Exodus 1:8-2:10

Last week we heard the narrative of Joseph at the end of the Book of Genesis. It was a narrative culminating in God’s newness, abundance, safety, and a promise of wellness for Joseph and his family.

This Sunday we find ourselves at the beginning of Exodus the story picks up and we find Joseph’s descendants are enslaved and oppressed. What happened? A new Pharaoh happened. And this new Pharaoh didn’t know the God of Joseph and did not remember how God used Joseph for the good of Egypt. Even more, this new Pharaoh was fearful of Joseph’s descendants and so enslaved them. The new Pharaoh had become forgetful of God, fearful of the people, and so created an oppressive system. This is the modern formula for injustice: when people of power are forgetful of God, fearful of people, and so create oppressive systems. In the Exodus story some unlikely heroes emerged – midwives practicing civil disobedience in the face of Pharaoh’s injustice.  And God is always raising up unlikely subversive heroes in the midst of injustice.