The last time I drove to my parents’ house in Tennessee, I remember the Ohio River which had overflowed its banks to a significant degree. It was quite a sight, almost chilling in a way, as you could tell that there was destruction in its wake. Families were displaced, crops destroyed, devastation on multiple levels and varying degrees. If not right there on US41South, then somewhere else, up and down the river.
It certainly wasn’t the first time the Ohio had overflowed its banks. I’d seen it that high before. My Dad grew up in Memphis, a river town. I remember him telling me of the folks who lived along the Mississippi river, and how they would regularly lose the simple shacks they lived him because of the flooded river that would wash them away in the rainy season. But what amazed me about the story was that these people would return and build, again and again, despite the destruction the river brought. I couldn’t comprehend that. Why not move away, someplace safer, someplace drier? “Well,” dad would explain, “some of these folks were able to make a living on the river, fishing, scavaging, transportation. It wasn’t just destruction that the river brought, it was life too.”
Egypt was a river based nation. They were used to the rhythms of the Nile and were able to make good use of it. It was a source of life. A dangerous source of life to be sure, but a blessing nonetheless. At least until those in power seek to change it from a source of life and place of blessing to a instrument of death and symbol of terror.
Which is exactly what the unnamed Pharaoh tried to do in our scripture for this week.
Exodus 1:8 - 2:10 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?" 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." 20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live."
2:1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."
Throw them in the river. Seems incomprehensible, really. That a leader would be so afraid of these immigrants that they would recommend throwing them in the river. And this was a general edict, did you notice that? He told all his people, whenever you see a Hebrew baby boy, throw it in the river. Appealing to mob action, inflaming prejudice and suspicion. Stirring up the populace with fear mongering and threats.
But let the girls live. Why was that, you wonder? Let the girls live, because they couldn’t do much? Because no one worries about girls? Because, well, because they are girls. Isn’t that enough? No one can be so mean as to kill baby girls, could they?
Actually, I doubt if it was sentiment that caused Pharaoh to spare the girls. It was because he didn’t think them capable of causing him trouble. Which means he wasn’t paying attention, because it was two women who got in the way of his first plan, and it was two women, and one from his own household that caused his ultimate downfall.
Which means that Pharaoh was just off base from the beginning. The river which was a source of life, he wanted to turn into a place of death, and it didn’t work. The women, the midwives who are bringers of life, he wanted to be instruments of death, and it didn’t work. The little girls he didn’t think worth his consideration, stood sentinel over a baby in a basket, floating on the river of life. A river of hope.
Now this doesn’t mean that what God intends for good, human beings can’t turn to evil. Oh, how we wish that were true. But it does mean that if those who fear God, as Shiphrah and Puah did (and no, it doesn’t mean that they were more afraid of what God would do to them that what Pharaoh would do to them - in fact it means that they trusted in God’s power and presence more than in Pharaoh’s power and presence) can work to foil those who would misuse the blessings of God. If they are willing to take the risk. If they are willing to work for life and not for death.
I always thought the song “down by the riverside” was about stopping work. But now I wonder if it is about changing the kind of work you choose to do. Maybe “gonna lay down my sword and shield” and “gonna put on my long white robe” is not really about being in heaven, but choosing to do the work of life and not of death. About making the choice to fear God and not Pharaoh.
Down by the riverside. Ain’t gonna study war no more. Ain’t gonna work from hate no more. Ain’t gonna ... well, you decide. It’s dangerous down by the riverside. But it is where life is. Let’s go.
Shalom,
Derek
It certainly wasn’t the first time the Ohio had overflowed its banks. I’d seen it that high before. My Dad grew up in Memphis, a river town. I remember him telling me of the folks who lived along the Mississippi river, and how they would regularly lose the simple shacks they lived him because of the flooded river that would wash them away in the rainy season. But what amazed me about the story was that these people would return and build, again and again, despite the destruction the river brought. I couldn’t comprehend that. Why not move away, someplace safer, someplace drier? “Well,” dad would explain, “some of these folks were able to make a living on the river, fishing, scavaging, transportation. It wasn’t just destruction that the river brought, it was life too.”
Egypt was a river based nation. They were used to the rhythms of the Nile and were able to make good use of it. It was a source of life. A dangerous source of life to be sure, but a blessing nonetheless. At least until those in power seek to change it from a source of life and place of blessing to a instrument of death and symbol of terror.
Which is exactly what the unnamed Pharaoh tried to do in our scripture for this week.
Exodus 1:8 - 2:10 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?" 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." 20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live."
2:1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."
Throw them in the river. Seems incomprehensible, really. That a leader would be so afraid of these immigrants that they would recommend throwing them in the river. And this was a general edict, did you notice that? He told all his people, whenever you see a Hebrew baby boy, throw it in the river. Appealing to mob action, inflaming prejudice and suspicion. Stirring up the populace with fear mongering and threats.
But let the girls live. Why was that, you wonder? Let the girls live, because they couldn’t do much? Because no one worries about girls? Because, well, because they are girls. Isn’t that enough? No one can be so mean as to kill baby girls, could they?
Actually, I doubt if it was sentiment that caused Pharaoh to spare the girls. It was because he didn’t think them capable of causing him trouble. Which means he wasn’t paying attention, because it was two women who got in the way of his first plan, and it was two women, and one from his own household that caused his ultimate downfall.
Which means that Pharaoh was just off base from the beginning. The river which was a source of life, he wanted to turn into a place of death, and it didn’t work. The women, the midwives who are bringers of life, he wanted to be instruments of death, and it didn’t work. The little girls he didn’t think worth his consideration, stood sentinel over a baby in a basket, floating on the river of life. A river of hope.
Now this doesn’t mean that what God intends for good, human beings can’t turn to evil. Oh, how we wish that were true. But it does mean that if those who fear God, as Shiphrah and Puah did (and no, it doesn’t mean that they were more afraid of what God would do to them that what Pharaoh would do to them - in fact it means that they trusted in God’s power and presence more than in Pharaoh’s power and presence) can work to foil those who would misuse the blessings of God. If they are willing to take the risk. If they are willing to work for life and not for death.
I always thought the song “down by the riverside” was about stopping work. But now I wonder if it is about changing the kind of work you choose to do. Maybe “gonna lay down my sword and shield” and “gonna put on my long white robe” is not really about being in heaven, but choosing to do the work of life and not of death. About making the choice to fear God and not Pharaoh.
Down by the riverside. Ain’t gonna study war no more. Ain’t gonna work from hate no more. Ain’t gonna ... well, you decide. It’s dangerous down by the riverside. But it is where life is. Let’s go.
Shalom,
Derek
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