The Text
Exodus 1:8-14, [15-2:10]; 3:1-15
Last Time on Tales of Faith
After Jacob/Israel’s midnight wrestling match, he meets up with his brother Esau, who miraculously forgives him. Jacob/Israel settles in the land, but continues the same ‘favorite son’ nonsense that he experienced. Joseph, the firstborn son of Racheal, got all the attention, and a pretty coat of many colors/coat with long sleeves/dress making it clear that he was the favorite. If having a favorite child among two was tough, the clearly favorite among thirteen is a major issue. Joseph does not help matters when he tells his brothers about his delusions of grandeur. Finally they have enough and plan to kill him, though they settle on enslaving him, and selling to merchants on the way to Egypt. In Egypt, even though there has never been a formal blessing from his father or God, Joseph clearly has the divine blessing, everything he does flourishes. This is finally the #imageofGod that was talked about in the beginning of Genesis. Joseph experiences great hardships, but in the end becomes the Chief of Staff of the Pharaoh, and saves up food in advance of a great famine. When Joseph’s brothers, suffering in the famine, come to Egypt for food, he recognizes them (but they do not recognize him). After some mild shenanigans, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and forgives them for their evil intent, because God meant it for good. At the end of Genesis, Jacob/Israel and the whole family move to Egypt to ride out the rest of the famine. Jacob/Israel adopts/blesses Joseph’s sons, blesses/curses the other sons, and then dies. Joseph reassures his brothers of their forgiveness, has them promise to bring his bones out of Egypt when they leave, and dies as well. Genesis ends with many of the promises with Abraham fulfilled, except they are outside of the land of promise.
Overview of Exodus
1:1-7 Prologue
1:8-6:27 Moses’ Early Life
1:8-14 The new king of Egypt, enslavement of the Hebrews
1:15-22 Shiphrah and Puah
2:1-10 Birth and early life of Moses
2:11-25 Moses, the fugitive
3:1-4:17 The Burning Bush
3:1-3 A bush burning, but not consumed
3:4-10 Moses’ Call from YHWH
3:11-12 Moses’ first excuse: ‘who am I?’
3:13-22 Moses’ second excuse: the name of God
4:1-9 Moses’ third excuse: signs
4:10-12 Moses’ fourth excise: I don’t talk good
4:13-17 No more excuses
4:18-31 Moses returns to Egypt by way of multiple accounts
5:1-23 First attempt: Bricks without straw
6:1-13 YHWH’s assurance
6:14-27 Moses’ genealogy
6:28-13:22 The Ten Strikes Against Egypt
14:1-18:27 Testing in the Wilderness
19:1-24:8 Covenant at Sinai
24:9-31:18 Meeting with God
32:1-34:35 Golden Calf and Covenant Renewed
35:1-40:38 Building the Tabernacle
Characters
Shiphrah (Beautiful)
Puah (to cry out)
Moses (to pull out/draw out of the water; Egyptian)
YHWH (I Am)
Today’s Story
The Jewish Problem:
We are now some four hundred years after the death of Joseph. Exodus begins with a new (unnamed) Pharaoh, who has no idea who Joseph is, but finds a great deal of Israelites/Hebrews in his land. This is not specified in the text, but I wonder if Egypt was experiencing some economic hardship which led to an anti-immigrant sentiment (e.g. much of human history). Pharaoh seeks to control these people, fearing that they would turn against Egypt if there were a war, so Pharaoh and Egypt enslaves the Hebrews. In an ironic twist, the Hebrews are instructed to build storehouses, like the storehouses Joseph used to save Egypt generations before. When the enslavement of the Hebrews does not quell their multiplication (be fruitful, and multiply), Pharaoh tries a quiet genocide, enlisting Hebrew midwives to kill all the male Hebrews born. This does not work either, so Pharaoh says the quiet part out loud, and makes an edict that all male Hebrews born be “thrown into the Nile.”
There is much to say about the Hebrew/Jewish people, and the oppression from others. It is truly amazing to consider how hated and yet how persistent this people has been. As the story is presented here, the discrimination seems to be more zenophobic, but also speaks to us of the pattern that starts here, and continues to this day, of anti-Semitism. How fascinating is it that we owe so much of our religious history and thought to a people who have always been a small minority of the population, and have always been the underdog. According to my Rabbi friend, David Gerber, this is the reason why he thinks that there has been this historic anti-Semitism (or Jew-Hate, as he calls it). In the ancient world, when one people-group conquered another, the conquered people-group would accept that they lost, that the conqueror’s gods were more powerful than they were, and assimilate. These people; however, when assimilated (or in this case, enslaved) retained their identity. When conquered (which happened often), they would not bow down to the conquering gods, but would claim that their own god had allowed the victory as a way to punish and correct them. When exiled, their religious identity became that much stronger. They were returned to their land (an unheard of event), and rebuilt the temple, collecting the writings and stories from generations into a tapestry of the Tanakh. After Herod's Temple was destroyed and they were spread all over the Roman empire, they formed local synagogues and adopted their religious practices. In the middle ages, they were not allowed to own land in Europe, and so took up being merchants and bankers (occupations that were viewed as less desirable at the time, and for which they would later lead to all sorts of accusations). In the last century we saw an international scale attempted genocide, and the creation of the first independent Jewish state since the Babylonian Exile. To be sure, there are massive distinctions between the historical Hebrew people and the modern state of Israel, but they have a shared religious, political, and ethnological history.
Shiphrah and Puah: Non-Violent Resistors
We have here a fascinating picture of quiet resistance to oppression. Pharaoh sees that the enslavement and hard labor of this non-Egyptian people group in his territory does not quell their ability to be fruitful and multiply (suggesting in the theme of Torah, the blessing of YHWH), he seeks to cut into this people’s ability to procreate and join armed resistance, by killing all of the males for a certain amount of time.
The first thing to notice is the names, and lack of names present. Verse 15 continues the active role in this part of the story, “the king of Egypt.” This is interesting, because not only is this person not named (e.g. Ramses I, Tutencommon) but the Egyptian title for ruler (e.g. Pharaoh) is not even used. This is an exceedingly mundane description for the ruler of one of the most important people on the planet at the time. In contrast, the midwives, those who assist women in childbirth (and those who assist enslaved women give birth at that) are named. Think about that. There is much debate about which Pharaoh served during this time, because there is very little textual or archeological evidence; but we can name two midwives from 3,000 some-odd years ago!
The second thing to notice is the response to the Pharaoh's plan. Pharaoh (or the ‘king of Egypt’) meets with these midwives, and gives them a direct order to kill the male children, and let the females live. There is a bit of a power-difference between the two. On the one hand, the midwives would have been somewhat honored and respected in their community for the role that they played. Childbirth was a dangerous and messy business, and these priestess/scientists guarded this sacred space between life and death. Egypt in particular saw the development of this ancient and necessary role (going back at least to 40,000 BCE) as a respected and even paid profession. However, these midwives were either Hebrews themselves, or relegated to midwife for these enslaved people, so were certainly not high in status among fellow midwives. Despite their high status among women, they were still women in the ancient world, and therefore viewed as less valuable than men in general (despite examples of Cleopatra and Nefretiti, who were exceptions to the rule). If there would be a power differential between these midwives and an average man, that scale tips significantly when we consider the godlike status of the Pharaoh. To be sure, Pharaoh has the power of death or life over these women, and his very presence would have commanded obedience.
Power dynamics aside, Shiphrah and Puah non-violently resist the power and orders of Pharaoh. The king tells them to kill the male Hebrews and they… don’t. They simply do not comply with this unjust order. In fact, the Jewish Mishnah (specifically Sotah 11) suggests that the midwives even provided food and water for the babies. We are told that they “fear God,” HaChiam suggests that this is an intentional contrast with the normal fear-reaction to a royal decree. The midwives feared, but they feared God more than they feared the king. When they are called to account for their actions/non-actions, they play on ethnic assumptions, and subtly demine the Egyptian elites who can’t even give birth without someone holding their hand. The Hebrew women, on the other hand, are “vigorous” and give birth before the midwife even shows up. Apparently, this is a sufficient answer for Pharaoh, and the midwives are not punished. God blesses them.
Whether this is an accurate depiction of a real event, or a folk-story highlighting and celebrating many such acts of resistance, ultimately does not matter. These faithful women (like untold women before them, like untold women after them, like marginalized people throughout time) resisted the oppressive coercion of power. The Rev. Amy Butler, in her blog ‘Sermon Writer’ connects this story to the diary of Martha Ballard (A midwife during the American Revolution), and her biographer’s famous remark that “Women who behave rarely make history.” Without these brave women, there would be no Moses, no Exodus.
Gendered Genocide:
This was a tough concept for my middle-school Bible class, ‘why did Pharaoh only want to kill the boys?’ The answer given in the text roots the decision in the Pharaoh’s fear. The opening verses make it clear that the concern over the Hebrew people is their numbers when compared to the Egyptians. While the text presents the Hebrews as being more numerous than the Egyptians, it is probably more likely that they just presented a sizable minority. This is a common concern of those who hold power, that those they rule will decide to band together and take that power away (just ask the CEOs of the ‘Big Three’ car manufacturers right now). The stated fear for Pharaoh is that the Hebrews might “in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Since the concern is the formation of a fifth-column within Egypt that might ally with a foreign power, and the gendered assumption of men being the only ones that could fight (thankfully, a challenge for 21st century middle school kids to understand), the elimination of males makes some sense. Though it is not stated, another possible concern that comes to mind is a revolution of the Hebrew people against Egypt. Imagine if one gender expression was to be specifically targeted by those in power, and legislation were to be enacted that led to their deaths…
Well, Technically:
I love the shift from Pharaoh's edict at the end of Ch 1, to the plan of Moses’ mother. We are introduced to her and her husband (neither named here), who bear a son under this tyranny. When he is born “she saw that he was a fine baby” whatever that means (the Hebrew is unclear). One answer from the Mishna is that Moses was born at 6 months, but because he was healthy, his mother saw it as a sign that he should remain so (There is also a whole thing about Miriam, Moses’ sister and also a prophet, who says that everything will be alright). Another interesting take from the Jewish tradition is that Moses literally glowed in the dark (obviously in foreshadowing of the radiance he will have post-Saini). Whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes, his mother keeps him for three months.
However, after three months, something changes. Some suggest that there is a fourth trimester, when both baby and mother adapt to their new living arrangement. During this time infants are more interested in snuggling, swaddling, and suckling. After that point, however, they start to get more active (and I imagine harder to hide from the authorities). So Moses’ mother follows the edict, sort of. She throws him into the Nile… in a basket… covered in pitch. Again we have the trickster motif coming up; the woman who has very little control or authority over the situation, who uses the tools at her disposal to cheat, to change the rules, to create life out of death.
What follows is a negotiated solution between three women caught up in systems of oppression larger than themselves, and who understand both their own role and the role of the others. When Pharaoh's daughter finds the baby in a basket, she knows right away that it must be one of the Hebrew children, who else would put their baby in a basket and float it down the Nile? When a Hebrew girl emerges from the bushes, casually mentioning that she knows someone who could nurse him, she not only accepts the offer, but pays Moses’ mother to care for her own son. She can do nothing about the mass-murder of Hebrew boys, but she can save this one and his family. She names him Moses, which sounds like ‘drawn out of the water’ in Egyptian.
Burning Bush:
We skip over a few plot-points, Moses grows up, kills an Egyptian for abusing a Hebrew, and is a fugitive in the land of Midian. He joined the camp of Jethro (a priest of Median, ethnic cousins), married his daughter Zipporah, had a child, and watched over his flock. It is now forty years later, and Moses is still watching over the flock of his father-in-law (not particularly ambitious or successful), when he saw a “bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed.”
Joe Boyd, a storyteller, in his one man show of the book of Exodus notes that this is not actually that impressive of a sign/miracle. Moses would have been in the ‘wilderness,’ high desert much like the ones in Southern California that I grew up near. In this arid place, a bush on fire might be more interesting than other things going on (which is to say, not much), but it is not exactly a one of a kind experience. There are any number of reasons that a bush might be on fire, a careless campfire, a lightning strike, etc. But unless it starts spreading through chaparral or woodlands, or is too close to your house, it will likely burn itself out fairly quickly. The miraculous thing is not that the bush is burning, but that it is burning yet not consumed. How long does that take to notice? An hour, two, three, more? Moses surely notices the bush is burning, but the fact that it continues causes him to go and “see this great sight.”
The Names of God
When Moses comes to investigate, God speaks to him from the bush. We have only the beginning of a long conversation, which is a combination of at least two sources. YHWH speaks to Moses out of the bush, “Moses, Moses/ Drawn out, Drawn out.” Moses is instructed to take off his sandals.
God introduces themselves as “the God (Elohim) of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This is the God of ancestors, of those who have come before. It is the God of Moses’ roots, his father and his father’s fathers. It is the God of relationships in the distant past, the God who blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet also speaks to continued blessing and relationship. The God of blessing, covenant, of stories told and retold.
God also shows themselves to be El-Roy, the God who sees. Who sees the ongoing oppression of their people enslaved in Egypt. This is the God who hears their cries, who sits with them in despair. God does not answer the perhaps implicit question of why they have not responded to these cries, but does declare their intent to bring liberation to their people. “I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land.”
When Moses asks for the name of God, they answer with the tetragrammaton, the divine name of God, YHWH. The perspective given here is that YHWH is a new name for the same deity, revealed to Moses. Evidence persists of separate textual strains, especially in the Torah, and most clearly seen in Genesis. One in which the divine name, YHWH, is used throughout; and one in which Elohim is used until the divine name is revealed. Some textual critics even suggest that at one time Elohim and YHWH were two separate deities, which over time became merged into one.
In English translations, the divine name is written as LORD (in all capital letters) or less frequently GOD (if the phrase Lord YHWH is used). This is rooted in the Jewish tradition of not pronouncing the divine name of God outloud (which likely began in the Second Temple Period) in order to avoid ‘using the name of God in vain.’ The Hebrew word Adonai (Lord) seems to have been one of the main words used in place of the divine name of God, and continues to be to this day. When the Masoretic text formalized one system for writing vowels (which did not exist in ancient Hebrew), they used the vowels from Adonai in the divine name, to remind readers not to pronounce the name. Our Jewish siblings continue to avoid using the divine name, and will say Adonai instead. There is ongoing debate among Christian scholars how to deal with this pronunciation. Some use a reconstruction of the divine name, Yahweh; while others use Adonai in difference to their Jewish colleagues. Jehovah's Witnesses continue to use ‘Jehovah’ as the proper name of God, despite all of the evidence to the contrary (like the fact that ‘J’ did not exist at the time).
I Will Send You
The plan to save the people is not one in which YHWH is going to drop down from heaven and just do. This mission requires an ambassador, an emissary, an #imageofGod, “So come” They say to Moses, “I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” We see once again the scriptural theme of divine direction, but human action. The miraculous things that are going to be done in Egypt are clearly attributed to God’s power, but it will take a human messenger to image, to represent YHWH.
Moses has all sorts of reasons why he should not be the person to go. Who am I? I don’t know your name. I don’t speak well (My suspicion is that this is about his ability to speak Hebrew, but the traditional view is that he has a speech impediment). Finally, he asks the question common for many of us, ‘Does it really have to be me, can’t you just send someone else?’
Ministry is tough, and ministry dealing with massive cultural change is doubly so. I will say to you dear preacher what I say to myself quite often: You are exactly where you need to be. You have unique skills and abilities for this time and the place(s) that you are called. Ministry is nothing like what we thought it was going to be, and we are forging a new way to be the church. Give yourself some grace, give your people some grace, take sabbath, and go be the hands and feet of Christ, bring the Liberation of God in the world, be the #ImageofGod you have been called to be.
Pop Culture References
A Bug’s Life (1998) ‘Just One Ant’ Scene is a great illustration of the fear of elites.
The Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Rings (2001). In Fellowship of the Rings, Frodo wishes that the Ring of Power had never come to him, Gandalf tells him “so do all who live such days.”
More Links
The Bible Worm Podcast 504; Episode 104 (2019)
Bible Project: Exodus 1-16 (Read the Bible Series)
Bible Project: Exodus 1-18 (Torah Series)
Bible Project Podcast: “God” is Not a Name” (Exodus Scroll Series)
Bible Project Podcast: “Yahweh and the Exodus” (Exodus Scroll Series)
Faith Adjacent Podcast: “Baby Moses”
Faith Adjacent Podcast: “Moses and the Burning Bush”
“Telling Stories: Five Women in Exodus” by Rev. Amy Butler
Hymn Suggestions
Guide Me, Oh, Thou Great Jahovah (65)
Lift Every Voice and Sing (339)
When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land (Go Down Moses) (52)