The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." – Exodus 5:19

Today's Scripture Reading (November 5, 2024): Exodus 5

A friend tells a story about the company he works for and their hiring of workers. Like most companies that want to maximize their bottom line, they have decided to hire two workers who have never spent any time in the field rather than one experienced worker who knows what needs to be done. The idea was that maybe they could get two workers for the price of one or perhaps just a bit more money than they would have to spend on one experienced worker. The problem was that the workers they hired couldn't do the job and often didn't have the experience even to know the next steps. As a result, the company spent more money but got less production. Deadlines were missed, and customer orders were delayed. What looked like a good deal cost the company significantly.

The overseers of the slaves have been told to stop giving the slaves straw for the production of bricks. Straw was an essential part of Egyptian brickmaking. An acid inside the straw was released as the bricks baked in the sun, making them stronger than bricks made without straw. The lack of straw supplied to the slaves was not the Pharaoh's mistaken belief that straw was not necessary for brickmaking but a penalty for Moses and Aaron's suggestion that the slaves be given a long weekend to go out into the desert to worship their God. Pharaoh decided the best way to handle the request was to make life miserable for Israelite workers, giving the slaves less time to spend on such requests.

But the overseers understood a different reality. The effect of the Pharaoh's instructions was that either the slaves would miss their quota of the number of bricks produced or that they would create an inferior product by using less, or even no, straw. And the blame for that lack would lay heavy on the shoulders of the overseers.

However, the inability of the slaves to make their quotas may even play into the Pharaoh's plan. The Pharaoh was worried about the number of Israelites, believing that if these foreign workers were organized, they might prove to be a threat to the Egyptians. If the slaves couldn't make their quotas, nothing was stopping the Egyptian leader from killing off some of the more troublesome slaves or rabble-rousers like Moses and Aaron as an example to the rest of the Israelites.

Of course, that would mean even fewer bricks, but that seems to be something that the Pharaoh appears to be willing to put up with.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 6