now, because of Moses, the task of producing bricks was going to be more challenging. No longer would straw be provided; the Israelites would have to go and get straw from the fields while still being required to make the same number of bricks.

Pharaoh's message was given to the slave masters; the slave masters would deliver the message to the overseers in charge of the slaves. The overseers, who were Israelites themselves, were responsible for telling the slaves. The slaves would have to execute the instructions to the best of their abilities. But everyone realized that they were being set up for failure.

The Egyptian purpose for the new requirement was to get the Israelites to drive Moses from the nation. All the blame for everything that was happening was placed on the shoulders of the prophet. If Israel would just reject him, then things could go back to normal. The Egyptians would bring the straw, the Israelites would make the bricks, and Moses would go back to taking care of the flocks in the wilderness east of Egypt or whatever else he wanted to do, as long as he did it someplace else.

But God was working for a different purpose. He had promised Jacob that in Egypt, he would grow a nation. And the time for the birth of that nation was now near. The delivery would be neither easy nor quick. But in the struggle that was to come, Israel would grow some roots, which would someday allow them to stand tall as the nation that God intended, and Jacob dreamed they could be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 6