Today I read Exodus 1. You know there are so many songs and stories and poems about there that talk about how it's good to be king or how wonderful it is to be in charge. I have to disagree. Everything I have ever read or seen in my own life tells me that being in charge causes stress and all the health challenges that come with such stress. Not only that but if you are a petty person you are constantly in fear of losing that power. Because all power is, is people obeying your command. All it takes is those under you saying that they won't follow you and you have lost your power. The reason kings, emperors and presidents and what not have power is because they have armies to back them up. But if the armies ever decided they didn't like that person, they have no real power at all.
I preface today's entry this way because the Pharaoh at the time that Moses was born was such a man. He was a man that was so scared of losing his authority and the "what ifs", that he ordered the infanticide of an entire people, much like Herod does centuries later. The Pharaoh was not scared because the Israelites had done anything wrong, but rather he was worried about what they MIGHT do in the future. It is such a ridiculous argument it would make me laugh if it weren't so paper thin. Such an argument would not hold up in court for why you assaulted or killed a person. It most certainly would not hold up to our Heavenly Father on judgement day. But he was so paranoid of what the Israelites might do that he made slaves out of them. And then what is infinitely worse, when they started increasing in numbers, which is no surprise to me, I mean honestly, if you are a slave and every day was horrible, aren't you going to take whatever comfort and love you can from your spouse? Anyway, when they started to increase in numbers, he ordered the death of all the baby boys.
If you had any doubts at all about where the Pharaoh was an evil man or not, this should dispel them. No rational person, no person with any amount of decency, would order the death of innocent children. No, this man is just as evil as Hitler, Stalin, Mao Ze Dong, Herod and other men throughout history that practiced genocide. There is no excuse for killing infants. It is pure evil to do so. Fortunately, the midwives worshiped God and would not follow the orders of the Pharaoh. What brave women these were! They could easily have lost their mortal lives for disobeying the Pharaoh like that. But these midwives had an eternal perspective and they knew that losing their lives were nothing compared to what they were being asked to do. They feared God and made the right choice. And it appears that God protected them for it.
They had the courage to do what is right. I sometimes think if I would have had the courage to do what God expects of me when facing death. I like to think that I would measure up, but the reality of it all is that I do not know. No one can know what they would do in such a situation. It's easy to say when listening to such tales what we would do in that situation and boast about it. But the reality is very different when the gun is in your face, or the knife is to your throat. I hope if I am ever in such a situation that I will measure up. I really hope that I am never put in such a situation, but my resolve is to stay true to my testimony no matter what. Time will tell I suppose if I am ever put in that kind of a situation. In the mean time I can live a life that He can be proud to call me His disciple and can live the Gospel and spread it that way. Until tomorrow.
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