SHAME
So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.” Genesis 1:22
Here we see the apex of Pharaoh’s power. After failing to get midwives to kill babies at birth, he put out a proclamation to the population as a whole to kill all Hebrew new born sons. What a demonstration of the length people will go to remain first. The midwives circumvented Pharaoh’s order because they were asked to destroy the joy of their life, helping bring new life into the world. Pharaoh gives his second order to the entire population, knowing that the majority of the people will silently not heed his orders, being repulsed by the idea. Pharaoh knowingly caters to a small but significant minority of the most evil people in his society, who will cherish the idea of drowning the life of a new born Hebrew child.
We began this discussion of Exodus with a warning about cultural forgetfulness. We see the falling away of people from the principles of the Bible, shrugging our shoulders and responding with loving apathy. Loving apathy is just a pretty way of saying, “It’s not my responsibility.” So often we live by the principle, “that is ancient history.” Is it? Recently, I listened to a Virginia governor proclaim the same sentence, not on Hebrew babies, but on late term aborted babies. Tomorrow we will observe the consequences of those who defend their right to be first.
Here we see the apex of Pharaoh’s power. After failing to get midwives to kill babies at birth, he put out a proclamation to the population as a whole to kill all Hebrew new born sons. What a demonstration of the length people will go to remain first. The midwives circumvented Pharaoh’s order because they were asked to destroy the joy of their life, helping bring new life into the world. Pharaoh gives his second order to the entire population, knowing that the majority of the people will silently not heed his orders, being repulsed by the idea. Pharaoh knowingly caters to a small but significant minority of the most evil people in his society, who will cherish the idea of drowning the life of a new born Hebrew child.
We began this discussion of Exodus with a warning about cultural forgetfulness. We see the falling away of people from the principles of the Bible, shrugging our shoulders and responding with loving apathy. Loving apathy is just a pretty way of saying, “It’s not my responsibility.” So often we live by the principle, “that is ancient history.” Is it? Recently, I listened to a Virginia governor proclaim the same sentence, not on Hebrew babies, but on late term aborted babies. Tomorrow we will observe the consequences of those who defend their right to be first.
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